Shopify (SHOP -3.01%) has struggled since peaking at $179 per share nearly one year ago. While the company continues to grow at a brisk pace, conservative guidance and concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) disruption have weighed on the stock.
Additionally, its valuation may appear elevated. In that regard, it may look cheap compared to Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX -3.15%), but Shopify is certainly more expensive than most "Magnificent Seven" stocks.
Knowing that, should investors buy Shopify rather than any of the above stocks? Let's take a closer look.
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Comparing Shopify to the tech giants
Shopify has emerged as a leading e-commerce platform for businesses of all sizes. Its platform makes it easy for entrepreneurs to design a professional-looking e-commerce site, even without coding experience.
While numerous companies can match that, Shopify has built a competitive advantage in its service offerings. These businesses can also manage workflow automation, email campaigns, payments, and numerous other services within a single ecosystem.
In the first half of 2026, revenues of $6.7 billion rose 34% over the previous year. Also, since costs and expenses grew more slowly than revenue, the company's net income of $921 million over that period was far above the $224 million reported in the year-ago period.
Still, analysts forecast 32% annual revenue growth and a 26% increase in 2027, with the stock trading at 89 times earnings. The growth has not come cheap, and the forward P/E of 69 indicates that some investors will probably not be buying Shopify at these levels.
NASDAQ: SHOP
Key Data Points
Moreover, that valuation places Shopify between SpaceX and the Magnificent Seven, other than Tesla. Without a profit, SpaceX has no P/E ratio, but its price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 93 far exceeds Shopify's 13 sales multiple.
Instead, where Shopify may struggle is against some of the Magnificent Seven stocks with lower valuations. There, the one to choose is probably Google parent Alphabet (GOOG -1.24%) (GOOGL -1.26%), which sells for 17 times earnings.
Right now, Alphabet's Gemini AI platform is one of the industry's top AI engines. Also, with Waymo set to generate "meaningful" revenue in 2027, it appears poised to offer growth at a lower price.
In the first half of 2026, its revenue grew by 24%, up from the 14% increase in the previous year. That growth is somewhat slower than Shopify's, but its revenue growth is nonetheless rising. Also, considering that Google Cloud revenue rose 82% in the latest quarter, it may not trade at that low valuation for long.
Should investors choose Shopify or another top tech stock?
Although Shopify should continue to grow, tech giants like Alphabet are probably better buys at this time.
Shopify should continue to benefit from its leadership in e-commerce platforms. However, at 70 times forward earnings, investors have to pay a considerable premium.
With Alphabet, that premium is not there. Additionally, as its revenue growth accelerates, especially in Google Cloud, it is probably more likely to pay off for investors than either Shopify or another Magnificent Seven stock at these levels.
