Shopify
High Lock-In RiskForced plan upgrades: Need staff access? Forced from Basic ($42/mo) to Grow ($114/mo) — $864/year more just for team logins.
Proprietary Liquid code: Your front-end is built in Shopify's "Liquid" language. No other platform reads it — your entire design is worthless if you leave.
App dependency: Most stores spend $50–200/mo on Shopify apps. Those apps don't transfer if you leave. You rebuild from zero.
Cost to escape: Rebuilding the front-end elsewhere typically costs $3,000–20,000+. Most businesses can't afford it — so they stay.