Shopify vs Yoco

Shopify

Storefront and themes

A professional store live in a day. Themes are configurable without code, and the paid ones are usually worth the once off cost.

Checkout

One of the highest converting checkouts available, which is the single feature most worth paying for in ecommerce.

Sidekick AI

Assists with product descriptions, store edits and analytics questions. Useful for volume catalogue work, still needs editing.

App ecosystem

Thousands of apps covering local shipping, accounting and marketing. Also the main way a low monthly plan becomes an expensive one.

Multi channel selling

Sell through social channels and marketplaces from the same inventory, which prevents the overselling that kills small retailers.

Yoco

Card machines

Handheld readers from R699 and the Yoco Counter at R2 999. Low enough that a small trader can start accepting cards without financing hardware.

Tiered transaction rates

Rates fall as monthly volume rises, from around 2.30 percent down to 1.20 percent in person on the Pro plan for local debit.

No monthly fee on Core

The entry plan costs nothing per month, so a seasonal or low volume business pays only when it actually takes money.

Business tools

Sales reporting, staff accounts and basic stock on the paid plans, enough for a small shop that does not need a full point of sale.

Next day settlement

Funds reach your account quickly, which matters a great deal to a small business managing cash week to week.

Shopify

What it takes to start

A store can be live in a day and trading properly in a week. Theme selection, product import and shipping rules are the bulk of the work. The South African specific task is payments, because you must connect a local gateway and confirm the total fee before launch rather than after your first busy weekend.

When something breaks

Support is 24 hours a day through chat and email and is genuinely responsive. There is a large local agency and freelancer community if you want build help. App support is separate, which matters, because a problem in a third party app is not something Shopify will fix for you.

Yoco

What it takes to start

About as simple as business software gets. You order a machine, verify your identity, connect a bank account and start taking cards, usually within days. There is no implementation. The only real decision is which plan, and that depends on your monthly card turnover rather than on features.

When something breaks

Local support with local hours, and replacement hardware if a machine fails. For a small merchant that combination is the product. If your turnover grows to the point where the rate matters more than the convenience, get a bank acquirer quote and compare, because at that level the relationship changes.

Shopify

• A credible store live in a day, run by someone who is not technical
• One of the highest converting checkouts available, which is the feature most worth paying for
• Sell through social and marketplaces from the same inventory, which prevents overselling

• Shopify Payments is unavailable in South Africa, so an extra transaction fee applies on top of your gateway fee
• The trial is only three days, which is not enough to build and test a real store
• App subscriptions turn a low monthly plan into a considerably higher one

Yoco

• Card machines from R699 and no monthly fee on Core, so a small trader can start immediately
• Rates fall as monthly volume rises, from around 2.30 percent to 1.20 percent in person
• Next day settlement, which matters a great deal to a business managing cash week to week

• Deliberately narrow, so it is card acceptance rather than a full point of sale
• Paying R499 for the Pro rate only pays for itself above a certain monthly turnover
• Large merchants will get a better rate negotiating directly with a bank acquirer

Shopify

The single most important South African fact about Shopify is that Shopify Payments is not available here. You will use a local gateway such as Payfast, Yoco or Peach, and Shopify charges an additional transaction fee on top of what that gateway already takes. Model both fees together against your expected turnover, because at volume this is a larger number than the subscription. Local shipping and courier apps are available and well supported, and there is a strong local agency community. Just do the payment arithmetic honestly before you commit.

Yoco

Yoco exists because traditional South African acquirers would not onboard small merchants without a trading history, and it solved that. Onboarding is quick, the hardware is affordable, and settlement is fast. The decision is arithmetic rather than features. Work out your blended rate at your actual monthly card turnover across the three plans, because the plan fee only makes sense above a certain volume. Once your monthly card turnover becomes substantial, get a quote from a bank acquirer and compare properly, because at that point the rate difference outweighs the convenience.

Shopify

Still the best ecommerce platform for most South African retailers, provided you go in with clear eyes about the local transaction fee and the app spend.

Yoco

The sensible default for small South African merchants taking cards. Once monthly card turnover becomes substantial, get a quote from a bank acquirer and compare properly.