4 Best WooCommerce Alternatives for Vape Brands

While WooCommerce holds 20.1% of the global ecommerce market, vape brands face unique challenges that make the "free" WordPress plugin far more expensive and complex than advertised. From payment processor restrictions to hosting compliance issues, age-restricted product sellers need platforms built for their specific regulatory environment. This comprehensive analysis examines five alternatives that address the core needs of vape businesses—starting with Swell's headless commerce platform, which places zero restrictions on product categories while delivering native subscription billing and unlimited product variants.

Key Takeaways

• Platform deplatforming risk is real and documented: Shopify's enforcement pressure has nicotine merchants shutting down stores with minimal warning—vape brands need platforms that explicitly accept their products
• Payment processing determines platform viability: Major processors like Stripe and PayPal prohibit vape products entirely, making gateway flexibility essential regardless of which platform you choose
• Native subscription billing eliminates app fees: Platforms with built-in recurring payment features save vape subscription box businesses compared to third-party app dependencies
• Product variant flexibility matters for vape catalogs: Multiple nicotine strengths, flavors, and sizes require platforms supporting unlimited variants—Shopify's 2,048-variant limit, while improved from the previous 100-variant cap, still creates operational constraints compared to unlimited variant platforms

Why Vape Brands Seek WooCommerce Alternatives

The vape ecommerce landscape presents challenges that standard platforms weren't designed to address. Payment processors categorize nicotine products as "high-risk," hosting providers may restrict age-restricted content, and platform terms of service often prohibit tobacco-related products outright.

WooCommerce itself places no platform-level restrictions on product categories. However, the plugin's ecosystem creates indirect barriers. WooCommerce Payments, powered by Stripe, explicitly prohibits vape businesses. Finding compliant hosting and integrating specialized payment gateways requires technical expertise and ongoing development resources.

For vape brands evaluating their options, the total cost of ownership—not just the sticker price—determines which platform delivers genuine value.

1. Swell — API-First Platform with Zero Product Restrictions

Swell stands as the only major ecommerce platform that explicitly accepts vape, THC cannabis, CBD, and all age-restricted products without category restrictions. The platform's API-first architecture provides complete frontend flexibility while eliminating the deplatforming risk that haunts merchants on other platforms.

Key Features:

• Zero product category restrictions—sell nicotine vapes, THC products, CBD, and accessories from a single backend
• Native subscription billing without third-party app fees, working with any payment gateway
• Unlimited products and variants with custom attributes for complex vape catalogs
• 230 currencies and 170 languages for international vape sales
• 0% transaction fees on external payment gateways
• High platform uptime, with a 100% uptime SLA available on the Unlimited plan

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, 100% uptime SLA)
• Custom Enterprise pricing for $10M+ merchants

Swell's headless architecture means vape brands can build custom storefronts in React, Vue, Next.js, or any JavaScript framework while connecting compliant payment processors without platform interference. The encrypted card vault stores payment methods for recurring orders with any gateway—critical for vape subscription boxes that can't rely on mainstream processors.

For brands currently on platforms with product restrictions, Swell provides migration support and the ability to upload and customize existing Shopify themes within the Swell environment.

Best For: Vape brands seeking predictable costs, subscription commerce capabilities, and complete freedom from product restrictions or deplatforming risk.

2. BigCommerce — Enterprise Features for CBD and Hemp Brands

BigCommerce serves CBD and hemp-derived product merchants with robust B2B features and extensive payment gateway options. The platform supports products containing less than 0.3% THC, making it suitable for hemp-derived CBD but not nicotine vapes or full-spectrum cannabis.

Key Features:

• 65+ payment gateway integrations including high-risk processor options
• Native B2B capabilities with customer groups, wholesale pricing, and quote management
• 600 variants per product (more than Shopify's previous 100-variant limit, though Shopify now supports 2,048 variants)
• 99.99% uptime guarantee for enterprise reliability
• Built-in excise tax management through IntuitSolutions partnership

Pricing Structure:

• 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 for high-volume merchants

BigCommerce's strength lies in its B2B wholesale features—customer group pricing, company account management, and purchase order support prove valuable for CBD brands selling to retailers alongside direct-to-consumer operations.

Important Consideration: BigCommerce does not accommodate nicotine vapes or THC products exceeding 0.3%. Brands selling e-cigarettes, vape juice with nicotine, or full-spectrum cannabis products should evaluate other options.

Best For: CBD and hemp brands staying within the 0.3% THC threshold who need robust B2B wholesale capabilities.

3. Dutchie — Dispensary-Focused Cannabis Commerce

Dutchie specializes in cannabis dispensary operations, offering point-of-sale integration, menu management, and delivery coordination specifically for licensed cannabis retailers. The platform handles compliance workflows unique to the regulated cannabis market.

Key Features:

• Dispensary menu management with real-time inventory sync
• Point-of-sale integration for in-store and online ordering
• Delivery and pickup coordination with driver tracking
• Age verification and compliance workflow automation
• Integration with cannabis-specific payment processors

Platform Focus:

Dutchie serves licensed dispensaries rather than general vape or CBD ecommerce. The platform's strength lies in cannabis retail operations—menu syncing, order routing to physical locations, and dispensary-specific compliance features.

Best For: Licensed cannabis dispensaries requiring integrated point-of-sale and ecommerce with dispensary-specific compliance features. Not suitable for standalone vape or CBD ecommerce operations.

4. Carrot — Cannabis Retail and Delivery Platform

Carrot provides cannabis-specific ecommerce with emphasis on delivery operations and retail integration. Like Dutchie, Carrot focuses on the licensed cannabis dispensary market rather than general age-restricted product commerce.

Key Features:

• Cannabis delivery management and driver coordination
• Menu publishing across multiple cannabis marketplaces
• Compliance tracking for licensed operations
• Integration with state-mandated tracking systems
• Customer loyalty and retention features

Platform Focus:

Carrot targets licensed cannabis retailers and delivery services operating within regulated state markets. The platform's features center on dispensary operations, delivery logistics, and cannabis-specific compliance requirements.

Best For: Licensed cannabis delivery services and dispensaries seeking streamlined operations within state-regulated markets. Not designed for nicotine vape or general CBD ecommerce.

The Shopify Question: Why It's Not on This List

Many vape brands begin their platform search with Shopify, which holds 26.2% of the market and powers over 5 million stores. However, Shopify's terms of service explicitly prohibit e-cigarettes, vaping products, and nicotine-containing items.

This isn't a theoretical policy—enforcement is active. Vape merchants report account shutdowns with minimal warning, sometimes receiving just one week to export data and migrate to alternative platforms.

As one industry analysis noted: "When your platform can remove your storefront, your checkout, or your payments with little notice, you do not have a stable foundation."

For CBD merchants, Shopify maintains stricter enforcement than some alternatives, with documented cases of CBD merchants removed without warning despite apparent compliance. The platform risk simply doesn't justify the convenience for age-restricted product sellers.

Payment Processing: The Universal Challenge

Regardless of which platform vape brands select, payment processing remains the industry's primary operational challenge. Major processors including Stripe and PayPal prohibit vape products across all platforms.

Vape-Friendly Payment Options:

• Authorize.net (with appropriate merchant category codes)
• Specialized high-risk processors serving the vape industry
• Alternative payment methods like Affirm for financing options

Swell's architecture proves particularly valuable here—the platform's payment abstraction layer connects any payment gateway via API without requiring platform approval or creating integration complexity. This flexibility ensures vape brands can work with specialized processors that accept their business.

Age Verification Integration

All platforms require third-party age verification integration for legal vape sales. Options include Veratad, Yoti, and AgeChecker.net, each integrating differently depending on platform architecture.

Swell's API-first approach enables custom compliance workflows—different age gates for different states, automatic SKU restrictions by location, and integration with any verification provider. This flexibility proves essential for brands selling across multiple jurisdictions with varying regulatory requirements.

Choosing Your Platform Based on Business Model

For Nicotine Vape Brands: Swell stands as the clear choice—the only major platform explicitly accepting nicotine products with native subscription billing and unlimited variants for complex product catalogs.

For CBD/Hemp Brands (Under 0.3% THC): BigCommerce offers robust B2B features if your product line stays within hemp-derived limits. Swell provides greater flexibility if you anticipate expanding into broader product categories.

For Licensed Cannabis Dispensaries: Dutchie or Carrot address dispensary-specific operations including point-of-sale integration and state compliance tracking.

Migration Timeline Expectations

For vape brands currently operating on platforms with product restrictions, migration timelines vary by destination:

• To Swell: 2-4 weeks for hosted storefront, 4-8 weeks for custom headless implementation
• To WooCommerce: 4-12 weeks depending on developer availability and configuration complexity
• From Shopify (forced migration): Emergency migrations following enforcement notices compress timelines significantly—plan proactively rather than reactively

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't vape brands use standard ecommerce platforms like Shopify?

Shopify's terms of service explicitly prohibit e-cigarettes, vaping products, and nicotine-containing items, with active enforcement that shuts down merchant accounts with minimal warning. Major payment processors like Stripe and PayPal also prohibit vape transactions, creating additional barriers even on platforms that technically allow the products. Vape brands need platforms that explicitly accept age-restricted products and support integration with specialized high-risk payment processors. This combination of platform restrictions and payment processing limitations makes standard ecommerce platforms unsuitable for vape businesses.

What makes Swell different from WooCommerce for vape businesses?

Swell places zero restrictions on product categories and includes managed infrastructure—no hosting configuration, security updates, or plugin compatibility management required. WooCommerce's "free" plugin requires specialized hosting, payment gateway customization ($2,000-5,000), and ongoing developer maintenance ($1,000-3,000/month). Swell's native subscription billing eliminates third-party app fees that WooCommerce requires for recurring revenue models.

Can vape brands sell internationally using these platforms?

Swell supports 230 currencies and languages with multi-currency pricing rules, automatic exchange rate conversions, and tax integrations for region-specific compliance. International vape sales require attention to country-specific regulations, shipping restrictions, and excise tax obligations. Swell's localization features handle the technical infrastructure, though brands remain responsible for regulatory compliance in each market they serve. The platform's API-first architecture enables custom compliance workflows for different jurisdictions.

How do subscription vape boxes work on different platforms?

Swell includes native subscription billing that works with any payment gateway through the platform's encrypted card vault—no third-party apps required. WooCommerce and BigCommerce require subscription plugins or apps that typically charge additional monthly fees plus transaction percentages. For vape subscription boxes, this difference can represent $500-2,000+ monthly in avoided app fees. Swell's subscription engine supports flexible billing intervals, mixed cart support (subscription plus one-time products), and automatic payment retry with dunning rules.

What happens if I'm currently on Shopify selling vape products?

Export all data immediately as a backup—merchants report enforcement notices providing limited time to migrate. Evaluate platforms that explicitly accept vape products, with Swell being the primary option among major platforms. Plan migration proactively rather than waiting for enforcement action. Swell offers migration assistance from Shopify, including the ability to upload and customize existing Shopify themes within the Swell environment, reducing transition complexity.

Which platform handles vape product variants best?

Swell supports unlimited products and variants with custom attributes—essential for vape catalogs with multiple nicotine strengths, flavors, bottle sizes, and device colors. Shopify now supports 2,048 variants per product (increased from the previous 100-variant limit), while BigCommerce allows 600 variants per product. WooCommerce has no platform-imposed limits but requires proper configuration. For brands with complex product matrices, Swell's unlimited variant support eliminates artificial constraints on catalog structure.