Bold Commerce vs Shopify (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Bold Commerce if

• Fits if you already run a Shopify store and want subscriptions or upsells
• Works for stores that want customers to reorder

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you're not on Shopify, as the apps only run there
• Pricey if you stack apps, since each is billed separately
• Watch out: Memberships adds $0.13 per member per month after the first 10
• Watch out: the earlier Bold platform pages are gone, so older reviews may describe a different product

Pick Shopify if

• Fits if you sell online and at markets or pop-ups and want one stock count for both
• Works for sellers who'll use Shopify Payments and its discounted shipping labels

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you want your own payment provider, as Basic adds 2% to each of those sales
• Not for you if you want a few weeks to try it, since the free trial is 3 days
• Tight if you run a shop counter, as POS Pro is $89 a month per location
• Watch out: syncing more than 50 marketplace orders a month costs 1%, up to $99 a month
• Watch out: the next steps up are Grow at $79 and Advanced at $299, and Plus needs a 1- or 3-year term

Bold Commerce

• Prices are per app, not per suite. Bold Upsell shows $4.99, $24.99, $74.99 and $399.99 a month by Shopify plan, with a 7-day trial.
• Bold Custom Pricing lists $29, $69 and $129 a month with a 14-day free trial; Memberships adds $0.13 per member per month after the first 10.
• The apps run only inside Shopify; this is not a standalone store builder, so a store needs Shopify itself.
• The earlier Bold Commerce platform pages are gone; the site now describes only the Shopify app suite.

Shopify

• Using a payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a fee of 2% per sale on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus.
• The free trial lasts 3 days; Basic, Grow and Advanced then cost $1 a month for 3 months before the regular price.
• POS Pro for physical shops costs $89 a month per location, and syncing more than 50 marketplace orders a month costs 1%, up to $99 a month.
• Plus is sold only on a 1- or 3-year term, starting at $2,300 a month on the 3-year term.

Bold Commerce

Subscriptions

Subscription plans with automated billing, churn prevention and upsell tools, plus a free migration service from other subscription platforms.

AI upsells

Upsell offers in the cart, at checkout, on product pages, after purchase and in email, including free-gift offers that add themselves to the cart.

Custom pricing

Customer-specific prices for wholesale, VIP, member and subscriber buyers, with quantity breaks, without needing Shopify Plus.

Memberships

Member-only products, content and pricing, plus perks such as free shipping, store credit and early access, usable online and in store.

Discounts

Scheduled sales that go live, move products into a sale collection and reset themselves when the promotion ends.

Reorder nudging (rePete)

Reorder reminders timed to when a customer is likely to run out, run from a separate rePete product.

Shopify

Store builder and themes

Build the storefront from a theme (Shopify lists more than 200) or from a written prompt, with hosting, SSL and a custom domain on every plan and no cap on products.

Checkout and Shopify Payments

Shopify's own checkout and payment processing are built in, with fraud analysis, local currencies and local payment methods where Shopify Payments is offered.

Inventory, orders and shipping

Track stock across up to 10 locations (200 on Plus), buy and print discounted shipping labels, with live third-party carrier rates included from Advanced up.

Selling in person and on other channels

Sell at pop-ups from the mobile app or a card reader, and sync products to marketplaces and social channels. A separate $0 Agentic plan lists products in AI chats.

Marketing email and automations

Email campaigns, customer segments, abandoned checkout recovery, discount codes and gift cards come with every plan; SMS campaigns are paid per send.

Sidekick AI assistant and apps

Sidekick answers questions and takes actions in the admin, and the Shopify App Store lists more than 13,000 apps for features the core plans lack.

Bold Commerce

Pricing could not be confirmed. See boldcommerce.com.

Shopify

• Basic$29

  per month, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly)

  For solo sellers: online and in-person sales, card rates from 2.9% + 30¢ online, and a 2% fee on sales taken through another payment provider.

• Grow$79

  per month, billed yearly ($105 billed monthly)

  Up to 5 staff accounts, card rates from 2.7% + 30¢ online and a 1% fee on sales through other payment providers.

• Advanced$299

  per month, billed yearly ($399 billed monthly)

  Up to 15 staff accounts, live third-party shipping rates, card rates from 2.5% + 30¢ and a 0.6% fee with other payment providers.

• Plus$2,300

  per month and up, billed yearly on a 3-year term

  On a 1- or 3-year term: unlimited staff, a fully customizable checkout, card rates from 2.25% + 30¢ and a 0.2% fee with other providers.

Bold Commerce

• Other savings

  3 free months when moving subscriptions

  Migrations from any other subscription platform to Bold Subscriptions qualify for 3 months free; upgrades from Bold V1 get 1 month free.

Shopify

• Annual discount

  Pay yearly to save about 25%

  Basic costs $29 a month billed yearly against $39 billed monthly, Grow $79 against $105, and Advanced $299 against $399.

• Other savings

  $1 a month for the first 3 months

  After the 3-day free trial, the Basic, Grow and Advanced plans cost $1 a month for the first 3 months, then the regular price.