Fraya vs. Shopify for makers and small shops
A maker-sized comparison: what Shopify is built for, what it costs once the apps are in, what Fraya does instead, and the cases where Shopify is still the right call.
By Fraya · · 3 min read
Short answer
Shopify is the deepest commerce platform you can buy, built for catalogs, scale, and an app store that fills every gap for a fee. Fraya is built for the one-person shop: she designs the store, writes it, runs the checkout through your own Stripe, and does the weekly marketing work from one conversation, for $0 to $29 a month plus 1% on sales. If you have thousands of SKUs, in-person point-of-sale, or a team, choose Shopify. If you are one maker who wants the store built and the work done, choose Fraya.
What each one is built for
- Shopify: a commerce engine for any size of business, from a first product to enterprise. Themes you customize, apps you add, a POS you can run in a store.
- Fraya: a design-first commerce operating system for one-person and small businesses. The site is designed for you, the ten jobs run in one system, and the weekly work is drafted before Monday.
What it costs once the apps are in
Shopify's entry plan is $39 a month at published prices as of September 2026 (less on annual billing), plus card processing, plus a transaction fee unless you use Shopify Payments. A maker's real bill usually adds an email app, a reviews app, and a design tool, which is how a $39 plan becomes the $253 stack. Shopify's pricing page is the source of truth; these move.
Fraya: $0 to publish and sell, with 1% on sales plus Stripe processing. The Fraya Plan is $29 a month and includes the email, reviews, bookings, legal pages, studio, and the weekly operator work. There is no app store because there is nothing to add.
Where Fraya is different
- Design is done for you. You edit words and images in a form; the layout, the typography, and the imagery hold.
- Ten jobs, one system: store, checkout, email, social drafts, bookings, invoicing, reviews, legal pages, studio, analytics.
- The weekly work is done: Monday drafts, campaigns on schedule, abandoned carts chased, review requests after delivery.
- Built to be cited: server-rendered pages with structured data, and a weekly check on whether AI engines mention you.
- Money goes straight to your own Stripe. Fraya never holds funds.
Where Shopify is still the right call
- Thousands of products with complex variants, inventory across locations, or wholesale channels.
- In-person selling with a card reader and a POS.
- A team that needs roles, permissions, and staff accounts.
- A specific app your business depends on, such as a subscription or 3PL integration.
- You want to design the theme yourself or hire someone to.
Moving from Shopify
Fraya imports a Shopify store from its URL or a CSV export, with product images re-hosted. Connect your Stripe, publish, point your domain, and the old store can stay up until you are ready to close it.
Straight answers.
Is Fraya cheaper than Shopify?
For a one-person shop, usually. Fraya is $0 to $29 a month plus 1% on sales, and includes the jobs a Shopify store typically adds apps for. Shopify's plan alone starts at $39 at published prices, before apps and before card processing.
Can I import my Shopify products into Fraya?
Yes, from the store URL or a CSV export, with images re-hosted. Verified on real stores with hundreds of products.
Does Fraya have an app store?
No. The ten jobs are built in. If your business depends on a specific third-party app, Shopify's marketplace is the better fit.
Does Fraya do point-of-sale?
No. Fraya sells online, through your site and Stripe checkout. In-person selling with a card reader is a Shopify strength.
