Shopify Software Reviews

“scales nicely for growing stores”

Pros

Feels very easy to start using because it offers a complete ecommerce setup without making things confusing. The onboarding and onboarding are guided well so it's simple to launch without feeling lost in technical details. The interface is friendly and the way everything works makes sense right away which helps a lot when you're new to the platform. It works very well for small businesses from the start and it also has the flexibility to grow as the business expands. On top of that, the plugin selection makes it possible to add plenty of extra functions beyond the core features.

Cons

The ongoing costs are higher than some other options in this category and in certain situations they can feel a bit too expensive. Another downside is that the website builder is not as effective or detailed as the ecommerce side of the platform. That makes things harder for anyone trying to build a fully complete website while also managing online store functions in one place.

“professional platform”

Pros

Everything feels approachable and not overly complicated while still looking polished and professional.

Cons

I'm really happy with the app overall and it has been a profitable platform for me.

“handy dashboard”

Pros

Running things on this platform feels very easy. The whole store is managed from one dashboard which makes it really convenient and with a quick glance you can check how much you've made in a day or over the week. It also comes with free templates which is a nice bonus.

Cons

It's not the best option if you want to offer more than one discount at a time. There are also times when apps conflict with each other which can end up causing problems.

“Accessible tools”

Pros

Getting an online store up and running with it is quick and easy. The interface feels very accessible, it includes cloud-based services and the customer support is also very reliable. You can have a solid eCommerce site ready in just a few days.

Cons

When it comes to product subscriptions, there are still a few limitations. You can't integrate every payment platform and there are also certain eligibility restrictions for subscription products.

“costly for new shops”

Pros

It does a solid job of supporting an e commerce business but the pricing is fairly steep. You really need a certain level of sales coming in to justify the cost of using the platform.

Cons

The pricing is high especially for a new online store. On top of that, almost every extra feature seems to come with an additional charge.

“great themes”

Pros

Running a store on it feels convenient because the website platform and payment processing come together in one all-in-one package. The apps available to extend your shop's functions are excellent though it's still smart to keep the number of apps low so your site speed doesn't take a hit. Their blog and support system are top-notch which makes it easy to find answers right when you need them. I also really enjoy how the theme settings are laid out. They offer plenty of free themes to help you get started and if you want something more advanced, there's also a large selection of developer-made themes to choose from.

Cons

Pricing is definitely something you have to factor in. There are upfront costs to consider, including the base subscription and a few essential apps. On top of that, you also have payment processing fees. One change I really don't agree with is that they no longer refund the processing fee on returns. That's something to keep in mind when building your return policy, otherwise you can end up losing money when a customer sends an item back.

“budget friendly”

Pros

If you're looking to sell online, this is one of the best options out there. It's definitely among the most affordable ways to get started: during the pandemic I began with the 3 month free trial, then moved to the $9 per month Starter plan and was able to sell an unlimited number of products. I also made good use of several helpful features like selling directly through my Facebook page. On top of that it can be used in a physical store for handling purchases and managing inventory and the Buy Button is especially useful because it lets you sell through blogs or existing websites.

Cons

There are a few downsides, like the limit of three options per product, transaction fees and the fact that in some cases you need to install an app to get a specific function. Still, these are very minor compared with all the advantages.

“powerful storefront tools”

Pros

It is an excellent platform though the cost can be hard to justify unless a small business is bringing in enough revenue.

Cons

A downside is having to pay for extra apps to handle certain essential processes for running an eCommerce business.

“Efficient inventory tools”

Pros

Very easy to get a store online and working and the platform is simple to manage because of the features it includes. It lets you build your own eCommerce shop quickly and the inventory management for products works really well. Adding product listings is also without any trouble and it helps organize items so customers can find and view what's being promoted without much effort.

Cons

One limitation shows up when sorting through a large catalog of products: pagination only displays 50 items per page which becomes inconvenient when you're dealing with thousands of listings. It would be much better if users had the option to choose how many items appear on each page.

“top apps and themes”

Pros

One of the best parts of the platform is the app selection and the themes are excellent too. Their customer support has also been really good whenever I've needed help.

Cons

The short trial period is disappointing and the apps can get very expensive to keep using.

“solid store tools, tricky migration”

Pros

Something it does really well is give you a big selection of mobile friendly website themes, with more than 100 designs to choose from. It also comes with a financial dashboard that helps track sales and revenue and it makes it simple to keep an eye on product orders. Any paid plan includes unlimited bandwidth so handling a very large number of site visits is not a problem. The platform also includes built in marketing and SEO features. Since it supports many payment gateway integrations, collecting payments from customers is usually easy. On top of that 24/7 customer support is available whenever help is needed with using the platform.

Cons

It is not the best choice for SEO since it was built primarily for e commerce rather than as a general purpose website platform. It also limits product options to only three attributes, such as size, color and material. Another drawback is that the website data is stored on this so we cannot keep our own full backup of the site. If you want deeper template customization you may need to hire a web designer who knows the Liquid programming language. One of the biggest things to think about before choosing this solution is that moving a blog from another platform like Squarespace or WordPress is very difficult. Migrating to this can be a real challenge.

“stong store builder”

Pros

It gives us everything we need to set up and run our online store. It's easy to use, doesn't require any coding knowledge and offers a wide range of apps that help expand and improve the website.

Cons

Comes with a lot of features but it still misses some functions that really should already be included in the monthly subscription.

“perfect tools for online stores”

Pros

Running an online store with it feels very easy. The platform is simple to use, its features can be adjusted to fit just about any type of e-commerce website and there are plenty of extra apps you can add depending on what your business needs.

Cons

One area that still feels weak is the analytics since it's difficult to get information from them that feels truly reliable.

“business-friendly and manageable”

Pros

Managing a business with it feels very approachable both on the backend and from the customer side. You really don't need to be highly technical or bring in outside help to keep things running because this keeps everything easy and manageable for the average business owner or employee.

Cons

Now and then a few glitches show up after new updates which can be a little frustrating. That said it usually moves quickly to fix those issues so it hasn't been a major problem for me.

“organized and beginner friendly”

Pros

Everything feels well organized which has been a big help while I'm getting my business off the ground. It has made it simple to build my website and also keep everything in order as the business continues to grow.

Cons

A drawback is that the apps in the app Store don't offer many free choices to pick from.

“attractive templates”

Pros

Feel pretty simple to use. The templates look attractive, work well on mobile and it's a solid choice for dropshipping. The search function performs well, there's a wide range of external payment gateways available and being able to start for free before fully committing is a nice advantage.

Cons

Drawback is that the selection of free themes is fairly limited. Product photos also need to be very high quality or the store won't look its best. The built-in email marketing tool feels too basic and transaction fees on the Starter plan are on the higher side.

“powerful tools for growth”

Pros

It turned our e-commerce goals into something real without much trouble. It comes with a lot of built-in features that our sales and marketing teams can quickly put to work when launching digital campaigns. On top of that, the support team answers our tickets promptly which has been very helpful.

Cons

The API documentation is quite long and can be complicated to work through.

“multi channel selling that pays off”

Pros

Being able to connect this with other platforms is a huge advantage because it means I'm not relying on just one place for sales. Building up your web presence takes a very long time so having the option to push products out to other marketplaces and still make money is a big reason I continue using it.

Cons

I just wish there were even more sales channels available to integrate with especially platforms like Depop, Mercari and Poshmark.

“Customizable storefront”

Pros

Starting with it is easy and there's plenty of room to customize things. You can also add extra apps depending on what you need your website to do.

Cons

Nothing specific comes to mind right now. Nothing specific comes to mind right now.

“great value for online stores”

Pros

Running an online shop with it has been one of the best choices I could make. It's very simple to use and really gives good value for the money.

Cons

I haven't run into any issues with it at all; the overall experience has been excellent.