Shopify vs Shopline: My Verdict for 2026

Shopify and Shopline are two top-notch platforms that'll help you build and run a successful online store.

While Shopify is king of the global market, and powers millions of websites worldwide, Shopline has carved out a strong niche in Asia, particularly in markets like Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

If you're about to start a new ecommerce business or thinking of making the switch to a new platform, this guide will give you the lowdown on both Shopify and Shopline – from pricing and features to design options, marketing tools and how easy they make it to sell internationally.

After putting both platforms through their paces and doing some serious research, I've found that Shopify is the all-round winner, especially if you're looking to grow your store beyond a local audience.

Shopline, however, still brings a lot to the table if your customers are mostly based in Asia.

Let's dive into the details.

The Verdict in a Nutshell: Shopify vs Shopline

Shopify – The best overall option, perfect for expanding your store globally

Shopline – Ideal for sellers in Asia who need local features ‘out of the box'

I've broken down the key differences between the two platforms in the following categories – here's a quick summary:

FeatureShopifyShoplinePricingSlightly more expensiveMore affordable in some regionsTemplates & DesignHigh-quality, flexibleDecent, but fewer optionsSales FeaturesBest-in-classGood, but more limitedPayment GatewaysGlobal and flexibleStrong Asian gateway supportApp StoreOver 8,000 appsSmaller app marketplaceSEO ToolsExcellent customizationBasic tools onlySupport24/7 global supportRegional support, less coverageBest ForGlobal ecommerce brandsLocal Asian markets Go to the top Pricing: Shopline Offers Better Entry-Level Options, But Shopify Wins Long-Term Value

What's the first thing you think of when choosing an ecommerce platform? For most people, it's the price. Both Shopify and Shopline follow a monthly subscription model, but their pricing structures and what you get for your money are worlds apart.

Shopify Pricing: Transparent, and Easy to Scale – Just Watch Out for Extra Costs

Shopify's got three main plans designed to suit different business sizes – it's all pretty straightforward:

Basic ($39/month) – Great for solo entrepreneurs and startups. This plan includes a fully-fledged online store, two staff accounts, some discount codes, tools to recover abandoned carts, and basic reports. Plus support for up to 1000 inventory locations. Grow ($105/month) – Built for businesses that are growing fast. It adds some seriously advanced reporting tools, five staff accounts, detailed performance analytics, and the ability to sell in multiple languages and currencies. Advanced ($399/month) – Ideal for larger stores or businesses that are scaling fast. This plan includes 15 staff accounts, the most advanced reporting features, and the lowest transaction fees you'll find anywhere.

Shopify's also got a $1/month for 3 months offer for new users – perfect for testing out the platform without breaking the bank. And a three-day free trial, which is admittedly a little short compared to competitors.

One thing to keep an eye on when choosing Shopify: if you don't use its in-house payment gateway, Shopify Payments, you'll pay transaction fees. They can range from 0.5% to 2% depending on your plan – not a huge deal, but something to consider.

Shopline Pricing: Competitive Plans With Loads of Features for Local Sellers

Shopline doesn't do a single global pricing table – its pricing varies depending on your region, so expect different plans in different places. But here's the rough lowdown:

Starter ($25–$35/month) – Great for new sellers who just need the basics: a product catalog, a mobile-friendly store design, customer management and access to local payment gateways. Advanced ($70–$100/month) – Perfect for growing businesses looking to run some campaigns or scale regionally. You get CRM tools, marketing features like Facebook Pixel integration, and integrations with regional logistics providers. Premium ($150–$250/month) – Cross-border selling and wholesale features are included in this plan – ideal for merchants with complex inventory needs or multi-channel strategies across Asia.

What makes Shopline appealing to small businesses is how many built-in features it includes at the lower tiers – like CRM capabilities and social messaging tools that you have to pay for separately with Shopify.

Verdict: Shopline edges out Shopify on entry-level affordability, but Shopify wins big on long-term value for global businesses.

Go to the top Sales Features: Shopify is the Champ for Flexibility, while Shopline Keeps it Local

Your store's ability to sell effectively depends on the right tools – think product options, shipping integrations, inventory management, and multi-channel selling.

Shopify: A sales powerhouse for all kinds of businesses

Shopify really shines when it comes to flexibility and sales tools. And even on the Basic plan, you're getting:

The ability to list as many products as you need with all sorts of variants (e.g. size, color) The power to set up discount codes and promotions on a schedule Recover abandoned carts and bring those customers right back Use Shopify Point of Sale for in-store sales when you've got a physical shop or pop-up Get your products in front of social media crowds with integrations for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Google Shopping

What really sets Shopify apart is how well it can scale with your business.

As your store grows, you get access to tools like Shopify Markets to sell across regions with local domain settings, pricing, and tax options. And you get to tap into AI helpers like Shopify Magic, which can whip up product descriptions and blog content in no time.

Shopline: Built to support local sales and messaging

Shopline's been designed with Asian markets in mind, and its sales tools reflect that. You get:

Core ecommerce functions like product listings and promotions A built-in CRM system for keeping tabs on customer data and purchase history Loyalty and membership programs to help retain customers Live Shopping tools to support selling through Facebook Live, LINE, or WhatsApp Local checkout options and regional logistics integrations

Now these features are super helpful for running a local or regional store, but Shopline just doesn't have the same level of customization or scalability as Shopify.

For example, managing multiple currencies or complex international shipping zones takes a fair bit more manual setup on Shopline.

The Verdict: Shopify wins for sales flexibility and global reach. Shopline offers solid local features but falls short on the depth needed for advanced ecommerce operations.

Go to the top Templates and Design: Shopify Goes the Extra Mile

Design is a huge factor in building customer trust and driving conversions. Both platforms offer mobile-optimized themes, but one platform's got a clear edge in variety and design flexibility.

Shopify: World-class templates built for conversion

Shopify's theme library offers:

13 free templates designed for super-fast setup Over 100 premium templates priced between $140 and $350 Themes sorted by industry (e.g. clothing, electronics, home goods)

All themes are mobile-friendly and work hand-in-hand with Shopify's drag-and-drop section editor.

No coding skills required to adjust layouts, move elements, or change colours and fonts. If you want even more control, developers can tap into the Liquid template language for deeper customizations.

Shopify's themes are known for their polished design, super-fast performance, and conversion-optimised layouts.

Shopline: Fewer options with a regional design focus

Shopline offers:

A more limited range of free and premium templates (think around 30–40) Templates designed for industries like beauty, fashion, and electronics A visual editor with basic customization controls (no drag-and-drop – basically)

The design tools are easy to use, but they're way more restrictive than Shopify's. For merchants who want to stand out or create unique layouts, Shopline might start to feel limiting without coding support.

The Verdict: Shopify offers a more diverse, customizable, and high-quality design experience.

Go to the top Payment Gateways: Shopify's Got a Global Reach, While Shopline Dominates in Asia

Accepting payments is a core part of ecommerce, and the payment gateway you choose will affect both your customer experience and your profit margins.

Shopify: A global payment powerhouse with a built-in gateway

Shopify's got over 100 payment gateways available worldwide. Key highlights include:

Shopify Payments: Its native gateway, available in many countries, makes transactions fee-free and super easy to set up Integration with third-party gateways like PayPal, Stripe, Apple Pay, Google Pay Ability to manage multi-currency pricing and taxes Fraud analysis and order management tools

One of Shopify's biggest strengths is that you can offer multiple payment methods at once, letting customers pay with the method they trust most.

Shopline: Strong local payment support in Asia-Pacific

Shopline has got strong integration with local payment providers, including:

Alipay, WeChat Pay, LINE Pay, GrabPay Regional bank transfers and credit card gateways for Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia Manual payment options like cash on delivery

While this works well for local markets, Shopline falls short on global gateway coverage. For example, selling in Europe or North America would require custom integrations or external platforms.

The Verdict: Shopify is the better choice for international stores, while Shopline's ideal for local businesses in Asia-Pacific.

Go to the top App Ecosystem: Shopify Leads the Pack With a Huge Third-Party Marketplace

Third-party apps can extend your store's functionality in a big way – think automation and analytics, shipping, subscriptions and marketing all done with ease.

Shopify App Store: A Treasure Trove of Extensions Over 8,000 apps in dozens of categories from which to pick and choose Apps like Klaviyo (for slick email marketing), DSers (for smooth dropshipping), ReConvert (for boosting sales with upsells) and PageFly (for making pages that really pop) Free and paid options with real user reviews and support to help you out Regular updates and seamless integration with the rest of the Shopify ecosystem

This means you can build a tech stack that's tailor-made for your business using only the apps you really need.

Shopline App Marketplace: A More Limited But Still Useful Option Only a few hundred apps are currently available Many standard features like CRM and live chat come built-in Fewer third-party integrations and market tools to choose from

On the plus side, Shopline's built-in features do mean you won't need as many extra apps, but that comes at the cost of less flexibility and slower access to new tools.

The Verdict: Shopify wins hands down thanks to its deep and constantly growing collection of apps.

Go to the top SEO and Marketing: Where Shopify Outshines the Competition

Getting discovered online is half the battle – and your platform's SEO tools make all the difference in how easily customers find your store.

Shopify: Built with SEO in Mind from Day One

Shopify offers:

Editable meta titles, descriptions and URLs for every page – no problem\ Automatic XML sitemaps and robots.txt files – all taken care of\ Fast-loading themes with clean code – that's fast and streamlined\ SEO-focused apps like SEO Manager, Yoast for Shopify, and Ecommerce Booster to give you even more options\ Integration with Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and Semrush – all the major players

And as if that weren't enough, Shopify makes it easy to run multichannel marketing campaigns on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Google Shopping – without needing some advanced setup wizardry.

Shopline: Some SEO and Local Ads, But Not Much Else

Shopline includes:

Meta title and description fields – but that's about it\ Local advertising tools for platforms like LINE Ads and WeChat\ A bit of a struggle when it comes to controlling URLs, redirects and sitemaps\ Fewer third-party SEO tools or integrations

This will get you by if you're selling locally, but it's just not going to help you with a long-term SEO strategy like Shopify can.

The Verdict: Shopify comes out on top when it comes to search engine optimization and multichannel marketing.

Go to the top The Bottom Line: Shopify is the Best Choice for Most Businesses

Both Shopify and Shopline are solid ecommerce platforms – but they just cater to different business needs and audiences.

Shopify is the way to go if you want to grow internationally, access advanced features and have full control over your tech stack and SEO strategy. Shopline works for local sellers who want a simpler, more affordable platform tailored to Asian markets, with built-in CRM, local payment options and messaging apps.

Choose Shopify if:

You're building a global brand and want to scale up big time You need serious SEO and marketing tools to get your store found You want to tap into thousands of apps and integrations to make your store shine You're looking to enter new markets and get ahead of the competition

Choose Shopline if:

Your store is focused on Taiwan, Hong Kong or Southeast Asia and you need local gateway support and messaging integration You're looking for a lower-cost platform with core features built-in You want a platform that's easy to use and doesn't break the bank

Still unsure? Both platforms offer free trials – why not take them for a spin and see which one fits your business best?

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