Kaniva vs Shopify
Shopify is an excellent general-purpose store with a huge app ecosystem. Kaniva is for shops that hold stock and fulfill it themselves: picking and packing from your own shelves, custom orders with customer files and quoting, work orders and inventory in the same system, without stitching apps together.
| Feature | Shopify | Kaniva |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction Fees | Up to 2% if you don’t use Shopify Payments | 0% platform fee on Solo and Shop. Pay As You Go is $0/mo + 2% of sales. Card processing is separate. |
| Monthly Price (comparable tier) | $39–$399/mo | $49/mo (Solo), or $129/mo (Shop), or $0/mo + 2% of sales |
| Manufacturing Tools | Third-party apps ($20–200/mo each) | Included on every plan. |
| Inventory Management | Basic (or paid app) | Full with kanban, POs, BOMs |
| CRM | Customer list and segments; tickets, calls and deals need apps | Included on every plan. |
| Custom Domain | Included on paid plans | Included |
| Packing Station | Packing slips; scan-to-check packing needs an app | Built-in |
| Blog | Built-in | Built-in |
| Build-to-Order Products | Through apps (pre-orders, custom options) | Core feature |
| Review Automation | App required (some have free tiers) | Built-in |
Why Makers Switch to Kaniva
App Fees Add Up Fast
On Shopify, you need paid apps for inventory management, review automation, manufacturing workflows, and more. Each costs $20–$200/month. On Kaniva, Manufacturing, CRM, and Accounting are included on every plan.
Build-to-Order Doesn't Fit Shopify's Model
Shopify expects you to have inventory on a shelf. If you build products after they're ordered — with custom options, dynamic pricing, and manufacturing workflows — you're fighting the platform at every step. Kaniva was designed for this from day one.
One System Instead of Ten
With Shopify, your inventory is in one app, your manufacturing in another, your CRM in a third, your packing checks somewhere else again. With Kaniva, it's all in one place: orders, inventory, kanban boards, purchase orders, bills of materials, packing stations, and shipping labels.
Transaction Fees Eat Your Margins
If you take payments through a provider other than Shopify Payments (PayPal, or your own Stripe account), Shopify's Basic plan adds a 2% transaction fee. At $100K in annual sales that is $2,000/year, on top of the subscription and your processor's fees. Kaniva Solo is $49/mo and takes 0% of sales. Pay As You Go is $0/mo + 2% of sales, with Manufacturing, CRM, and Accounting included. Card processing is separate on both.
The Real Cost Comparison
For a manufacturer doing $200K/year with typical app needs:
Shopify (Annual)
Kaniva Solo
A year on Solo, paid yearly (ten months' price). Pay As You Go on $200k of sales is 2% ($4,000) and includes Manufacturing, CRM, and Accounting. Card processing fees apply on both platforms and are separate.
Shopify figures from shopify.com/pricing, September 2026: Basic plan billed monthly ($39/mo; $29/mo if paid yearly). The 2% fee applies only when you don't use Shopify Payments. App costs are typical prices, not quotes.
When Shopify is the better choice
If you need a large theme and app marketplace, or sell at very high volume across many channels, Shopify is likely the better fit today. Kaniva is for shops that hold stock and fulfill it themselves, whether the order is picked off a shelf or made to order. Automatic dropship and resale through supplier data feeds are built in too.
Ready to Make the Switch?
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