After using both CommerceHQ and Shopify, I found CommerceHQ to be more affordable and the savings start to multiple more when you have multiple stores and do more revenue.
You can save $700+ more a month if your total revenue is $30,000.
The clear advantage of Shopify is that it has more apps for you to choose from but I found CommerceHQ free apps to suffice with my needs. I have tried CommerceHQ and did over $7,000 in sales and here as some of my reviews of both platforms.
Monthly Pricing: Shopify vs CommerceHQ
The attractive pricing of CommerceHQ is why a lot of Shopify store owners jump to CommerceHQ. CommerceHQ has no transaction fees for the first $30,000. So, if your store’s revenue is $30,000 a month, you can save a whopping extra $780 a month! As long as your store does more than $2,000 revenue a month, you can start seeing the savings from CommerceHQ.
CommerceHQ – Simple and straightforward. No transaction fees for first $30,000.
Shopify – Shopify monthly plan starts cheap at only $29/month. However, it charges a transactional fee of 2% as well as $0.30 for each transaction if you use your own payment gateway. So if your Shopify store does $30,000 a month with and average order of $50, the monthly fees will be $780. $600 (credit card fees) + $180 (transaction fees).
App costs will probably add another $50 to your monthly bill for similar apps available free in CommerceHQ.
Ease of Use, Themes & Customization
When it comes to ease of use, both Shopify and CommerceHQ is equally easy to use compared to other eCommerce platforms I have used before. Themes wise, Shopify has more premium themes which cost about $150-$300 that you can buy from and get your store started in no time.
However, if you like total control of customization of your theme just like me, CommerceHQ has a huge advantage. The drag and drop interface very easy to use and it doesn’t require you to hire a developer to do it.
Shopify’s customization of theme can get a bit tricky with some themes and you probably need to fork out extra bucks to hire a developer to customize it.
Shopify customization limits doesn’t stop there. Unless you’re on Shopify plus ($2,000 per month plan), you cannot fully edit the checkout page to your preferences. Whereas for CommerceHQ, you can customize the Checkout page and add countdown timers, trust labels and more which can really help to boost your checkout conversion rate! This is one of the best features I really like about CommerceHQ.
Cons and Pros of Both Shopify and CommerceHQ
- Shopify starts at a lower price of $29/month, whereas CommerceHQ starts at $99/month
- Shopify charges processing fees on every sale but CommerceHQ offers no processing fees
- CommerceHQ is cheaper when you do more volume of sales than Shopify
- CommerceHQ is built for higher conversions as the owner John Mac is an e-commerce owner and marketer
- CommerceHQ is more Dropshipper friendly and supports more products which Shopify prohibits
- Shopify supports Points of Sale (POS) system for in-person payments, CommerceHQ does not.
- Shopify limits staff accounts based on different plans, CommerceHQ has unlimited staff accounts
- Shopify has more apps but comes at a cost, CommerceHQ has apps included for free
- Shopify theme editor has limited features whereas CommerceHQ features drag and drop theme editor
- Shopify has more choices for payment gateways than CommerceHQ
- Shopify has 24/7 support whereas CommerceHQ has live chat support at specific timings
Are Both Shopify and CommerceHQ Optimized for Page Speed?
Both Shopify and CommerceHQ are optimized for page speed and uses CDN to load the pages fast for all global visitors. Unlimited bandwidth is available for both Shopify and CommerceHQ and you won’t have to worry about your website going down when there’s a surge of social media traffic.
Customer Support
Both customer support is great for Shopify and CommerceHQ. However, Shopify has 24/7 support whereas CommerceHQ doesn’t. As CommerceHQ organization is smaller, they tend to go the extra mile to provide more personal support.
There was once I requested a feature to be made for CommerceHQ and they sent it to the support team to do it and it was live in a matter of weeks.
Final Conclusion
Both Shopify and CommerceHQ are great ecommerce platforms. You have to try both to see which one suits you better. But I lean towards CommerceHQ as it has lower monthly fees and no transaction fees and it is also easier to customize the theme.