Best Ecommerce Platforms
The best ecommerce platforms for building an online store, ranked from hosted all-in-one tools to open-source carts.
We ranked 5 picks for Ecommerce Platforms. Shopify takes the #1 spot at 4.6/5 (from $39/mo). Entry pricing runs $16–$39/mo. 2 offer a free tier. 4 have a public API.
Our picks at a glance
Wix
Genuine free tier — test it before committing budget.
Shopify
4.6/5 across 21,400 reviews.
BigCommerce is a powerful hosted platform with strong built-in features and zero transaction fees, popular with larger and B2B merchants who want flexibility.
Squarespace is loved for award-winning templates and a polished editor, with capable ecommerce built in. A favorite of creatives, portfolios, and lifestyle brands.
WooCommerce is the leading open-source ecommerce plugin for WordPress — free to start, endlessly extensible, and fully self-owned, but you manage hosting and updates.
The full ranking
| # | Tool | Starts at | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shopify The leading hosted ecommerce platform | $39/mo | 4.6/5 | DTC brands & growing stores |
| 2 | BigCommerce Scalable ecommerce with no transaction fees | $39/mo | 4.3/5 | Mid-market & B2B stores |
| 3 | Squarespace Designer templates with built-in commerce | $16/mo | 4.4/5 | Creatives & lifestyle brands |
| 4 | Wix Drag-and-drop site & store builder | Free | 4.4/5 | Small businesses & creatives |
| 5 | WooCommerce Open-source ecommerce for WordPress | Free | 4.4/5 | WordPress users & developers |
Side-by-side comparison
| Comparison | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 |
| Starting price | $39/mo | $39/mo | $16/mo | Free |
| Pricing model | Paid | Paid | Paid | Freemium |
| API available | ||||
| Best for | DTC brands & growing stores | Mid-market & B2B stores | Creatives & lifestyle brands | Small businesses & creatives |
| Hosted storefront | ||||
| Shopify Payments | ||||
| Huge app store | ||||
| POS & omnichannel | ||||
| Checkout optimization | ||||
| No transaction fees | ||||
| Rich built-in features | ||||
| B2B Edition | ||||
| Headless/API-first | ||||
| Multi-channel | ||||
| Award-winning templates | ||||
| Built-in ecommerce | ||||
| Blogging | ||||
| Email campaigns | ||||
| Scheduling (Acuity) | ||||
| Drag-drop editor | ||||
| Templates | ||||
| Built-in store | ||||
| AI site builder | ||||
| Marketing tools | ||||
| Visit | Visit | Visit | Visit |
What to look for in ecommerce platforms
- Check whether pricing is per seat — it multiplies with team size.
- Headline prices usually assume annual billing; monthly costs more.
- Confirm the integrations you already depend on are supported.
- Start on a free tier or trial before committing to a year.
How we rank: we weigh user ratings, feature depth, pricing value, and fit for this specific use case — not rating alone. Rankings are updated as products and prices change, and affiliate relationships never affect the order.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best ecommerce platforms?+
Shopify is our #1 pick, rated 4.6/5 and starting at $39/mo. Easy to launch The full ranked list with pricing and trade-offs is above.
Is there a free ecommerce platforms option?+
Yes — Wix, WooCommerce offer a free tier, so you can start without paying.
What is the cheapest ecommerce platforms?+
Squarespace at $16/mo. Across our picks, entry pricing runs $16–$39/mo.
How did you rank these tools?+
Rankings weigh user ratings, feature depth, pricing value, and fit for this specific use case — not rating alone. We update them as products and prices change.