If you’re selling digital products, courses, or running a serious ecommerce setup, Samcart might work for you — but it’s far from perfect.
I’ve tested most of the popular tools out there, and honestly, I’d only recommend Samcart in very specific cases.
Best overall alternative? ThriveCart — it’s cheaper, offers lifetime pricing, and is built for conversion. Best for full ecommerce stores? Shopify. Best for course creators? Kajabi or Podia.
I’ve run and audited enough Shopify stores to know this: most people have no clue what’s really broken in their setup.
The traffic might look decent. The store feels OK. But the numbers don’t lie — something’s off.
Whether you’re running a small product line or scaling a niche empire, doing a proper Shopify audit isn’t optional. It’s how you spot issues before they snowball.
Here’s how I personally run a Shopify store audit — the exact process, tools, and questions I ask every time.
If you’re building a full online store with physical or digital products, Shopify is the go-to.
If you’re focused on high-converting funnels for one or two offers, SamCart wins hands down.
I’ve used both platforms across dozens of client sites, and this isn’t one of those wishy-washy “depends on your use case” takes.
This is what I’d recommend to clients based on real-world performance.
Ten years or so ago I’d never heard of print on demand (POD).
Now, I’ve lost count of the number of POD solutions I’ve explored. You’re probably already familiar with some of my top picks, like Gelato, Printify, and Printful – but today I want to introduce a new alternative: PODpartner.
Launched in 2019, PODpartner is one of a surprisingly low number of POD companies that seems to really know what it’s audience is looking for.
Pietra and Shopify are two ecommerce platforms with very different goals — but which one is the better choice for your online store?
I’ve spent hours testing and comparing both platforms across key areas like pricing, features, templates, scalability, and support to help you make the right decision.
After my deep testing, Shopify is the clear winner if you want to build, grow, and scale a serious online store.
At our ecommerce design gallery, we’ve spent the last 10 years analyzing nearly 20,000 online stores to handpick the best for our collection — now showcasing almost 4,000 top stores and counting.
If you want to delete your Shopify store, log into your Shopify Admin on a desktop, go to Settings > Plan, click Deactivate Store, follow the prompts, and confirm with your password.
If you prefer to pause it instead of closing permanently, you can choose either the Pause and Build Plan (pay a small monthly fee) or a Full Pause (freeze everything for free) from the same Settings menu.
In this guide, I will walk you through exactly how to delete your store safely, back up your important data, cancel apps to avoid extra charges, and protect your SEO if you are moving to a new platform.
Shopify and Medusa are two standout ecommerce platforms, but they serve very different needs.
We’ve spent over 200 hours testing, comparing, and building on both platforms to help you make the right choice for your online store.
Based on our research, Shopify is the better option for businesses looking for an all-in-one, ready-to-launch solution.
Medusa is better suited for businesses with strong technical teams looking for maximum customisation and control over their ecommerce experience.
Quick Answer: If you’re serious about building a scalable brand, managing inventory, or selling both physical and digital products, Shopify is the better long-term option.
If you just want to sell a few digital products fast with minimal setup and zero tech stress, Gumroad is the easiest way to do it.
I’ve used both for my own projects and with dozens of clients.
Each one solves a different kind of problem — but knowing which platform works best for you upfront can save you months of frustration and thousands of dollars in wasted fees.
Quick answer: The best ecommerce platforms for small businesses right now are Shopify for scaling, Wix for all-in-one ease, and Square Online if you’re already selling in person.
Each one fits different business models, so choosing the right one comes down to how tech-savvy you are, what you’re selling, and how fast you want to grow.
After more than 10 years in ecommerce — building, breaking, and rebuilding online stores — I’ve tested just about every major platform out there.
If you’re a small business owner looking to get online or grow sales without a dev team or a six-figure budget, this guide will help you choose the right ecommerce platform without wasting months on trial and error.
Let’s dig in.
Starting an online business always sounded like something I needed thousands of dollars, a design team, and some Silicon Valley experience to do. I thought it was just out of reach. That changed when I found the Shopify 1MBB program.
This isn’t just another “free trial” gimmick. This is a real, structured program from Shopify and Operation HOPE, made to help Black entrepreneurs like me get the tools, support, and resources to launch our own businesses — starting with 120 days of Shopify completely free.
Quick Answer: If you want speed and convenience, go Shopify.
If you want control, custom design, and long-term ROI, build your own site.
I’ve run ecommerce stores both ways. I’ll break down the real-world pros and cons — no fluff.
When someone asks me, “What’s the cheapest legit way to start selling online?”—my answer is nearly always the same: Shopify Starter.
But that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone.
After 15+ years of building ecommerce stores, consulting for brands, and watching platforms evolve, I can tell you that while this plan is lean, it can be incredibly effective if you use it the right way.
In this review, I’ll walk you through exactly how the Shopify Starter plan works, who it’s made for, what it offers (and what it leaves out), and whether it’s the best move for your business.
