shopify vs klevu
Shopify vs Klevu — features, pricing, and which to choose for your SEO workflow in 2026.
Quick Verdict
This isn't really a direct comparison — it's more like comparing a complete e-commerce platform with a specialized search tool. Shopify is a full e-commerce solution that happens to include SEO features, while Klevu is specifically designed to enhance the search functionality on existing e-commerce sites. Most merchants use these tools together rather than choosing between them.
The comparison becomes relevant when you're deciding whether Shopify's built-in search is sufficient for your SEO needs, or if you need Klevu's advanced AI-powered search to improve user experience and content discoverability — both crucial for e-commerce SEO performance.
Feature Comparison
Shopify delivers a comprehensive e-commerce platform with solid foundational SEO features built-in. You get auto-generated XML sitemaps, customizable URLs and meta tags, automatic schema markup for products, and mobile-responsive themes that meet Core Web Vitals requirements. The platform handles technical SEO basics like canonical URLs, SSL certificates, and structured data without requiring additional setup. Klevu focuses entirely on internal site search optimization. It uses AI to understand search intent, provides intelligent product recommendations, and surfaces relevant content that might otherwise remain buried. The search analytics help identify content gaps and popular queries that can inform your broader SEO strategy. Klevu's search results are crawlable and indexable, meaning Google can discover products through your internal search pages. Shopify's approach is broader but shallower — it covers all the SEO essentials but doesn't excel in specialized areas like search experience. Klevu goes deep on one specific aspect that significantly impacts user engagement metrics, which Google increasingly values for rankings.
Pricing Comparison
Shopify starts at $29/month for basic e-commerce functionality with all core SEO features included. Higher tiers ($79-$299/month) add advanced features but don't significantly expand SEO capabilities. You're paying for the entire e-commerce infrastructure, with SEO as a included benefit. Klevu uses custom pricing based on your store size and search volume, typically starting around $500/month for smaller stores and scaling up significantly for enterprise implementations. This is purely for search functionality — you still need your base e-commerce platform. The investment makes sense only if search optimization is critical to your conversion rates and SEO strategy.
Best For
Shopify is the better choice for new e-commerce stores, businesses prioritizing ease-of-use, and merchants who want decent SEO capabilities without additional complexity. If you're launching a store and need everything from payment processing to SEO basics, Shopify's integrated approach is more practical and cost-effective. Klevu makes sense for established e-commerce stores with large product catalogs where internal search significantly impacts conversions. If customers frequently use your site search and you're losing sales due to poor search results, Klevu's AI-powered search can improve both user experience and SEO performance through better content discovery.
The Verdict
For most e-commerce businesses, start with Shopify. Its built-in SEO features handle the fundamentals effectively, and you get a complete e-commerce solution for a reasonable price. Consider adding Klevu later if your store grows large enough that internal search becomes a conversion bottleneck and you have the budget to invest in specialized search optimization. The two tools complement rather than compete with each other.