Shopify alternative
A Shopify Alternative Without a Cut of Every Order
Shopify Basic lists $29 a month on yearly billing, then 2.9 percent plus 30 cents on every online card sale, and a bigger subscription is how that rate comes down. Managed Zoho Commerce charges no transaction fee on the platform. We build the store, migrate your catalog, connect it to Zoho Books and Inventory, and run it from $250 a month, with your Zoho license billed by Zoho.
With Cascadia you get
- No platform cut of any order
- Your own payment processor
- Orders land in Books and Inventory
- Migration from Shopify included
- A named person for the store
- Monthly, no prepaid year
Cascadia vs Shopify at a Glance
Three Questions That Decide It
What Does the Percentage Take Each Month?
Who Owns the Store Day to Day?
What Matters Most?
Side by Side
| Shopify | Cascadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | From $29 a month on yearly billing (October 2026) | –From $250 a month plus your Zoho license |
| Card rate | –2.9% + 30c on Basic, down to 2.25% on Plus (October 2026) | Platform takes zero percent |
| Outside gateway | ×2% extra on Basic (October 2026) | No second fee for choosing one |
| Checkout and themes | Mature, widely used checkout | –Competent, behind Shopify |
| Apps | Large app catalog | –Zoho apps and custom API work |
| Books and Inventory | –Through apps you maintain | Orders write into Books and Inventory |
| Term | –Plus is one or three years (October 2026) | Monthly, nothing prepaid |
| Store owner | ×Left to you | A named person for the store |
Subscription
Card Rate
Outside Gateway
Checkout and Themes
Apps
Books and Inventory
Term
Store Owner
What the Monthly Plan from $250 Covers
A Shopify bill is a subscription plus a percentage plus apps. Ours is one monthly plan from $250, priced by hours of Zoho work rather than users. Your Zoho Commerce license is billed by Zoho and sits outside it.
- Store build and theme setup
- Product and variant catalog build, with bulk import and inventory sync
- Collections, search, and filters
- Migration from Shopify
- Domain, SSL, and store settings
- Promotions, coupons, and bundles
- Checkout flow and field customization
- Shipping zones, rates, carriers, and sales tax setup
- Zoho Books and Inventory connection, plus CRM, Campaigns, and Desk sync
- Plan, transaction fee, and license advisory
Where Moving Off Shopify Pays
The case is arithmetic on your own sales, not a general claim that one platform is better.
The Percentage Stops Compounding
Shopify’s online card rate runs from 2.9 percent plus 30 cents on Basic down to 2.25 percent plus 30 cents on Plus. Zoho Commerce takes none. Your processor still charges you, so compare processor to processor.
Third-Party Gateways Stop Costing Extra
Shopify adds a fee when you do not use Shopify Payments: 2 percent on Basic, 1 percent on Grow, 0.6 percent on Advanced, and 0.2 percent on Plus. Here that second fee does not exist.
Books and Inventory See the Order
Orders post as invoices and stock movements inside the Zoho apps you may already pay for. On Shopify the same link is an app plus a reconciliation habit.
We Tell You When to Stay
If your volume is high, your margins are fat, and someone in the building loves the admin, Shopify is a very good product. We would rather say that on the first call.
Readers Comparing Both Options
Shops That Grew Past Basic
Moving from Basic to Grow lowers the card rate from 2.9 to 2.7 percent, for $79 a month on yearly billing. That is the lever Shopify offers: a bigger subscription for a smaller percentage.
Stores Using an Outside Gateway
If a bank or processor you prefer sits behind a third-party gateway, Shopify charges its extra fee on top of what that processor already takes.
Businesses Already Inside Zoho
Books holds your invoices, Inventory holds your stock, and CRM holds your customers. A store that writes into those is less to reconcile each month.
Choose Shopify if
- You want the best checkout, themes, and app catalog
- Your volume and margins make the percentage small
- Someone in the building already owns the store
Choose Cascadia if
- The percentage has outgrown any subscription
- You already run Zoho Books or Inventory
- Nobody’s job is owning the store
How a Move from Shopify Runs
- 1
Read the Store as It Stands
We list products, variants, collections, apps, shipping rules, and tax settings. Apps nobody opens get a decision: replace, rebuild, or retire.
- 2
Build the Zoho Commerce Store
Catalog, theme, checkout, shipping, tax, and your chosen payment processor are set up and tested before the old store is touched.
- 3
Import and Connect the Books
Products, customers, and order history are loaded. Zoho Books and Inventory are connected so a test order posts the way a real one will.
- 4
Switch the Domain and Watch
DNS moves once the test orders pass. We watch orders and fees for the first month and tell you what the new numbers look like.
How Shopify Works
Shopify Plans and Card Rates
Shopify prices a subscription plus payment fees. All figures below were checked against the vendor’s public pages in October 2026.
Taken from Shopify pricing. Checked October 2026.
What Clients Say About Working with Cascadia
“I’ve always dreaded website management, but Cascadia has done an incredible job with my WordPress site, making it one less thing for me to worry about.”
“I’ve worked with Cascadia for several years now. They are always ready to help in any way I ask and can implement my ideas with ease. A company that values their clients!”
“Cascadia has been great to work with! We recently needed some updates, and Cascadia was quick to get them completed! We highly recommend Cascadia Web Services.”
“Cascadia is very responsive and we’re happy with them as our primary IT vendor.”
“They do great work, been using for years. Prompt responses to requests.”
Is the Percentage Bigger Than Your Subscription?
Talk to us about your setupAsk us
Shopify Alternative Questions
What Shopify charges, how the percentage works, and when a move makes sense.
See Managed Zoho CommerceStill have a question?
How much does Shopify cost?
Basic is $29 a month on yearly billing or $39 monthly. Grow is $79 or $105, and Advanced is $299 or $399. Plus starts at $2,300 a month (October 2026). Card fees are charged on top of each subscription.
What are Shopify card rates?
Online standard cards are 2.9% plus 30 cents on Basic, 2.7% on Grow, 2.5% on Advanced, and 2.25% on Plus (October 2026). Premium cards and international cards cost more, and the page adds 1% on international cards.
What is the third-party gateway fee?
If you do not use Shopify Payments, Shopify charges 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced, and 0.2% on Plus (October 2026). It sits on top of what your own processor charges.
Is there a Shopify free trial?
The page lists 3 days free, then $1 a month for 3 months on Basic, Grow, and Advanced (October 2026). After that the regular price applies.
What does Shopify Basic leave out?
It lists no additional staff accounts, one headless storefront, and limited checkout customization. Live third-party shipping rates are an add-on for Advanced and Plus and are not on Basic or Grow (October 2026).
What support does Shopify include?
Live chat on Basic and Grow, enhanced live chat on Advanced, and priority 24/7 phone support on Plus (October 2026). Our plan gives you a named person for the store rather than a queue.
What does Shopify Plus require?
A commitment. Plus is sold on one or three year terms and can be canceled when the term ends (October 2026). The tiers below it can be left at any time.
Can Zoho Commerce match Shopify’s checkout?
Not fully. Shopify’s checkout, theme library, and app catalog are stronger. What Zoho Commerce offers is a platform with no transaction fee and a direct link to Books, Inventory, and CRM.
Who holds the Zoho Commerce license?
You do. Zoho bills the license directly and we add no markup. Our monthly plan from $250 covers the work, not the Zoho subscription.
How does a $30,000 month look on each platform?
On Shopify Basic, 2.9% of $30,000 is $870 before the 30 cents per order and the subscription. On Zoho Commerce there is no platform fee, so you pay your own processor’s rate. At that volume the two can be close, and the apps and labor decide it.
Will my customers and orders come over?
Yes. Products, variants, customers, and order history are part of the migration. We test a sample order through your chosen processor and into Books before the domain moves.
What about the apps I use on Shopify?
We review each one. Some become built-in Zoho features, some are rebuilt with the Commerce API and Deluge, and some are retired. You see the list and the replacement before we touch the live store.
When should I stay on Shopify?
When your margins are wide, your volume sits where Plus rates apply, and someone in the building owns the admin. The percentage is then a small price for a very good platform.
How do I cancel?
You can stop at any time. The service runs through the last business day of that month, and nothing is prepaid or partly refunded. Your catalog and order history are yours to export.