When I was just starting out in online business, it seemed to me that Shopify was the best platform for dropshipping. Over time, I began to learn more about the Ukrainian marketplace Prom.ua and realized that different solutions can be suitable for different purposes. In this article, I will tell you in detail and in simple words about Shopify and Prom from a dropshipper's perspective in 2025!

Shopify vs Prom: Key Differences

‍

Shopify is a world-famous platform for creating your own online store. You get a separate site with your brand, full control over the design and functionality. Shopify works on a subscription: the basic plan costs around $29 per month. On it you can find thousands of applications to integrate suppliers, payments, marketing, etc. Shopify is especially popular among dropshippers because it has convenient tools for importing goods (such as Oberlo apps or DSers for working with AliExpress).

‍

Prom.ua is a Ukrainian marketplace that combines a trading platform and an online store designer. In fact, you rent a store on a large portal. Prom offers ready-made solutions without programming skills: just choose a tariff, add goods - and your store will appear on Prom.ua. Tariffs start from ~299 UAH per month (there is a basic package and extended packages for more goods). Prom is focused on the local market of Ukraine: buyers know this platform and trust it, so it is relatively easy to start selling here. The main difference: Shopify gives its own site and global reach, and Prom - access to the existing audience of the Ukrainian marketplace.

‍

For dropshipping, these platforms offer different possibilities. On Shopify, you can sell worldwide, connect international deliveries and payments - for example, integrate courier services and even Nova Poshta delivery for Ukraine. On the other hand, at Prom everything is sharpened for Ukraine: PROM payment (built-in secure payment by card) and delivery by Nova Poshta are activated automatically, which simplifies logistics at the start. But the approach to attracting customers is different: Shopify store requires effort to create and connect, as well as its own marketing (advertising, SEO), while Prom immediately gives access to large customer traffic inside the marketplace.

Advantages and disadvantages of Shopify

‍

Of the advantages, the most important is the scale, namely the entire global market. Shopify makes it possible to work in the global marketplace right away. Your store is available to buyers from any country, you can connect different currencies and languages. If you have ambitions to sell abroad, having your own Shopify store is a great start. I remember opening my first Shopify store: I was only 19 years old and so exciting to see the first orders from customers from the other side of the world! Also an important advantage is full control and building your own brand. In Shopify, you create your own brand - site design, logo, description - all under your control. No one distracts the buyer to competitors, as it happens on marketplaces. This allows you to build customer awareness and loyalty to your store, not to the platform. You can collect your customer base and work with it directly (email newsletters, remarketing, etc.). And to help this there is a wide functionality and integration! Shopify has a huge selection of apps (over 6000) for every need, from dropshipping automation to analytics. For dropshippers there are specialized solutions: integration with AliExpress, with print-on-demand services, catalogs of goods from the USA, Europe, etc. You can also configure payment acceptance for your needs - from PayPal for global customers to local gateways like Fondy.

Disadvantages of Shopify:

‍

Higher costs at the start. Shopify monthly subscription is significantly more expensive than Ukrainian platforms. Basic plan ~$29 (about 1100 UAH) per month. And if your store grows, you may have to switch to the more expensive $79 or $299 plans to get the functionality you need. Shopify also charges a ~ 2% commission on traffic if you use third-party payment gateways. For beginners, this is a significant amount, especially compared to local solutions.

Also, the biggest fear for everyone is to invest in advertising. Your site does not have built-in traffic. You need to constantly work on SEO, run ads on Google/Facebook, collaborate with bloggers, etc., so that customers learn about your store. This is an additional expense of time and money. If you don't know anything about marketing, it's hard at first - I admit, I “drained” a little of my budget with my first Shopify dropshipping while I learned how to set up effective advertising.

 
We talked about it as a plus, but now a minus is the competition itself at the global level. On the one hand, Shopify gives you access to the whole world, on the other hand, you compete with all other international stores. The dropshipping model is very popular, so in many niches there is high competition and you need to find a truly unique product or marketing move to stand out.

More technical points and support. Although Shopify is positioned as a platform “without knowledge of code”, for deeper customization sometimes you have to involve a developer. For example, fitting a non-standard design or integrating with a non-standard system may require specialist help. Shopify support is English-language 24/7, but does not always quickly solve local issues (such as integration with Ukrainian services). For Ukrainian realities, it can be difficult to connect official Shopify Payments (we do not have them), so you have to use third-party gateways and pay additional fees.

‍

Advantages and disadvantages of Prom

‍

Advantages of Prom for dropshippers:

‍

Easy start with minimal cost. Starting to sell at Prom is much easier and cheaper. There is a basic tariff (with a monthly payment of about 100 UAH), which allows you to download up to 1000 goods. In fact, for several hundred hryvnias a month you already get a ready-made online store on a large site. This is especially beneficial for beginners who do not want to invest a lot of money right away. As entrepreneurs say, “cheap and easy entry” is one of the reasons for the popularity of marketplaces. From my own experience, I was convinced: you can create a store on Proma in just a day or two, without a programmer.

Built-in audience and trust. Prom.ua is one of the largest marketplaces in Ukraine, it is visited daily by thousands of customers. By posting on the Promo, you automatically get access to this traffic. Moreover, many people trust the reputation of a big player - buyers know that Prom has deal protection and support, so it's easier to decide on a purchase. For a new seller, this is a big plus: you do not need to convince the customer for a long time that your store is not fraudulent - the Prom.ua brand already partially guarantees this.

Ease of use and support. Prom has a convenient seller's office and site builder. No need to bother with hosting, domain, store engine - everything is ready. You can choose a design template, customize categories and download products immediately (manually or by importing from the API file). Prom also provides support: training materials, answers to questions through the support service. For novice entrepreneurs, this support is important, because on your own website you are alone with all the problems.

Local tools: payment and delivery. Prom.ua has integrated solutions for the Ukrainian market. For example, PROM payment is a secure payment system, where money is transferred to the seller only after the goods are received by the buyer. This increases customer confidence and removes some of the worries about payments from the seller. Also on Proma, delivery by Nova Poshta is automatically available (data for sending is pulled up, you can quickly arrange a parcel). For a dropshipper working with Ukrainian suppliers, this integration greatly simplifies the process: the supplier can send the goods on your behalf, and you simply transfer the order data from Prom to him.

Advertising tools within the platform. Prom helps sellers promote products: there is an internal advertising system (campaigns), the program “Top Seller”, promotions, etc. For example, you can connect a paid advertising campaign so that your products appear higher in the catalog. Also, if the store receives the status of “top seller” (high ratings, few canceled orders), the products rank better in the search on Prom. That is, the platform itself stimulates you to improve the service and “rewards” with more traffic. This helps a beginner to get sales faster without outdoor advertising.

‍

Disadvantages of Prom:

‍

Limited scaling and audience. Prom is focused on the Ukrainian market. Your store on Proma, in fact, serves only buyers from Ukraine (less often - neighboring countries). It will not be possible to reach the international level through Prom - for this you need other channels. If you plan to scale the business globally, sooner or later you will have to launch a separate site or work through international marketplaces. Prom itself, as a platform, also has limitations in the development of functions - you cannot arbitrarily add some non-standard module or integration, because the functionality is fixed (only what the marketplace offers). It's a fee for simplicity.

Less control over the brand. Selling on the marketplace, you play by its rules. The showcase of your store has a standard look, the possibilities of branding are limited to templates. The buyer often does not even remember the name of your store - he sees what he buys on Prom.ua. It is difficult to develop your own brand, and your client base is almost not developed (customers remain in the Prom system, you do not have full contacts for direct marketing). In fact, many entrepreneurs on Proma compete only on price and reviews, not on brand uniqueness.

Competition is nearby. On Prom.ua you are adjacent to thousands of other sellers in the same categories. When a buyer searches for a product, he sees a list of offers from different stores. Your product can always be compared with a similar competitor in just one click. This means fighting for price, rating and advertising. Often you have to reduce the margin to lure the customer, or spend money on promotion within the platform (paid product raises, etc.). Competitors can dump, and you can't help it - the buyer's attention is constantly scattered among dozens of other sellers.

Commissions and additional costs. Although the entrance to the Prom is cheaper, the real costs are “eaten up” by sales commissions. Prom.ua earns on the fact that it withholds a percentage from each of your orders (usually in the form of a fee for an advertising campaign). Depending on the product category, this commission can be approximately 5% to 15% of the order amount. For example, in the basic settings, the marketplace automatically deducts ~ 5-16% from the seller's balance for each order received. In addition, extended tariff plans on Proma require prepayment in advance (several thousand hryvnias per year). There are reviews of sellers who note “draconian” commissions of up to 15-20% in some categories and a monthly fee of 5-8 thousand UAH/year for a package of services. Therefore, with a large turnover, the cost of Prom is also palpable. As a result, the margin of the dropshipper on the promo can be low, because you do not buy goods in bulk and even pay a commission to the marketplace.

Platform rules and dependence on it. Prom has its own rules regarding the design of goods, work with reviews, terms of delivery and returns. It is necessary to adhere to them, otherwise the product may be blocked or reduced the rating of the store. In addition, any changes to the Prom policy automatically apply to you - you have raised the commission or tariffs, changed the ranking algorithm - you have to adjust. Some sellers complain that innovations (such as free shipping on a stock or mandatory PROM payment) can affect their competitiveness. You also depend on the stability of the platform itself: if there are technical failures or, God forbid, the closure of the service - the business will be under threat. On your own Shopify site, these risks are less because you are more autonomous.

‍

What is more profitable in 2025 and for whom which platform

‍

The question “Shopify or Prom - which is better?” There is no universal answer. It all depends on your goals, experience and the market you target.
In general:

🟢 Prom for beginners and local market. If you are just taking the first steps in e-commerce and want to test a business model with minimal risks - start with a marketplace like Prom.ua. It will be easier for you to understand the basics, get the first orders without large investments in advertising. Prom is ideal if your target customer is in Ukraine, and the products are available from Ukrainian suppliers. For example, many Ukrainian entrepreneurs who lost their offline jobs during the 2022-2023 war began to sell at Prom, because it quickly generated income. In addition, if you do not plan to brand a product or build a long-term brand - the marketplace will act as a simple sales channel.

🟢 Shopify for scaling and international business. If you are ambitious, have a little experience or a desire to learn, Shopify opens up much wider horizons. This platform is best for those who seek to create a full-fledged business with their own face. You will be able to build a brand that is trusted, set your own rules, collect a customer base. Shopify is especially beneficial when you go to solvent markets (US, Europe, etc.), where the average check is higher - so you'll pay for advertising and platform costs faster. In 2025, global e-commerce is only growing, and Ukrainian dropshippers are increasingly working on global platforms. For example, after a dozen stores on Shopify, I realize that I looked the wrong place, the wrong site, but still launched a store on Shopify under the USA - and although it was not easy, but now I get stable sales and build my own brand.

‍

Regarding profitability in 2025: The margin of dropshipping depends on many factors - the product niche, the conditions of the supplier, the effectiveness of advertising. At Prom, you spend less up front, but you pay commissions on each sale, and competition drives down prices. On Shopify, you have more expenses at the start (advertising, subscription), but with successful marketing, you can set a more profitable margin, because you sell uniquely and not close to a dozen competitors. In addition, on your site all profit is yours, except for small transaction fees. Saving on the platform is not the biggest expense item. The main thing is where you will get more return from advertising. If the product is massive and well “goes” to the Ukrainian audience, Prom can bring a quick profit. If the product is unique and interesting globally, investing in Shopify advertising can pay off many times more.

‍

From myself I will add: when I am asked what is better for dropshipping, I answer the counter questions: “And what is your goal as an entrepreneur?” If you try your hand and earn money here and now - go to Prom or a similar marketplace. If it is to build something more, your own brand - definitely try Shopify (or Ukrainian counterparts for your site).

‍

I hope this analysis helped you weigh the pros and cons.

‍

Taking into account all the above, make the choice consciously. I wish you success in your dropshipping endeavors, no matter what platform you implement them on!

‍

Sources: during the preparation of the material, publications and data from open sources were used to confirm current information.

‍

Shopify - the official tariffs and features of the platform.

Prom.ua - conditions for sellers, tariffs and commissions on the marketplace.

Analytical articles about comparing the marketplace and your own store.

‍