# Shopify vs SITE123 for website builders

Shopify and SITE123 are closely matched for core workflows. Both support ai website builder, templates, blogging, ecommerce, and digital products. Shopify has confirmed free trial and API access. SITE123 has confirmed free plan. Starting price is £19 for Shopify and $0 for SITE123.

## Key decision points

- SITE123 has confirmed free plan; free plan is not yet confirmed for Shopify.
- Shopify has confirmed free trial; free trial is not yet confirmed for SITE123.
- Starting price is £19 for Shopify and $0 for SITE123.
- Shopify supports API access; SITE123 is verified as not supporting it.

## Choose Shopify if…

- Choose Shopify if confirmed free trial matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for SITE123.
- Choose Shopify if you need API access.

## Choose SITE123 if…

- Choose SITE123 if confirmed free plan matters to you; this detail is not yet confirmed for Shopify.
- Choose SITE123 if the lower starting price is the deciding factor.

## Features

| Feature | Shopify | SITE123 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| AI website builder | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/)) |
| Templates | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/)) |
| Responsive design | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/features)) |
| Custom code | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) | Not confirmed |
| CMS | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/)) |
| Blogging | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/features)) |
| Ecommerce | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/features)) |
| Booking | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/features)) |
| SEO tools | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/features)) |
| Custom domains | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/pricing)) |
| Free domain | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/features)) |
| Forms | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://apps.shopify.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/features)) |
| Analytics | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/features)) |
| Client management | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/terms)) |

## Capacity

| Feature | Shopify | SITE123 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Digital products | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://apps.shopify.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/features)) |
| Multilingual sites | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/features)) |
| Storage | Not confirmed | 250 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/pricing)) |
| Bandwidth | 0 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) | 250 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/pricing)) |
| Team members | 5 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) | 1 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/)) |

## Integrations

| Feature | Shopify | SITE123 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| App marketplace | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/)) |

## Technical

| Feature | Shopify | SITE123 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| API | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) | No (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/terms)) |

## Pricing

| Feature | Shopify | SITE123 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free plan | Not confirmed | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/pricing)) |
| Free trial | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) | Not confirmed |
| Starting price | £19 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/pricing)) | $0 (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/pricing)) |

## Commercial

| Feature | Shopify | SITE123 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Affiliate programme | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/)) | Yes (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/)) |
| Affiliate commission | Not specified (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.shopify.com/)) | CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) (verified 5 September 2026; [source](https://www.site123.com/terms)) |

## Evidence

- **Shopify — AI website builder:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/. Evidence: “Design fast with AI.”
- **SITE123 — AI website builder:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/. Evidence: “AI App Builder”
- **Shopify — Templates:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/. Evidence: “Pick a prebuilt theme.”
- **SITE123 — Templates:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/. Evidence: “Pick from beautiful website templates”
- **SITE123 — Responsive design:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/features. Evidence: “Responsive Web Design Give your users the best experience with perfect responsive design on desktops, smartphones and tablets.”
- **Shopify — Custom code:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “Build custom apps using Shopify APIs”
- **SITE123 — CMS:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/. Evidence: “Create a free website with our content management system”
- **Shopify — Blogging:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “embed buy buttons on an external website or blog”
- **SITE123 — Blogging:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/features. Evidence: “Personal Blog Make a great looking personal blog easily with SITE123 blogging platform.”
- **Shopify — Ecommerce:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/. Evidence: “The world’s best commerce platform.”
- **SITE123 — Ecommerce:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/features. Evidence: “Sell Online Create an ecommerce website with SITE123 and make sure your business is always open.”
- **Shopify — Digital products:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://apps.shopify.com/. Evidence: “Shopify Digital Products”
- **SITE123 — Digital products:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/features. Evidence: “Sell Digital Products SITE123 clients can sell digital goods of all types via our online store builder.”
- **SITE123 — Booking:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/features. Evidence: “Schedule Booking Let your clients book their appointments with you using the schedule booking tool.”
- **Shopify — Multilingual sites:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “Translate your storefront”
- **SITE123 — Multilingual sites:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/features. Evidence: “Multilingual Website Make multi-language websites in a few clicks.”
- **Shopify — SEO tools:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “automate marketing and SEO”
- **SITE123 — SEO tools:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/features. Evidence: “SEO Tools Use SEO tools to deliver a perfectly SEO optimized website.”
- **Shopify — Custom domains:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “Custom domain name”
- **SITE123 — Custom domains:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/pricing. Evidence: “Connect Your Domain”
- **Shopify — Free domain:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “Every Shopify store also comes with a free myshopify.com address”
- **SITE123 — Free domain:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/features. Evidence: “Free Website Domain Establish your online identity with a free domain registration! SITE123 offers a free domain with a purchase of an annual package.”
- **SITE123 — Storage:** 250. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/pricing. Evidence: “250 MB Storage”
- **Shopify — Bandwidth:** 0. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “unlimited bandwidth (no bandwidth fees)”
- **SITE123 — Bandwidth:** 250. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/pricing. Evidence: “250 MB Bandwidth”
- **Shopify — Forms:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://apps.shopify.com/. Evidence: “Shopify Forms”
- **SITE123 — Forms:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/features. Evidence: “Custom Form Builder Make fantastic custom forms on your website with an easy-to-use form builder tool.”
- **Shopify — Analytics:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “200+ real-time reports, plus custom analytics”
- **SITE123 — Analytics:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/features. Evidence: “Third-Party Plugins Implement website plugins such as live chat, analytic tools, and webmaster tools.”
- **Shopify — App marketplace:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/. Evidence: “Shopify App Store”
- **SITE123 — App marketplace:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/. Evidence: “App Market”
- **Shopify — Team members:** 5. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “Up to 5 staff accounts”
- **SITE123 — Team members:** 1. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/. Evidence: “How many websites can I register under my account? There is no limit - you may create a website or multiple websites under one account and manage them all with a single admin username.”
- **SITE123 — Client management:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/terms. Evidence: “Expert: Designates an adept user who leverages the Provider's platform for designing websites for clients and enjoys benefits such as commissions, branding, and more.”
- **Shopify — API:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “Build custom apps using Shopify APIs”
- **SITE123 — API:** No. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/terms. Evidence: “Our system offers tools to users "as is" in their current state. We decide on tool inclusion; users can't request functionalities beyond the system's capabilities.”
- **SITE123 — Free plan:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/pricing. Evidence: “Free $ 0 /Month 250 MB Storage 250 MB Bandwidth Subdomain”
- **Shopify — Free trial:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “Try 3 days free, then £1/month for 3 months.”
- **Shopify — Starting price:** £19. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/pricing. Evidence: “Basic £19 /mo”
- **SITE123 — Starting price:** $0. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/pricing. Evidence: “Free $ 0 /Month”
- **Shopify — Affiliate programme:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/. Evidence: “Affiliates”
- **SITE123 — Affiliate programme:** Yes. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/. Evidence: “Affiliates”
- **Shopify — Affiliate commission:** Not specified. Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.shopify.com/. Evidence: “Affiliates”
- **SITE123 — Affiliate commission:** CPA (Cost Per Acquisition). Last verified 5 September 2026. Source: https://www.site123.com/terms. Evidence: “Affiliate: An entity or individual that promotes traffic to the Provider's platform, and in return, secures commissions premised on the successful onboarding of customers, typically calculated as CPA (Cost Per Acquisition).”