Stop Paying for Shopify to Sell a Handful of Products
The best Shopify alternative for a small business is Keepp: sell from the free plan with money paid into your own Stripe, plus bookings, forms and chat on the same page.
The best Shopify alternative for a small business that sells a handful of products is Keepp, because you can sell from the free plan, with the money paid straight into your own Stripe account. Shopify has no free plan, and its cheap Starter plan for selling through links is closed to new stores.
On Keepp the shop sits on the same page as your website, bookings, forms and chat, under one login. Shopify prices below were checked on Shopify’s own pages on 27 October 2026, in US dollars.
What does Shopify cost a small seller?
No free plan. You get 3 days free, then $1 a month for 3 months. After that, Basic is $39 a month billed monthly or $29 a month billed yearly, and Grow is $105 monthly or $89 yearly.
A fee if you don’t use Shopify Payments. Take payments through another provider and Shopify adds its own fee: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced.
Starter is gone for new stores. Shopify Starter, the low-cost plan for selling through social links, “isn’t available to new stores”, and a merchant still on Starter who changes plan can’t go back to it.
For a candle maker with a few scents, a baker taking cake orders or a coach selling a workbook, that is $39 a month for a full store system they mostly don’t use.
Why do small sellers leave Shopify?
They pay for a big store to sell a few things. Inventory systems, themes and an app store are built for catalogues, not for a short list of products.
Selling is only part of the business. A florist also takes event enquiries, a baker takes custom orders, a coach takes calls. On Shopify those mean more apps.
Apps add up. Bookings, forms and chat come from the app store, each with its own monthly price and settings.
What you get on Keepp instead
A shop on the free plan, money in your own Stripe. Add products and digital downloads, and buyers pay through Stripe Checkout. The money goes straight to your own Stripe account, with you as the seller, and buyers get an order page they can come back to. Items can also be free, or show a price and be settled your own way.
Cards that sell. Show each product as a card with a picture, description, price and its own buy button, so people see what they are getting before they tap. Every product has its own link you can share anywhere.
Bookings next to the shop. Classes, fittings, consultations or tastings, with your Google Calendar keeping busy times blocked and payment when the time is picked.
Forms for custom orders. Custom cake orders, wholesale requests or quote forms, each tied to an email or phone number, with verification to keep fake leads out.
A chat that answers for you. An AI answers questions about sizes, delivery and stock from your page, and hands the conversation to your Telegram group when a person is needed.
Your website and link in bio, in one. The same page goes in your social profiles and on your packaging, with your own domain if you want it.
Shopify vs Keepp for a small seller
| Shopify | Keepp | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No, 3 days then $1 a month for 3 months | Yes, sells from day one |
| Lowest price billed monthly | $39 (Basic) | $0 to start, Pro $9.99 |
| Money from sales | Through Shopify Payments, or pay Shopify’s extra fee | Straight to your own Stripe account |
| Bookings | An app | Built in, with Google Calendar sync |
| Custom order forms | An app | Built in, with verified leads |
| Chat with AI answers | An app | Built in, hands over to your Telegram group |
Keepp’s fee on sales is 5% on Free, 3% on Pro and 0% on Influencer, plus Stripe’s processing fee. Card processing is extra on Shopify too.
How do I move from Shopify to Keepp?
- Claim your page with Continue with Google and pick a shop template.
- Connect Stripe so payments go to your own account.
- Add your products with photos, prices and descriptions. See sell a product.
- Connect your own domain, then close your Shopify store.
Questions people ask
What is the best Shopify alternative for a small business? Keepp, for a business selling a handful of products. You can sell from the free plan, payments go straight into your own Stripe account, and bookings, forms and chat sit on the same page.
Is there a free alternative to Shopify? Yes. Keepp’s free plan sells products and digital downloads through Stripe Checkout, with a 5% Keepp fee a sale plus Stripe’s processing fee.
Can I still get Shopify Starter? No. Shopify says Starter “isn’t available to new stores” (checked 27 October 2026). Basic starts at $39 a month billed monthly.
Can I sell digital downloads on Keepp? Yes. Buyers pay through Stripe Checkout and get an order page where they can come back to their purchase.
Does Keepp hold my money? No. Sales are paid straight into your own Stripe account, with you as the seller.
Related reading
- Best platforms to sell digital products
- What happened to Facebook Shop?
- Linkpop shut down: alternatives for Shopify sellers
- Best website builders for small business
Claim your page at keepp.link, add your products, and sell from one page with the money going to your own Stripe, free to start.
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