Stan Store vs Shopify: What to Choose for Your Online Stores?

Choosing the right e-commerce platform to sell your products online can be challenging, especially with the numerous options available. Shopify and Stan Store are the two popular options available in the market offering distinct strength and catering to different business needs. Wondering which one best suits your needs? You are at the right place!

This blog provides head-to-head comparison of Stan Store vs Shopify, exploring their pros, cons, features and pricing structures. Let's discover which platform stands out best for an online business.

What is Stan Store?

Stan Store is an e-commerce platform also known as creator store targeted at creators, influencers and other businesses to sell digital goods, services, online courses, membership and booking appointments.

It offers a streamlined and user-friendly experience for selling products directly through social media platforms with a “link-in-bio” feature. It's an all-in-one digital platform that allows creators to monetize their online presence, engage with their audience, and sell products and services. 

Key Features of Stan Store

• Link-in-bio Feature
• Built-in Marketing Tools
• Analytical Dashboard
• Subscription & Membership
• Integration with Zapier
• Easy to Use Interface

Pros and Cons of Stan Store

Pros

• The user-friendly interface, smooth checkout and quick Stan Store login make it easy, even for non-tech-savvy people, to use the platform.
• It supports integration with social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, allowing followers to make purchases without having to leave the platform.
• Stanstore doesn't apply transaction fees on sales.
• The platform is highly affordable even for individuals on a tight budget.
• The simplified sales funnel helps to increase average order value.

Cons

• Design customization options are limited.
• Fewer integration options can limit functionalities.
• It doesn't support selling physical products.
• Minimal scalability can hinder business growth.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is a well-known e-commerce platform designed for entrepreneurs, retailers, individuals, and global businesses to sell products, run stores, and grow their online presence. The platform offers a wide range of tools for selling digital and physical products.

It also allows you to customize the look of your store to match your brand style and niche. With Shopify store development services, companies can easily manage their brands and complex operations.

Key Features of Shopify

• Drag-and-drop Interface
• Customizable Themes
• Detailed Analytical Reports
• Integrate 8000+ Apps
• Built-in Marketing Tools
• Automated Shipping Option
• Multiple Payment Gateways

Pros and Cons of Shopify

Pros

• Shopify offers the versatility of selling both physical and digital goods, as well as services and subscriptions.
• The platform is highly scalable, allowing businesses of all sizes to scale according to their needs.
• Shopify has a comprehensive set of e-commerce features to offer, including order management, SEO tools, multi-channel selling options, and a lot more.
• It supports multiple payment gateways and dynamic checkouts, providing flexibility for global businesses.
• Real-time analytics and reporting help to understand user behavior and business performance.

Cons

• Less direct focus on social media integration.
• Steeper learning curve for beginners.
• It implies transaction charges on sales.
• Higher pricing plans compared to other platforms.

Stan Store vs Shopify: Core Comparison

Here is a table showing a comprehensive comparison to help you choose between Shopify and Stan Store.

Stan Store vs Shopify: Feature Comparison

Let’s do a quick feature comparison of Stan Store and Shopify platforms.

Core eCommerce Features

1. Stanstore provides mobile-first storefronts and link-in-bio online tools to sell digital products and services. It supports some e-commerce needs, such as digital downloads, built-in hosting, subscriptions, or booking calls. However, it doesn't include features for inventory management.
2. Shopify is a full-featured e-commerce store builder. It is basically a complete website solution with a homepage, blog, etc. Shopify supports the sale of digital and physical goods and includes features for inventory management, tracking, shipping, and other e-commerce tools to help you run your online business efficiently.

Customization

1. When comparing Stan Store and Shopify, apps like Stan offers limited customization capabilities. It lets you tailor the color, text, and a few other layout components, so you have to rely on a single-page format.
2. Shopify offers excellent customization capabilities and lets you design themes, a drag-and-drop builder, and access to code, providing complete control over your store’s design and functionality. You can customize every page of the store to match your brand tone.

Marketing Tools

1. Stan Store has limited options when it comes to sales and marketing tools. With stan you can access basic email list building, pre-built sales funnels, discount codes, affiliate links, and basic lead tracking. However, it lacks advanced features for SEO control and email campaigns.
2. Shopify has a wide range of sales and marketing tools to offer. It includes discount creation, promotional options, advanced SEO tools, advanced sales funnels, built-in features for affiliate marketing, Shopify Email, and supports integration with Mailchimp, an email marketing tool for advanced automation.

Scalability

1. Stan Store remains ideal for solo providers and small-scale businesses; however, it has limitation on scalability. When you're just starting out on a small scale, you can rely on this platform, but it doesn't offer a long-term solution for a rapidly growing business.
2. On the flip side, Shopify is known for its extended scalability and flexibility, allowing businesses of all sizes to access advanced features that sustain growth. It supports multi-channel sales and global tax and currency, helping you easily expand your business.

Reporting and Analytics

1. Stan Store provides basic reporting and analytics functionalities where creators and individuals can check data for basic sales, views, and lead tracking to have a quick overview of their ongoing sales.
2. Shopify, being a robust e-commerce platform, enables businesses to check detailed reports and analytics of their sales, traffic, user behavior, marketing performance, and conversion tracking. Businesses can also integrate Google Analytics to get deeper insights.

Apps and Integration

1. Stan Store compared to Shopify comes with limited options. It integrates with basic tools like Calendly and other email service providers.
2. On the other hand, Shopify offers a wide range of integrations with 8000-plus apps via its App Store. The platform lets you integrate payment gateways, marketing tools, analytics platforms, CRM platforms, and many more to help you improve workflows. Integrate top Shopify Apps to grow your business efficiently.

Stan Store vs Shopify, one is built for creators while and other one is for global ecommerce.

Stan Store vs Shopify: Pricing Comparison

Let's do a quick comparison of Stan Store and Shopify pricing structures.

Stan Store Pricing

Stan Store provides two main subscription-based plans which can be billed annually or monthly.

Creator Plan: Priced at $29/month, it includes features like;

• Mobile Optimized "Link-in-Bio" Store
• Coaching Calls
• Course Builder
• Audience Analytics
• Instagram AutoDMs
• Community
• Webinars
• Digital Products
• Links / URLs
• 1-Tap Checkout
• Lead Magnets & Email Lists
• Custom Mobile App
• 24/7 Creator Support
• Subscriptions & Memberships

Creator Pro Plan: Priced at $99/month

It covers everything in the basic creator plan and also includes email marketing flows, affiliate links, and other features.

Shopify Pricing

Shopify provides multiple pricing plans, customized to different business sizes and requirements.

The Starter plan is priced at $5 per month, available as an alternative solution for selling through social platforms and messaging apps.

Basic Plan: Costs $29/month, it includes;

• 10 inventory locations,
• Chat support,
• Basic reports.

Shopify Grow: Available at $79/month, it includes everything from the basic plan plus;

• 5 additional staff accounts,
• Lower transaction fees.

Advanced Plan: Priced at $299/month; It includes everything from the other two plans and,

• Extended inventory locations,
• 10x checkout capacity,
• More shipping discounts.

There is also a plus plan available, suitable for more complex businesses.

• If you are a budget conscious creator, then apps like Stan make a cheaper and cost-effective solution to get started with your business.
• But if you opt to scale your e-commerce brands, then Shopify makes an ideal choice despite the higher fees.

Shopify vs Stan Store: Which Platform is Right for You?

Choosing from Stan Store or Shopify for ecommerce depends heavily on your specific needs and goals:

Choose Stan Store if:

• You're a small or medium-sized business looking for a simple and budget-friendly way to set up an online store quickly.
• Creators and influencers who want to sell their digital products, services, memberships, or online courses to their social media audience.
• If you prioritize a quick and straightforward setup over hefty functionalities and extensive customization than stan remains a great option.
• When dealing with a tight budget, you require a platform with no transaction fees from the platform itself.

Choose Shopify if:

• Your goal is to sell physical products, digital products, or a combination of both.
• You want to build a fully fledged online store with total control over branding and design.
• You require a highly customizable online store with built-in marketing tools to create your brand name.
• You are looking for a scalable platform that can anticipate your future growth and support a large number of customers.
• Businesses require multiple third-party integrations of tools to enhance the store’s functionality and workflow.
• You want to understand user behavior and business performance through comprehensive analytics and reporting.

Shopify vs Stan Store: Final Verdict

Stan Store and Shopify are both powerful platforms that cater to different needs of the e-commerce segment. While deciding from Stan Store vs Shopify consider factors like product types, growth plans, technical approach, budget, customization and feature requirements.

Stan Store is more oriented toward a simple, fast and mobile-first approach, while Shopify is a complete online ecommerce solution built for growth. So, carefully understand your requirements and select the option that best fits your needs and supports your online selling success.

Lucent Innovation is a trusted Shopify Plus partner, having a large talent pool of Shopify developers for hire. Our team excels at crafting scalable and secure Shopify stores tailored to your business goals.