cinauth vs
Shopify
Shopify is superb for shipping boxes. Digital goods need licence keys, instant delivery and fraud rules it leaves to apps.
Digital-first out of the box
Keys, files and instant delivery without a single paid app.
No app stack to maintain
Fraud, subscriptions and licensing are native features.
Fraud rules for intangibles
Scoring tuned for chargeback-heavy digital orders.
cinauth vs Shopify, Feature by feature
Everything both platforms charge for, limit or simply do not offer.
| Feature | cinauth0% on every plan, always | Shopify0% with Shopify Payments, up to 2% otherwise · $399/mo (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing and plansWhat you pay the platform, and when | ||
| Platform fee on sales | 0% on every plan, always | 0% with Shopify Payments, up to 2% otherwise |
| Cheapest plan with a custom domain | $0 — free plan includes a custom domain | $39/mo (Basic) |
| Price of the full feature set | $29/mo Apex, everything unlocked | $399/mo (Advanced) |
| Auto-billing | Cancel any time, or prepay in crypto | Recurring subscription |
| Payments and payoutsHow money reaches you | ||
| Payment processors | 25+ processors: cards, Apple/Google Pay, PayPal, Klarna, SEPA, Bizum, Revolut | 100+ via apps |
| Funds custody | Your own accounts, funds never held | Shopify Payments or own gateway |
| Crypto on the free plan | 0% fee, automatic wallet payouts | Paid app required |
| Supported coins | BTC, LTC, ETH, SOL, USDT, USDC and more | Via third-party apps |
| Local methods (SEPA, Bizum, Klarna) | Built in, no add-on | Included via Shopify Payments |
| Selling and productsWhat you can sell and how it renews | ||
| Subscription auto-renewal | Full subscriptions: upgrades, downgrades and dunning | Paid app required |
| Physical products with shipping | Shipping zones, rates and tracking | Full shipping suite |
| Licence keys and serials | Built in, unlimited keys and serials | Paid app required |
| Instant delivery | Instant, with emailed receipt | Paid app required |
| Storefront editor | Visual editor, 24 languages and seasonal themes | Theme editor plus Liquid |
| Fraud protectionStopping bad orders before they cost you | ||
| VPN and TOR detection | Built in on every plan | Paid app required |
| Disposable email blocking | Built in on every plan | Paid app required |
| Country and ASN blocking | Built in on every plan | Shopify Plus or app |
| Regex blacklist rules | Built in on every plan | Paid app required |
| Growth and operationsScaling past your first hundred orders | ||
| Affiliate system | Tiers, up to 10,000 affiliates | Paid app required |
| Reseller panel | Included on every plan | Paid app required |
| Email broadcast campaigns | Included, 50,000 sends/mo from your own domain | Shopify Email, metered |
| Custom email templates and SMTP | Included on every plan | |
| Support | Priority human support, 2FA and login alerts | 24/7 support |
❗ Key difference vs Shopify
Figures taken from public pricing pages and documentation. Last reviewed this month.
Import your store natively — Shopify
Bring products, variants, licence keys and customers over in one pass. Nothing is re-typed by hand.
Open the importerWhere Shopify can be the better fit
Physical products
Inventory, shipping labels and warehousing are unmatched.
Huge ecosystem
Thousands of apps and agencies if you need something exotic.
Common questions
// Can I run both?
Yes. Many sellers keep physical goods on Shopify and move digital goods to cinauth.
// What about my theme?
Rebuild it on the visual editor in an afternoon, or start from a template.
// Are chargebacks handled differently?
Yes. Our fraud scoring is tuned for digital orders, where evidence is different.
Weighing up another platform?
Figures taken from public pricing pages and documentation. Last reviewed this month.
See cinauth pricing