Shopify Vs. XenoCart.com - Compare eCommerce Store Solutions, a Shopify Alternative

Thousands of small businesses around the world currently use Shopify, but the question is would they if they had a better alternative? 

In this article we'll quickly compare the cost and features of eCommerce Store and Cart provider Shopify vs. XenoCart.com. Let's review a Shopify Alternative.

Pricing
Shopify offers several eCommerce store pricing levels.  For the sake of this article and to keep the pricing points remotely close, we'll compare their most basic eCommerce site solution, which is $29 per month.  The turnkey solution at XenoCart.com is as low as $14.92 per month is paid annually  as well as $16.50 a month if paid every 6 months then the most pricey at $19.67 a month if purchased on a month by month basis.  XenoCart.com is over $9 per month cheaper, or over $111 per year less!  Imagine the Google Adwords you can buy with an extra $111 per year!

Domains
The good news is with Shopify, you can use your own domain name.  The bad news is you have to buy it separately.  XenoCart being turnkey allows you to bring your own domain name or you get one at no cost when registering.

Bandwidth
One common characteristic both shared by Shopify and XenoCart.com is unlimited bandwidth.   No worries about the meter spinning on either website, they both have your business covered.

Product Totals
Let's take a closer look at the total number of products a user can add to their eCommerce stores, as this is a biggie.  With Shopify, users are limited to 100 products in their store catalog.  To get more, clients must order a larger package.  In fact, to get the same product capacity as XenoCart.com. subscribers will need to dish out an AMAZING $179 PER MONTH!  XenoCart allows for unlimited products in each store, regardless of the price paid.

Transaction Fees
Shopify charges its users a 2% transaction fee.  If you were to sell with Paypal, you're racking up some kind of fee's.  Outside of the monthly or annual cost, Xenocart.com doesn't charge any additional fee's.

Coupons and Discount Codes
To get coupon codes and discount code engines, users have to subscribe to the $59 per month package at Shopify.  Bulk discounts and coupons are an included feature at XenoCart.com.

Affiliate Management Systems
This one is a bit tougher.  We scoured the Shopify website for any indication their members get affiliate management tools, or if a clients wants to allow others to resell their products and payout commissions, and we found no sign they offer this.  XenoCart.com, the affiliate management system is included to easily start your own affiliate program.  If we learn otherwise, we'll update this release.

Reporting
Reporting is yet another feature we had a hard time locating on Shopify.  From what we gathered, their reporting entails you exporting a list of your sales into a spreadsheet.  At XenoCart.com,  businesses can keep a close eye on the performance of your business via detailed reporting and graphical analytics from the store manager.

Product Ratings/Reviews
Letting your customers rate and leave reviews on your products is a fantastic referral program and leads to more sales, just ask anyone that has shopped at Amazon.com. A product review and rating system is a built in option at the XenoCart turnkey store.  This is yet another possibly elusive offering from Shopify.

More Information

If anything is factually incorrect and needs correcting, contact Support @ XenoCart.com