Best e-commerce platforms for the Arab world in 2026
A merchant's guide to Salla, Zid, Shopify, WooCommerce, ExpandCart, YouCan, BigCommerce, and Mrfqy — by use case, not hype.
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The Arab e-commerce stack in 2026 is no longer 'pick Shopify and add apps.' Saudi merchants have Salla and Zid. Egyptians debate ExpandCart, YouCan, WooCommerce, and newer pan-Arab platforms. GCC brands weigh Tap checkout and SMSA shipping. This roundup compares platforms honestly by who they serve, Arabic experience, payments, pricing, operations, and when Mrfqy's 22-country model wins.
Who each platform serves best
Salla and Zid dominate Saudi-first SMB and mid-market brands — strong community, KSA payments, and Arabic admin. Shopify and BigCommerce serve global or export-oriented merchants with budget for apps and implementation. WooCommerce fits developer-led WordPress shops. ExpandCart and YouCan serve MENA social and regional sellers. Mrfqy targets pan-Arab merchants who want one admin across Egypt, GCC, Levant, and North Africa.
Match platform to revenue geography: 90% Saudi orders → Salla/Zid merit serious evaluation. Multi-country Arab catalog → Mrfqy's country packs reduce duplicate stores. Global English-first with Arab satellite → Shopify plus localized storefront on Mrfqy is a valid split.
Micro-brands under 30 SKUs can over-platform — a simple social storefront may suffice until COD volume justifies formal ops. Above 200 SKUs or two warehouses, platform choice affects margin visibility, not just checkout polish.
There is no single 'best' platform — only best fit for your countries and team skills.
Arabic and RTL experience
Regional platforms (Salla, Zid, ExpandCart, YouCan, Mrfqy) ship RTL-native experiences. Global platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce) can achieve excellent Arabic but often require theme work, translation plugins, and ongoing QA — budget developer time accordingly.
Mrfqy differentiates with bilingual EN/AR as core architecture plus country-specific address subdivisions for all 22 Arab League states — not a Saudi-only template applied elsewhere.
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Best e-commerce platforms for the Arab world in 2026 | Mrfqy
Payments and shipping
Saudi platforms excel at Mada and KSA logistics. Egyptian sellers need Paymob, Fawry, Kashier, COD, and InstaPay patterns. GCC needs Tap and HyperPay with SMSA and Naqel. Global platforms reach these through apps — each with its own fee and support channel.
Mrfqy maintains a documented integration catalog with native adapters where implemented, scoped by country. Starter includes Paymob and COD in Egypt; Pro unlocks full payment and shipping integrations plus custom domain.
InstaPay and wallet instructions remain Egypt-specific quirks in 2026 — any platform you shortlist must render transfer instructions clearly on mobile Arabic checkout, not as PDF attachments.
Pricing snapshot
Salla, Zid, ExpandCart, and YouCan use regional tiered SaaS pricing. Shopify and BigCommerce charge USD monthly fees plus apps. WooCommerce is 'free' core with hosting and plugin TCO. Mrfqy Starter is free for life (50 products); Pro ~999 EGP/month bundles integrations and ops tools.
When comparing, include payment app subscriptions, theme costs, and developer retainers — not just the platform invoice.
Inventory and operations
Enterprise globals (BigCommerce, Shopify Plus) integrate to ERP via partners. Regional SaaS covers standard orders and promotions. Mrfqy Pro adds purchase orders, suppliers, stock movements, bulk carrier fulfill, and COGS-aware profit dashboard — mid-market ops without a middleware project.
If you only sell 20 SKUs via Instagram, ops depth matters less than checkout friction. Above 200 SKUs multi-warehouse, inventory tooling becomes decisive.
Digital plus physical mixed catalogs — courses, downloads, and SKUs — need native digital fulfillment on your platform or another subscription stack. Mrfqy supports digital products with secure tokens; verify equivalents on each finalist.
A simple decision framework
Shortlist by revenue geography before you read feature matrices. Saudi-only catalogs with KSA-heavy payments → evaluate Salla and Zid first. Pan-Arab or Egypt-plus-GCC catalogs → put Mrfqy on the shortlist alongside ExpandCart and YouCan. Global English-first with Arab satellite revenue → Shopify may stay primary with a localized Mrfqy storefront for regional checkout.
Score each finalist on four axes: (1) mobile Arabic checkout without custom dev, (2) native local payment and COD, (3) true six-month TCO including apps and maintenance, (4) inventory and margin tooling at your SKU scale. Assign 1–5 per axis; the highest total wins — ties break on where you plan to sell in 2026, not where you sold in 2024.
Run a 20-product pilot on your top two platforms. Same images, same prices, same shipping zones where possible. Measure checkout completion on Android in Arabic, support tickets during setup, and time-to-first paid order. 2026 rewards merchants who validate conversion, not demo-day aesthetics.
There is no universal winner — only the best fit for your countries, team, and SKU complexity.
When Mrfqy is the best fit
Pick Mrfqy when you want free lifetime Starter, sell across multiple Arab countries from one store, need native bilingual RTL, want regional payments without app stacking, or need profit/COGS reporting on Pro.
Pick alternatives when single-country depth (Saudi), global app ecosystem (Shopify), or unconstrained code (WooCommerce) outweigh pan-Arab infrastructure for your roadmap.
Founders pitching investors should separate 'platform credibility' from 'checkout completion' in diligence slides — Arab markets reward the latter even when the former favors global logos.
Switching platforms in 2026
Most platforms export products to CSV — plan variant, image, and inventory mapping before cutover. Payment gateways must be re-authorized; domains repointed after DNS verification.
Mrfqy offers CSV import (100 rows Starter, 2,000 Pro) and Enterprise assisted migration. Run migrations in low season and communicate downtime to repeat customers.
Whatever platform wins, budget one full day for staff training on Arabic admin labels — ops mistakes in the first Ramadan week cost more than a month of SaaS fees.
2026 rewards merchants who align platform defaults with how Arab customers pay, read, and receive packages. Shortlist two platforms, run a 20-product pilot, and measure checkout conversion — not demo-day aesthetics alone.
