Shopify Alternatives With No Transaction Fees (2026)

The Shopify alternatives that take no transaction fee on any plan are LotsCommerce, Big Cartel and Ecwid. Squarespace reaches 0% from its Core plan, BigCommerce with its embedded payment providers such as Stripe and PayPal, and WooCommerce and Square Online add no separate platform fee. Your payment provider's own processing fee applies everywhere.

Shopify only charges its extra transaction fee when you take payments through someone other than Shopify Payments. If that's you, or a client of yours, here are the alternatives with their real prices and fee rules. I opened every vendor's own pricing page on 19 October 2026. Prices are in US dollars before tax, monthly first, then the per-month price when billed yearly. Sources are at the end.

When Shopify charges a transaction fee

Shopify's plans, checked on 19 October 2026: Basic $39 a month ($29 billed yearly), Grow $105 ($79 yearly), Advanced $399 ($299 yearly), and Plus from $2,300 a month.

• With Shopify Payments, there's no third-party transaction fee. Online card rates start at 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic, 2.7% + 30¢ on Grow and 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced, plus 1% on international cards.
• With any other payment provider, Shopify adds a third-party transaction fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced (0.2% on Plus). That's on top of what your own provider charges.

So the fee matters when you want to keep your own Stripe or other payment account, or when Shopify Payments doesn't suit the business. On a Basic store selling $5,000 a month through another provider, the 2% is $100 a month, more than the plan itself.

Shopify alternatives with no transaction fees at a glance

Checked on 19 October 2026.

1. LotsCommerce: 0% of your sales, paid into your own account

This is the one I built. LotsCommerce gives you a store that looks established on your own domain and pays you directly. We take 0% of your sales, whichever of our payment options you use, and the money never passes through us.

• Who it's for, in order: agencies and freelancers who build stores for clients, founders starting a product brand, and shops that sell through Instagram, WhatsApp or in person today.
• Your own payment account, no extra fee. Connect your own Stripe account (cards and wallets, in the countries Stripe supports) and shoppers pay on Stripe's own checkout, with the money going to your Stripe balance (how to connect Stripe). Businesses registered in India can connect their own Razorpay account for cards, UPI, netbanking and wallets (how to connect Razorpay). You can also take UPI to your own UPI ID and orders on WhatsApp. Your provider charges its normal fee; we add nothing.
• Several stores per plan. Starter is $12 a month for 1 store, Pro $29 for 3 stores, and Business $79 for 10 stores. Billed yearly: $120, $290 or $790, two months free. Extra stores on a plan are at your plan's rate, and without a plan each store is $15 a month from LotsTech Credits. Pro and Business also include LotsNotes Pro while active.
• Every feature on every plan. Your own domain with HTTPS, products with variants, categories and collections, CSV import and export, stock per variant with a low-stock view, discount codes, your own shipping zones and rates, shopper accounts and wishlists, reviews you approve, and analytics with a visit-to-order funnel.
• Built for client work. Each store has its own catalog, domain, payment account and team. Give each person a role (owner, admin, manager, staff or viewer), and each client's sales go straight to the client.
• You approve every order. Accept each order before it goes ahead, then fulfil, ship with any carrier with a tracking link, and refund from the dashboard.
• Free start: 15,000 free credits for new accounts, valid 90 days, no card. That's about a month of one store.

Plans are on the pricing page.

2. Big Cartel: 0% and a free plan for makers

Big Cartel's pricing page says it plainly: "we never take a cut".

• Plans: Gold is free with limited features. Platinum is $15 a month after 7 free days, with custom domains, physical and digital products, shipping labels and shop design. Diamond is $30 a month and adds abandoned cart recovery, product drops, password-protected products, Zapier and priority support. The page has an annual toggle, but I didn't find an annual price on it.
• Where it's strong: a free way to start, sales tax autopilot, label printing with up to 90% off shipping, selling in person, and product imports from Etsy, Squarespace and Shopify.
• How it compares: both take 0%. Big Cartel is cheaper to start. LotsCommerce covers 3 stores on Pro and 10 on Business, which matters if you run more than one shop or build them for clients.

3. Ecwid: 0% and the lowest paid entry price

Ecwid by Lightspeed says it doesn't charge "any setup or transaction fees on any of our plans". You can run it as its own store or add it to a site you already have.

• Plans: Starter $5 a month (up to 10 products). Venture $35 ($29 yearly, up to 100 products). Business $65 ($49 yearly, up to 2,500 products, 2 staff accounts). Unlimited $149 ($119 yearly, unlimited products and staff).
• Where it's strong: the cheapest paid start here, more than 70 payment providers, and marketplace and subscription selling from Business.
• How it compares: for a shop with a handful of products, Ecwid's $5 is hard to beat. Past 10 products the price steps up with your catalog. LotsCommerce has no product caps on any plan.

4. Squarespace: 0% from the Core plan

Squarespace is a design-led website builder with a store built in.

• Plans: Basic $25 a month ($19 yearly), Core $39 ($29 yearly), Plus $65 ($49 yearly), Advanced $139 ($99 yearly).
• The fee: Basic carries a 2% online store transaction fee. Core, Plus and Advanced are 0%.
• Where it's strong: beautiful templates and a full website around the store, with Squarespace Payments, Stripe or PayPal.
• How it compares: to get 0% on Squarespace, the entry plan is Core at $39 a month. LotsCommerce is 0% from Starter at $12.

5. BigCommerce: 0% with Stripe, PayPal and other embedded providers

BigCommerce is a hosted platform for growing stores. Its "Embedded Payment Providers" carry no extra fee, and the list includes Stripe, PayPal, BigCommerce Payments, Adyen and Klarna.

• Plans: Core $39 a month ($29 yearly), Growth $105 ($79 yearly), Scale $399 ($299 yearly). Performance starts at $1,499 a month, billed annually.
• The fee: orders through any other provider carry an "Open Payment Provider" fee of 2% on Core, 1% on Growth and 0.6% on Scale.
• Sales caps: Core covers up to $30K in trailing 12-month sales and Growth up to $100K; past the cap, the plan moves up. Scale charges 0.9% on sales above $33,333 a month.
• Where it's strong: a long list of fee-free providers and room for large volumes. Extra storefronts are available as a paid add-on.
• How it compares: with Stripe or PayPal, BigCommerce is 0%. The thing to watch is that your plan follows your sales. LotsCommerce prices by store, not by sales.

6. WooCommerce: no platform fee, you run the hosting

WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress, so there's no platform fee on your sales.

• Price: the plugin is free. Hosting, a domain and any paid extensions are separate.
• Payments: WooPayments has no setup or monthly fees for online payments. For US stores, cards are 2.90% + $0.30, plus 1.5% on international cards.
• Where it's strong: full control and a huge extension library. Many agencies already know it inside out.
• How it compares: WooCommerce's 0% comes with hosting, updates and security on you, or on the agency looking after the client. LotsCommerce is hosted, with one price per store.

7. Square Online: no platform fee, processing through Square

Square Online is Square's store builder. It doesn't add a platform fee; payments run through Square.

• Plans: Square Free $0 a month, Square Plus $49 and Square Premium $149, each per location.
• Processing: online card payments are 3.3% + 30¢ on Free and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium.
• Where it's strong: a free plan and one system for online and in-person sales.
• How it compares: the free plan is truly $0 a month, paid for by a higher online card rate. With LotsCommerce, you keep your own provider and its normal rate.

Where Shopify still fits

Shopify is the biggest and most complete store platform, with a deep app and theme ecosystem, live shipping rates, built-in tax tools and in-person selling. If Shopify Payments works for your business, its transaction fee is 0% and it's a strong choice. The alternatives above matter when you want your own payment account without a fee on every sale, or a simpler store at a flat price.

How to choose

• You build stores for clients. Look at stores per plan and where each client's money goes. LotsCommerce Business covers 10 stores for $79 a month, each paid into the client's own account, each with its own team roles.
• You're starting a product brand. LotsCommerce, Big Cartel and Ecwid are all 0% on every plan. Ecwid suits under 10 products at the lowest price, Big Cartel a free plan with label printing, and LotsCommerce unlimited products, your own payment account and room for more stores.
• You want a full website with a store. Squarespace Core or higher.
• You sell a lot and want a big hosted platform. BigCommerce with an embedded provider; read its sales caps first.
• You want full control and have hosting covered. WooCommerce.

Moving from Shopify to LotsCommerce

1. Open your store with a name and your country. It's ready in a minute on a free lotscommerce.com address.
2. Bring your catalog from a spreadsheet with CSV import, or add products one by one with variants, photos and prices.
3. Brand it with your logo, colours, pages and policies, and preview before going live.
4. Connect your own payment account, or turn on UPI and WhatsApp orders, and place a test order first.
5. Point your domain with one CNAME record. HTTPS is set up automatically.

Everything works in the dashboard. If you already use ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant, you can also manage your store from it in plain words, and every change shows in your dashboard. For example:

Add the new summer tees in S, M and L at $24 and publish them. Then create a 10% code WELCOME10 for first orders, valid until the end of the month.

Here's how to connect your assistant.

FAQ

What is the best Shopify alternative with no transaction fees?

It depends on what you sell and how many stores you run. LotsCommerce, Big Cartel and Ecwid take 0% on every plan. LotsCommerce suits agencies and brands that want several stores per plan and payments into their own account, Big Cartel suits makers who want a free plan, and Ecwid suits small catalogs at $5 a month.

Does Shopify charge transaction fees if I use Stripe?

Shopify charges a third-party transaction fee whenever you don't use Shopify Payments: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced, on top of your provider's own fee (checked on 19 October 2026). With Shopify Payments, there's no third-party transaction fee.

Is there a free Shopify alternative?

Big Cartel has a free Gold plan with limited features and takes no cut. Square Online's Free plan is $0 a month, with online card processing at 3.3% + 30¢. WooCommerce is a free plugin, but hosting is separate. LotsCommerce has no free plan; new accounts get 15,000 free credits, valid 90 days, no card.

Which Shopify alternative is cheapest?

Ecwid Starter is $5 a month for up to 10 products, and Big Cartel's Gold plan is free with limited features. LotsCommerce Starter is $12 a month, or $10 billed yearly, with unlimited products, and Business covers 10 stores for $79.

Can I move my products from Shopify to LotsCommerce?

Yes. LotsCommerce imports a catalog from a spreadsheet (CSV), or you can add products one by one with their variants, photos and prices. Then connect your own payment account and point your domain.

Do I still pay payment processing fees with a no-transaction-fee platform?

Yes. A 0% platform takes nothing from your sales, but Stripe, PayPal, Square or whichever provider moves the money charges its own fee. On LotsCommerce you pay your provider's normal rate in your own account, and we add nothing on top.

Sources

Checked on 19 October 2026: LotsCommerce pricing, Connect Stripe guide, Connect Razorpay guide, Shopify pricing, Big Cartel pricing, Ecwid pricing, Squarespace pricing, BigCommerce pricing, WooPayments, WooPayments fees, Square Online plans.