A Shopify alternative where the store gets built for you.
Shopify gives you the tools to build and run a store yourself. Steward gives you a team of agents that builds it from your paragraph and runs it with you. Here is how they compare, honestly.
- Free to build
- No card to start
- You approve every change
The team on your store. Each one has one job.
- June CustomersCustomer replies
June answers questions about orders, shipping and returns.
- Leo Email and offersEmails and offers
Leo drafts the welcome email and offers for you to approve.
- Maya SocialPosts
Maya writes posts and schedules them once you approve.
- Rosa SearchSearch
Rosa writes titles, descriptions and structured data.
- Omar NumbersA weekly note
Omar says what sold and what to try next.
- Ada ReviewChecks
Ada checks every page before it reaches you.
The difference in one line
On Shopify, you pick a theme, write the products, add apps for what's missing and keep it all running. On Steward, you describe the business, and the agents do that work and send each change to you for a yes.
When Shopify is the better choice
Shopify is a mature platform, and for some stores it's the right pick:
- You sell in person as well and want one system for your till and your website.
- You need a specific app from its large app store, or a developer already works on your store.
- You run a large catalogue or high order volume and want the platform big brands use.
- You enjoy building the store yourself and want full control of every setting.
When Steward is the better choice
- You want a finished store this week, not a project for the next month of weekends.
- You'd rather approve work than do it: products, pages, policies, emails and posts are drafted for you.
- You want help after launch, with customer questions answered, a weekly note on what sold, and next steps suggested.
- You'd like one plan with the work included, instead of adding apps one at a time.
Steward and Shopify, side by side
| Topic | Steward | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds the store | A team of agents, from your paragraph. You approve each change. | You do, with a theme and the editor, or a designer you hire. |
| Monthly price | Starter $29, Growth $79, Pro $199. Yearly is 20% off. | Basic $39, Grow $105, Advanced $399 billed monthly; $29, $89 and $359 billed yearly. |
| Trying it | Building is free with 500 credits. No card to start. | 3 days free, then $1 a month for 3 months. |
| Fee on sales | 1% on Starter, 0.5% on Growth, none on Pro, plus Stripe's card fee. | Card rates from 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic with Shopify Payments; 2%, 1% or 0.6% more with another payment provider. |
| Payments | Stripe, in your own name. | Shopify Payments, or a third-party provider. |
| Copy, photos and policies | Written and made for you, with your own photos first. | You write them, or add apps and services. |
| After launch | Customer replies, a weekly note, and email and post drafts for you to approve. | Apps and services you add, or done yourself. |
| Selling in person | Restaurants take pickup orders through ServeStack. No point-of-sale for shops. | Shopify POS for shops and markets. |
| Apps and integrations | Fewer: what the team does is built in. | Thousands in the Shopify App Store. |
Shopify prices are from shopify.com/pricing, checked November 6, 2026, in US dollars. Steward's are on our pricing page.
Questions
No. Steward stores run on Steward's own platform, from ServeStack, with checkout through Stripe in your name.
You can start fresh: describe the business and add the address of your current store as the site whose look you like. The team builds in that style with your own words, pictures and products.
Starter is $29 a month and includes the team's work up to its monthly credits; Shopify Basic is $39 billed monthly, before any apps. What you pay overall depends on the apps you'd add on Shopify and your sales on each plan's fee.
If you'd like the store built for you and to learn as you approve each step, Steward. If you'd like to learn every setting yourself, Shopify has a very large library of guides and themes.
Keep reading
- AI store builderAn AI store builder that keeps working after launchDescribe what you sell in a paragraph. Steward's AI agents build the store: products, pages, brand, policies and a tested Stripe checkout. You approve every change.
- GuideHow to start an online store, step by stepTen steps to start an online store: choose what to sell, price it, name the store, set up payments, policies and shipping, launch and get your first customers.
- Print on demandYour merch, printed only when it sellsSell t-shirts, mugs and totes with your name or designs. Steward's agents make the designs, show them on products with a margin for each, and send every order to Printful.
- DropshippingA dropshipping store, products shortlisted for youSteward's agents shortlist supplier products with cost, margin and delivery time, build the store around them, and send each paid order to the supplier.
