پلازا در برابر شاپیفای برای مصر
An honest comparison. Shopify is the bigger platform; that isn't in question. This page is about which one fits a merchant selling in Egypt.
| What matters | Plaza | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic admin + storefront | Built in | Paid app, $10-30/mo |
| Cash on delivery | Built in | Built in |
| Shopify Payments in Egypt | n/a | Not available |
| Branded app for your customers | Included in every paid plan | Tapcart etc, $200+/mo |
| Merchant app to run the store | Included | Included |
| Delivery zones per governorate | Built in | Via app |
| Treasury, expenses, payroll | Built in | Separate apps |
| Setup time | About a minute | Hours to days |
| App store / extensions | None | 17,500+ apps |
| Your own domain | Not yet | Yes |
| In-person POS | Not yet | Yes |
| Themes | One, configurable | 200+ |
The payments problem
Shopify Payments does not operate in Egypt. An Egyptian merchant on Shopify has to connect a third-party gateway and pay Shopify's additional transaction fee on top of the gateway's own cut. Plaza is built around cash on delivery -- still how most Egyptian e-commerce is actually paid for -- with cards, digital wallets, and InstaPay bank transfer with proof upload alongside it.
The mobile app difference
A branded app for your customers is included in every paid Plaza plan. On Shopify the equivalent is a third-party service like Tapcart, starting around $200 a month -- more than any Plaza plan costs in total.
When Shopify is the better choice
Pick Shopify if you need your own domain today, sell in person and need a POS, want a specific theme from a large catalogue, or depend on an integration only its app store has. Plaza has no app store, no POS, and custom domains are not built yet. If any of those decide it for you, Shopify is the right answer and we would rather you knew now.