Shopify Software Reviews

“powerful store builder”

Pros

Building a website with this platform feels very easy thanks to the free themes and a dashboard that's simple and friendly to use. At just $29, it covers a lot. You can set up your store, track products, manage customers and handle the rest without spending much. Security is another big plus since you can focus on running the site without constantly worrying about hacks or server downtime. The app marketplace is also massive with just about any plugin or app you might need and installing them is pretty quick. On top of that, support is available 24/7 through email, live chat, FAQs and the community and there are plenty of helpful videos too so getting stuck rarely becomes a real problem.

Cons

Something to watch out for is adding too many apps because that can slow down your website's loading speed. It's better to be selective and stick to the apps you really need most.

“perfect ecommerce features”

Pros

Even without much background in programming or web design, I was still able to figure out how to set up my ecommerce store with this platform. It offers plenty of features and integrations and overall it's an excellent platform for running an online store.

Cons

Once you move into more advanced customization, things can get a bit challenging especially when adjusting the website or fixing responsive design issues. I had to rely on Google to find solutions for parts of my storefront.

“clean interface”

Pros

Anyone looking to launch an ecommerce website should seriously consider this platform. It's easy to work with, simple to maintain, quick to get up and running and does a solid job of keeping product tracking organized. The interface feels clean, the setup process is fast and I've run into very few glitches. The themes are decent too although the free options are somewhat limited.

Cons

Customization can be tricky when you don't have much coding experience so there's definitely some difficulty getting used to it. When building a site for a client, it would also help to provide some basic onboarding so they can confidently manage the store once the handoff is done.

“not costly”

Pros

Having my store and website handled in one place has been really convenient. The platform is fairly simple to use and the pricing feels reasonable for what it offers.

Cons

A downside is that quite a few features require coding knowledge and since I do not have that skill, I end up needing to hire a web developer.

“friendly storefront”

Pros

One thing I really enjoy about it is the excellent customer support along with how user friendly the platform is. Our customers also have no trouble shopping online through the platform which makes the whole experience better.

Cons

The part I like least about it is the limited selection of design templates. I just wish there were more opportunities to be creative with the storefront design.

“powerful integrations”

Pros

With this, I can take an e-commerce idea from concept to live store in about an hour. Another big plus is the wide range of integrations and proven features that have been refined and continuously optimized over the years. On top of that, the app variety offers quick, convenient ways to boost sales and improve customer satisfaction.

Cons

Once you add subscription payments, transaction fees and the monthly cost of apps, it can get very expensive.

“set up quickly”

Pros

Setting our website up and running it was very easy. It didn't take much time to launch the store and start selling our products.

Cons

If you're just starting out, the pricing can feel out of reach. That was definitely the case for us until the business became more established.

“handy tools”

Pros

Launching a business feels very practical with it since it's a global platform built for entrepreneurs and merchants. It's a very suitable place to start especially because it helps you build a professional, fully integrated website. There are many themes available to match different types of businesses along with a wide range of free and paid add ons that work well with the site. Those extras help make the store feel more complete and better organized which also makes things easier for visitors when they browse your website. Another useful advantage is that you can connect your store to several banks including PayPal so receiving payments is convenient if you are running a commercial site. On top of that the platform responds quickly and works efficiently so navigation across the site is generally fast and reliable.

Cons

Some of the available options are not very visible or clearly presented which makes them harder to access than they should be. The pricing is also expensive right from the beginning so the service can feel costly during the initial setup stage. While preparing the website, there can also be some challenges when trying to edit things or move between the many settings that are available and that can make the setup process a bit frustrating.

“professional stores in just hours”

Pros

Managing an online store feels incredibly easy! It comes with all the tools needed for just about anyone to build and manage an e-commerce site which is why I've used it for all of my online stores. The platform is simple to work with and after only a few hours of setup, the result is usually a polished, professional looking store that's ready to start taking orders.

Cons

The current 3 step checkout can be a bit of a turnoff for some shoppers and I've seen it affect conversion rates. Adding a one page checkout option would likely make a noticeable difference for a lot of stores.

“growing my business”

Pros

Keeps things really simple for me and I appreciate how smoothly it has helped me grow and scale my ecommerce business.

Cons

Part I'm not happy with is the percentage taken from every sale on top of the monthly subscription cost.

“no effort needed”

Pros

Takes very little effort to launch a site so almost anyone with a business idea can launch one quickly. There's also a huge selection of add-on apps available, covering just about every part of building and managing your store.

Cons

Once the free trial ends, keeping the store running can get pretty costly. On top of that, the range and overall quality of the free templates could definitely be improved.

“so convenient”

Pros

Was incredibly easy to use and the import/export tools are very convenient. The mobile apps make adding new products quick and without any trouble. As a small business owner running a resale shop with preowned and liquidated inventory, it helped me get products in front of customers very quickly. It's credit card transaction fees are in line with other popular payment services for small businesses. The basic POS also makes it practical to run both a physical storefront and an online presence without worrying about syncing everything separately.

Cons

A few standard features really feel like they should already be included in the store but instead they require paid plugins. As a reseller, listing products is already time-consuming with photos, descriptions and all the details involved. I also think the barcoding system and product location management could use some improvement.

“best out there!”

Pros

Honestly it feels like one of the best platforms out there for building an online store! It gives you plenty of website design options, helps promote your products across social media platforms and even offers nice logo and branding tools. All of that really helps boost your website or retail business.

Cons

The biggest downside is the price. It may cover a lot in terms of features and costs but it still feels very expensive especially for a freelancer who is just trying to make a living.

“good tools for startups”

Pros

Simple to figure out and very understandable. It comes with plenty of additional features and functions and I'd definitely recommend it for a startup.

Cons

Nothing feels complicated to use and it's very easy to get an overview of your progress as well as see where you can improve your results.

“beginner friendly”

Pros

I had never built a website before and was launching a brand-new business but my site was live in under an hour. Adding products and updating pages felt very simple even as a complete beginner. The video tutorials were also really useful and made the whole process even easier to follow.

Cons

My only real complaint with this platform is the login process. It takes three separate steps to access the account: first entering the store name, then going to another screen for the email and then a third page for the password. That feels like a bit too much just to log in each time.

“best fit for online stores”

Pros

When it comes to ecommerce, nothing else really compares. It's the strongest platform out there for launching and running an online store.

Cons

The themes can get pretty pricey and the free options just don't look as polished. I also wish the blog integration and related features were better. If the site isn't mainly focused on selling products, it probably isn't the right choice.

“love the automation”

Pros

Setting up, running and managing a store is very easy with this platform. Handling orders is also very user friendly and the available apps can automate sales and delivery almost completely.

Cons

Cost feels a little on the high side for what the software charges. If the pricing were more affordable, many more businesses would probably choose this as their selling platform instead of using separate payment providers, web hosting and other services.

“such responsive support!”

Pros

It offers a wide range of responsive themes including modern and minimalist designs so the storefront can look polished right away. The plugin selection adds plenty of extra functions and integrations with platforms like Amazon and eBay are really useful. Store pages load fast, payment options are secure and it also includes marketing tools along with customer record management. On top of that, the customer support team is available 24/7 and does a very efficient job resolving issues.

Cons

Biggest downside is the pricing. Even though there are different plans based on user needs, it still feels a bit more expensive compared with competitors like Magento and WooCommerce. The transaction fees are another added cost and the only way to avoid them is by using its own payment processor which is only available in a limited number of countries.

“quick launch”

Pros

We didn't need any previous website development experience to launch ou site. Whenever questions came up, the customer support team was really helpful. The POS system integration was also very simple to set up.

Cons

Advanced plan was priced a little higher than we could justify although it didn't end up being a real issue since we didn't actually need that tier. Once you try to customize the site beyond the more standard options, it can go from feeling very simple to fairly complicated. Also the third party shipping calculator is only available on the advanced plan.

“flexible themes”

Pros

I found it to be fairly easy to work with overall. The only snag I hit was transferring my domain from SquareSpace but the support team of this platform stepped in quickly and gave me plenty of help. I also appreciate the wide selection of website themes which made it easier to find one that fits my needs and they can all be customized quite a bit. On top of that there are lots of apps available to add extra functions like payment plans and product comparisons as well as updates such as Google and Yelp reviews.

Cons

One thing I do wish is that more of the features I currently rely on through third party apps were built directly into the platform since that would make support and troubleshooting much simpler whenever issues come up.