Shopify is what you use when the store is the business. World-class checkout, inventory and shipping, taxes, POS, thousands of apps, Shopify Email, Shopify Inbox, and a theme store make it the standard for merchants of every size. It scales from one product to a warehouse without changing platforms.
Cardel provides a home for your craft. Share and sell your work, grow your audience, and bring your community together on a site of your own. Cardel is not a commerce platform: no inventory engine, shipping labels, tax calculation, POS, or app store.
Shopify's blog and pages serve the store. Cardel's Shop serves the site: blog, Showcase, Videos, Schedule, and reader comments come first.
Shopify Inbox handles chat. Cardel's Messaging Center also receives email on your own domain and contact form, with AI Suggest.
Shopify doesn't manage scheduling natively. Cardel schedules with Google and Outlook sync avilable.
Choose Shopify when you sell products at volume and need inventory, shipping, tax, and apps.
Choose Cardel when selling is one part of a site, audience, bookings, and inbox that should live together on your domain.
You are the Forgemaster. Cardel is your forge. What you build is yours.
Cardel is a home for your craft: a site of your own with a blog, newsletter, shop, community, and one inbox. It can replace Shopify when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list below shows where the two overlap and where they part.
Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Shopify for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.
Compare features
A check means that capability is available. Shopify is marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.
Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.
Cardel
Build at no cost, then choose Starter, Pro, or Business when your site goes live.
Shopify
See what Shopify charges on their pricing page.
Forge your community
Looking for a Shopify alternative? Bring your work to a site of your own.
See how Cardel compares with other products.
You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Business when your site goes live. Shopify sets its own prices, so check their pricing page below for current plans.
Start with Get Started, set up your site, and bring your work over at your own pace. You do not have to move everything on day one.
* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Cardel or Shopify, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Cardel or Shopify may add or remove features that are not shown here.
