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Bubble vs Shopify

An in-depth head to head comparison

In this article, read a side-by-side comparison between two no-code tools: Bubble and Shopify. We'll compare pricing, the benefits, the drawbacks, give examples of what you can and can't build, as well as our overall recommendation.

What is Bubble?

Bubble introduces a new way to build a web application. It's a no-code point-and-click programming tool. Bubble hosts all applications on its cloud platform.
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Learn everything you need to know about Bubble

Our in-depth course will take your from a beginner to expert

The Complete Guide to Bubble

What is Shopify?

Try Shopify for free and get more than just an ecommerce solution. Sell anywhere, to anyone, with Shopify's ecommerce platform and point of sale features.
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Pricing

Bubble pricing

  • Free basic plan with the bubble.io domain, Bubble branding, limited data storage
  • $25/month - $115/month for custom domains and no branding, scheduled workflows, dev versions, and additional data storage

Shopify pricing

  • Free 14 day trial, but no free plan
  • $29/month - $299/month for all basic e-commerce features, site hosting, custom domain, and no branding. More expensive plans have lower processing fees, more reporting, and more staff accounts

Benefits

Bubble benefits

  • Powerful web app builder
  • Can build just about any type of web app
  • Can integrate APIs
  • Lots of templates
  • Active community

Shopify benefits

  • Market leader for e-commerce
  • Easy to use
  • Shopify app store has thousands of apps for just about any use-case
  • Conversion-optimized checkout
  • Very active community

Drawbacks

Bubble drawbacks

  • More difficult to create your app's design than other tools. However, as of November 2021, Bubble released a new responsive designer, which makes designing easier than in the past.
  • Published apps can be slightly slow

Shopify drawbacks

  • A bit limited for custom design without development work

What you can build

Bubble use-cases

  • Complex web apps - just about anything can be built
  • Apps that connect to APIs
  • Apps that scale

Shopify use-cases

  • Robust e-commerce site with custom design
  • Dropship to sell without holding inventory

What you can't build

What you can't build with Bubble

  • Native mobile apps

What you can't build with Shopify

  • A marketplace (check out ShareTribe)
  • A custom web app (check out Glide or Bubble)

Overall Recommendation

Bubble recommendation

Bubble is best for more complex web app MVPs and for building scalable web apps.

It's a really powerful tool that can build just about any web app, but also comes with a higher learning curve.

I’d use Bubble in cases where your use-case is too complex for Glide or Webflow.

Shopify recommendation

Shopify is the absolute best option for e-commerce stores.

Gumroad, Squarespace and Webflow also have e-commerce functionality, but it’s more limited than Shopify. In almost all cases I'd recommend Shopify.

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Unlock premium step-by-step tutorials building real apps and websites
Easy to follow tutorials broken down into lessons between 2 to 20 minutes
Get access to the community to share what you're building, ask questions, and get support if you're stuck
Access all of this with No-Code MBA Unlimited
Unlock premium step-by-step tutorials building real apps and websites
Easy to follow tutorials broken down into lessons between 2 to 20 minutes
Get access to the community to share what you're building, ask questions, and get support if you're stuck
Friendly Tip!
Companies often reimburse No Code MBA memberships. Here's an email template to send to your manager.

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