Is Shopify the best website builder for therapists? If you want to sell courses, books, or even appointment slots, it just might be. Here’s what you need to know:
Shopify is a leading eCommerce platform that powers over 5 million online stores around the world, but until as recently as last year, I wouldn’t have recommended it for therapy practice websites.
However, that was before I really got to know the website builder and its capabilities as well as I do now.
Over the last six months, I’ve spent countless hours using Shopify and I’m convinced that it may be the perfect eCommerce solution for entrepreneurial therapists looking to grow their business beyond the therapy room.
In this Shopify review, I look at the costs, features, user-friendliness, and other important factors to help you decide if this is the right website platform for your private practice.
Shopify for Therapists: The Bottom Line Upfront
Shopify is all about online selling. So, it’s a fantastic option if your goal for building a website is to accept payments for online bookings or sell products such as books, courses, and workshop tickets.
However, if you only want a simple website solution that showcases your services without any online payment features, you’ll find more affordable and customizable solutions elsewhere.
Shopify Pros and Cons
Who is Shopify For? Possible Use Cases
Shopify is for anyone who wants to accept payments directly via their website without the need for advanced tech skills.
For therapists, coaches, and mental health professionals, using Shopify as your website platform allows you to:
- Create new revenue streams
- Help more people
- Simplify your booking process.
Here’s some of the ways you can put the platform to work in growing your practice:
1. Sell Physical Products
At its core, Shopify is all about selling products.
Say you’ve just published a book that you want to sell directly via your own website. Or maybe you create journals, workbooks, and other items to help your audience.
The easy-to-use product interface lets you quickly add them to your site so that clients can buy them directly from you.
Although Shopify charges a small transaction fee for each product sold, this ultimately gives you more control over your online selling than you’d get from third-party platforms like Amazon.
2. Sell Online Courses and Digital Products
As a therapist myself, one potential use of Shopify that excites me the most is selling digital items such as guides, worksheets, and entire courses.
I can take learning and support materials that I’ve created, upload them to my online store once, and then sell them over and over again without having to manage inventory.
For a good example, check out How to Sell Online Courses on Shopify.
In that guide, you’ll learn how to create a complete online course with videos, downloads, and quizzes spread across multiple modules and individual lessons. You’ll also learn how you can sell that same course to a potentially infinite number of customers, creating a solid source of recurring income while providing genuine benefit to your audience.
3. Appointment Booking and Scheduling
Selling actual products is one thing, but the one thing we therapists sell the most is our time in the form of one-to-one sessions with our clients.
Using third-party plugins like Appntly, you can create an online booking system through which self-referring clients can book and pay for their appointments.
This can save you a lot of time managing your schedule and a lot of hassle collecting payments.
For a great alternative to Apptnly, take a look at my Propel Shopify booking app review.
4. Event Tickets and Webinar Registrations
One of the best things about working in the digital age is that we have a wealth of tools at our disposal to help us reach and support more people than we ever could in the therapy room.
Maybe you’re running a workshop or seminar in the city? Use Shopify to sell your tickets.
Perhaps you’re planning a virtual event such as an exclusive webinar, coaching experience, or online workshop. Again, Shopify can be used to register attendees and collect their payments.
Is Shopify Easy to Use?
Shopify is perhaps the easiest eCommerce website builder around right now.
In fact, it was the platform’s beginner-friendly usability that originally inspired me to write this review in the first place.
Working my way through the various tools and features, it occurred to me that Shopify’s effortless usability made it a great option for therapists looking for a quick, simple way to build a functioning eCommerce website.
Let me show you some of the things I really like:
A. Getting Paid
I’ve used all kinds of different website builders to create online stores, and Shopify beats them all when it comes to getting money into your bank account.
To begin, simply enter some personal and business information to prove you’re legitimate. This will activate Shopify Payments, which allows your clients to make purchases using a range of credit and debit cards, along with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more.
Activating Shopify Payments automatically creates a Shopify Balance where your earnings are deposited.
From there, you can connect your bank account in a few quick clicks and withdraw your earnings from your Shopify Balance account right into your bank account.
B. Managing Sales Taxes
I’ve always found managing sales taxes to be the most complicated aspect of running an online store, especially with other solutions such as WooCommerce for WordPress.
With Shopify, it’s super simple. The free, in-built Shopify Tax tool automatically calculates taxes and monitors your sales tax obligations in different regions and territories to ensure you’re always on top of things.
C. Setting Up An Online Store
Shopify’s online stores are far from perfect (I’ll get into the negatives later), but in terms of initial setup, it’s a breeze.
When you first sign up, you’re presented with an easy-to-follow checklist that guides you through the process of:
- Creating your first product
- Setting up shipping and payment methods
- Naming your store
- Creating a test product to make sure everything works.
All told, you could log in to your Shopify account for the first time and have a fully functioning online store within half an hour.
Sure, things get more technical and complicated when you start using the vast library of third-party extensions to expand Shopify’s core functionality, but the basics couldn’t be simpler.
What are the Drawbacks of Shopify?
Shopify’s biggest problems lie in design and customization.
Out of the box, the platform offers a choice of just 13 free themes for controlling the layout, style, and overall look and feel of your site.
Not only do these free options look pretty generic, but they’re also so widely overused that I can typically spot a Shopify store using a free theme within about 5 seconds of landing on it.
That’s not necessarily a good thing.
Let’s face it:
Having a website that looks the same as everyone else’s isn’t exactly the best to stand out in a crowded market.
Fortunately, there is a website editor which, like everything else on Shopify, is pretty easy to use.
You can use this editor -and the included Theme Settings menu, to customize just about every little detail of your store.
However, there’s so many configuration options that you really have to put a lot of work in to completely wipe away the generic and make the store your own.
Alternatively, you could shell out for a premium theme. These range from $100 – $500.
Not only can this get really expensive, but I genuinely don’t think Shopify’s premium themes are all that impressive either.
Don’t get me wrong, they tend to be better than the free options, but they’re still underwhelming compared to the scores of beautiful themes and layout templates offered by the likes of WordPress and Wix.
In other words, while you certainly can make a visually impressive website with Shopify, it’s going to take you either a lot of time or a lot of money.
Is Shopify Safe and Secure?
On the whole, Shopify is a safe and secure platform through which to conduct your business.
That’s massively important.
Think about it:
As therapists, trust is the foundation of what we do. Clients open up their deepest thoughts and vulnerabilities in the therapy room, and they need to feel that same level of trust when entering personal information on your website. If they can’t trust you to protect their confidential data online, how can they fully trust you in person?
- PCI Compliance – Shopify is fully compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), ensuring the safe handling of payment information.
- SSL Encryption – All Shopify stores come with SSL certificates, meaning data transmitted between your site and your customers is encrypted and secure. This is critical for safeguarding sensitive information like credit card details and login credentials.
- Automatic Updates – Shopify handles updates and security patches on its end, so you don’t have to worry about maintaining the platform yourself.
- Fraud Analysis – Built-in fraud detection tools for Shopify Payments alert you to suspicious orders, helping protect your business from chargebacks or malicious transactions.
- 24/7 Monitoring – Shopify’s infrastructure is monitored around the clock to prevent breaches and downtime.
Here’s another reason why I trust Shopify to keep my customer data safe:
Bug Bounty Program
Shopify’s Bug Bounty Program is an initiative that rewards ethical hackers, web developers, and cyber security specialists who find security flaws in the platform’s code.
So far, they’ve rewarded $5+ million in bounties to those who report vulnerabilities. I don’t know about you, but to me, that shows a pretty strong commitment to keeping their platform and its users as safe as possible.
Shopify’s Known Data Breaches
It would be wrong of me to claim that Shopify has a 100% flawless track record in the security department.
The company disclosed a data breach in 2020, which it blamed on two rogue employees stealing order information for around 200 merchants.
Then, in 2024, there was a data leak in which the private information of around 180,000 shoppers was leaked. Shopify, however, insisted that this data was not leaked from the platform itself, but from one of the many third-party add-ons users can integrate into their stores to extend its functionality.
Yes, that’s concerning, but the truth is that data leaks are not a Shopify-specific problem. They’re an industry-wide one.
- Wix had a data breach last year.
- Squarespace flubbed a domain migration process that exposed security vulnerabilities.
- WordPress has ongoing security risks, especially with outdated themes and plugins.
The reality is that no platform is completely immune, but Shopify’s proactive approach to security makes it one of the safer options for handling sensitive customer information.
Just be sure to follow security best practices like using strong passwords and taking advantage of Shopify’s Two-Factor Authentication features to add an extra layer of defense.
Finally, if you do decide to use third-party extensions with your Shopify store, review them carefully and stick only to those that have a solid reputation.
What Marketing Tools Does Shopify Offer?
The platform offers a number of features and extensions to help you attract customers to your store and drive sales.
These include:
A. Blogs
By default, you get basic blogging features that are functional but, quite frankly, underwhelming.
The blogging interface is essentially the same as the one used for product listings, albeit with different options and settings.
While this setup makes Shopify’s blogging easy to use, it’s clear that content creation isn’t the platform’s strong suit.
The small editing window can feel restrictive, and the lack of advanced formatting, SEO tools, or multimedia flexibility means it doesn’t hold up well against dedicated blogging platforms like WordPress.
If content marketing is a big part of your strategy, you might find it easier to run a blog on a separate platform and link back to your Shopify store. Alternatively, Shopify extension apps like Blog Studio can enhance the built-in blogging experience, but they still don’t match the full capabilities of a proper CMS.
B. Email Marketing
The platform offers built-in email marketing features that let you create and send promotional emails directly from your store’s admin panel.
It’s a decent tool for beginners who want a simple, no-frills way to keep in touch with customers, but it’s fairly limited.
Take automation for example. With Shopify, you can set certain emails to be sent automatically based on certain user behavior like abandoning their shopping cart.
However, you can’t create fully automated email campaigns the way you can with other tools like MailChimp.
If you’re planning to make email marketing a core component of your marketing, I’d recommend using a third-party tool to get advanced features like better automations, email personalization, and audience segmentation.
C. Online Advertising
Shopify makes it easy to run paid ads across multiple platforms, including Google, Pinterest, and Snapchat, directly from the admin dashboard.
The Shopify Ads Manager simplifies the process by integrating with major ad platforms, allowing you to:
- Set up retargeting campaigns to reach previous visitors.
- Track conversions and performance through Meta Pixel and Google Tag Manager.
- Run Google Smart Shopping ads to automatically promote products.
While this convenience is great, Shopify’s built-in advertising tools are not as advanced as using native ad managers (e.g., Facebook Ads Manager or Google Ads).
D. Analytics
Shopify provides a built-in analytics dashboard, giving you insights into key business metrics such as:
- Sales reports (total revenue, average order value, returning customer rate).
- Traffic sources (where your visitors are coming from).
- Customer behavior (most popular products, abandoned cart rates).
On the one hand, Shopify’s analytics are very user-friendly and a great way to get get essential information about what’s working and what isn’t.
On the other hand, I still think tools like Google Analytics provide a much more comprehensive picture over how your store is doing and I’d still recommend using them if you’re serious about using data to drive your business forward.
How Much does Shopify Cost?
Like most software companies, Shopify advertises its best prices at a monthly rate but charges annually. For example, if you opt for the Basic package, advertised at $29 per month, you’ll actually pay $348 at the checkout to cover a full year.
That doesn’t mean you can’t pay monthly. If you prefer to spread the cost and avoid a huge upfront payment, it’s probably the best way to do it. Just be mindful that you’ll normally pay more.
For example, if you pay for the Basic plan every month, it will cost you $36 per month, not $29.
The main difference between each plan is how much you’ll pay per transaction. The more you pay for your plan, the less you pay in fees when a customer buys something from your site.
As you’ll see in the image above, paying for the entry-level Basic Plan means that every time someone makes a purchase, you pay a commission amounting to 2.9% of the transaction total, plus 30 cents. Meanwhile, if you opt for the higher-level Advanced plan, you pay significantly more per month, but only 2.5% + 30 cents.
How Does Shopify Pricing Compare to Other Providers?
Those costs are roughly on par with other comparable eCommerce plans offered by the likes of Squarespace and Wix.
The table above compares the prices of entry-level plans at Shopify, Squarespace, and Wix. You can see that while Squarespace costs less, its online transaction fees are higher and there’s no option to accept in-person payments.
If your main priority is to spend as little as possible, you may want to explore Squarespace instead. However, I still believe Shopify offers a better all-round eCommerce package for therapists looking to maximize their online revenue that makes it worth the slightly higher monthly fees.
Does Shopify Have a Free Version?
While there’s no free version of Shopify, you can access a 3-day free trial which gives you access to all features. After that, you’ll need to upgrade to a premium plan but get your first month for only $1.
Which Shopify Plan is Best for Therapists?
Most solo therapists running a one-person private practice will get everything they need from the Basic Plan. This gives you a full suite of features, competitive transaction fees, and enough inventory locations to sell your products and services across multiple platforms.
I can’t see any reason why you’d want a higher-priced plan unless you’re planning to sell a large volume of products, in which case the lower transaction fees may make up for the higher monthly cost.
Shopify for Therapists: Key Takeaways
Though it may not be perfect, I still recommend Shopify for therapists who prioritize easy online selling and payment options above all else.
OK, so it may mean sacrificing a certain ‘wow factor’ in your site design as even the best Shopify themes are a little underwhelming.
However, what Shopify lacks in style it makes up for in substance, packing its platform with a ton of features and settings that are so novice-friendly even the most technophobic therapist could quickly get to grips with them.
If the main goal of your website is to establish your presence as an expert in your field through blogs and other content, then Shopify probably isn’t for you since that’s not what it was designed for.
If, on the other hand, your goal is to make it as simple as possible to sell physical or digital products, or you want an effortless way for self-referring clients to book and pay for their own appointments, try Shopify.
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