Side by side
From Shopify's own pricing pages and documentation, retrieved 3 October 2026, in US dollars.
Price with a custom domain
Curb
$29/mo monthly, $24.17/mo yearly. $20 of Curb AI edits a month included, then unlimited with your own AI.
Shopify
Basic: $39/mo monthly, $29/mo yearly, plus card fees from 2.9% + 30¢ online.
Who makes changes after launch
Curb
We do, or your own AI does. Ask in chat, approve the preview, it ships — usually within the hour.
Shopify
You do, in the theme editor and admin.
What the AI does
Curb
Builds the site, makes the changes you ask for, and keeps the stack current. A person owns the judgment calls.
Shopify
Sidekick, an AI assistant for running the store, and an AI website builder on every plan.
Take your site with you
Curb
Full source code, yours after one paid month.
Shopify
Product and order data export; the store itself runs on Shopify.
llms.txt and MCP
Curb
llms.txt, a facts file and a public MCP endpoint on every site.
Shopify
Sell in AI chats on every plan. llms.txt and MCP are not on the pricing page.
Plugins and upkeep
Curb
None. No plugins; static pages on a CDN.
Shopify
Thousands of apps in the App Store — each one yours to choose, pay for and maintain.
Which one is right for you
Where Shopify is the better pick
- A real online store: catalogue, cart, checkout, payments, shipping and tax.
- Point-of-sale for in-person selling, and selling inside AI chats.
- The largest commerce app ecosystem.
Where Curb is the better pick
- Built for sites that sell a service or an idea, not a cart — no transaction fees, no apps to stack.
- Changes made for you in chat or by your own AI, instead of in a theme editor.
- llms.txt, a facts file and a public MCP server on every site, so assistants can quote you and send enquiries.
- Published prices: $29 or $59 a month, with Curb AI edits included and unlimited edits with your own AI.
Moving from Shopify to Curb
If you run a store, keep it on Shopify. A common setup is Curb for the main site — what you do, who you are, how to reach you — with a Shop link to your Shopify store on its own subdomain.
If you only used Shopify for a brochure site and a contact form, the migrate track moves it across as it is.
Every old URL is kept where it can be and 301-redirected where it changes, and titles, descriptions and structured data come across — so search rankings come with you.
Questions
Can Curb build my online store?
No, not yet. Online stores, where the catalogue and checkout are the product, are the one kind of site we do not build. Shopify is the right choice for that.
Can I use Curb and Shopify together?
Yes. Curb runs the main site on your domain and links to your Shopify store, typically at shop.yourdomain.com. Each does what it is best at.
I sell services, not products. Do I need Shopify?
Probably not. Quotes, bookings and enquiries are built into every Curb site, with no transaction fees.
Other comparisons
Sources
Shopify is a trademark of its owner and is used only to identify it. Prices and features change; the vendor’s own page is always the final word. Spotted something out of date? Email hello@hicurb.com and we will fix it.
Move your main site to Curb
Paste your current address for a free site check, then pick a plan and we start.
