Anyone who's not new to the world of e-commerce has probably heard of Shopify . After all, it's one of the internet's leading contenders when it comes to complete e-commerce solutions. Some might even say it has dominated the market for a while.
However, with the rise of all-in-one turnkey platforms such as Shift4 Stores , we may have stumbled upon a viable competitor to the e-commerce giant.
Shift4Shop and Shopify have a wide range of e-commerce features, giving merchants everything they need to start selling online and growing their business. From extensive product options, marketing and SEO tools, customer management features, and more, Shift4Shop and Shopify have a lot to offer.
That said, in this review, we put both platforms under the microscope to decipher Shopify's finally meeting its match with Shift4Shop. Let's dive in...
Shift4Shop vs Shopify: Background Information
Let's start with some background information explaining who these providers are and what they offer.
Both Shopify and Shift4Shop are turnkey ecommerce software , which means you don't need anything else to start selling online. Setting up your eCommerce quick and easy. Just choose your favorite theme, customize it to your liking, and upload your first product.
Shopify has been around since 2006 and has become one of the most popular e-commerce platforms on the web. It is one of the most email list powerful technology and online selling companies in the world, known for its scalability and extensive selling capabilities.
shopify webpage
Shift4Shop has over 21 years of experience in the industry, but you may not know its current name. It turned out to be 3Dcart . However, this e-commerce solution was purchased by Shift4Payments in 2020. Since then, the platform has undergone some changes and is poised to leave its old reputation behind. Fast forward to today, and Shift4Shop is a viable Shopify competitor that offers similar features, pricing, and additional services.
shift4shop vs shopify
Both companies also offer enterprise-grade solutions with POS capabilities.
go to top
Shift4Shop vs Shopify: Pros and Cons
Before you decide which ecommerce platform is right for you, you need to fully understand the potential advantages and disadvantages. Every tool has it!
Pros of Shopify👍
Shopify offers a great set of sales and store management features
There are pricing plans to choose from to suit different budgets
Hundreds of third-party apps and themes are available, so there's plenty of design and feature flexibility
Shopify offers high-quality 24/7 support
Has a thriving community of thousands of active users
Shopify works with an impressive array of sales channels, including social media and Amazon. This works wonders if you want to get into multi-channel selling.
Such a built-in blogging engine includes a basic CRM
No coding knowledge is required.
Here's how you can manage your store and sell on the go with Shopify's mobile app.
Disadvantages of Shopify 👎
There is no free plan.
With the $29/month Shopify plan, you still have to pay transaction fees.
There's a bit of a learning curve in getting familiar with Shopify's extensive suite of features.
You may still rely on third-party apps to extend the functionality of your store, which can add significantly to the cost. For example, Shopify doesn't come with a loyalty rewards program, affiliate marketing, or real-time shipping tracking. Therefore, to access these types of functionality, you may need to use plugins.
Only ten free themes are available.
Advantages of Shift4Shop👍
You don't need coding knowledge to create an online store.
There are a wide variety of sales, store management and marketing tools available.
Has a built-in blogging engine and CRM.
There is an app store where you can download plugins to extend the functionality of your online store.
You can get 24/7 technical support.
Choose from over 100 free themes
US merchants can set up and operate their store for free when using Shift4Payments.
With the free plan, Shift4Shop offers tons of features out of the box. It has more basic features than Shopify's paid plans!
Features like loyalty rewards programs, B2B and wholesale customization, email marketing, affiliate programs, and gift registries are included right from the start.
great SEO optimization
Disadvantages of Shift4Shop 👎
The customization of the template design is limited.
Shift4Shop, formerly known as 3Dcart, is still relatively new and has gone through a lot of changes.
You'll be relying on certain apps to extend the functionality of your store, increasing your overall cost.
Shift4Shop's free plan is not available for international suppliers
Shift4Shop's online community is not as good as ShopifyS.
No mobile app available.
go to top
Shift4Shop vs Shopify: Their Essential Features
As we just said, Shift4Shop and Shopify offer a similar set of features. So let's do a quick recap of what you can expect from these two platforms:
Online store features
Shift4Shop and Shopify enable you to build an online store using templates without any coding smarts. You can host and sell unlimited products, create product variations, sell through multiple sales channels and marketplaces, and access over 100 payment gateways.
Inventory management
Both tools automatically track inventory as orders are processed. You'll be notified when inventory is low, and you can even create automated rules to reorder from suppliers. Additionally, Shopify enables you to handle inventory across multiple store locations. Since this is included in its pricing, Shopify is a slightly better solution for managing brick-and-mortar stores and selling online.
Calculate shipping
Using both platforms, you can calculate shipping costs and print shipping labels. Additionally, both Shopify and Shift4Shop work with the most popular carriers in the US.
Coupons and Discount Codes
Both platforms enable you to create customer discounts, offer special offers, sell gift cards, bundle products, and more.
Apps and Add-ons
Both Shift4 Stores and Shopify offer a wide range of app stores. However, Shopify has a slight edge here, as app developers usually do with Shopify priority. However, as of this writing, that's not the case with Shift4Shop.