Compared · 2 minute read
Appetite Host or Shopify?
Shopify is excellent at one thing: online shops. If your business is shipping products to customers across the country, it is worth a look. But most small businesses do not need a shop. They need customers to find them, trust them and get in touch. That is a different job.
The short answer
If you sell many products online, Shopify is built for that. If customers call, WhatsApp, book or ask for quotes, which is most South African small businesses, you need a business website, not a shop. Appetite Host builds that for you, in rand, from R5 000 once-off with your first year included.
Side by side
| Appetite Host | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Businesses that want enquiries: trades, salons, practices, guesthouses, services | Selling products online |
| Who builds the website | Naya builds it for you from a chat | You do, with Shopify’s themes and apps |
| Price | R5 000 to R15 000 once-off with your first year included, then R249 to R499 a month | From US$19 a month paid yearly, or US$25 paid monthly |
| Fees on what you earn | None | Shopify Payments is not available in South Africa, so shops here use another provider such as Paystack or Yoco, and Shopify adds its own fee on each sale: 2% on the Basic plan |
| A .co.za address | Registered in your name and renewed for you, included | Bought and connected separately |
| Help | a real person in Durban, replying within 1 working day | Shopify’s own support |
Built for
- Appetite Host
- Businesses that want enquiries: trades, salons, practices, guesthouses, services
- Shopify
- Selling products online
Who builds the website
- Appetite Host
- Naya builds it for you from a chat
- Shopify
- You do, with Shopify’s themes and apps
Price
- Appetite Host
- R5 000 to R15 000 once-off with your first year included, then R249 to R499 a month
- Shopify
- From US$19 a month paid yearly, or US$25 paid monthly
Fees on what you earn
- Appetite Host
- None
- Shopify
- Shopify Payments is not available in South Africa, so shops here use another provider such as Paystack or Yoco, and Shopify adds its own fee on each sale: 2% on the Basic plan
A .co.za address
- Appetite Host
- Registered in your name and renewed for you, included
- Shopify
- Bought and connected separately
Help
- Appetite Host
- a real person in Durban, replying within 1 working day
- Shopify
- Shopify’s own support
Most small businesses do not sell in a cart
A plumber, a physio, a caterer or a guesthouse does not want a shopping cart. They want the phone to ring. Their website needs to show what they do, where they work, real photos and reviews, and make it easy to call, WhatsApp or ask for a quote.
That is exactly what an Appetite Host website is built to do. Professional Plus and Turbo include a quote request form that emails you.
What Shopify costs a South African business
Shopify prices South Africa in US dollars, from US$19 a month paid yearly. Shopify Payments, its own way of taking card payments, is not available in South Africa, so shops here use a provider like Paystack or Yoco. When you do, Shopify adds its own fee on each sale: 2% on the Basic plan, on top of what the payment provider charges.
Appetite Host takes nothing from your sales. You pay one rand price for your website, and what your customers pay you is yours.
Built for you, not assembled by you
Shopify gives you the parts: themes, apps and settings. You put it together. With Appetite Host you describe your business to Naya, and she builds it while you watch. No themes to compare, no apps to install.
When Shopify makes sense
- You sell physical products online and ship them, with stock, variants and a checkout.
- Online sales are the main way your business makes money.
Why owners choose Appetite Host instead
- Their customers enquire, call or book, rather than add to a cart.
- One rand price, with no fee on what they earn.
- A finished website, your website is live within 1 working day of payment.
- Their .co.za included and registered in their name.
Questions
Is Shopify available in South Africa?
Yes, priced in US dollars. Its own payments service, Shopify Payments, is not available here, so South African shops use a provider such as Paystack or Yoco, and Shopify adds a fee on each sale on most plans.
Can I sell on my Appetite Host website?
Appetite Host builds business websites that bring in enquiries: calls, WhatsApps, quote requests and messages. If you need a full online shop with a cart and checkout, a shop platform is the better tool.
Does Appetite Host take a cut of my sales?
No. You pay R5 000 to R15 000 once-off with your first year included, then R249 to R499 a month, and nothing on what your customers pay you.
Prices checked on 8 October 2026, as each provider showed them to a visitor in South Africa. They change; check with the provider before you decide.
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See yours before you decide
Tell Naya about your business and watch her build it. Free to try.