Shopify Software Reviews

“affordable plugins”

Pros

There's a huge amount of support available and the selection of free or reasonably priced plugins makes it possible to add an impressive number of extra features to your website.

Cons

Customization feels limited unless you know their specific coding language, Ruby on Rails or you're willing to spend quite a bit hiring one of their developers to build things exactly the way you want.

“Positive experience”

Pros

This has worked really well for smaller businesses that don't need all the extra functions some content management systems come with. It's quick to get running right out of the box and connecting it with mainstream applications is pretty easy.

Cons

The biggest downside is the pricing especially for small and mid-sized businesses. It also feels somewhat limited when it comes to control and add-on options and while there are more advanced features available, the added cost becomes a major consideration.

“My recommendation!”

Pros

When it comes to building a website and running an online store this is my absolute favorite! I'd recommend it to anyone starting a business. It has tons of app integrations so you can customize the platform to fit exactly what you need. Access is easy, the pricing is affordable for small businesses working with a tight budget and the 14 day free trial is a big plus since you can actually start making money during that trial period. The large app ecosystem is another huge advantage :)

Cons

I really do love the platform but the biggest frustration for me is how unprepared their chat support reps often seem to be. They usually only understand the most basic parts of it's functions. A lot of the time the answer ends up being that I need to pay for a higher level of support or something along those lines.

“organized and convenient!”

Pros

Everything feels convenient and easy to manage. All the order details and store data are kept in one place which helps keep things organized and simple to work with!

Cons

It does feel a bit limited when it comes to certain features especially things like wholesale pricing and discount options.

“Overall great experience”

Pros

Launching and managing an online store with it feels very user friendly and simple. It covers everything from valuable sales analytics to reliable customer support and the overall experience has been great! Starting a business can be overwhelming but this platform made the process much more manageable.

Cons

A setback is that customizing the code in many themes comes with limitations so you may end up needing to hire a professional for certain changes. It would also be a huge plus if there were free drag and drop page builders available.

“quick site set up”

Pros

Right away it felt like a complete package for running a website and I really appreciate not having to deal with a separate hosting plan at all. It comes with plenty of ready made website templates both free and paid so getting started is fast. A polished, professional site can be put together in just a few hours and their customer support has been great! Friendly, upbeat and focused on actually finding solutions.

Cons

The free templates do have some limitations but their support team is so helpful that they can usually guide you toward creating almost anything you need.

“modern storefronts”

Pros

Getting started feels very easy! The platform is accessible even for someone who has never used an ecommerce tool before and you can build a store without any coding knowledge. The default templates are fairly simple but they still look professional and modern. It pretty much gives you everything needed to launch an online business, the pricing feels reasonable and there's a huge selection of third party apps and themes available when the built in features aren't enough.

Cons

At the same time that large third party marketplace feels like it has a hidden tradeoff. Some fairly basic features like product bundling or letting customers add messages to an order (things a platform like Etsy already includes) still require extra apps in the platform. Considering how long it has been around, it's surprising these aren't standard features by now. The only explanation that comes to mind is that there's no real incentive to include them when users are pushed toward paid apps which then benefits the platform. One other annoyance is that you can't apply more than one discount code unless you install an app so you're unable to run something like 10% off sitewide and then let shoppers stack an extra code on top.

“solid start”

Pros

After using a range of ecommerce platforms this has been the simplest one to get up and running. It works well for beginners as well as more experienced users and you do not need any programming skills to launch a store. It also suits both solo sellers and teams so it is easy for anyone to jump in and start quickly. The platform walks you through the setup process, helps you build a basic store design without much trouble and gives you plenty of templates, third party apps and sales tracking tools. If you want to launch a easy ecommerce store, it is a very good place to begin and the pricing is reasonably affordable too!

Cons

Once your store starts growing, you will probably end up relying on more apps and wanting deeper customization and that is when the extra monthly costs begin to add up. If you want your shop to match a more specific brand identity or include more unique pages, you will likely need coding knowledge and even then it can still be challenging. It is a strong fit for people who are not very technical and want to build a smaller online store but for larger businesses it still feels a bit limited. Other than that customer support can be hit or miss depending on the issue so it is worth doing your own research instead of relying entirely on their help.

“Good solution”

Pros

Starting a small eCommerce site with just a handful of products and a few standard pages is where it really shines. It works well right out of the box and is quicker to learn than a lot of other platforms. Because it handles both the software and the infrastructure, you're always getting current features, security updates and resource scaling without having to manage any of it yourself. For a basic site that can cut costs since there's less need to hire an in house tech person, webmaster or developer.

Cons

Costs can add up pretty quickly. The free themes are very limited in styling and mostly allow bigger changes only on the homepage. If you want a more full-featured website, you'll likely need to purchase a theme and those tend to cost more than WordPress themes while still offering fewer options, on top of the monthly subscription. Setting up and managing apps also isn't especially accessible. Another frustration is that when a page gets deleted, it's permanently gone because there are no built in recovery or rollback tools. They also charge extra if you want to use your own payment provider.

“perfect for online stores”

Pros

The platform makes it simple for just about anyone to set up an eCommerce business and get their website up and running.

Cons

There's honestly nothing coming to mind that makes me dislike this software.

“powerful store builder”

Pros

This has been the best ecommerce platform for setting up my own products and building a store directly inside the software to sell them.

Cons

You do need a decent budget if you want access to the more advanced and better features.

“has mobile updates”

Pros

Comes with a effective app ecosystem and a strong network of tools that work really well together. Another big plus is the mobile app which helps me stay on top of the business and keep up with updates even when I'm out on the road.

Cons

For our business I'd like a better way to duplicate products across other marketplaces like eBay and Etsy. The available partner solutions haven't fully delivered an ideal option for that yet.

“flexible for every skill level”

Pros

Whether you're brand new to building websites or an experienced developer creating fully customized solutions, it works incredibly well for both ends of the spectrum.

Cons

It's honestly tough to point out a real downside. If I had to mention something, a few things that felt outdated years ago have become much more user friendly since their team keeps updating and improving the platform.

“store management tools”

Pros

Keeping products organized in the store is very easy and the CRM features are something I really appreciate as well.

Cons

The pricing is quite high and I wouldn't recommend it to a startup unless there's a large amount of capital available or strong investor backing.

“no coding needed”

Pros

Starting an online store with the platform has a lot going for it. It's fairly affordable, it is quick to figure out and there's no need to learn coding. It also connects with just about all the apps, add ons and website themes you'd want to use. Because of that you can put together a professional looking, fully functional online store very quickly and at a fraction of what it would cost to have a developer build a custom website.

Cons

Unless you pay for upgraded website themes, a lot of other online stores will end up using the same theme as yours.

“set up a site fast”

Pros

I launched my store pretty spontaneously and this felt like the most popular and beginner friendly choice to start with. There's still a lot for me to learn before I can fully customize everything and get it running exactly how I want but getting the store set up was simple.

Cons

At times it's been a little difficult to track down certain customization options or extra features I want to add though that probably comes down to me needing more time to learn the platform better.

“loved the experience”

Pros

Right out of the gate, it feels incredibly user friendly while still offering plenty of room to expand as your business grows. It's fast, secure and constantly getting better with ongoing updates. Whether someone is just getting started or already running a large scale operation, it covers just about everything. I'd absolutely recommend it to both beginners and experienced enterprise users.

Cons

One area that still needs more attention is the physical POS hardware app especially if you're using an ipad as a POS setup. It works well enough for basic use but there's definitely a lot of room for improvement in both functions and stability. Expanding that side of the platform would add real value for both existing customers and new ones.

“full store control”

Pros

Because the installation is guided from the beginning, it is quick to start working with. It's also very simple for end users especially my clients and it handles pretty much everything needed to run an online store.

Cons

If you're an experienced web developer, you might notice some limits when it comes to more dynamic design options. Still this platform is clearly built for user friendly store management and the time it saves really makes up for those restrictions.

“excellent!”

Pros

Very easy to work with and all the integrations you need are available which makes it simple to launch even with little to no prior experience.

Cons

Flexibility around dropshipping needs to be improved especially when it comes to testing options and the tools provided.

“Love it!”

Pros

After using this option for a few of my ecommerce stores over the past 18 months, my experience has been positive! Getting everything set up is very easy and it helps you start selling without a long delay. That is especially useful for someone new to online marketing and e-commerce. Instead of dealing with all the headaches of building a website from scratch and figuring out a design that works, the platform gives you a ready made solution. Then, as you learn more and gain confidence, you can upgrade with widgets and add ons that integrate well with the platform and support more sales.

Cons

One thing to keep in mind is that the cost can rise quite a bit over time. At the beginning it is fairly affordable but as the business grows, the monthly subscription and the add ons you choose can make it more expensive. I would not call that a major negative because higher sales usually come with that growth. Still it is something any entrepreneur should be aware of and plan for in advance. Like any business having the tools and resources you need comes with an ongoing cost.