Starting an online store can be overwhelming. You need a platform that’s easy to use, affordable and fits your business needs. Many small business owners struggle with complex e-commerce platforms that are expensive and take forever to set up.
Imagine paying thousands of dollars and spending weeks building an online store, only to find out it doesn’t work with your existing website.
Or worse, discovering hidden fees that eat into your profits. That’s the reality for many entrepreneurs using the wrong platform.
Enter Ecwid – a simpler, more flexible alternative to Shopify. Created specifically for small businesses, Ecwid lets you add e-commerce to any existing website in minutes, not days.
And with its free plan and no transaction fees, it’s a budget-friendly option that still delivers powerful features.
What is Ecwid & How is it Different from Shopify?
Ecwid (short for “e-commerce widget”) was created in 2009 to help small businesses sell online without rebuilding their entire website. Unlike Shopify, which builds standalone online stores, Ecwid was designed to plug into websites you already have.
Originally designed as an embedded plug-in to transform any website into an online store,” Ecwid now also provides a built-in Instant Site store builder and “single-click integrations with any site-builder or existing website.
A key difference? Ecwid never charges transaction fees on any plan, while Shopify takes about 2% if you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments.
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8 Reasons People Choose Ecwid Over Shopify
1. Works with Any Website You Already Have
The #1 reason many choose Ecwid is that it plays nicely with websites you already own. You can:
- Add Ecwid to WordPress, Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, or any website with a simple copy-paste
- Keep your existing site design while adding a fully functioning store
- Avoid rebuilding your entire website from scratch
Shopify mainly offers a limited “Buy Button” for external sites, but Ecwid gives you a complete store that integrates seamlessly. That’s why they call it an “e-commerce widget” – it fits anywhere!
2. Free Plan and Lower Costs
Money matters for small businesses, and Ecwid wins on affordability:
- Ecwid offers a free plan for small catalogs (Shopify only has a 3-day trial)
- Paid plans are generally cheaper than Shopify’s
- No transaction fees on any Ecwid plan (Shopify charges ~2% unless you use Shopify Payments)
As one user put it: Ecwid is “direct to what you need without tricks or additional payments,” letting you keep more profit.
3. Built-In Features
Ecwid includes many features that would require paid add-ons with Shopify:
- Abandoned cart recovery emails
- “Favorite product” reminder emails
- Product variations and filtering
- Tipping at checkout
- Local delivery zone setup
Having these built-in saves you money and prevents the performance issues that can happen when a store has too many apps installed.
4. Super Easy Setup
If technical stuff scares you, Ecwid will be a relief:
“Your work here is done” in terms of initial setup – Ecwid creates a starter store automatically when you sign up.
The platform offers:
- Over 70 one-click design themes
- A dashboard that guides you through the setup
- The ability to start selling immediately before deep customization
Some users report having a live store making sales within a day or two!
One food business owner shared: “I easily set up my shopping cart over a weekend and even plugged it in myself without help from experts. In the past, I paid $8,000 and up for a shopping cart on Shopify. This one was way more simple to understand and build, and I was making money within a few days!”
5. Sell Anywhere
Ecwid makes it easy to sell in multiple places from one control panel:
- Your website (or several websites)
- Facebook and Instagram shops
- Amazon and eBay
- In-person with the Ecwid mobile app
Your Ecwid product catalog becomes your “single source of truth” that syncs across all these channels. While Shopify also supports multiple channels, Ecwid’s approach means you don’t have to migrate everything to a new platform.
This is perfect for content creators who already have an audience. For example, a blogger can add an Ecwid store directly to their blog while simultaneously selling on social media without directing followers to a separate website.
6. Simple Customization Without Complexity
Ecwid strikes a balance between customization and simplicity:
- Professional pre-designed layouts that adapt to your existing site
- Enough templates and style options to look good
- The ability to customize with CSS if needed (but not required)
As Ecwid puts it: “Just because you don’t need to customize doesn’t mean you can’t!”
Shopify offers nearly unlimited customization if you’re willing to learn code or buy premium themes – great for advanced users but potentially overwhelming for beginners.
One user described Ecwid as “not too complex like Shopify” while still offering “plenty of options” to make the store look good.
7. Run Your Store From Your Phone
For busy entrepreneurs always on the go, ecwid’s mobile capabilities are impressive:
- Full store management from the Ecwid Mobile App
- Ability to add products, manage orders, and change settings on your phone
- Option to launch your entire store using just the mobile app
Ecwid proudly calls itself “the first mobile-only ecommerce solution” if you choose to use it that way. Imagine starting a pop-up business at an event and managing all sales from your phone!
8. Speak Your Customers’ Language
If you plan to sell globally, Ecwid has built-in advantages:
- Auto-detects and displays your store in 50+ languages
- Offers 20+ backend admin languages for you as the seller
- Provides a dozen languages for customer email templates
- No extra plugins or apps needed for translation
This means Spanish customers see a Spanish interface, French customers see French, etc. – automatically! Ecwid also handles multiple currencies easily, making international selling much simpler right out of the box.
What Real Users Say About Ecwid vs Shopify
The best way to understand if Ecwid is right for you is to hear from people who’ve used both platforms:
“If you want a quick easy set-up with less hassle for your e-commerce shop, then Ecwid is the best choice. I’ve tried many other e-commerce shop stores (mainly Shopify and WooCommerce) and from my experience, Ecwid beats them all — hands down!”
Another user appreciated the clear pricing: “That’s one of the things that made us bet on Ecwid, because it does not have small letters (fine print). It is direct to what you need without tricks or additional payments outside the agreed upon.”
Some businesses even switch from Shopify to Ecwid. As one G2 Crowd reviewer said: “This was much easier to get up and running than Shopify. After comparing a dozen platforms once we needed to exit Shopify, Ecwid was the easy and best choice for us.”
When to Choose Ecwid vs Shopify: Expert Opinions
Industry experts tend to recommend each platform for specific situations:
Choose Ecwid if you:
- Already have a website and want to add e-commerce
- Are on a tight budget (especially with the free plan)
- Need a simple solution without technical complexity
- Want to sell across multiple channels or websites
- Have a small catalog of products
As e-commerce expert Chris Singleton puts it: If you “already have a website that you want to add ecommerce to, Ecwid is usually the more obvious choice (especially, thanks to its free plan, if you are on a low budget).”
Choose Shopify if you:
- Are you building a standalone e-commerce site from scratch
- Plan to grow into a large online store with thousands of products
- Need very specific functionality through custom apps
- Want the most design options and premium themes
- Have the budget for a more expensive solution
Limitations to Consider:
To be fair, Ecwid does have some limitations:
- Product limits on lower plans (you need the highest plan for unlimited products)
- Less scalable for very large inventories
- Fewer third-party apps than Shopify’s extensive marketplace
- Slightly less design flexibility than Shopify’s theme system
However, for most small businesses just starting out, these limitations rarely matter. The ease of use and lower cost often outweigh these considerations.
Conclusion
Ecwid shines as the simple, flexible alternative to Shopify. If you’re a small business owner who wants to:
- Get online quickly without technical headaches
- Keep costs low with no surprise fees
- Add e-commerce to an existing website
- Sell across multiple platforms with minimal effort
…then Ecwid might be the perfect fit for your needs.
As many users have discovered, sometimes the “simpler” option isn’t just easier—it’s actually better for your specific business goals. While Shopify excels at building large standalone stores, Ecwid has carved out its place as the accessible, budget-friendly option that “just works” for small businesses.
Why not start with Ecwid’s free plan and see if it meets your needs? You might be surprised how quickly you can start selling without the complexity and cost of larger platforms.
