ShopFactory vs ShopSite (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ShopFactory and ShopSite share a 1.8 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about value for money, where ShopFactory grades higher, or platforms, where ShopSite does.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ShopFactory
Windows store builder sold as a one-time license, hosted anywhere
ShopSite
Licensed shopping cart software sold through hosting partners
Which one is for you
Pick ShopFactory if
- Fits if you want to pay once and choose your own hosting
- Works for a Windows user who sells in several languages or currencies
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use a Mac or want to edit your store from a browser or phone
- Not for you if you want a free plan or a trial, since the only safety net is a 30-day refund
- Too light for catalogs past 10,000 products, which is the licence cap per store
- Watch out: order management, loyalty and AI apps are free for 12 months, then monthly fees
- Watch out: the $249 price was read from India and not confirmed from the US
Pick ShopSite if
- Fits if you want to buy a store license once instead of a platform subscription
- Works for small catalogs that sit on top of an existing HTML site
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you sell more than 15 products on Starter, which also holds just 5 generated pages
- Not for you if you want one list price, because partners set their own quotes
- Skip it if you want coupons or downloads on Manager, as they are Pro features
- Watch out: the $495 and $1,295 licenses do not include hosting or upgrade fees
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAShopFactoryWeak | 1.8GPAShopSiteWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$249 once is less than a year of this category's middle subscription at $29 a month, and the vendor says it takes no commission. Hosting is a separate cost if you pick your own, and the price was read from India, not the US. | CStarter is $9 a month but 15 products, Manager $35 and Pro $70, close to the category's $29 middle. The one-time $495 and $1,295 licenses leave out hosting. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing is free: no free plan and no trial. A 30-day money-back guarantee is the only way out, and that is not a trial. | FNo free plan and no trial is listed, so you pay from the start. |
| Features | CCatalog, 50-plus payment processors, several languages and currencies, digital items and tickets. The gaps are in the listing: a 10,000-product limit per store, and order management and loyalty are paid apps after the first 12 months. | CSetup wizard, order buttons, shipping quotes, SEO tools and catalog management. Coupons, gift certificates, digital downloads and inventory tracking are Pro features. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You design in a desktop program, set up payment gateways and pick where to publish, so there is a learning curve. | CYou set up the catalog and hosting through a partner, with no store rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | DWindows only, with the store files kept on that one PC. There is no Mac, phone or browser version. It does list Zapier and the main payment gateways. | BWeb, with WordPress, Constant Contact, PayPal, Amazon Pay, Google Analytics and FedEx, UPS and USPS. No desktop or phone app. |
| Best for | a one-time-fee store builder on a Windows PC | a store license you can buy once and add to an existing site |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: ShopFactory and ShopSite. How we grade
Where they differ
- ShopFactory can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- ShopFactory also covers templates.
- ShopSite also covers marketing automation and inventory.
At a glance
| ShopFactory | ShopSite | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $249 one-time license | $9 per month and up (monthly lease, Starter, bundled with hosting) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | 3D3.COM Pty Ltd | ShopSite, Inc. |
| Price read from | shopfactory.com | shopsite.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
ShopFactory
- The builder runs on Windows PCs only; the store files live on your own computer.
- Premium apps such as order management, loyalty and AI are free only for 12 months, then optional monthly fees.
- The license covers up to 10,000 products per store.
- The $249 price was read on the homepage from India and was not confirmed from the US.
ShopSite
- ShopSite is sold through hosting partners, so there is no single list price. The figures shown are the vendor's suggested ranges, and a partner's quote will differ.
- One-time licenses of $495 (Manager) and $1,295 (Pro) do not include hosting or upgrade fees, per the vendor.
- Starter is limited to 15 products on 5 pages and is available only as a monthly lease.
- Coupons, gift certificates, digital downloads and inventory tracking are described as Pro features, not Manager features.
Key features
ShopFactory
- Offline store design
- Build and organize the catalog on your own Windows PC, then publish to ShopFactory's servers or to your own hosting provider.
- No sales fees
- The vendor says it takes no commission on sales and charges no bandwidth or transaction fees.
- Payment gateways
- More than 50 payment processors are listed, including PayPal, Stripe, Mollie, WorldPay and Authorize.Net.
- Multilingual and multi-currency
- Stores can sell in several languages and currencies, and one license can build unlimited shops.
- Digital items, tickets and services
- Besides physical goods, the software lists support for selling digital items, event tickets and services.
- AI content and Zapier
- AI tools generate product content, and Zapier connects the store to more than 1,500 other tools.
ShopSite
- Store setup wizard
- A wizard walks a new merchant through adding products and pages, shipping and payment settings, and picking a look.
- Order Anywhere buttons
- Adds Add to Cart buttons to an existing HTML page, so a store can sit inside a site that already exists.
- Shipping quotes and tax
- Manager and Pro show real-time shipping quotes from FedEx, UPS or USPS and let merchants set tax and shipping rates.
- SEO tools
- Meta tag editing and Google-style sitemaps come with Manager, per the vendor's product overview.
- Promotions and cross-sell
- Pro adds coupons, gift certificates, customer rewards, product cross-sell and a mini-cart on store pages.
- Catalog management
- Pro includes global power edit, inventory tracking, database upload and download, and built-in APIs for custom work.
Plans
ShopFactory
ShopFactory license$249
one-time
Store builder and cart for up to 10,000 products; premium apps are free for 12 months, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
ShopSite
Starter$9
per month and up, monthly lease (suggested $9-$39)
Up to 15 products on up to 5 generated pages. Leased monthly only; the range is a partner-bundled price with hosting.
Manager$35
per month and up, monthly lease (suggested $35-$75)
Unlimited products and pages, Google Analytics, real-time shipping quotes and SEO tools. Also sold as a $495 one-time license.
Pro$70
per month and up, monthly lease (suggested $70-$125)
Adds coupons, gift certificates, customer rewards, cross-sell, digital downloads and inventory tracking. Also sold as a $1,295 one-time license.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ShopFactory or ShopSite?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ShopFactory starts at $249 one-time license, and ShopSite starts at $9 per month and up (monthly lease, Starter, bundled with hosting).
Which has a free plan, ShopFactory or ShopSite?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither ShopFactory nor ShopSite has a free plan.
Which platforms do ShopFactory and ShopSite run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only ShopFactory lists a Windows app and only ShopSite lists a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.