A Shopify alternative with no commission: what you actually save
The €29 subscription is the visible part. The transaction fees are the part that hurts.
The hidden cost of transaction fees
Shopify's basic plan is advertised at €29/month. Less advertised: if you don't use Shopify Payments, a 0.5%–2% fee is added to every sale. And even with Shopify Payments, card fees still apply.
At €10,000 in monthly revenue, 2% is €200 — per month. That's €2,400 a year on top of the subscription. It's a cost line that grows with your success, which is exactly the opposite of what you want.
The BYOK model: 0% on your sales
BYOK means "Bring Your Own Key": you connect your own Stripe, Mollie, PayPlug or PayPal account. Your customers' money flows directly to your provider, then to you. The store platform never sits in the money flow — so it can't skim anything off it.
You pay only two things: a flat platform subscription, and your payment provider's usual fees (e.g. ~1.4% + €0.25 in Europe for Stripe). No extra layer.
The math, over one year
- Shopify Basic: €29/mo × 12 = €348 + ~2% of €120,000 revenue = €2,400 → ≈ €2,748/year.
- 0%-commission model: flat subscription (≈ €19/mo) × 12 = €228/year + €0 platform commission.
- Difference: over €2,500 a year kept — and it grows with your sales volume.
What you don't lose by leaving
We avoid switching tools out of fear of losing features. In reality, the essentials move with you: product pages, secure checkout, order tracking all stay. What you gain on top: the ability to graft the store onto your existing site or socials, instead of rebuilding everything behind one platform.