Guide Platform comparison
Shopify alternatives for restricted stores
If you sell glass and smoke-shop goods, vaporizers, cigars, kratom or CBD, you have likely already found that the mainstream platforms' public policies are vague, scattered across separate payment-terms pages, or simply silent on your category. We read all five directly and wrote down what each one actually says, with dates.
- 5 platforms read directly
- Read 7 Oct 2026
Fee model
Every platform here, including us, lets you connect your own gateway. Where they differ is what you pay the platform itself, and whether using an outside gateway costs extra on top of your gateway's own rate. See our full cost sheet for worked examples at three sales volumes.
| Platform | Base plan | Outside-gateway fee |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | From $39–$105/mo depending on tier | 0.5–2% on top, by tier |
| Square Online | Free–$79/mo depending on tier | Square is built around Square's own payments; third-party gateways are not the primary path |
| BigCommerce | From about $39/mo | 0.6–2%, by tier |
| Wix | From about $29/mo for a commerce plan | Wix Payments is the primary path; outside-gateway support is limited |
| WooCommerce | Free software; you pay for hosting, a developer and apps | None from WooCommerce itself; your host and your chosen gateway set the real cost |
| Standfast | $149 or $299/mo flat | None. 0% of your sales, on any gateway |
Tiers and fees change; see each platform's own pricing page before you decide. Our own numbers are the published rate card on our pricing page.
What each platform's policy actually says
Read directly on 7 October 2026, not summarized from a third party. Each row links to the page we read.
| Platform | What its own policy says |
|---|---|
| Shopify Payments | Prohibits “cannabis and related products” and “tobacco and related products”; says its own list “isn't exhaustive” and varies by region. Shopify's separate Acceptable Use Policy names no product categories at all. |
| Square Payment Terms | Restricts “paraphernalia that may be used for illegal activity” and “age restricted products (e.g., tobacco)”, undefined. Last updated 30 July 2026. |
| BigCommerce AUP | No product-category list. A “Highly Regulated Products” clause puts the legality determination entirely on the merchant and disclaims BigCommerce's own responsibility. Last revised 1 January 2025. |
| Wix Payments | The most explicit of the five: names “drug paraphernalia,” “tobacco, e-cigarettes, e-liquids,” and states plainly it “does not support the sale of products that contain CBD and / or THC.” |
| WooPayments | WooCommerce itself is self-hosted software with no product policy of its own. Its built-in processor, WooPayments, prohibits “drug paraphernalia” and “tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vapes” by name, and directs CBD sellers elsewhere. |
The pattern across all five
The restriction almost never lives in the storefront contract. It lives in the payment processor's own policy (Shopify Payments, Square's Payment Terms, Wix Payments, WooPayments), which is exactly why connecting your own gateway, on a platform that does not require its own-brand processor, is the standard workaround. That is also the one thing every platform here, Standfast included, actually allows.
By category
Each category has its own platform history, its own sources and its own FAQ. Read the one that matches your catalogue.
Where Standfast is different
- A written hosting policy with three lists: what we host, what needs controls switched on first, what we refuse, not a payment-processor clause you have to infer your category from. Read it on the hosting policy page.
- A row-by-row dry run, not a store-level guess. Send the CSV and get an answer per product.
- No revenue share, on any gateway. $149 or $299 a month flat, 0% of sales, whichever processor you connect.
- Your own database. Your data, exportable any day, on any tier.
Honest limits
We host two live stores today. Billing is not switched on yet. No merchant is charged a cent. Own-domain hosting is built into every paid plan but has not yet been proven end-to-end on an outside merchant's domain; ask, and we will tell you in writing where that stands before you move anything. We are not affiliated with Shopify, Square, BigCommerce, Wix or WooCommerce, and nothing on this page is legal advice about your own products.
Questions
Is Standfast affiliated with Shopify, Square, Wix, WooCommerce or BigCommerce?
No. We are not affiliated with any of them. Their names appear on this page only to describe their own public policies, each linked to its source.
Which platform is most restrictive for my category?
It depends on your catalogue. Wix Payments is the most explicit about paraphernalia, tobacco and CBD/THC. Shopify and Square state broad categories without defining them. BigCommerce's own policy names no categories at all, which pushes the real decision to whichever gateway you connect. Read your category's own page above for the detail.
Do I have to switch payment gateways to move to Standfast?
No. You connect your own Authorize.net account for restricted categories, or Stripe for general retail. We do not operate a bundled processor you are required to use.
How is Standfast's hosting policy different from a payment processor's terms?
It is published, specific, and organized into three lists (hosted, controls required, refused) rather than a single undefined word like “paraphernalia” buried in a payments contract. Read it in full.
What does moving actually look like?
Export your products CSV, send it to our free dry run for a row-by-row answer, connect your own gateway, and go live: days, not months, once both clear. Each category page above walks through the specifics.
Sources
- Shopify Acceptable Use Policy: shopify.com/legal/aup (read 7 Oct 2026)
- Shopify Payments eligibility: help.shopify.com (read 7 Oct 2026)
- Square Payment Terms, last updated 30 July 2026: squareup.com
- BigCommerce Acceptable Use Policy, Date of Last Revision 1 January 2025, via commerce.com/legal-archives (read 7 Oct 2026)
- Wix Payments, prohibited products and services: support.wix.com (read 7 Oct 2026)
- WooPayments, prohibited and restricted products: woocommerce.com (read 7 Oct 2026)
- Our own hosting policy and pricing page
Platform names, logos and trademarks belong to their respective owners. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or partnered with Shopify, Square, BigCommerce, Wix or WooCommerce/Automattic. Fees and policies change; verify current terms directly with each platform before deciding.