commercetools vs Shopify:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, commercetools had more branded searches than Shopify among headless commerce platforms worldwide. commercetools had about 6,600 branded searches, while Shopify had 1,900. commercetools made up 14.1% of all headless commerce platform searches we track, and Shopify accounted for 4.1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about headless commerce platforms, Shopify appeared in all five answers and commercetools in four. Shopify was mentioned before commercetools in four out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
commercetools, about 3 searches for every 1 for Shopify
Who does AI mention more?
Shopify, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Shopify, named ahead of commercetools in 4 of 5 answers
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Top headless commerce platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Shopify appeared in all five answers. commercetools was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Shopify was listed before commercetools in four out of five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
- Shopify1st
- commercetools2nd
Medusa3rd
BigCommerce4th
Saleor5th
Elastic Path6th
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Shopify5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- BigCommerce4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- commercetools4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Saleor4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Medusa4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Elastic Path1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about headless commerce platforms
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which headless commerce platform should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best headless commerce platforms?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best headless commerce platform for an online store?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“headless commerce platforms”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“ecommerce api”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is commercetools or Shopify more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for commercetools and Shopify by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six headless commerce platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for commercetools, Shopify. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | BigCommerce | commercetools | Saleor | Shopify | Elastic Path | Medusa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 72.6% | 14.5% | 6.5% | 3.5% | 2.3% | 0.58% |
| Nov 2025 | 70.4% | 14.1% | 6.3% | 6.3% | 2.3% | 0.68% |
| Dec 2025 | 74.8% | 12.2% | 6.6% | 4.4% | 1.5% | 0.48% |
| Jan 2026 | 72.3% | 14.5% | 6.4% | 4.2% | 1.9% | 0.7% |
| Feb 2026 | 66.2% | 16.2% | 8.8% | 5.8% | 2% | 0.96% |
| Mar 2026 | 62.2% | 18.6% | 10.2% | 5.5% | 2.4% | 1.1% |
| Apr 2026 | 66.2% | 16.2% | 8.8% | 5.8% | 1.8% | 1.2% |
| May 2026 | 63.6% | 15.5% | 10.3% | 6.8% | 2.1% | 1.7% |
| Jun 2026 | 70.4% | 14.1% | 7.7% | 5% | 1.7% | 1% |
| Jul 2026 | 68.4% | 13.6% | 9.1% | 6% | 1.8% | 0.99% |
| Aug 2026 | 69% | 13.8% | 9.2% | 5% | 1.8% | 1.2% |
| Sep 2026 | 70.9% | 14.1% | 7.7% | 4.1% | 1.9% | 1.3% |
How has the commercetools and Shopify comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- commercetools was ahead of Shopify in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, commercetools’ share of searches among headless commerce platforms worldwide moved from 14.5% to 14.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 12.1K to 6.6K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Shopify’s share of searches among headless commerce platforms worldwide moved from 3.5% to 4.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.9K to 1.9K.
How did search popularity change for headless commerce platforms worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Shopify lost share of searches among headless commerce platforms worldwide, from 5% to 4.1%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for commercetools worldwide fell 45.5% over 12 measured months, from 12.1K to 6.6K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using commercetools’ and Shopify’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
commercetools
1 branded search term
- commercetools
Shopify
1 branded search term
- shopify hydrogen
Other head-to-heads among headless commerce platforms
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