E-commerce3 tools14+ indie alternatives
E-commerce
Sell physical and digital goods. Browse the 3 parent tools below — each has a dedicated page with up to 10 indie or bootstrapped alternatives, plus pricing, founders, and where applicable, open-source flags.
Shopify is the gravity well — easy to get into, hard to leave, and the per-transaction fees stack with whatever payment processor you're already paying. The indie alternatives split between full storefronts (Snipcart, Lemon Squeezy, Paddle for digital), open-source platforms (Medusa, Saleor) and pure check-out-as-a-service. For most digital products, Stripe Payment Links + a static site is enough.
What to look for
- Merchant-of-record handling if you're selling globally
- Subscription management built-in vs. requiring a separate billing tool
- Theme system you can edit without a proprietary template language
- Real export of orders, customers and product catalog
Common gotchas
- App ecosystem fees stacking on top of platform fees
- Per-checkout fees on top of card processing fees
- Migration friction once you have a year of orders + analytics
