| Product | Ideal for | Price from | Free version | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Own online store | See website | Free trial | Visit | |
| Large marketplace audience | See website | No | Visit | |
| Broad marketplace selling | See website | No | Visit | |
| Simple stores for small sellers | Free | Yes | Visit | |
| Beautiful stores with content tools | See website | Free trial | Visit | |
| WordPress-based own store | Free | Yes | Visit | |
| Marketplace plus custom stores | Free | Yes | Visit | |
| Print-on-demand art sales | See website | No | Visit |
We compared Etsy alternatives on audience size, fees, shop control, ease of use and seller tools. Etsy offers a built-in handmade audience, but fees and competition push many sellers to diversify. Our pick for sellers ready to own their store is Shopify, with Amazon Handmade as the marketplace alternative.

Ideal for: Own online store

Shopify lets sellers build their own store with full control over branding, pricing and customer data, plus apps and themes for growth. That control is the main reason sellers leave marketplaces. The trade-off is cost and traffic, since you pay monthly and must bring your own visitors through marketing.
For most readers, the deciding question with Shopify is fit rather than raw feature count. Check the plan limits that matter to you, such as seats, usage caps and what happens when a trial ends, before you commit to a paid tier. If the free tier or trial covers your core task, use it for a full week of real work before paying, and keep an eye on renewal terms and cancellation steps. That short test usually tells you more than any feature list, and it keeps the choice grounded in how you actually work day to day.

Ideal for: Large marketplace audience

Amazon Handmade gives artisans access to Amazon huge audience through a handmade-only storefront, with fulfilment options for sellers who want Amazon to handle shipping. Referral fees apply, and competition is intense, but the traffic potential exceeds most niche marketplaces.
For most readers, the deciding question with Amazon Handmade is fit rather than raw feature count. Check the plan limits that matter to you, such as seats, usage caps and what happens when a trial ends, before you commit to a paid tier. If the free tier or trial covers your core task, use it for a full week of real work before paying, and keep an eye on renewal terms and cancellation steps. That short test usually tells you more than any feature list, and it keeps the choice grounded in how you actually work day to day.

Ideal for: Broad marketplace selling

eBay offers a very large buyer pool with auction and fixed-price selling and global reach. That breadth suits sellers with varied or vintage inventory alongside handmade goods. Fees vary by category, and the handmade focus is weaker than Etsy, so branding matters more to stand out.
For most readers, the deciding question with eBay is fit rather than raw feature count. Check the plan limits that matter to you, such as seats, usage caps and what happens when a trial ends, before you commit to a paid tier. If the free tier or trial covers your core task, use it for a full week of real work before paying, and keep an eye on renewal terms and cancellation steps. That short test usually tells you more than any feature list, and it keeps the choice grounded in how you actually work day to day.

Ideal for: Simple stores for small sellers
Big Cartel offers simple, artist-friendly storefronts with a free tier for small shops. That simplicity suits independent artists with a small catalogue who want a clean shop without complexity. Larger catalogues and advanced features outgrow it, so growing sellers may move to Shopify later.
For most readers, the deciding question with Big Cartel is fit rather than raw feature count. Check the plan limits that matter to you, such as seats, usage caps and what happens when a trial ends, before you commit to a paid tier. If the free tier or trial covers your core task, use it for a full week of real work before paying, and keep an eye on renewal terms and cancellation steps. That short test usually tells you more than any feature list, and it keeps the choice grounded in how you actually work day to day.

Ideal for: Beautiful stores with content tools
Squarespace pairs polished store templates with blogging and content tools, which suits sellers who market through stories and visuals. Commerce tools cover most small shops well. Depth is less than Shopify for large catalogues, and monthly costs apply, so compare feature needs before choosing.
For most readers, the deciding question with Squarespace is fit rather than raw feature count. Check the plan limits that matter to you, such as seats, usage caps and what happens when a trial ends, before you commit to a paid tier. If the free tier or trial covers your core task, use it for a full week of real work before paying, and keep an eye on renewal terms and cancellation steps. That short test usually tells you more than any feature list, and it keeps the choice grounded in how you actually work day to day.

Ideal for: WordPress-based own store
WooCommerce turns a WordPress site into a full store with a free plugin, full control and many extensions. That flexibility suits sellers comfortable with WordPress. Hosting, security and maintenance fall on you, so total cost and effort exceed a hosted platform, though control is greater.
For most readers, the deciding question with WooCommerce is fit rather than raw feature count. Check the plan limits that matter to you, such as seats, usage caps and what happens when a trial ends, before you commit to a paid tier. If the free tier or trial covers your core task, use it for a full week of real work before paying, and keep an eye on renewal terms and cancellation steps. That short test usually tells you more than any feature list, and it keeps the choice grounded in how you actually work day to day.

Ideal for: Marketplace plus custom stores
Storenvy combines marketplace discovery with custom storefronts, letting sellers benefit from browsing traffic while keeping a distinct shop. The free tier suits small sellers. The audience is smaller than Amazon or eBay, and features are basic, so it works best as a secondary channel rather than a sole store.
For most readers, the deciding question with Storenvy is fit rather than raw feature count. Check the plan limits that matter to you, such as seats, usage caps and what happens when a trial ends, before you commit to a paid tier. If the free tier or trial covers your core task, use it for a full week of real work before paying, and keep an eye on renewal terms and cancellation steps. That short test usually tells you more than any feature list, and it keeps the choice grounded in how you actually work day to day.

Ideal for: Print-on-demand art sales
Society6 lets artists sell designs on products such as prints, apparel and home goods without holding inventory, with fulfilment handled by the platform. That model suits artists who want passive product sales. Artist margins are modest and pricing control is limited, so it complements rather than replaces a main shop.
For most readers, the deciding question with Society6 is fit rather than raw feature count. Check the plan limits that matter to you, such as seats, usage caps and what happens when a trial ends, before you commit to a paid tier. If the free tier or trial covers your core task, use it for a full week of real work before paying, and keep an eye on renewal terms and cancellation steps. That short test usually tells you more than any feature list, and it keeps the choice grounded in how you actually work day to day.
We compared official feature pages, pricing pages, app store listings, privacy policies and public reviews for each option below. We kept only products that exist and work now, that fit the topic directly, and whose official homepage we could confirm. Where a price was not published clearly, we wrote See website rather than guessing, and we favoured options with a free tier or trial where one exists.
Diversify before you leave. Open a second channel, such as Shopify or Amazon Handmade, while Etsy still brings sales, and build an email list from day one. An email list is the one audience no platform can take away.
Compare total costs, not headline fees. Marketplace referral fees, listing fees, payment fees and, for own stores, hosting, apps and advertising all count. A store with no listing fee can still cost more once marketing is included.
Keep your brand consistent across channels. Use the same shop name, photos and story everywhere, so customers who find you on a marketplace can recognise your own store later. That recognition turns marketplace discovery into repeat direct sales.
Shopify suits sellers wanting their own store, Amazon Handmade suits sellers wanting a large marketplace audience, and Big Cartel suits small artists wanting simplicity. WooCommerce suits WordPress users wanting full control.
It depends on your stage. Etsy brings built-in handmade traffic, while Shopify gives control and customer data but requires you to drive traffic yourself. Many sellers use both, with Etsy for discovery and Shopify for repeat sales.
Yes, Amazon Handmade is a storefront for artisans within Amazon, with application requirements to confirm handmade status. Referral fees apply, and competition is strong, but the audience is very large.
Big Cartel, WooCommerce and Storenvy offer free tiers or free plugins, though hosting, transaction fees or feature limits may apply. Compare total costs including payment and marketing fees.
Most sellers benefit from diversifying rather than leaving abruptly. Keep Etsy while building an own store and email list, then shift focus gradually as direct sales grow.