7 Best WooCommerce Alternatives

WooCommerce powers over 4.53 million stores worldwide, making it the most widely adopted ecommerce solution by store count. Yet merchants increasingly seek alternatives that eliminate plugin complexity, reduce hidden costs, and provide modern architecture for scaling their businesses. From API-first headless commerce platforms like Swell to all-in-one hosted solutions like Shopify, these seven alternatives address the specific pain points that drive businesses away from WooCommerce. This guide examines each platform's strengths, pricing models, and ideal use cases to help you make an informed decision.

Key Takeaways

• Hidden costs matter more than platform fees: WooCommerce's free plugin masks $8,000-12,000 annual costs for hosting, extensions, and maintenance, while hosted alternatives like Swell deliver predictable pricing starting at $29/month with hosting included
• Native subscriptions eliminate plugin complexity: Platforms with built-in subscription management save $200-3,600 annually compared to WooCommerce Subscriptions ($99/year) or Shopify subscription apps ($50-300/month)
• Headless architecture provides future-proof flexibility: API-first platforms enable storefronts in any JavaScript framework (React, Vue, Next.js) while connecting multiple touchpoints to a single commerce backend
• Transaction fees impact profitability significantly: Shopify charges 0.5-2% on third-party payment gateways, while Swell and BigCommerce charge 0%—a meaningful difference at scale
• Migration is more accessible than expected: Most platform switches complete within 2-4 weeks with professional services costing $2,500-5,000, making the total cost of ownership calculation the primary decision factor

Why Modern Businesses Look Beyond WooCommerce

WooCommerce maintains its 30-40% market share through WordPress integration and maximum customization flexibility. The platform's 55,000+ plugin ecosystem enables virtually any functionality imaginable.

However, this flexibility comes with operational overhead. Businesses report several consistent challenges:

• Ongoing maintenance burden: Plugin updates, compatibility issues, and security patches require continuous developer attention
• Scalability constraints: Performance degrades under high traffic without significant hosting investment and optimization
• Self-managed security: PCI compliance and SSL certificates require manual configuration
• Hidden cost accumulation: Hosting ($50-200/month), premium plugins, and developer maintenance quickly exceed expectations

These factors drive merchants toward hosted alternatives that bundle infrastructure, security, and core features into predictable monthly pricing.

1. Swell — Best for Headless Commerce and Native Subscriptions

Swell stands as the premier API-first ecommerce platform, purpose-built for merchants who need subscription commerce, complex product modeling, and modern frontend flexibility without infrastructure management.

Core Strengths:

• Native subscription engine with mixed cart support, dunning management, and flexible billing intervals
• Unlimited products, variants, and custom attributes without artificial platform caps
• 0% transaction fees on any payment gateway
• Support for 230 currencies and content localization in 170 languages
• Both hosted storefront builder and headless API access for maximum flexibility
• Swell reports 99.963% platform uptime with PCI-compliant hosted checkout

Pricing Structure:

• Starter: $29/month (up to $50K annual sales)
• Basic: $79/month (up to $250K annual sales)
• Standard: $299/month (up to $1M annual sales, priority support)
• Unlimited: $2,250/month (up to $5M annual sales, developer support)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for $10M+ merchants

Swell's greatest advantage lies in eliminating the plugin tax that burdens WooCommerce stores. Features requiring costly extensions elsewhere—subscription billing, product bundling with inventory tracking, customer-group pricing, and order editing—come built into the core platform.

For businesses running subscription models, Swell's native engine works with any payment gateway through the platform's encrypted card vault. This eliminates dependency on third-party apps while providing capabilities like separate invoicing from fulfillment schedules (bill monthly, ship quarterly) and automatic payment retry with dunning rules.

The platform serves brands like Velobici, which migrated from WooCommerce specifically to escape poor UI, difficult stock management, and plugin complexity. Today, 75% of their revenue comes from bundled product sales managed through Swell's native bundling features across 17 currencies.

2. Shopify — Best for Beginners and Fastest Launch

Shopify commands 28.8% market share among the top 1 million sites, earning its position through unmatched ease of use and all-in-one simplicity.

Key Features:

• Intuitive drag-and-drop store builder requiring no technical knowledge
• Fully hosted infrastructure with automatic security updates
• 8,000+ apps in the Shopify App Store
• 24/7 customer support on all paid plans
• Shop Pay checkout with 15% better conversion rates than competitors
• Native multi-currency and international selling capabilities

Pricing:

• Basic: $29/month (2 staff accounts)
• Grow: $79/month (5 staff accounts, advanced reports)
• Advanced: $299/month (15 staff accounts, custom reports)
• Plus: Starting at $2,300/month (enterprise features, checkout customization)

Shopify excels at getting merchants selling quickly. Implementation typically takes 1-2 weeks—significantly faster than WooCommerce's 4-8 week setup involving theme customization and plugin configuration.

The platform's strength becomes its constraint for businesses needing advanced customization. Checkout modifications require Shopify Plus, and the 100-variant product limit challenges merchants with complex catalogs. Transaction fees of 0.5-2% on third-party payment gateways also impact profitability for high-volume stores.

For merchants considering a Shopify alternative, the decision often comes down to customization needs and transaction fee sensitivity.

3. BigCommerce — Best for Enterprise B2B Operations

BigCommerce positions itself as the enterprise-grade hosted platform with comprehensive B2B features built into the core product rather than requiring apps.

Enterprise Capabilities:

• Native customer groups and price lists for B2B segmentation
• Unlimited API calls on all plans
• 0% transaction fees on any payment gateway
• Multi-storefront capabilities for brand portfolio management
• Built-in faceted search and product filtering
• ISO/IEC 27001 certification and Level 1 PCI compliance

Pricing Tiers:

• Standard: $29/month (up to $50K annual sales)
• Plus: $79/month (up to $180K annual sales)
• Pro: $299/month (up to $400K annual sales)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing (unlimited sales)

BigCommerce's 1,200+ apps provide solid extension capabilities, though the ecosystem remains smaller than Shopify's. The platform's revenue-based tier structure forces plan upgrades at specific sales thresholds—a consideration for rapidly growing businesses.

For B2B wholesale operations requiring customer segmentation, quote management, and complex pricing rules, BigCommerce delivers strong native functionality without app dependencies.

4. Squarespace — Best for Design-Focused Brands

Squarespace combines award-winning design templates with integrated ecommerce, appealing to brands where visual presentation drives purchasing decisions.

Design Excellence:

• Industry-leading templates optimized for visual storytelling
• Integrated website builder and ecommerce in unified platform
• Built-in SEO tools and analytics
• Native scheduling and appointment booking
• Member areas and digital content sales
• Automatic mobile optimization across all templates

Pricing:

• Business: $23/month (3% transaction fee)
• Commerce Basic: $27/month (0% transaction fee)
• Commerce Advanced: $49/month (advanced features)

Squarespace serves creative professionals, artists, and lifestyle brands exceptionally well. The platform trades deep ecommerce functionality for superior design tools and content integration.

Merchants requiring advanced product options, subscription management, or extensive API access will find Squarespace's commerce features more limited than specialized ecommerce platforms. The platform works best when brand presentation takes priority over complex selling requirements.

5. Wix — Best for Small Business Simplicity

Wix provides accessible ecommerce through its ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) and drag-and-drop editor, targeting small businesses and entrepreneurs without technical resources.

Accessibility Features:

• AI-powered website builder creating custom designs from questionnaire responses
• 500+ customizable templates for various industries
• Integrated payment processing and shipping
• Abandoned cart recovery automation
• Built-in email marketing capabilities
• Mobile app for store management

Ecommerce Pricing:

• Business Basic: $27/month
• Business Unlimited: $32/month
• Business VIP: $59/month

Wix prioritizes getting small merchants online quickly with minimal friction. The platform handles hosting, security, and basic commerce needs in an approachable package.

Growing businesses eventually encounter scaling constraints. Advanced inventory management, complex product configurations, and extensive API requirements push merchants toward more robust platforms as their needs evolve.

6. Ecwid — Best for Adding Commerce to Existing Sites

Ecwid takes a unique approach as an embeddable ecommerce widget that adds selling capabilities to any existing website without replacement.

Integration Flexibility:

• Add storefront to WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or custom sites
• Sell across Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon from single dashboard
• POS integration for in-person sales
• Automatic tax calculation across jurisdictions
• Multi-language storefront support
• Free plan available for up to 10 products

Pricing:

• Free: 10 products
• Venture: $19/month (100 products)
• Business: $39/month (2,500 products)
• Unlimited: $99/month (unlimited products)

Ecwid suits businesses with established web presences unwilling to rebuild their sites for commerce capability. The widget approach provides commerce functionality while preserving existing content and SEO equity.

The trade-off involves reduced control over the shopping experience compared to dedicated ecommerce platforms. Merchants requiring deep customization or complex checkout flows may find Ecwid's embeddable model constraining.

7. Magento/Adobe Commerce — Best for Large Enterprise Customization

Magento's open-source heritage provides maximum customization potential, now backed by Adobe's enterprise resources as Adobe Commerce.

Enterprise Features:

• Complete source code access for unlimited customization
• Multi-site and multi-store architecture from single installation
• Advanced B2B functionality including requisition lists and company accounts
• AI-powered product recommendations (Adobe Commerce)
• Staging environments for testing before deployment
• Global marketplace and extensive third-party extensions

Pricing:

• Magento Open Source: Free (self-hosted, $1,000-3,000/month managed hosting)
• Adobe Commerce: Starting at $22,000/year (cloud-hosted enterprise)

Magento commands respect for handling massive catalogs and complex B2B requirements. Enterprises with dedicated development teams leverage the platform's flexibility to build highly customized commerce experiences.

The investment equation favors organizations with significant technical resources. Implementation timelines stretch to 3-6 months, and ongoing maintenance requires specialized Magento developers—making total cost of ownership considerably higher than hosted alternatives.

Total Cost of Ownership: The Real Comparison

Platform fees tell only part of the story. For a store generating $500K annually with 10 users, first-year costs reveal significant differences:

Swell Standard: ~$4,788/year

• Platform subscription: $3,588
• Hosting and security: Included
• Subscription features: Native
• Developer maintenance: ~$1,200 (minimal)

WooCommerce: ~$16,479/year

• Plugin: Free
• Managed hosting: $2,400
• WooCommerce Subscriptions: $99
• Security and SSL: $600
• Extensions: $1,200
• Developer maintenance: $12,000

Shopify Advanced: ~$9,363/year

• Platform subscription: $3,588
• Transaction fees (0.65% of $150K processed): $975
• Subscription apps: $1,200
• Additional apps: $1,200
• Developer time: $2,400

The Shopify TCO study found WooCommerce operating costs run 32-41% higher than hosted alternatives when accounting for all hidden expenses.

Choosing the Right Alternative

Selection depends on your specific business model and technical resources:

Choose Swell when you need:

• Native subscription commerce without plugin complexity
• Headless architecture for modern frontend frameworks
• Unlimited product variants and custom data models
• 0% transaction fees and predictable pricing
• Both hosted storefront and API access options

Choose Shopify when you need:

• Fastest possible launch with minimal technical knowledge
• Proven checkout optimization and conversion rates
• Extensive app ecosystem for feature extension
• 24/7 support across all plan levels

Choose BigCommerce when you need:

• Built-in B2B features without app dependencies
• No transaction fees on any payment gateway
• Multi-storefront architecture for brand portfolios
• Revenue-tiered pricing matching business growth

Choose specialized platforms when you need:

• Squarespace: Design-first brand presentation
• Wix: Simple small business ecommerce
• Ecwid: Commerce added to existing websites
• Magento: Maximum enterprise customization

For merchants ready to evaluate alternatives, Swell offers hands-on exploration through create a store before commitment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main drawbacks of using WooCommerce for scaling businesses?

WooCommerce's hidden costs accumulate significantly as businesses grow, with merchants reporting total annual costs of $8,000-12,000 for hosting, premium extensions, security management, and ongoing developer maintenance. Performance degrades under high traffic without specialized optimization, and plugin compatibility issues require continuous attention. The platform's self-managed infrastructure means businesses must handle security patches, PCI compliance, and SSL certificates manually. Businesses processing over $500K annually often find hosted alternatives deliver better value through predictable pricing and reduced operational overhead.

How does a headless commerce platform like Swell offer more flexibility than WooCommerce?

Headless architecture separates the frontend presentation layer from backend commerce functionality, enabling merchants to build storefronts in any JavaScript framework—React, Vue, Svelte, or Next.js—while maintaining a unified commerce backend. Swell's API-first design means all dashboard and checkout functionality uses the same Backend API available to developers. This enables connecting multiple touchpoints (web, mobile apps, IoT devices) to a single commerce engine without WordPress dependencies or plugin conflicts. The decoupled architecture future-proofs your stack by allowing frontend redesigns without backend disruption.

Can I migrate my existing WooCommerce store to Swell?

Yes, most WooCommerce to Swell migrations complete within 2-4 weeks for hosted storefronts or 4-8 weeks for custom headless implementations. Professional migration services typically cost $2,500-5,000 including data migration (products, customers, orders), theme setup, and testing. Swell also supports uploading and customizing Shopify themes within its environment, providing additional migration flexibility. The platform's import tools and developer-friendly API make data transfer straightforward compared to other migration paths.

Does Swell charge transaction fees like some other platforms?

Swell charges 0% transaction fees on external payment gateways, compared to Shopify's 0.5-2% fees when using third-party processors. This zero-fee model applies across all pricing tiers from Starter to Enterprise. For a store processing $500K annually through a third-party gateway, this saves $2,500-10,000 per year compared to platforms charging transaction fees. The predictable pricing model helps merchants accurately forecast costs as they scale without worrying about percentage-based fees eroding margins.

What kind of businesses are best suited for Swell as an alternative to WooCommerce?

Swell serves five primary segments: direct-to-consumer brands requiring subscription flexibility, B2B wholesale operations needing customer-group pricing, subscription-first businesses seeking native recurring billing, multi-vendor marketplaces with split payment requirements, and omnichannel retailers connecting multiple touchpoints. The platform supports merchants from pre-launch validation through $10M+ annual revenue without requiring re-platforming. Brands like Smashing Magazine, Velobici, and Spinn Coffee have migrated to Swell specifically to handle complex subscription models, multi-currency pricing, and bundled product sales that proved challenging on WooCommerce.

How does Swell handle subscriptions and recurring billing compared to plugins?

Swell's subscription engine is built into the core platform rather than added through third-party plugins, enabling features that plugin-based solutions struggle to deliver. The native approach supports mixed carts combining subscription and one-time products in single checkout, separate invoicing from fulfillment schedules, automatic payment retries with configurable dunning rules, and customer self-service for pause/resume functionality. The subscription engine works with any payment gateway through Swell's encrypted card vault, eliminating the gateway-specific restrictions common with third-party subscription apps and saving merchants $200-3,600 annually compared to WooCommerce plugin costs.