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Shopify vs Systeme.io for freelancers: compare the workflow
An independent, affiliate-supported comparison by SoloOps Stack. We reviewed official documentation, not hands-on performance. Neither vendor has supplied a testimonial or a test result for this page.
Start with the job you need the platform to do
Shopify's official description centres on an online store, products, inventory, orders, payments and shipping. Systeme.io's pricing centres on funnels, contacts, email and courses, while its help centre also documents physical-product sales. S1 S3 S4
Our editorial starting point is therefore shop-first versus funnel-and-course-first. That is a useful way to frame the decision, not a claim that either platform is limited to one kind of product or customer.
At a glance
| Decision point | Shopify | Systeme.io |
|---|---|---|
| Documented scope relevant here | Storefront, products/inventory, orders and shipping. S1 | Sales funnels, email and courses; physical-product order forms are also documented. S3 S4 |
| Entry subscription | Basic: US$39/month paid monthly, or US$29/month equivalent paid yearly; UK prices below. S1 | Free: US$0; Startup: US$17/month. S3 |
| Published plan boundaries to examine | Additional staff allowances and checkout-customisation limits vary by plan. S1 | Contact, funnel and course allowances vary by plan; Free also has a lifetime sales cap. S3 S6 |
| Payments: do not conflate fee types | Card-processing rates and possible third-party transaction fees are published separately. S1 S2 | Vendor advertises 0% platform transaction fees; that is not evidence that the payment processor charges nothing. S3 |
| Physical-product considerations | Product/inventory, order and shipping tools are in the documented commerce scope. S1 | Stock/variants and shipping-fee rules are documented; shipping and fulfilment remain the merchant's responsibility. S4 S5 |
No score is attached to this table. A feature label is not proof that two workflows are interchangeable.
Pricing: compare the billing commitment, not just the headline
Shopify: USD and GBP regional prices
| Plan | US monthly billing | US yearly billing: monthly equivalent | UK monthly billing | UK yearly billing: monthly equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | US$39 | US$29 | £25 GBP | £19 GBP |
| Grow | US$105 | US$79 | £65 GBP | £49 GBP |
| Advanced | US$399 | US$299 | £344 GBP | £259 GBP |
All Shopify figures above are from the official US and UK pricing tables, accessed 2026-11-06. The yearly figures require yearly billing. GBP figures are separately displayed regional prices, not exchange-rate conversions. S1 S2
This comparison focuses on the three standard online-store plans. It does not treat enterprise Plus pricing as comparable to a flexible entry subscription.
Systeme.io: published monthly USD prices
| Plan | Monthly subscription | Selected published allowances |
|---|---|---|
| Free | US$0 | 2,000 contacts; 3 sales funnels; 1 course |
| Startup | US$17 | 5,000 contacts; 10 sales funnels; 5 courses |
| Webinar | US$47 | 10,000 contacts; 50 sales funnels; 20 courses; evergreen webinars |
| Unlimited | US$97 | Unlimited contacts, sales funnels, courses and automation rules |
Every price and allowance in this table is sourced to the official pricing page, accessed 2026-11-06. USD is explicitly identified in that page's structured pricing data. “Unlimited” refers to the listed categories; it is not a claim that the service has no terms or restrictions. S3
Free also has a US$10,000 lifetime sales cap in official documentation; upgrading is required to continue accepting payments at that limit. Treat this as a plan boundary, not an expected sales outcome. Confirm the current enforcement process before using Free for live sales. S6
Annual Systeme.io totals and GBP subscription prices are not quoted here because they were not verified in the readable pricing information used for this page. Check the current vendor quote and applicable taxes rather than converting the USD figures yourself and treating that as a UK price.
Where Shopify may be the better fit
Our editorial preference would be to investigate Shopify first when a dedicated store is the main project and its documented product, inventory and order workflow matches your requirements. Hosting is included, which also makes it relevant if you do not want to choose a separate host. S1
The tradeoff is the commitment and plan boundary you actually need. Grow lists 5 additional staff accounts, Advanced lists 15, and the standard plans' checkout customisation is described as limited. Verify a must-have checkout change rather than assume a higher standard plan removes every restriction. S1
For more detail, read our independent Shopify review.
Where Systeme.io may be the better fit
We would investigate Systeme.io first when the project revolves around a funnel, email follow-up and a course, because those tools and their allowances are explicitly included in its published plans. The Free plan offers a way to explore the documented setup within its limits. S3
It can also handle physical-product order forms: the official setup guide covers stock and variants, and another guide describes shipping-fee rules based on weight, order price or quantity. It would be misleading to say physical products cannot be sold with it. S4 S5
The tradeoff is verifying the whole delivery workflow. Systeme.io expressly says it does not manage shipping or fulfilment. Our advice is to rehearse the stock, order and dispatch process you need instead of assuming a funnel tool replaces those responsibilities. S4
Payment costs: two checks before choosing
For Shopify: establish which processing rate and any third-party transaction fee apply to your region, plan and payment provider. The US and UK pages show different regional card rates, so do not transfer one country's figure to another. S1 S2
For Systeme.io: its 0% platform transaction-fee statement is not a promise of zero payment-processing cost. Get the terms from your intended processor before making an all-in cost comparison. No processor rate is assumed on this page. S3
A fair way to make the final decision
Use the same small scenario for both platforms:
- Create the kind of product or offer you actually intend to sell.
- Follow the buyer journey from page to payment confirmation.
- Check the delivery or fulfilment steps you will have to manage.
- Investigate a refund and an order enquiry.
- Write down the subscription, any extra tools and the payment costs for that exact setup.
This is our suggested evaluation method, not a claim that we have completed those tests. If neither workflow fits, the freelancer platform roundup includes other routes.
Check the current vendor details
This site is designed to use affiliate links. When an approved affiliate relationship is active, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through those links.
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Official pricing references (non-affiliate until tracking is approved): US pricing · UK pricing.
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Sources
Source markers in the copy point to the official sources below. Access dates record research, not a guarantee that a price remains available.
This site is designed to use affiliate links. When an approved affiliate relationship is active, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through those links.
- S1 — Shopify US plan names, monthly/yearly prices, hosting, SSL, staff accounts, checkout and payment fees — https://www.shopify.com/pricing — accessed 2026-11-06. Live US/USD pricing page; no overall publication/update date shown. A separate finance footnote is dated 2026-11-04, but that is not a date for the whole pricing table. Finance and promotional claims are not used.
This site is designed to use affiliate links. When an approved affiliate relationship is active, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through those links.
- S2 — Shopify UK/GBP plan prices and regional payment-fee examples — https://www.shopify.com/uk/pricing — accessed 2026-11-06. Live regional pricing page; no overall publication/update date shown. GBP figures are displayed UK prices, not currency conversions.
This site is designed to use affiliate links. When an approved affiliate relationship is active, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through those links.
- S3 — Systeme.io plan names, monthly USD prices, contacts, funnels, courses, email sending and platform transaction-fee statement — https://systeme.io/pricing — accessed 2026-11-06. Visible FAQ says last updated April 2026; public JSON-LD says dateModified 2026-10-20. Both are within the last 12 months. USD is verified in the official page's Offer.priceCurrency fields. The main comparison grid returned null values; only readable FAQ and matching structured-data facts are used. Conflicting student-limit statements are not used.
This site is designed to use affiliate links. When an approved affiliate relationship is active, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through those links.
- S4 — Systeme.io physical-product setup, stock/variants, funnel order forms, and merchant responsibility for shipping/fulfilment — https://help.systeme.io/article/292-how-to-create-and-sell-a-physical-product-on-systeme-io — accessed 2026-11-06. Updated 2026-08-27; within the last 12 months.
This site is designed to use affiliate links. When an approved affiliate relationship is active, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through those links.
- S5 — Systeme.io shipping-fee rules based on weight, order price or quantity — https://help.systeme.io/article/3756-how-to-add-shipping-costs-to-the-sale-of-a-physical-product — accessed 2026-11-06. Updated 2026-05-18; within the last 12 months.
This site is designed to use affiliate links. When an approved affiliate relationship is active, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through those links.
- S6 — Systeme.io Free plan lifetime sales cap and need to upgrade — https://help.systeme.io/article/1509-how-systeme-io-subscription-plans-are-moderated — accessed 2026-11-06. Updated 2026-10-07; within the last 12 months. States a US$10,000 lifetime sales cap. The pricing-page JSON-LD agrees on the cap but describes a three-day upgrade window, while this help page describes payment pages stopping at the cap. Exact enforcement timing is not asserted.