Compare
Staaf vs Shopify
Shopify is built for card payments and charges in dollars. Staaf is built for M-Pesa, WhatsApp and Instagram, with one price in shillings.
Shopify is one of the biggest store builders in the world, and it does a lot well. But it was made for buyers who pay by card. If most of your customers pay by M-Pesa and message you on WhatsApp before they buy, you end up adding apps and paying extra fees to make Shopify fit.
| Staaf | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | KES 4,999 a month, one plan | Several plans, billed in US dollars |
| Fees on your sales | None from us | An extra fee on every sale when you use an outside payment provider |
| M-Pesa | Built in, straight to your own till | Through an outside provider or app |
| Cash on delivery | Built in | Built in |
| WhatsApp and Instagram | One shared inbox, next to your orders | Separate apps |
| Free trial | 1 month | Shorter, then a paid plan |
Payments
Shopify Payments is not available in Kenya, so you have to connect an outside payment provider. When you do, Shopify adds its own fee on top of the provider's fee on every sale.
On Staaf you connect M-Pesa with your own Paybill or Buy Goods till, and cards and mobile money through your own Paystack or Pesapal account. The money goes straight to you and we don't take a cut.
Price
Shopify bills you in dollars, so what you pay each month moves with the exchange rate. Many of the features shops in Kenya need, like M-Pesa or a WhatsApp inbox, come from apps with their own monthly fees.
Staaf is KES 4,999 a month and everything is included.
Talking to customers
Most of your buyers ask about price, stock and delivery on WhatsApp or Instagram before they pay. Staaf puts all those chats in one inbox your team can share, and you can create an order straight from a chat.
Moving across
You can import your Shopify product file and even bring your Shopify theme with you. Read how to move your store from Shopify to Staaf.