B12 vs. Shopify Alternative | Features & Pricing Comparison

Shopify is responsible for up to 10% of US ecommerce, so it hardly needs an introduction. It's a drag-and-drop online shop builder that helps product-based businesses sell both online and off. It comes with integrated marketing, customer service, and inventory management tools.

B12 serves a different type of online business — those delivering services. It's a user-friendly website builder powered by AI with a suite of relevant tools fitted to the needs of professional service providers. Conversion, email marketing, client engagement, online payment processing, and scheduling are all built into the platform.

B12 and Shopify sit at opposite ends of the spectrum. The former builds websites for the service sector, while the latter is for online product shops. 

Can you make Shopify work for selling services like a one-on-one coaching session or financial guidance? There are workarounds to force Shopify features into something suitable for a service, but these require additional and costly third-party integrations. You'll also likely need the help of a Shopify developer to bridge the tech gap.

Let's get into the fundamentals of Shopify vs. B12 to understand why there is such a difference for use as a professional service provider.

If you take any client bookings, you'll already know the frustrations associated with calendar management. It's time-consuming going back and forth via email or phone, not to mention the challenges of cancellations and rescheduling. 

Websites that support online scheduling are increasingly non-negotiable for service providers. Having clients book meetings and sessions through an online portal means you get to spend more time serving them rather than wrangling your calendar.

Unfortunately, Shopify doesn't support any form of online schedule feature. A few third-party integrations will bridge the gap, but these cost extra above and beyond your Shopify costs. As an ecommerce website builder, Shopify was not engineered to support client bookings.

B12, on the other hand, supports online scheduling as a fundamental feature, even with the free plan. The built-in scheduler has automatic notifications, appointment reminders, calendar management, and more to help you seamlessly serve your customers.

As most business happens online, service providers have also made the transition. Instead of pushing around paperwork, business cards, and physical invoices, these transactions are all digital.

Does Shopify support document sharing and contract signing? Does it allow you to collect eSignatures? In short, no. Unless you pay extra for third-party apps, you cannot send your clients contracts, collect online signatures, or manage all your prospects.

As a service provider, you need specialized features to best serve clients online. Instead of inventory management, you need contact management. Instead of packing slips, you need contracts and documents. B12 is the only all-in-one website builder that integrates all these business supports into its dashboard for one straightforward system.

Get it all through one system to create a seamless experience for your clients, from initial intake all the way to payment processing.

If you sell clothing, makeup, or any other product online, it starts with customers filling a shopping cart, paying for the goods, and then being issued a receipt. But, what if you are selling accounting services, coaching sessions, or work with clients on a retainer? 

Technically speaking, you can create invoices for these types of business models on Shopify, but again, it’s not ideal. You’ll need one or more third-party apps to make the system work, plus spend a lot of time managing the invoice flow. 

B12 understands the unique requirements of professional service providers, and the growing suite of invoicing and payment processing tools reflects this. 

First, you can create personalized branded invoices to reflect your company and industry. Second, you can automate by setting up automatic reminders for overdue payments or create automated recurring invoices (perfect for retainers). Third, invoicing can be integrated into the online scheduling to make the entire process a seamless one.

When Shopify and B12 are compared side by side, the pricing is quite comparable. Both platforms have created various plans starting with a free (or near-free) Starter plan, all the way up to $399 per month for the Advanced one.

But as a service provider, you’ll want to remember that the features you’ll need to sell services, create invoices, and book appointments cost extra on Shopify. For example, online schedulers typically run from $15 to $20 a month, while one of the most popular invoice generators costs upwards of $129 monthly. These integrations all add up.

With B12, it’s all included in the package price. No third-party apps and no need to piece together tools to make the system work. It’s all combined into a seamless system for scheduling, serving, and invoicing clients. Plus, with B12, if you just want to explore the web builder, you can try it out for free with no credit card required.