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E-commerce & Retail · head to head

Etsy vs Swell Commerce

Etsy logo

Etsy

E-commerce & Retail

Global marketplace for handmade, vintage, and unique items

From
$0.2/per-listing
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Swell Commerce logo

Swell Commerce

E-commerce & Retail

Headless ecommerce for modern brands

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Swell Commerce has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Etsy etsy charges a $0.20 USD listing fee per item, a 6.5% transaction fee on sale price plus shipping, a 3% plus $0.25 USD payment processing fee, and a 2.5% currency conversion fee when shop and payment currencies differ; Swell Commerce each plan carries an annual revenue ceiling, and exceeding it is charged as a percentage of the excess: 2 percent on Starter down to 0.4 percent on Unlimited
  • They diverge on capability: Etsy covers Shop setup, Swell Commerce covers Headless architecture.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Etsy and Swell Commerce actually diverge.

Attributes where Etsy and Swell Commerce differ
AttributeEtsySwell Commerce
Starting price$0.2/per-listingFree
Pricing modeltransactionsubscription
Free tierNoYes
Founded20052019

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-commerce & Retail).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Etsy

  • Shop setup
  • Product listings
  • Payment processing
  • Shop customization
  • Order management
  • Shipping labels
  • Reviews & ratings
  • Shipping protection

Only in Swell Commerce

  • Headless architecture
  • GraphQL & REST APIs
  • Subscription commerce
  • Multi-currency support
  • Inventory management
  • Custom checkout
  • Webhook integrations
  • Developer-friendly SDK

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Etsy

No use cases recorded yet. See the Etsy review.

Swell Commerce

  • Running a headless commerce backend with APIs for a custom storefrontnot Etsy
  • Selling subscription products alongside one off purchasesnot Etsy
  • Operating multi currency stores from one commerce backendnot Etsy

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Etsy

  • Etsy charges a $0.20 USD listing fee per item, a 6.5% transaction fee on sale price plus shipping, a 3% plus $0.25 USD payment processing fee, and a 2.5% currency conversion fee when shop and payment currencies differ

Swell Commerce

  • Each plan carries an annual revenue ceiling, and exceeding it is charged as a percentage of the excess: 2 percent on Starter down to 0.4 percent on Unlimited
  • Starter at $29 a month allows 2 admin users and includes only 100,000 API requests and 1GB of storage per month
  • Additional API requests cost $5 per 100,000 and extra storage $5 per GB
  • Role based permissions and developer support are restricted to the Unlimited plan at $2,250 a month
  • Advanced reports and priced currencies require the Standard plan or higher
  • Published prices are the billed yearly rates, so monthly billing costs more

Pricing, plan by plan

Etsy

$0.2/per-listing
  • Standard Shop$0.2/per-listing-plus-commission
    • Listing fees
    • Transaction fees
    • Payment processing

Swell Commerce

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Unlimited products
    • API access
    • Basic support
  • Standard$299/month
    • Everything in Community
    • Priority support
    • Advanced features
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Dedicated support
    • SLA guarantees

Which should you pick?

Choose Etsy if

  • You need shop setup.
  • You also want product listings.
Etsy review

Choose Swell Commerce if

  • You need headless architecture.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want graphql & rest apis.
Swell Commerce review

Questions people ask

Is Etsy or Swell Commerce better?
Neither clearly leads. Etsy starts at $0.2/per-listing and Swell Commerce at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Etsy or Swell Commerce?
Swell Commerce has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $0.2/per-listing for Etsy and Free for Swell Commerce.
Does Etsy or Swell Commerce run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Swell Commerce for free?
Yes. Swell Commerce has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Etsy starts at $0.2/per-listing.
What can Etsy do that Swell Commerce cannot?
Etsy covers Shop setup, Product listings, Payment processing, Shop customization. Swell Commerce covers Headless architecture, GraphQL & REST APIs, Subscription commerce, Multi-currency support.
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Related pages

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