Softwr

E-Commerce · head to head

Shopify vs Spree Commerce

Shopify logo

Shopify

E-Commerce

The most trusted ecommerce platform to start, grow, and scale your business

From
$24/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Spree Commerce logo

Spree Commerce

E-Commerce

Complete open source ecommerce solution

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Spree Commerce has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Shopify using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus; Spree Commerce multi-vendor marketplace, B2B commerce and multi-tenant white label modules are Enterprise Edition only and licensed separately from the open source core
  • They diverge on capability: Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform, Spree Commerce covers Multi-store support.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 15 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Shopify and Spree Commerce actually diverge.

Attributes where Shopify and Spree Commerce differ
AttributeShopifySpree Commerce
Starting price$24/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
Founded20062007

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

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 Shopify

  • Hosted ecommerce platform
  • Payment processing
  • Inventory management
  • Order tracking
  • Marketing automation
  • Apps and integrations
  • Multi-channel selling
  • SSL certificate

Only in Spree Commerce

  • Multi-store support
  • Multi-currency
  • Multi-language
  • REST API
  • GraphQL support
  • Mobile-ready
  • SEO optimization
  • Flexible taxonomy

What people use each for

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

Shopify

  • Running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilmentnot Spree Commerce
  • Selling across online, in person and social channels from one cataloguenot Spree Commerce

Spree Commerce

  • E-commerce platforms with zero platform fees and no vendor lock-innot Shopify
  • Self-hosted shopping experiences on AWS, GCP, Azure, or on-premise infrastructurenot Shopify
  • Deployments requiring predictable costs that don't scale with revenuenot Shopify

Where each one falls short

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

Shopify

  • Using any payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a transaction fee on top of the card rate, at 2% on Basic falling to 0.2% on Plus
  • That fee makes the cheapest plan the most expensive place to use an outside processor, which is the opposite of how plans usually work
  • Card rates also improve with the plan, from 2.9% on Basic to 2.7% on Advanced
  • Amex is charged at a higher rate than other cards on every plan below Plus
  • Plus starts at $2,300 a month
  • The advertised lower monthly prices require paying a year up front

Spree Commerce

  • Multi-vendor marketplace, B2B commerce and multi-tenant white label modules are Enterprise Edition only and licensed separately from the open source core
  • Enterprise Edition pricing is quoted per customer depending on modules and scale, with no published rate
  • Support with guaranteed response times and a success manager comes only with Enterprise Edition
  • The free Community Edition is self hosted, so hosting, upgrades and Ruby on Rails maintenance are the operator's responsibility

Pricing, plan by plan

Shopify

$24/month
  • Basic$24/month
    • For solo entrepreneurs
    • $32/month on monthly billing
    • 2.9% + AED1.00 transaction fee (standard cards)
  • Grow$69/month
    • For small teams
    • $92/month on monthly billing
    • 2.8% + AED1.00 transaction fee (standard cards)
  • Advanced$299/month
    • For global reach
    • $399/month on monthly billing
    • 2.7% + AED1.00 transaction fee (standard cards)
  • Plus$2300/month
    • For complex businesses
    • most competitive transaction rates

Spree Commerce

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full platform access
    • Community support
    • All core features
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Premium support
    • Custom development
    • SLA guarantees

Which should you pick?

Choose Shopify if

  • You need hosted ecommerce platform.
  • You also want payment processing.
Shopify review

Choose Spree Commerce if

  • You need multi-store support.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want multi-currency.
Spree Commerce review

Questions people ask

Is Shopify or Spree Commerce better?
Neither clearly leads. Shopify starts at $24/month and Spree Commerce at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Shopify or Spree Commerce?
Spree Commerce has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $24/month for Shopify and Free for Spree Commerce.
Does Shopify or Spree Commerce run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Spree Commerce for free?
Yes. Spree Commerce has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Shopify starts at $24/month.
What is Shopify best used for?
Shopify is most often used for running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilment, selling across online, in person and social channels from one catalogue. Of those, running a hosted ecommerce store with payments and fulfilment and selling across online, in person and social channels from one catalogue are not what Spree Commerce is typically brought in for.
What can Shopify do that Spree Commerce cannot?
Shopify covers Hosted ecommerce platform, Payment processing, Inventory management, Order tracking. Spree Commerce covers Multi-store support, Multi-currency, Multi-language, REST API.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Shopify: How much does Shopify cost?

Shopify's Basic tier is $24/month (or $32/month monthly), Grow is $69/month (or $92/month monthly), Advanced is $299/month (or $399/month monthly), and Plus starts at $2,300/month. Annual subscriptions include 25% discount versus monthly billing.

Source
Spree Commerce: Is Spree Commerce free?

Yes, Spree Commerce is free and open source under a BSD 3-Clause license. The core platform has zero platform fees and no GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume) cuts or transaction fees, and sandbox access is free without requiring a credit card.

Source
Shopify: Does Shopify offer a free trial?

Yes, Shopify offers 3 days free, then $1/month for 3 months without requiring a credit card.

Source
Spree Commerce: What is Spree Commerce's pricing model?

Spree Commerce operates as free open-source software. Users self-host on their choice of infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure, or on-premise), so costs are based on the hosting infrastructure selected rather than platform subscription fees. An Enterprise Edition is available with optional dedicated support, but specific pricing is not published.

Source
Shopify: What payment processing fees does Shopify charge?

Transaction rates vary by plan: Basic charges 2.9% + AED1.00 (standard cards), Grow charges 2.8% + AED1.00, Advanced charges 2.7% + AED1.00, and Plus offers the most competitive rates. American Express charges 0.1% higher across all plans.

Source
Spree Commerce: Are there transaction fees with Spree Commerce?

No, Spree Commerce charges zero transaction fees. Unlike SaaS e-commerce platforms that take a percentage of sales, Spree offers predictable costs that don't scale with revenue, giving merchants full control over their margins.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Shopify

More on Spree Commerce

Keep looking

Other head to heads