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Head-to-head · Website Templates

Shopify vs Start Bootstrap

  • Updated Sep 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Shopify #4 in Website Templates 7.4/10 3-day trial ✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Shopify
Start Bootstrap #7 in Website Templates 7.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Start BS

Shopify leads on 0 checks, Start Bootstrap on 3, and 0 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreShopify · 7.4/10
  • Free planonly Start Bootstrap
  • Most featuresStart Bootstrap · 2 of 2

Shopify scores higher on our rubric for website templates: 7.4 against 7.0 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #7.

Start Bootstrap offers free plan; Shopify doesn't. Start Bootstrap offers ecommerce templates; Shopify doesn't publish it. Start Bootstrap offers responsive designs; Shopify doesn't publish it.

Shopify is the better fit for merchants building a full online store. Start Bootstrap is the better fit for bootstrap projects needing varied source formats.

  • Shopify fits best

    Merchants building a full online store

  • Start Bootstrap fits best

    Bootstrap projects needing varied source formats

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you click some links. It never changes our verdict. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Shopify 7.4/10 Visit ↗ Start Bootstrap 7.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 7.4 7.0
Ranking #4 in Website Templates #7 in Website Templates
Best for Merchants building a full online store Bootstrap projects needing varied source formats
Pricing model Paid Free plan + paid
Starting price Not published Not published
Free plan — ✓ (best)
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Browser extension Cloud
Platforms Web Web
Support Live chat, Community, Docs · 24/7 Email, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Shopify 0/2 · Start Bootstrap 2/2
Ecommerce templates Not published ✓ (best)
Responsive designs Not published ✓ (best)
Specs
Platform compatibility Not published Multi-platform
Template types Not published themes; templates; admin & dashboard; landing pages; business & corporate; portfolio & resume; general page layouts; navigation layouts; ecommerce; blog & news
Templates available Not published Not published
Customization features Not published HTML/CSS editing; SCSS; JavaScript; Pug templates; Bootstrap components; npm/Gulp build tools
Our review
Pros
  • Omnichannel selling across web, social, marketplaces, and physical stores
  • Unlimited products and 10 inventory locations on listed plans
  • App Store and API extensibility for broader commerce workflows
  • Broad coverage from dashboards and landing pages to ecommerce starters
  • Free MIT-licensed products can be downloaded without registration
  • HTML, SCSS, JavaScript, Pug, npm and Gulp support flexible workflows
Cons
  • No free plan; access requires a paid subscription after the trial
  • Transaction-fee treatment varies by country, payment provider, and plan
  • Plus costs $2,300 per month, targeting larger operations
  • Web-only delivery does not cover native application projects
  • Paid license tiers limit domains and team-member counts
  • Breadth may be more than needed for a narrowly focused site
Our verdict

Shopify combines website themes and templates with the operating systems required to run a store. Its hosted platform covers storefront creation, checkout, payments, product and inventory management, fulfillment, shipping, marketing,…

Read the review →

Start Bootstrap is a library of Bootstrap 5 themes, page templates, admin dashboards and UI tools for people building websites with editable source code. Its catalog serves solo developers, agencies and larger teams working on landing…

Read the review →
  1. ShopifyWebsite Templates 7.43-day trial
  2. Start BootstrapWebsite Templates 7.0Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Shopify — where it wins

    • Omnichannel selling across web, social, marketplaces, and physical stores
    • Unlimited products and 10 inventory locations on listed plans
    • App Store and API extensibility for broader commerce workflows

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan; access requires a paid subscription after the trial
    • Transaction-fee treatment varies by country, payment provider, and plan
    • Plus costs $2,300 per month, targeting larger operations

  • Start Bootstrap — where it wins

    • Broad coverage from dashboards and landing pages to ecommerce starters
    • Free MIT-licensed products can be downloaded without registration
    • HTML, SCSS, JavaScript, Pug, npm and Gulp support flexible workflows

    Where it doesn't

    • Web-only delivery does not cover native application projects
    • Paid license tiers limit domains and team-member counts
    • Breadth may be more than needed for a narrowly focused site
  • Shopify7.4/10 · 3-day trial

    A full commerce stack for merchants who need templates plus checkout, operations, and omnichannel sales.

    Visit ShopifyFull verdict →
  • Start Bootstrap7.0/10 · Free plan

    A broad Bootstrap template library for teams that want editable web source files.

    Visit Start BSFull verdict →

More comparisons

All website templates comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026

Last updated · How we research and update