BuiBuy is the better choice for merchants in Egypt and MENA. It starts at 0 EGP (free), natively supports Arabic RTL, and includes OPay payment integration out of the box. Shopify starts at ~$29/month (~1,400 EGP), charges transaction fees without its own payment gateway, and requires paid apps or custom themes for Arabic support.
Shopify is the world's largest e-commerce platform by number of merchants. It has a massive app store, reliable infrastructure, and works in almost every country. But it was built for English-speaking Western markets. For merchants in Egypt and the MENA region, Shopify has three serious problems: (1) it charges in USD, making plans cost ~1,400 EGP/month at current exchange rates; (2) it does not support Arabic RTL natively — you need a paid RTL theme or an app; and (3) it has no OPay integration, so Egyptian merchants need Stripe (not available in Egypt without extra steps), PayMob, or another third-party gateway. BuiBuy solves all three problems: pricing in EGP, native Arabic support, and built-in OPay.
| Feature | BuiBuy | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free (0 EGP/month) | ~$29/month (~1,400 EGP) |
| Arabic RTL support | Native, built-in | Via paid theme or app only |
| OPay integration | Yes | No |
| Transaction fees | 0% | 2% (without Shopify Payments) |
| Custom domain | From 299 EGP/mo | From $29/mo |
| Landing page builder | Built-in | Requires 3rd-party app ($20-50/mo) |
| WhatsApp marketing | Built-in | Requires app ($15-50/mo) |
| Blog platform | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-currency | EGP + USD | Yes |
| Inventory management | Yes | Yes |
| Order tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Coupon & discounts | Yes | Yes |
| Clinic / Restaurant mode | Yes | No |
| App marketplace | Core apps built-in | 6,000+ apps (most paid) |
| 24/7 support | Email + WhatsApp | 24/7 live chat (paid plans) |
| Setup time | < 1 hour | 2–4 hours |
| Free SSL | Yes | Yes |
| Plan | BuiBuy | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Entry / Free tier | 0 EGP/month (25 products) | No free plan |
| Basic / Starter | 299 EGP/month | $29/month (~1,400 EGP) |
| Business | 599 EGP/month | $79/month (~3,800 EGP) |
| Advanced / Enterprise | 799 EGP/month | $299/month (~14,400 EGP) |
| Transaction fees | 0% | 0.5–2% without Shopify Payments |
Export your Shopify product catalog as a CSV file from Shopify Admin > Products > Export.
Sign up for a free BuiBuy account at buibuy.com/auth/signup.
In BuiBuy's product manager, use the bulk import tool to upload your Shopify CSV. Product names, descriptions, prices, and images are preserved.
Set up your OPay payment account in BuiBuy's payment settings. If you don't have OPay, register at opay.com.eg.
Recreate your store design using BuiBuy's theme editor. Choose a theme, set your colors and fonts, and upload your logo.
Configure your shipping zones for Egypt and other target countries.
If you have a custom domain on Shopify, update your domain's DNS records to point to BuiBuy. Domain transfer takes 24–48 hours to propagate.
Test your store by placing a test order with OPay's test mode.
Launch: notify your customers via WhatsApp or email that you have a new store. BuiBuy's WhatsApp marketing tool can help with this broadcast.
For Egyptian and MENA merchants, BuiBuy is the clear winner. It costs 5–10x less than Shopify in real EGP terms, includes Arabic RTL natively, and integrates with OPay without any setup. Shopify remains the right choice if you are selling globally, need a specific app from Shopify's marketplace, or are targeting primarily Western markets. But for a business based in Egypt or the Arab world, BuiBuy is purpose-built for you and will save you significant money every month.