FlexiCommerce vs The Rest
Pay thousands monthly on Shopify or subscribe to FlexiCommerce from KES 3,999/month + hosting. The numbers speak for themselves.
FlexiCommerce
Shopify
M-Pesa Commerce
WooCommerce
Note: Jumia Kenya and Kilimall are marketplace platforms, not own-store builders. They don't let you build your own branded ecommerce website or mobile app.
3-Year Real Cost
Year 1 everything looks affordable — the real picture shows over 3 years. Hidden charges, apps, themes, commission all included.
FlexiCommerce
Shopify Basic
M-Pesa Commerce
WooCommerce
Shopify Looks Affordable? Check the Real Numbers
Shopify's $39/mo (~KES 25,000/mo) seems low until you add themes, apps, and 2% commission. FlexiCommerce is the clear winner every single year.
* Shopify commission calculated on assumed annual sales. Actual may vary. Exchange rate: $1 = ~KES 1,500.
Detailed Comparison
See feature by feature — who delivers what and who does not.
| FlexiCommerce | Shopify | M-Pesa Commerce | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core Platform | ||||
| Independent Ecommerce Website | ||||
| Customer Mobile App (iOS + Android) | ||||
| Seller/Vendor App | ||||
| Delivery Partner App | ||||
| Advanced Admin Dashboard (Filament) | Basic | |||
| Industry Themes (5+) | Paid | Basic | Paid | |
| Multi-Vendor Marketplace | Paid | Paid | ||
| Affordable Monthly Subscription | ||||
| Search & Discovery | ||||
| Text Search with Autocomplete | Basic | |||
| Voice Search | ||||
| Image Search | ||||
| Barcode Scanner | Paid | |||
| Smart Sorting & Filters | Basic | Paid | ||
| Payments (Kenya) | ||||
| Flutterwave (Cards, Bank Transfer, Mobile Money) | Paid | Paid | ||
| M-Pesa (via Flutterwave), Airtel Money | Basic | Paid | ||
| Cash on Delivery (COD) | ||||
| COD with OTP Verification | ||||
| Internal Wallet System (Flexi Coins) | Paid | |||
| Gift Cards | Paid | |||
| Bank Transfer / Direct Deposit | Basic | Paid | ||
| 0% Platform Commission | ||||
| Shipping & Delivery | ||||
| Dedicated Delivery Partner App | ||||
| Real-time GPS Tracking & Navigation | ||||
| Automated Delivery Assignment | ||||
| Own Delivery Partners | ||||
| Delivery Slots & Scheduling | Paid | |||
| Live GPS Tracking | ||||
| Open Box Delivery / COD Verification | ||||
| Localization (Kenya) | ||||
| English + Swahili Support | Paid | Basic | Paid | |
| VAT 16% Tax Compliance | Paid | Basic | Paid | |
| KRA-Compliant Invoice Support | ||||
| KES Currency with Proper Formatting | ||||
| Kenya Postal Code Serviceability | ||||
| Country-Specific Customization | ||||
| Gamification & Engagement | ||||
| Loyalty Points & Tiers | Paid | Paid | ||
| Spin the Wheel | Paid | |||
| Scratch Cards | ||||
| Quiz Games | ||||
| Daily Check-in Rewards | ||||
| Referral Program | Paid | Paid | ||
| Leaderboard & Achievements | ||||
| Marketing | ||||
| Coupons & Discounts (Advanced) | Basic | |||
| Flash Sales & Deal Timers | Paid | Paid | ||
| Abandoned Cart Recovery | Paid | |||
| Push Notifications (App + Web) | Paid | Paid | ||
| Banner & Popup Management | Basic | |||
| Price Drop & Stock Alerts | ||||
| Email Campaigns (SendGrid/Resend) | Paid | |||
| SMS / WhatsApp Integration | Paid | Basic | Paid | |
| Advanced Features | ||||
| Video Commerce / Live Shopping | ||||
| Vendor Staff & Permissions | Paid | |||
| Return & Refund System | Basic | Paid | ||
| Support Ticket System | Paid | |||
| Customer-Vendor Chat (Real-time) | Paid | Paid | ||
| Blog & CMS | ||||
| WebSocket Real-time Updates | ||||
| Hosting & Infrastructure | ||||
| Managed Cloud Hosting | ||||
| Free SSL Certificate | ||||
| Daily Backups | ||||
| Cloudflare CDN | ||||
| 99.9% Uptime SLA | ||||
| 20-Min Auto Deployment | ||||
Core Platform
Independent Ecommerce Website
Customer Mobile App (iOS + Android)
Seller/Vendor App
Delivery Partner App
Advanced Admin Dashboard (Filament)
Industry Themes (5+)
Multi-Vendor Marketplace
Affordable Monthly Subscription
Search & Discovery
Text Search with Autocomplete
Voice Search
Image Search
Barcode Scanner
Smart Sorting & Filters
Payments (Kenya)
Flutterwave (Cards, Bank Transfer, Mobile Money)
M-Pesa (via Flutterwave), Airtel Money
Cash on Delivery (COD)
COD with OTP Verification
Internal Wallet System (Flexi Coins)
Gift Cards
Bank Transfer / Direct Deposit
0% Platform Commission
Shipping & Delivery
Dedicated Delivery Partner App
Real-time GPS Tracking & Navigation
Automated Delivery Assignment
Own Delivery Partners
Delivery Slots & Scheduling
Live GPS Tracking
Open Box Delivery / COD Verification
Localization (Kenya)
English + Swahili Support
VAT 16% Tax Compliance
KRA-Compliant Invoice Support
KES Currency with Proper Formatting
Kenya Postal Code Serviceability
Country-Specific Customization
Gamification & Engagement
Loyalty Points & Tiers
Spin the Wheel
Scratch Cards
Quiz Games
Daily Check-in Rewards
Referral Program
Leaderboard & Achievements
Marketing
Coupons & Discounts (Advanced)
Flash Sales & Deal Timers
Abandoned Cart Recovery
Push Notifications (App + Web)
Banner & Popup Management
Price Drop & Stock Alerts
Email Campaigns (SendGrid/Resend)
SMS / WhatsApp Integration
Advanced Features
Video Commerce / Live Shopping
Vendor Staff & Permissions
Return & Refund System
Support Ticket System
Customer-Vendor Chat (Real-time)
Blog & CMS
WebSocket Real-time Updates
Hosting & Infrastructure
Managed Cloud Hosting
Free SSL Certificate
Daily Backups
Cloudflare CDN
99.9% Uptime SLA
20-Min Auto Deployment
Feature Score Summary
FlexiCommerce — every feature included, no extra cost.
Individual Comparison
Shopify is the world's most popular ecommerce platform, but it is expensive for Kenyan businesses. The Basic plan costs $39/month (~KES 25,000/month recurring), plus premium themes at KES 150,000+, paid apps at KES 30,000-300,000/month, and a 2% platform transaction fee on top of payment gateway fees. There is no native mobile app — you need third-party solutions. Shopify also lacks deep Kenya payment integration like M-Pesa via Flutterwave. FlexiCommerce gives you everything from KES 3,999/month + hosting — 3 mobile apps, 5 themes, 500+ features, Flutterwave (M-Pesa, Cards, Bank Transfer) built-in, and 0% commission.
M-Pesa Commerce is a Kenya-based ecommerce builder that offers basic online store functionality with monthly recurring plans starting at ~KES 15,000/month. While it is locally focused, it provides limited features compared to a full-featured platform. There are no mobile apps, no gamification features, no loyalty system, and limited customization options. If you want advanced features like video commerce, real-time chat, multi-vendor support, and native mobile apps, M-Pesa Commerce cannot deliver that. FlexiCommerce gives you a full independent ecommerce store with 500+ features, 3 mobile apps, and complete ownership of your customer relationships — from just KES 3,999/month + hosting.
WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin, but "free" is only the plugin cost. You need hosting at KES 15,000-50,000/month, a premium theme at KES 75,000-250,000, paid plugins at KES 200,000-1,000,000, and a developer at KES 50,000-150,000/month for maintenance. Mobile app development costs KES 2,000,000-5,000,000 separately. Plus you handle all security, updates, and server management yourself. Kenyan payment gateways like Flutterwave require additional plugin setup. FlexiCommerce is fully managed — we handle everything, and your store is live in 20 minutes.
Jumia Kenya and Kilimall are marketplace platforms, not ecommerce store builders. They let you list products on their marketplace, but you do not own your store, your customer data, or your brand experience. Commissions range from 2-6% per transaction, plus advertising fees. FlexiCommerce lets you build your own branded store and mobile apps — you own everything, with 0% commission. Many successful Kenyan sellers use both: marketplaces for discovery and FlexiCommerce for their own branded D2C channel.
Why Choose FlexiCommerce?
Affordable Subscription
Shopify charges ~KES 25,000 every month ($39/mo). FlexiCommerce starts at just KES 3,999/month + affordable hosting from KES 2,499/mo — all apps, updates, and support included. Save 20% on platform fee with annual billing.
3 Mobile Apps Included
Customer, Seller, and Delivery apps — all three Flutter apps are included. Shopify, M-Pesa Commerce, and WooCommerce offer zero native mobile apps.
0% Commission
We take zero commission on your sales. Shopify charges 2% on every transaction. On your annual sales, that is significant savings every year.
500+ Features Built-in
On Shopify, every feature needs a paid app. FlexiCommerce includes everything built-in — gamification, loyalty, voice search, video commerce, and more.
Built for Kenya
Flutterwave (M-Pesa, Airtel Money, Cards, Bank Transfer), COD with OTP, dedicated delivery partner app, VAT 16% compliance, English + Swahili language — built specifically for the Kenyan market.
20-Minute Setup
Custom development takes 2-3 months. WooCommerce setup takes weeks. FlexiCommerce — pay and your store is live in 20 minutes with a self-service dashboard.
The Choice Is Yours
Spend thousands monthly on Shopify, or subscribe to FlexiCommerce from KES 3,999/month + hosting. 500+ features, 3 mobile apps, 0% commission — built for Kenya.