ShopifyBest overall
The strongest checkout, POS and app ecosystem, B2B on every plan and up to 2,048 variants, from $29 a month billed yearly; avoid outside gateways on Basic or pay 2% per order.
E-commerce platforms
An e-commerce platform is software that runs an online store's catalog, checkout, payments and orders, either hosted for a subscription or installed on your own site. Our e-commerce platform reviews compare nine platforms on card rates, gateway surcharges, revenue caps and the real cost at $5,000 in monthly sales, with every figure checked in October 2026.
WooCommerceBest for WordPress sites
A free, open-source plugin with no platform fee on any gateway and no caps; about $186 a month at $5,000 in sales on a budget host, if you can manage WordPress.
BigCommerceBest for marketplace sellers
Amazon, eBay, Walmart and Feedonomics feeds on every plan and 600 SKUs per product; 2026 sales caps mean a $5,000-a-month store needs the $79 Growth plan.
WixBest for design-led small stores
The most flexible designer, no Wix transaction fee and Wix Payments at 2.9% + 30¢, from $29 a month billed yearly on Core.
Square OnlineBest for shops with a physical location
A free online store on the same catalog as Square POS, with pickup and local delivery; online sales cost 3.3% + 30¢ on the free plan.
EcwidBest for adding a store to an existing site
Embeds in WordPress, Wix, Squarespace or any HTML site with no transaction fees; Venture covers 100 products for $29 a month billed yearly.
SquarespaceBest for selling alongside content and memberships
Polished templates plus products, subscriptions, courses and memberships in one site; pick Core or above to avoid the 2% fee on Basic.
Big CartelBest for artists on a budget
Free for 5 products, $15 a month for 50 and $30 for 500, with no Big Cartel fee on sales; the product caps are firm.
SellfyBest for creators selling digital products
Unlimited downloads, print-on-demand and email marketing with 0% transaction fees from $22 a month billed yearly; yearly sales caps start at $10,000.
Compare side by side
Every score and price in one table. Select a column to sort. Prices are US list prices; hover a price for the full terms.
| Shopify | 8.9 | 7.8 | 9.3 | 9.6 | 9.0 | 9.6 | $29/mo | – | – |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 8.6 | 6.5 | 9.2 | Free plugin | Yes | 30 days |
| BigCommerce | 8.1 | 6.8 | 9.1 | 9.2 | 7.8 | 8.5 | $29/mo | – | – |
| Wix | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 9.2 | 7.4 | $29/mo | Yes | 14 days |
| Square Online | 7.9 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 8.8 | 8.4 | 7.0 | Free plan | Yes | – |
| Ecwid | 7.7 | 7.8 | 7.4 | 8.0 | 8.4 | 7.0 | $5/mo | – | – |
| Squarespace | 7.6 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 7.2 | 9.0 | 7.0 | $19/mo Basic | – | 14 days |
| Big Cartel | 7.0 | 8.4 | 5.8 | 6.4 | 8.8 | 4.8 | Free Gold plan | Yes | – |
| Sellfy | 6.9 | 7.0 | 7.4 | 6.0 | 8.8 | 5.6 | $22/mo | – | – |
Which e-commerce platform fits your store?
Start with where you sell today and where most orders will come from in two years. Then price each option at your own volume, because card processing and revenue caps outweigh the subscription for almost every shop.
- If you’re launching an online-first product brand: Shopify Basic at $29 a month on annual billing, with Shopify Payments charging 2.9% + 30¢ per web order. B2B catalogs come on every tier, with up to 2,048 variants per product.
- If your site already runs on WordPress: WooCommerce. The plugin costs nothing, adds no surcharge on any gateway and has no caps. You handle servers, updates and security.
- If you also list on Amazon, eBay or Walmart: BigCommerce, starting on Growth at $79.
- If design matters most and the catalog is small: Wix Core, also $29, with no Wix commission on orders.
- If you have a website and just need a cart: Ecwid embeds in WordPress, Wix, Squarespace or plain HTML; Venture covers 100 products for $29.
- If you run a café or salon on Square: Square Online, built straight from your POS inventory.
- If you sell art, prints or merch in short runs: Big Cartel. Five products cost nothing; fifty cost $15 a month.
- If you sell e-books, presets or templates: Sellfy, until turnover passes $50,000 a year.
The default is Shopify. Switch to WooCommerce, Wix or Ecwid when you’ll bring your own processor, because Shopify adds 2% per order on Basic for outside gateways. Stay off BigCommerce Core and Sellfy Business if you’re close to their ceilings.
When should you not pay for an e-commerce platform?
Skip the dedicated platform when a few products sit beside a content site. Wix Core and Squarespace Core both take orders without a platform commission, and our website builder reviews cover them in depth.
Two more cases cost nothing up front. A shop already taking payments through Square gets a web storefront at no charge, paying 3.3% + 30¢ per online purchase. An artist with five items or fewer can stay on Big Cartel’s zero-cost tier. Upgrade once inventory, channels or staff logins outgrow those.
Which e-commerce traps catch most sellers?
Processing, not the subscription, is the biggest bill. At $5,000 a month in revenue, a 2.9% + 30¢ rate takes $175, while the plans themselves run $0 to $119.
- Outside-gateway surcharges. Shopify adds 2% on Basic, or $100 a month at that volume. BigCommerce adds up to 2% on Core for providers outside its embedded list, and Squarespace takes 2% on Basic.
- Revenue ceilings. BigCommerce Core covers $30,000 a year and Sellfy Business $50,000. Cross them and you move to $79 and $119 tiers.
- Paid add-ons. WooCommerce Subscriptions costs $279 a year, and many Shopify merchants rent review or bundle apps monthly.
- Platforms in decline. Volusion still sells plans from $35 a month, but migration firms report a sharp drop in live stores and a past Chapter 11 filing, claims we couldn’t verify independently.
- Regional pricing pages. Shopify, Squarespace and Wix all showed us figures that differ from US list prices.
Most people miss the ceiling until the shop succeeds. In practice, model next year’s turnover, not this month’s, and when you compare, read the last column first:
| Platform | Entry price | Own card rate (US online) | Cost at $5,000/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | $29/mo yearly | 2.9% + 30¢ | $204 |
| WooCommerce | Free + hosting | 2.9% + 30¢ (WooPayments) | $186 (budget host) |
| BigCommerce | $29/mo yearly | From 2.89% + 29¢ | $254 (Growth) |
| Square Online | Free | 3.3% + 30¢ | $195 |
| Big Cartel | Free (5 products) | Stripe or PayPal rate | $190 (Platinum) |
How do we build our e-commerce platform reviews?
Every score is a research score. One published rubric meets evidence you can check. We don’t open test stores, so the work happens in the fee schedules.
We read official pricing and help-center documentation, then cross-check it with dated independent sources. Every platform gets the same worked example: 100 web orders of $50 paid with US cards, on the tier you would actually need, using Stripe’s 2.9% + 30¢ where a platform has no processor of its own. The hardest numbers come from WooPayments’ rate table and BigCommerce’s 2026 plan changes.
Total cost carries 30% of the score. Commissions never move it: BigCommerce closed its affiliate program in 2025, Big Cartel has none, and both rank on merit. This category sits in our websites and e-commerce section.
How we score e-commerce platforms
Every product here is scored 0 to 10 on the same criteria, using published evidence. The overall score is the weighted average.
Total cost & feesPlan price on monthly and yearly billing, the platform's own card-processing rates, extra fees for using an outside payment gateway, yearly sales caps and forced upgrades, the cost of apps or extensions most stores need, and a worked monthly total at $5,000 in sales.weight30%
Selling featuresProduct and variant limits, digital products and subscriptions, abandoned cart recovery, discounts, B2B and wholesale tools, and which of these sit behind higher plans or paid apps.weight20%
Payments, POS & channelsChoice of payment gateways and the penalty for using them, built-in point of sale and its cost, social and marketplace selling (Amazon, eBay, Google, Meta), and multi-currency and international selling.weight20%
Ease of use & designHow much you must set up and maintain yourself (hosting, updates, security), theme choice and design control, and how quickly a non-technical owner can launch.weight15%
Growth & ecosystemHeadroom before you must re-platform, staff accounts and inventory locations, app and integration ecosystem, APIs, and the stability of the company and its pricing.weight15%
Questions people ask
How much does an online store cost per month?
At $5,000 a month in revenue, our worked totals run from about $186 on WooCommerce with a budget host to $294 on Sellfy Premium. Shopify Basic and Wix Core each land near $204. Processing makes up most of it: $175 at 2.9% + 30¢ across 100 orders.
Is Shopify or WooCommerce better for a small store?
Shopify is better when you want checkout, point of sale and apps working on day one, from $29 a month on annual billing. WooCommerce suits owners who already run WordPress and can manage hosting, updates and security, because the plugin is free and never surcharges a payment gateway. Don't bother with it if nobody will maintain WordPress.
What is the difference between a transaction fee and a card fee?
A card fee goes to the payment processor on each sale, typically 2.9% + 30¢ online in the US. A transaction fee is an extra cut the platform keeps, such as Shopify's 2% on Basic with an outside gateway, or Squarespace's 2% on Basic. WooCommerce, Wix, Ecwid, Big Cartel and Sellfy take none.
Can I start selling online for free?
Yes, within limits. Square Online builds a storefront from your Square catalog and charges 3.3% + 30¢ per web sale. Big Cartel costs nothing for up to five products. WooCommerce is a free plugin, though WordPress hosting isn't. Most people forget that card processing still applies to every order.
When should a Shopify store upgrade from Basic?
Look at Grow once online revenue passes about $25,000 a month, when its lower 2.7% card rate starts to cover the dearer subscription. Below that, Basic at $29 stays cheaper, as long as you use Shopify Payments. If you've switched to another processor, don't forget the 2% surcharge.