Craft Commerce vs. Shopify

Why craft unit Builds E-Commerce Websites with Craft CMS

Craft Commerce and Shopify differ fundamentally in their structure and approach. Sure, both are designed to power e-commerce projects, but the way they do so is entirely different. For that reason, it’s difficult to compare the two platforms directly.

The Success of Shopify

In simple terms, Shopify is a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform — a shop subscription that’s fully hosted by Shopify. It enables businesses of all sizes to quickly launch an online store using ready-made storefront solutions. Shops can be set up easily without the help of a web designer or developer. The frontend is provided by Shopify using a library of purchasable themes and pre-installed templates.
Essentially, it’s a modular system of standardized templates — a convenient solution for many who want to launch an online store quickly. However, when it comes to custom ideas and unique client requirements, Shopify’s “template box” approach quickly hits its limits.

Craft Commerce – Custom and Powerful

In contrast, Craft Commerce is a fully customizable e-commerce system. It’s an add-on to the open-source Craft content management system. It’s self-hosted, providing many advantages. Craft CMS websites are built entirely from scratch without using pre-made templates or purchasable themes. This means you’ll need to work with an agency that has experience designing and developing with Craft.

If you’re not yet familiar with Craft CMS, you can find an introduction to it here — as well as an article explaining why craft unit develops websites with Craft CMS instead of WordPress.
For those with development experience, the core advantages of Craft Commerce over Shopify become quickly apparent.

Content Management System and E-Commerce in One

One of Craft Commerce’s biggest strengths is the seamless integration of content management and e-commerce. Built on Craft CMS, Craft Commerce allows all content — products, text, images, videos, and more — to be interconnected. The website is the shop, and the shop is the website. It’s the perfect fusion of content and commerce.

Shopify struggles with rich content. Although it offers some built-in CMS-like features (allowing users to create and publish pages, blog posts, and other content types via the online editor), it’s not a full-fledged content management system. Compared to a dedicated CMS platform like Craft CMS / Commerce, its structure and flexibility are quite limited.

That’s why many Shopify stores host separate blogs on different platforms (such as WordPress) under subdomains. While this allows content and commerce to coexist, it creates a fragmented user experience — and there’s no way to connect content and commerce seamlessly.

Customization Aligned with Your Brand

Craft websites are built from the ground up to meet the specific needs of each business. The result is a 100% custom, unique, and fully brand-consistent website. From content pages to product listings and checkout flows — everything is fully adaptable.
The e-commerce experience becomes an integral part of the brand experience. Design, product presentation, checkout, and user interactions are all tailored to the client’s goals and the best possible UX, rather than being restricted by a purchased template. The boundary between “shop” and “website” simply disappears.

In contrast, Shopify offers a library of purchasable themes. These can be used to quickly launch a standard online store at a relatively low cost. However, this also means that the resulting website won’t be truly unique or brand-specific. Shopify does allow some customization, but it requires a developer’s help and ongoing maintenance — and can become quite technical.

With Craft Commerce, completely bespoke, UX-optimized pages can be developed within the CMS, using any layout or component designed by your development team.

User Experience

Many CMS platforms — including Shopify — have backends that are cluttered and overloaded with features. Every installation comes with the same “one-size-fits-all” interface, regardless of whether all those functions are actually needed.

Since every Craft website is built from scratch, the dashboard is tailored specifically to the project’s and editors’ needs. It contains only what’s required to manage the site and products, resulting in a clean, organized, and intuitive interface. Editors appreciate Craft Commerce for its simplicity and ease of use.

Scalability

Shopify offers three standard plans — Basic, Shopify, and Advanced — which generally work well for small to medium-sized e-commerce stores. For larger or more complex setups, Shopify Plus (the enterprise version for high-volume merchants) is required.

Craft, on the other hand, is not a “boxed” solution — there are no fixed plans or tiers. Every aspect of a Craft website, from design to functionality to editorial workflow, is built individually. This makes Craft infinitely scalable. It can power anything from small one-product shops to large multinational e-commerce ecosystems — multisite, multi-domain, and multi-company setups included.

Licensing – Major Cost Advantages with Craft Commerce

Shopify operates on a subscription model — meaning you must continue to pay a monthly fee as long as you use the platform. These fees range from about €36 to €384 per month depending on the plan.

Open-source Craft CMS and Craft Commerce also have costs, but their one-time lifetime license fees of €399 and €1,199 (owned permanently after purchase) are far more cost-effective. Annual updates are optional and cost only €99 and €299 respectively.

For example, over a 3-year period, the total software cost of a premium Craft Commerce shop (1,199 + 299 + 299 = €1,797) is more than €12,000 cheaper than Shopify (384 x 36 = €13,824).

Which E-Commerce Solution Is Right for Me?

For businesses just starting in e-commerce and wanting to launch a simple online store quickly using a ready-made template, Shopify is a solid option.
However, Craft Commerce is the right choice for brands, industries, and mid-sized companies seeking a custom, scalable, and future-proof website that seamlessly integrates content and commerce.

craft unit – Your Partner for Craft Commerce Development

craft unit has been working with Craft Commerce for over five years and is an official Craft Partner. Craft Commerce builds on everything that makes Craft great — full flexibility and unlimited customization.

Of course, Shopify and Craft Commerce aren’t the only platforms available — Magento and WooCommerce are also popular alternatives. The best platform for your business ultimately depends on your project’s specific needs and long-term growth strategy.