20 Best Ecommerce Platforms for Small Business in 2024

Find out what is the best ecommerce platform for small business.

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Before the digital era began, if you wanted to run a store, you needed a physical, brick-and-mortar location. That meant that starting a business was often a difficult process. After all, not every would-be entrepreneur had the cash required to buy their own building.

Ecommerce platforms are how business owners of all shapes and sizes carve out a place for themselves in the new digital landscape.

With a tool like Shopify, Wix, or Squarespace, sellers can leave the days of restrictive sales on Amazon or eBay behind, in favor of an ecommerce site that they have complete control over. The only problem?

Selling online has become such a cost-effective, efficient, and popular way to earn your fortune in the digital landscape, that everyone wants a piece of the pie. As a result, there are dozens of different companies all claiming to have the best ecommerce platform to offer today’s small business owners.

With so much choice, how do you determine which platform is right for you?

Choosing The Best Ecommerce Platform for Small Business

Choosing the right ecommerce platform is a lot like choosing a physical address for your brick-and-mortar store. There are a lot of different points to consider, from the site’s reputation, to the kind of support you can expect when bringing your business to life.

For some companies, the right platform will be the one that allows them to build something truly creative for their ecommerce store. For instance, you might want an open source website builder with a user-friendly back-end where you can experiment with inventory management, abandoned cart recovery, and different kinds of web hosting.

On the other hand, if you’re a beginner in the world of eCommerce business management, then you might want to switch the open source commerce platform out for a hosted solution. These user-friendly tools are often less problematic for newbies, as they come with various tools built-in, such as free themes, drag-and-drop customization, and support for unlimited products. To help you sort through some of the top performers that we’ll list below, here are some essential points to consider.

Top Considerations for Ecommerce Platforms

Now that you know some of the things that you should be looking for in the tools that you use to build your eCommerce website, we can start to examine some of the top contenders on the market. Remember, these tools are some of the top-ranked products available for small business owners. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re going to be the right option for you.

Every business is different, after all.

What are the Best Ecommerce Platforms for Small Business in 2023?

  1. Shopify
  2. Wix
  3. BigCommerce
  4. Squarespace
  5. Sellfy
  6. Square Online
  7. Jimdo
  8. Weebly
  9. Ecwid
  10. Magento
  11. WooCommerce
  12. Zyro
  13. nopCommerce
  14. GoDaddy
  15. VetrinaLive
  16. Big Cartel
  17. Shift4Shop
  18. EKM
  19. X-Cart
  20. Volusion

1. Shopify

shopify - best ecommerce platform for small business

It’s almost impossible to talk about ecommerce and online sales these days without mentioning Shopify. The Shopify site offers some of the best sales features on the market, with a range of powerful industry-leading tools and a huge app market, packed full of plugins.

If you’re serious about selling online, Shopify’s dedicated ecommerce platform is sure to be one of the best options available. Shopify is a software that you pay for using the SaaS model, and is designed specifically to help people who want to build the ultimate online store. It offers a lot of advanced sales tools combined to alternatives like Wix and Squarespace and comes with a free SSL certificate for security too. You’ll have access to discount codes, 24/7 customer support, and an integrated payment processor. You can also sync your inventory and orders across sales channels like eBay and Amazon. There’s also the option to access new sales strategies, like dropshipping with plugins.

Pricing 💰: 3 day free trial followed by $39 per month for the basic Shopify experience. Advanced Shopify is available for $399 per month.

Pros 👍

  • Free trial available to help you get started
  • Large range of themes available
  • Huge amount of plugins to choose from
  • Unlimited products on all plans
  • Integrated payment options
  • Fantastic for all kinds of business plan

Cons 👎

  • Fees can quickly add up
  • Blogging platform is very limited

Further reading:

Try Shopify with $1 per month for the first 3 months!

Shopify has begun offering a special deal for sellers who sign up for a new Shopify plan. That deal? Pay Shopify $1/month for 3 months of full access to the platform! Learn more about the trial here.

This offer is is now available on all standard plans: Starter, Basic, Shopify, and Advanced.

2. Wix

wix - best ecommerce platforms for small business

When it comes to value for money and performance, Wix is one of the best options for eCommerce stores. Designed to deliver exceptional performance, even when you’re new to building your own online store, Wix gives you absolute creative control over your site. There are tons of features included in the eCommerce plans that you get with Wix, including a drag and drop store builder, hundreds of templates, and a mobile-optimized performance.

You can choose from a range of payment solutions and a secure checkout system. What’s more, there’s the option to create stunning product galleries with your in-depth store manager tools. Another great thing is that there’s the option to calculate global tax and shipping on your back-end too. Unfortunately, there aren’t quite as many shopping features on Wix as you would get with Shopify, but that’s to be expected from a site that’s not focused entirely on eCommerce.

Wix might not be the most advanced solution for ecommerce website building in the world – but it’s an excellent way for beginners to get started.

Pricing 💰: Free ad-supported version if you don’t mind displaying Wix ads on your website. However, to sell products, you need the Business Basic plan that costs $23 per month.

Pros 👍

  • Excellent range of high-quality themes to customize your site
  • Multiple secure payment options for your customers
  • Large selection of apps and plugins
  • Can start out for free
  • Plenty of coupon and discount options

Cons 👎

  • Limited eCommerce features
  • No way to export your data
  • Difficult to add extra functions as it isn’t open source

Further reading:

3. BigCommerce

bigcommerce - best ecommerce platforms for small business

If you’re planning to build an online shop and sell across multiple platforms and channels, then BigCommerce could be just the tool for you. Ideal for smaller companies that are in the process of growing larger, BigCommerce is a scalable solution for online selling. However, the advanced features and functionality of this tool mean that it can be quite difficult to use.

BigCommerce comes with a huge selection of features to explore. That means that most of the functionality you need will already be build into your software. You won’t have to rely as heavily on app platforms like with Shopify. Whether you’re selling on Amazon, Instagram, Square, eBay, Facebook, or Pinterest, BigCommerce can help your business grow, while keeping expenses relatively low.

BigCommerce offers a wide selection of sales features to choose from; you just need to make sure that you have the skill or the talent in your team to help you to take advantage of all the benefits that this platform has to offer. You can even unlock some great SEO tools for helping your site to get found through Google.

Pricing 💰: The cheapest BigCommerce pricing plans start at $39 per month. This is a relatively cost-effective price when you consider the number of features that you get.

Pros 👍

  • In-built visual merchandising tool
  • No transaction fees
  • Unlimited products, storage, and bandwidth
  • Product rating and review options
  • Large selection of free applications to choose from
  • Excellent for selling across multiple channels.

Cons 👎

  • Pricing can be a little difficult to understand
  • Not as easy as some tools to get set up
  • Small selection of free themes available

Further reading:

4. Squarespace

squarespace ecommerce platform for small business

Squarespace is an excellent ecommerce platform for companies that want a lot of creative control. This cloud-hosted website builder is similar in style to Wix, although it comes with a few advanced features, such as excellent integration with social media channels.

If you’re searching for a way to build an eye-catching online business or portfolio, then SquareSpace is a good choice for you. There are a lot of sleek and modern templates to choose from, and you can change your style whenever you choose. Unfortunately, there aren’t as many eCommerce features available with this tool as you’d get with Shopify. On the plus side, you can access SSL security and a free domain with any annual plan. You also get the benefit of a mobile-optimized checkout with no transaction fees on any of your plans.

Pricing 💰: Prices start at $18 per month for Squarespace, making it a relatively affordable option. However, there’s no free plan.

Pros 👍

  • Excellent social media integration
  • Plenty of fantastic templates to choose from
  • Budget-friendly plans
  • Great for those who need 24/76 customer support
  • Free domain with annual plans

Cons 👎

  • Large transaction fees
  • Limited payment options – only Stripe, PayPal or Apple Pay
  • No app market

Further reading:

5. Sellfy

sellfy - best ecommerce platforms for beginners

Sellfy is an excellent option for small businesses for several reasons. For starters, their subscription-based pricing model can be a real boost for young start-ups. The way it works is, rather than paying a commission on individual items sold, you simply pay a monthly fee. In exchange, you get your own customizable ecommerce store, access to POD services, and built-in marketing tools.

Let’s dig into these features:

Firstly, Sellfy permits you to sell various digital products, including ebooks, videos, and podcasts. On top of this, you can also sell physical products from your Sellfy storefront.

In addition, Sellfy also offers POD – print-on-demand services. Here you pick the item you’re interested in customizing with your own custom text, design, and branding and sell it via your Sellfy store.

Creating your store is easy. Upload your images, choose your fonts, and select a layout. Then, simply add your products. Sellfy generates a clean, mobile-friendly website with a built-in shopping cart to make it easy for customers to purchase.

You can then track your store analytics from Sellfy’s backend, including metrics like visits, purchases, and conversions across your store. You can also use Sellfy’s marketing tools to help expand your reach. Sellfy lets you add product links to your social media and provides selling and tracking options for Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook.

Pricing 💰: The prices start at $19.99 a month, with features including email marketing, product upselling, and digital products.

Pros 👍

  • You can build your own personalized eCommerce store for free.
  • You can sell POD, digital, and physical products.
  • Access to built-in marketing and analytics tools.
  • There are multiple customer payment options, including – Stripe, Paypal, and popular digital wallets.

Cons 👎

  • Limited integration options
  • No free plan available.
  • If your sales exceed your current plan, you’re automatically upgraded to a more expensive plan.
  • There are limited shipping options outside of Europe for their POD service.

Further reading:

6. Square Online

best free ecommerce website builder - square online store

Are you looking for an ecommerce builder that will allow you to combine your online selling strategy with your offline sales? If so, then it’s definitely worth checking out Square Online, the site-building technology available from Square. If you already have a Square Point of Sale System, Square will allow you to build a website for free. The store builder is powered by Weebly, however, which means that you’re going to get the same customization limitations that you had with your Weebly store.

On the plus side, like Weebly’s store building solution, the Square Online system comes with all the ease of use that you could ask for as a beginner trying to launch your shop online. You can immediately begin building highly professional looking stores in no time. Additionally, because everything integrates with your Square point of sale system, you get access to advanced inventory management too. When something sells online, it updates your inventory in your back-end.

Square also uses artificial design intelligence with its store builder. This means that you get a more advanced experience, without having to spend a fortune. Adding products and features to your store is easy, and with the free plan to get you started, there’s nothing to lose.

Pricing 💰: Free to get started with the option to upgrade to a more advanced store experience.

Pros 👍

  • Excellent if you’re already using features of the Square ecosystem
  • Easy to use for beginners
  • Combines online and offline selling
  • Fantastic inventory management tools
  • Great for AI design

Cons 👎

  • Limitations in customization options, particularly with the checkout
  • Limits to your payment processing options

Further reading:

7. Jimdo

jimdo - best ecommerce websitebuilder for small business

Jimdo only pops up occasionally in review listings, but it’s been in the game since 2007. 

It offers basic eCommerce website capabilities, so it’s worth checking out, not least because its pricing is so low. 

You can either have Jimdo build you a website by simply answering a few questions about the type of site you want (style, color, purpose), or you can opt for its Website Creator tool. The latter enables you to build your own site from scratch and includes adding code. 

If you opt for the first of these options, Jimdo creates a site for you within seconds. You can also access a dashboard from which you can customize your site’s aesthetic. This includes adding text, adjusting images imported from your Instagram and Facebook pages, adding images from its free image library, and more.

Jimdo doesn’t charge transaction fees when you take customer payments, and where payment gateways are concerned, it accepts PayPal and Stripe. Other options are available, but these are predominantly for European countries and vary country by country.

Pricing 💰: There are two categories of pricing plans. The Website pricing category is for individuals and businesses looking for a basic website with no eCommerce capabilities. This has five plans; prices start at £0, rising to £39/month. In contrast, its Online Store pricing category has three plans, with prices starting at £15/month and growing to £39/month. 

Pros 👍

  • Jimdo prices are low.
  • It’s free to create a website with no credit card required. You only pay once you’re ready to launch your site.
  • You gain access to Jimdo’s royalty-free image library (images are free)
  • The dashboard is easy and intuitive to use 
  • You get a free domain for a year on the paid plans
  • You don’t need any coding experience

Cons 👎

  • It offers limited payment gateways.
  • Some users complain on TrustPilot about poor customer service. 

Further Reading

Jimdo Review: Everything you need to know

8. Ecwid

ecwid homepage - best ecommerce platforms for small business

Ecwid was designed as a powerful platform for online selling, intended to support companies that want to sell their products, anywhere, any time. You can set up an account for free online and keep it for as long as you like, without paying anything. Ecwid is great for companies in search of something that they can integrate with their existing website, social network, or business page. All the storefronts you get will be synced and managed from the same control panel.

One of the biggest benefits of Ecwid is that it’s a cloud-based platform. This means that it’s hosted for you – with no installation required. You can also add your Ecwid experience to any website using a plugin, including Drupal, Wix, Joomla, and WordPress sites. Features include a responsive design that’s perfect for any device, automatic language detection, and the option to add your site to multiple sites, blogs, and social networks at once. There are no transaction fees or setup fees. Additionally, you can choose from a host of different ways to accept payments securely.

Pricing 💰: There’s a free forever plan which is excellent for small companies that are just getting started online. Alternatively, you can use the Unlimited plan for just $99 per month for everything you need to sell online.

Pros 👍

  • Works with your existing website
  • Free plan available and reasonably priced premium plans
  • Option to sell on various marketplaces and social sites
  • You can create a mobile app for the app store
  • Automatic language detection
  • Secure payment options available

Cons 👎

  • Integrated payment fees are quite high
  • Not a standalone solution or eCommerce (you need a website)
  • No phone support or live chat on lower plans
  • Back-end stats aren’t very comprehensive

Further reading:

9. Weebly

weebly homepage - best ecommerce platforms for small business

Compared to some of the other ecommerce platforms that we’ve covered so far, Weebly is still a relatively small up-and-coming service for today’s small business owners. It’s excellent for building a beginner-friendly website online. You don’t need a lot of spare time or tech talent to get started. Additionally, Weebly is very budget-friendly, with very cheap starter prices.

However, this platform lacks some of the scale that comes with the other eCommerce solutions that we’ve looked at so far. You can’t sell across a wide range of channels, such as Etsy and Facebook. Additionally, customizing various aspects of your website – like the checkout page, is harder than it should be. On the plus side, you do get some fantastic additional features included with Weebly, such as password protected pages and blogging. Additionally, Weebly is great for businesses that are only selling a handful of products that want to stand out online.

There are tons of professional themes to browse through with this site builder. What’s more, because Weebly powers it’s transactions through Square, you know you’re getting a payment system that you can trust.

Pricing 💰: Pricing starts off with a free tier for basic use. You can also upgrade to the Pro version of the Weebly store for $12 per month, with a free domain and $100 of Google ads credit included.

Pros 👍

  • Very beginner friendly and easy to use
  • Lots of responsive themes to choose from
  • Wide selection of integrated apps to choose from
  • Membership areas and team collaboration
  • Very affordable

Cons 👎

  • Limited design options – particularly in the checkout page
  • Not ideal for international websites

Further reading:

  • Weebly Review – Take a look at Weebly with our overall review of the platform.
  • Weebly Pricing: Inexpensive Online Stores with Some Room to Grow

10. Magento

magento homepage - best ecommerce platforms for small business

Magento stands out as one of the most popular ecommerce platforms for established and successful retailers. Some of the biggest companies in the world already use this tool to make sure that they can connect with their customers online. What’s more, Magneto also supports external sales channels like Amazon too! Magneto is perfect for delivering next-level sales experience, with a free-to-download software.

Unfortunately, like many open source solutions, you are going to need some developer knowledge, or a professional on your team if you want to create something unique and impressive with Magento. The good news is that you can find a community of people in the Magento landscape that are willing to work with emerging brands to develop the perfect website.

Pricing 💰: There is a free software download available for Magento, but you will need to pay for your own hosting solutions and other premium tools. Additionally, it’s worth noting that there’s an enterprise version of this tool, but it costs $15,000.

Pros 👍

  • Open source for complete customization control
  • Flexibility to customize your platform
  • Huge community of developers to work with
  • Excellent for global sites
  • Versatile Magento marketplace

Cons 👎

  • Difficult to use
  • Can be expensive to set up
  • Need to manage your own hosting and payment gateways

Further reading:

11. WooCommerce

WooCommerce - best ecommerce platforms for small business

WooCommerce is an ecommerce solution that has earned the attention of companies all across the globe. Not only is it incredibly accessible and easy to use, but it’s built on the WordPress Content Management System. This is the software that’s responsible for running the majority of the internet. Because WooCommerce is built on top of such a popular content management system, it’s easy to get help and guidance when using it to build your online store.

Just like other plugins for your WordPress blog, WooCommerce can simply connect with your existing WordPress website. The system also comes with a range of excellent official extensions that you can use to make running your website a little easier too. For instance, you can choose from advanced themes for your storefront, and you can play with tools for dropshipping too. Because WooCommerce is open source, it’s very flexible, but this also means that you’re going to need a lot more technical knowledge to start using it.

One particularly useful feature of WooCommerce is unlike a lot of the other eCommerce platforms available on the web today, it comes with built-in blogging, and the option to take unlimited orders.

Pricing 💰: As an open-source solution, WooCommerce is technically free to use. However, you will need to pay for your own hosting and payment gateways.

Pros 👍

  • Unlimited products and orders
  • Add all the extra features that you want
  • Affordable, though you need to pay for your own hosting
  • Huge selection of themes and customization options
  • No limits on how much you can sell
  • Built on top of WordPress

Cons 👎

  • Requires some technical knowledge
  • Needs a third-party payment gateway

Further reading:

12. Zyro

zyro - best ecommerce platforms for small business

Zyro is a convenient and attractive website builder with quite a lot of heritage in the market. The company initially started as a product by Hostinger and later evolved into a new platform. This now fully-independent website builder comes with everything a brand needs to get started online, with no coding or design skills necessary.

You can build a website in a matter of minutes with a series of fantastic designs already available from the Zyro team. Additionally, the drag and drop builder comes with an intuitive grid function. This means that you’re less likely to end up with elements that don’t totally line up.

Zyro benefits from a lightning fast performance on all devices, so you can give your customers the amazing experience that they expect. If you’re having trouble creating content for your website, then you can even use the AI content creator tool to help you get started.

Pricing: There’s a free plan to get you started, although the features are a little basic, with 500 MB of bandwidth, and 500 MB of storage. You do get a free SSL certificate and SEO support, however. The Online Store is available for $8.90, with unlimited storage and bandwidth. You also get to remove Zyro ads and get a free domain for a year. There’s also a Website plan for $2.90 per month, or an Business plan for business use for $4.90 per month. The Advanced Store plan is available for $15.90

Pros 👍

  • Easy to use and responsive
  • Drag-and-drop builder with grid
  • Excellent for creating speedy website
  • AI content creator
  • Free domain for a year
  • Free SSL certificate
  • Unlimited storage on all paid plans
  • Excellent designer-crafted templates

Cons 👎

  • Not a lot of blogging features
  • No live customer support feature
  • No option for editing code
  •  Limited design customization choices

Read our full Zyro review.

13. nopCommerce

nopcommerce - best ecommerce platform for small business

Suppose, when it comes to picking an eCommerce platform, price is your primary consideration. In that case, nopCommerce may be an attractive option. It’s completely free, entirely customizable, and, at the time of writing, used by over 60,000 small and medium-sized businesses worldwide.

nopCommerce boasts lots of eCommerce features. For example, you can list unlimited products add as many product attributes as you like (color, size, price, availability), and it’s a fully mobile-friendly platform.

There are plenty of integrations to choose from when adding payment options to your online store, including PayPal, Stripe, and Braintree. In addition, if you have plans to expand, you’re in luck. nopCommerce allows you to run more than one store from a single nopCommerce installation. I.e., you can have different websites across several domains and manage all operations from one panel.

As for SEO, nopCommerce integrates with Google Analytics, and nopCommerce users benefit from keyword tags, a customized URL section, and product pages with SEO-friendly names all out-of-the-box.

Lastly, nopCommerce has a 250,000 strong community of web developers.

All in all, nopCommerece is a feature-rich free eCommerce platform; it’s definitely up there as an attractive option for small businesses keen to expand. However, regarding nopCommerce’s website, beginners may find its terminology somewhat complex, which may prove a stumbling block for some.

Pricing: nopCommerce is entirely free to use. However, if you want to opt for premium support (where you’ll hear back from someone within 24 hours of a query). Prices cost $83.25 a month for a year’s support or $999 upfront. Alternatively, you can pay for three months of support, costing a flat fee of $499 or $166.33 a month.

Pros 👍

  • nopCommerce is an excellent option if you already have some technical knowledge or are a seasoned web developer
  • Users benefit from unlimited product listings and product modifications
  • It’s free
  • It has a multi-store feature.
  • Users get access to built-in SEO features
  • It’s open-source, so customization freedom is unlimited
  • There are lots of integrations available

Cons 👎

  • Premium customer support is expensive.
  • Its website is written in less user-friendly language than some of its competitors
  • nopCommerce isn’t aimed at small business owners who aren’t tech-savvy. As such, the steep learning curve may take you away from your core business.

Read our comprehensive nopCommerce review.

14. GoDaddy

godaddy homepage - best ecommerce platforms for small business

For small businesses, it’s essential to find an ecommerce and website hosting solution that’s easy to use. After all, you probably don’t have time to learn how to use a new platform. Additionally, small businesses rarely have the extra funding required to pay for an expert to come and join their team.

GoDaddy uses ADI to simplify the process of building your store. What’s more, it offers support for more industries than many of its competitors. With the Artificial Design Intelligence built-in, you can use GoDaddy to quickly and easily design something that’s suitable for your specific niche. However, what you gain in speed, you can often lose in terms of creative freedom. GoDaddy doesn’t have the widest range of features to choose from – particularly when it comes to blogging.

For a relatively low price, GoDaddy will give you one of the easiest to use platforms on the market today. However, the service can be a little lacking in some areas – particularly if you’re a small business in the midst of significant growth.

Pricing 💰: Prices start around $19.99 per month for the Online Store price plan. There’s a generous one-month free trial available too.

Pros 👍

  • Convenient and easy to use
  • Artificial Intelligence Design support
  • Excellent for speed when you want to get online fast
  • No coding knowledge required
  • Hosting available

Cons 👎

  • Very little creative control
  • Not a lot of advanced features
  • Lacking in tools for bloggers

Further reading:

GoDaddy Website Builder Review

15. VetrinaLive

vetrinalive - best ecommerce platform for small business

VetrinaLive is a relatively new contender in the eCommerce platform market. It’s a European tool that originated in Italy, available in English, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian.

VetrinaLive aims primarily to make online selling easy for complete beginners and offers a straightforward, intuitive interface to facilitate this. You can manage your customers, orders, products, stock levels, and more within one clean and modern dashboard.

VetrinaLive facilitates five payment methods and allows for Zapier and webhook integrations. In addition, you can upload product videos and create product bundles to promote your wares.

Customer support is available through Facebook Messenger chat or Whatsapp.

You can set your store to facilitate different currencies, highlight featured products, create different product categories, and concoct special discounted offers. You can also assemble product variants to offer a variety of items neatly organized on your product pages.

However, Vetrinalive is still very much in its infancy, and it shows. It’s missing a vast range of crucial features, which currently means that it won’t compete with the likes of Shopify, even if it is considerably cheaper.

It also provides very few templates and customization options.

That said, beginners might currently find the platform to their liking because of the free plan with 0% transaction fees.

But keep your eyes peeled; we predict that there will be much to look forward to because Vetrinalive is adding new features frequently.

Pricing 💰: There’s a free plan and a 7-day free premium trial.

The basic program starts at €10 per month when paid annually, ranging to the highest plan, which costs €34.90 per month, billed annually.

Pros 👍

  • There’s a free plan available
  • Very affordable pricing plans that can be upgraded with extensions or extra products as needed
  • It’s easy to use and setup, making the platform very beginner-friendly
  • New features are being added regularly
  • 0% transaction fees on all plans

Cons 👎

  • There are minimal store customization options
  • There isn’t a drag and drop editor
  • There aren’t any native integrations besides Zapier
  • It’s missing key features, such as abandoned cart recovery, analytics, website tracking, SEO tools, blogging, etc
  • Some core features like discount codes only get unlocked with the most expensive pricing plan
  • At the time of writing, their self-help knowledge base is sparse and outdated

16. Big Cartel

big cartel homepage

Big Cartel is often recommended as one of the best tools for bigger companies looking to build a profitable presence online. That’s because the service requires a significant amount of coding knowledge if you want to get the most out of it. The pre-built themes and design options are pretty lacking by themselves. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t explore this solution for your small company too.

If you’re an artist or a creative company, Big Cartel is an excellent choice – particularly if you also happen to have a lot of experience with code – or know someone who does. There’s even a free plan available that will let you start selling for free. If you’re involved with small-scale selling, like selling one-off pieces of art – then Big Cartel has everything that you need.

Although Big Cartel does require a lot of knowledge around CSS HTML and JavaScript, it’s still worth aa closer look just for the sake of its free pricing plan. Just remember that you are getting what you pay for. For instance, there are no built-in blogging tools, no PCI compliance, and there’s very little design support available either.

Pricing 💰: You can access the free plan, or upgrade to a premium version of BigCartel from $9.99 per month.

Pros 👍

  • Free plan for small companies
  • Available use of custom domain
  • Great for creative companies
  • Useful for selling products digitally and in person
  • Quick set up

Cons 👎

  • Requires a decent amount of coding knowledge
  • Limited payment options (PayPal or Stripe)
  • Limited themes available
  • No blogging, PCI compliance, or advanced support

Further reading:

17. Shift4Shop (formerly 3dcart)

3dcart homepage

Shift4Shop (formerly 3dcart) aims to provide today’s business owners with an all-in-one solution for their eCommerce software.

If you’re looking for a solution that provides all the tools you need to build, market, and sell from the ultimate online website, then Shift4Shop has you covered. You can enjoy a wide range of shopping cart software and ecommerce buy buttons. Additionally, there’s a fantastic inventory system that allows companies to easily keep track of their sales and products. In terms of flexibility, Shift4Shop is excellent for customization too, with the option to change your theme whenever you choose.

There are a few things lacking from the Shift4Shop experience, however. For instance, although you get support for unlimited orders, products, and unlimited bandwidth, you don’t get support for any mobile app. Additionally, though Shift4Shop has a robust selection of apps, SSL technology and more, it’s not very easy to use.

Pricing 💰: Costs start a relatively reasonable $19 per month. If you’re looking for a range of tools with a low price tag, this could be the tool for you.

Pros 👍

  • Powerful solution with lots of customization
  • Huge range of features, even on low-cost plans
  • Affordable pricing
  • POS available for selling offline
  • 15-day free trial available
  • Unlimited products and bandwidth

Cons 👎

  • Tough to set up if you’re a beginner
  • Free themes feel a bit dated
  • Relatively small selection of apps

Further reading:

18. EKM

ekm homepage

EKM doesn’t get as much attention in the ecommerce market today as options like Shopify and WooCommerce. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth your attention. This sensational tool was actually founded in 2002, making it one of the first platforms to appear in the UK. The solution is similar in style to Shopify and brimming with unique features. This service is particularly well-suited to sellers in the United Kingdom, but you can use the service worldwide.

EKM comes with a full all-in-one eCommerce platform that offers everything a small business owner needs to sell online, including your own domain name and a range of payment options. You can also choose from more than 150 themes, which is excellent if you like having a wide range of customization options. All features are included on all plans, including SSL certificates and a free domain.

One downside of this service is that because it’s heavily UK focused, the support for customers is located in the UK. This might be a problem if you’re an international brand.

Pricing 💰: Pricing starts at £32.49 per month plus VAT, which is a little expensive. However, you can try the service for free for up to 28 days.

Pros 👍

  • 3-month account manager helps you to get your shop up and running
  • Excellent reviews online
  • Fantastic range of features
  • Free domain name and SSL certificate
  • No transaction fees
  • Unlimited products
  • Add WordPress to your site

Cons 👎

  • Support is based in the UK
  • VAT is charged on all plans
  • Prices aren’t the cheapest on the market

Further reading:

19. X-Cart

x-cart homepage

Last, but not least, X-Cart claims to be the number one eCommerce platform for companies in search of a high-performing open-source solution. Unlike many of the other paid solutions on the market, X-Cart is unique in that it only charges a single one-time license for the software. There’s no monthly payment unless you choose the X-Cart hosted solution.

Designed to offer a simple and streamlined way to start selling online, the X-Cart experience is ideal for smaller businesses that want to keep costs as small as possible. There’s also a free version of the software, which you can use to determine if the solution is right for you. One downside, however, is that like most open-plan solutions, you will need to find a hosting company.

There’s also a pretty limited number of themes available with X-Cart.

Pricing 💰: Starts with a free package. You’ll need to create an account to find out what the prices are after that.

Pros 👍

  • Plenty of great editing tools
  • Easy WordPress integration
  • Great for international sales
  • Import/Export inventory data
  • Effective SEO features
  • One-off fee

Cons 👎

  • You’ll need to find your own web hosting
  • Not many themes to choose from
  • Full support costs extra
  • Pricing isn’t very clear

Read our comprehensive X-Cart Review

20. Volusion

volusion homepage

Volusion is one of the better known options for eCommerce on the market today. Ideal for business owners in search of opportunities to grow, Volusion gives you everything you need to launch the perfect online store. One of the best features of Volusion is its ability to offer in-depth data reports. Everything you need to successfully track your site’s performance is located in the same place.

If you’re looking for an opportunity to grow your business at a pace that suits you, then Volusion can help with that. However, there are some missing features in the package. For instance, you won’t have any blogging tools, which is a serious problem if you want to develop your marketing strategy with a content management system. On the plus side, Volusion is quite affordable, with prices starting at $29 per month.

Volusion is best-suited for people who want to get creative and explore new opportunities for scalability in the future. It’s brimming with fantastic tools – including SEO features that will allow you to attract more customers online.

Pricing 💰: Prices start at $29 per month for the personal package, and you can save up to 10% when you pay for your subscriptions annually.

Pros 👍

  • Access to built-in SEO tools
  • Plenty of payment processing, including Stripe and PayPal
  • Unlimited product options
  • Access to custom editing via CSS
  • In-depth reporting tools
  • Automatically calculate tax and shipping

Cons 👎

  • Not a lot of free themes to choose from
  • Volusion payments are only available in the US
  • There are bandwidth caps on each plan
  • No blogging options

Further reading:

Choosing the Best Ecommerce Platform for Small Business

So, how do you decide which website builder option you’re going to use for your small business? That all depends on what you’re looking for. The 15 options above all have their unique benefits to consider. For instance, if you’re looking for sales-specific features, then you’ll love the specialist functionality of Shopify. Alternatively, if you need something that provides a lot of creative control, then SquareSpace is a fantastic choice, as is Volusion.

GoDaddy is easy to use, and Square will give you the tools you need to combine online and offline selling. Additionally, Wix offers fantastic value for money, while BigCommerce provides you with all the functionality you could want to excel at multi-channel selling.

What kind of eCommerce platform will you be investing in this year?

Further reading:

FAQ

Which is the best platform for eCommerce?

Overall, Shopify will give you the most features for selling online. It’s used by companies all around the world and offers a robust selection of apps and add-ons for virtually every business plan. Shopify also comes with access to Oberlo, which is ideal if you’re interested in dropshipping as the cheapest and most convenient way to grow your brand.

Which is the right option for beginners?

For beginners, we’d recommend using something like GoDaddy or Wix. SquareSpace is also a very easy-to-use alternative to a lot of the bigger eCommerce systems on the market. Just remember that when you opt for simplicity, you may sometimes miss out on certain advanced feature sets too.

What is the cheapest eCommerce site builder?

Many of the leading eCommerce platforms on the web today come with their own unique free trial periods where you can test your product before you buy it. There are also a handful of free options out there, such as Square, which allows you to build your online store without spending a penny, or PrestaShop. However, bear in mind that if you’re choosing a free open-source service, you will need to pay for your own eCommerce hosting and other advanced features. If you want to access a premium website builder for a low price, Weebly is a great choice.

Which has the most design options?

Open-source website builders will generally give you more options when it comes to customizing your website. Weebly is an excellent choice for creativity, as is Volusion. You can also try BigCartel if you’re looking for a solution specifically designed for artists. Squarespace seems to be the best of all for ease of use, however.

Rebekah Carter

Rebekah Carter is an experienced content creator, news reporter, and blogger specializing in marketing, business development, and technology. Her expertise covers everything from artificial intelligence to email marketing software and extended reality devices. When she’s not writing, Rebekah spends most of her time reading, exploring the great outdoors, and gaming.

Comments 1 Response

  1. PushEngage says:

    Personalization is the key to any e-commerce business. Every customer expects the website to know them well. When you start interacting with your customers in a personalized way, it will make them feel special.

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