vs
Subbly vs Shopify
Shopify is built on themes and apps, with AI added on top, and its checkout only changes in set places. Subbly is AI-native: your agent builds the store around your brand and how you sell, checkout included.
14 days freeCancel anytime
20,000+ merchantson Subbly over 11+ years
Startups and brands like these, launched or switched here.
and 1,000s moreThe short answer
Choose Subbly if…
you want a store designed around your brand instead of an edited template, a checkout you can change, new features built into the store instead of added as apps, and customers and payment tokens that stay yours.
Start for freeChoose Shopify if…
you want the largest theme library and app store, run in-person retail on Shopify POS, or sell across many channels from one back office.
You don’t need to be big to be great
Agency output at software prices. Your agent does the design and build work you would otherwise hire for, so a great store is where you start, not what you save up for.
Look like you have a designer
A store designed around your brand and vision, not a template.
Move like you have a developer
Any change, checkout included, is one message away.
Run like you have an ops team
Billing, portal and automations on one platform, with nothing to babysit.
In an expert’s hands, it’s a superpower
You don’t need an agency to build something great, but agencies and freelancers get even more from it. The agent does the build hours, so they take on more clients with the team they have, and the benefits grow with every store.
Subbly and Shopify at a glance
How each platform is built, which changes slowly, rather than a feature list, which changes every quarter.
| Area | | |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | An agent that builds and changes the store itself | Themes, sections and blocks, extended with apps, with AI working inside that structure |
| What the agent can change | Everything in your store, with no plugin or template schema to fit into | What a theme's Liquid sections, block schema and settings allow, or what an app exposes |
| Starting point | A first draft designed around your brand, from a description | A large theme library, or an AI-generated starter theme, then editing |
| Checkout | Part of your store's design; describe a change and it's built | Shopify's layout, with branding and extensions in set places; extensions for the information, shipping and payment steps need Shopify Plus |
| New functionality | Your agent builds it into the store | An app, installed or generated, each with its own settings and updates |
| Underneath | Code written for your store, easy to refactor or redesign from scratch | A theme plus apps, each layer on its own update cycle |
| Subscriptions | Built in, with build-a-box, gifting and commitment terms | Shopify Subscriptions app (free) or a paid app |
| Payment tokens if you leave | Yours; subscribers come with you | Ask Shopify in writing |
| Live help | Launch Club every weekday, 24/7 chat and email | 24/7 support; partners and agencies for build work |
| Top tier | Subbly X from $499/mo, with engineers who build for you | Shopify Plus from $2,300/mo on a 3-year term, before apps |
Shopify facts checked on 1 October 2026. Sources: Shopify checkout docs, Checkout UI extensions, Shopify Plus pricing, Shopify Subscriptions app. Prices are in US dollars and change; check them before you choose.
“Subbly really is built subscription first. Whereas you would need a lot of plugins and third-party apps to get started on other platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce, on Subbly, it’s all built right in. It really ends up saving you money because you don't have to pay for a lot of apps”
Charmaine MerriweatherFounder, HUES Book Box4.8/5 from 220+ reviews, 4.9/5 for support. Read more on Capterra
Why brands move from Shopify to Subbly
The differences that matter once your store is live.
An agent that can change your whole store
Shopify's AI edits Shopify's building blocks: themes, sections, blocks and apps. It speeds up the familiar way of building a store, and the store keeps the same shape. Subbly was designed for an agent from the start. Your agent works on the store itself: the pages, the checkout, the customer portal and the logic behind them. Everything in your store can be changed by your agent. Nothing has to be shoehorned into a Liquid section, a block schema or an app's settings screen first. Describe what you want and it builds it.
A custom design, not an edited template
A theme library is a fast start, and for some new stores that's the right trade. But a template is someone else's store with your logo on it, and making it yours means hours of editing that end close to every other store using the same theme. Your Subbly agent starts from your brand, your products and how you sell.
Read the manifesto
Change your checkout, not just its colours
On Shopify the checkout is Shopify's. You can brand it and add extensions in set places, and extensions for the information, shipping and payment steps need Shopify Plus. On Subbly the checkout is part of your store's design. Describe the change, such as a plan picker, a gift message, an order bump or a custom question, and your agent builds it.
New features go into your store, not into another app
On Shopify, new functionality arrives as an app, whether you install it or Sidekick generates it. Each app has its own settings, data and updates, and often its own bill. On Subbly your agent builds the feature into the store, so there's one platform to run and nothing to keep in sync.
Easy to change, easy to start over
Templates and plugins come with guard rails. They also limit what you can make and how fast you can change it, and every customisation layered onto a theme makes the next one harder. A redesign on a theme often means a new theme and reinstalling apps. Your Subbly store is code written for your business, so your agent can refactor it, restructure it, or redesign it from scratch for the cost of a new draft, while orders and subscriptions keep running underneath.
We don't hold your business hostage
Your customers, your data and your payment tokens are yours. Migrate in free, leave whenever, and your subscribers come with you. Before you commit to any platform, ask it to say the same in writing.
People who build it with you
On Shopify, build work goes to partners and agencies. On Subbly the people come with the platform: Launch Club is live every weekday to build with you, and support is 24/7 and rated 4.9/5 on Capterra. For brands that want a team on it, Subbly X adds an account manager, a shared Slack channel and engineers who build your customizations.
Built into every Subbly store
What other platforms add with apps or extra tools, Subbly has in the platform. No apps to install or keep in sync.
Recurring billing
Weekly, monthly or custom schedules, prepaid plans and commitment terms.
Build-a-box and bundles
Customers choose what goes in each box, priced by tier, items and frequency.
Gifting
Gift subscriptions and gift messages, designed into your checkout.
Customer portal
Subscribers skip, swap, pause or update their details themselves.
See the customer portal- And so much more: see all 100+ features
Is Subbly right for you?
Answer six questions in 1-2 minutes and get an instant answer.
No email requiredBuilt for all of ecommerce
Subbly started with subscriptions, the hardest kind of commerce to get right. The same platform runs one-off stores, and stores that sell both.
- One-off productsSingle products and bundles, in a store designed around your brand.
- SubscriptionsRecurring billing, build-a-box, gifting and a customer portal, built in.
- Both, in one checkoutCustomers buy once or subscribe from the same product page.
Founders and operators love Subbly.
From Capterra reviews and the notes merchants send us.
“The AI website builder confused me at first, but one free demo changed everything and I dove in head first. There was a learning curve, and the help docs and chat support carried me through it.”
“I did not expect building my website to be this easy and I never would have dreamed that I could have this nice of a website without paying designers a lot of money.”
“The builder has taken my website to a place I thought wasn't achievable without employing someone to build it for me. Within a matter of hours I had something that was so much more functional.”
“Setting up recurring subscriptions, tiered protocol pricing, and custom add-ons usually takes hours of developer work, but the AI handled the structure effortlessly.”
Moving from Shopify
We migrate your products, customers and subscribers for free.
Your agent designs your new store around your brand. Share your current site as a reference.
Bring it to Launch Club and we'll build the next part with you, live.
What we move for you
- Products
- Customers
- Subscribers
- Payment tokens
- 4.9/5
- support rating from 220+ merchants on Capterra
- 24/7
- support, by chat and email
- 9,000+
- subscription founders in the community
Frequently asked questions
Is Subbly a good Shopify alternative?
Yes, if you want a store designed around your brand instead of an edited theme, a checkout you can change, and features built into the store instead of added as apps. Your agent builds and changes all of it, and moving from Shopify is free. Shopify is the better fit if you rely on its app store, Shopify POS or selling across many channels.
Does Shopify have built-in subscriptions?
Through apps. Shopify's free Subscriptions app covers weekly, monthly and yearly plans, with a portal to skip, pause or cancel. For build-a-box, gifting or more involved flows, stores usually add a paid app such as Recharge or Bold. On Subbly subscriptions are part of the platform.
Can you customize the Shopify checkout?
Within set limits. You can brand it and add extensions in set places, and extensions for the information, shipping and payment steps need Shopify Plus. On Subbly the checkout is part of your store's design, so your agent can change any of it: a plan picker, a gift message, an order bump or a custom question.
Doesn't Shopify have AI now?
Yes, and it keeps getting better. The difference is what the AI works on. On Shopify it's a theme's sections and blocks, a set of apps and a checkout Shopify controls. On Subbly everything in your store can be changed by your agent, checkout included.
Shopify has thousands of themes. Isn't that easier?
For the first page, often. But a template is a design other stores share, so it starts you at mediocre, and every change that makes it yours is editing work. On Subbly you get a first draft designed around your brand in minutes, and every change after that is a message. Read why we don't recommend starting from a template
Is Subbly only for subscriptions?
No. Sell one-off products, subscriptions, or both, in one store and one checkout. Subscriptions are where Subbly started, so build-a-box, gifting, memberships and a customer portal are there when you want them.
How do I move from Shopify to Subbly?
Our migration team moves your products, customers and subscribers for you, for free. Your agent designs the new store around your brand, using your current site as a reference if you like, and Launch Club is live every weekday while you settle in. Switch to Subbly
Will my subscribers have to re-enter their cards?
Not if their cards are stored in Stripe or PayPal, or your current platform can transfer them to your Stripe account: we import them and billing carries on. If your platform keeps the cards, our Subscription Switch emails each subscriber a secure link to add their card in one step, with no login or checkout, and has brought back up to 84% of subscribers within 11 days.
How much does Subbly's agent cost?
Credits, included on every plan, with top-ups when you need more. You pay for the work your agent does at software prices, not agency rates, so making your store great is no longer the expensive part.
Can my agency or developer work on Subbly?
Yes. You don't need one to build a great store, but in an expert's hands Subbly is a superpower: the agent does the build hours, so they spend theirs on design, strategy and you. See the Agency Program
Ready to move from Shopify?
We'll move your store and subscribers for free. Then change anything, checkout included, by describing it.
14 days freeCancel anytime
