As an experienced ecommerce entrepreneur and web developer with over 15 years in the industry, I‘ve seen a lot of new brands struggle to get their online stores started. The biggest hurdle is often choosing the right ecommerce platform.
The good news is, you don‘t need a huge budget to launch an ecommerce site today. There are several excellent free and low-cost platforms to choose from.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll compare the top free and affordable ecommerce options to help you find the best solution for your specific needs.
Contents
- Key Factors to Consider When Choosing an eCommerce Platform
- 1. WooCommerce (Best Overall Free Option)
- 2. Shopify (Top Hosted Solution)
- 3. BigCommerce (Top Enterprise Solution)
- 4. Square Online Store (Best for Retail + eCommerce)
- 5. Selz (Best Free Website Builder)
- 6. Ecwid (Best for Social Selling)
- 7. Web.com (Affordable Package)
- Summing Up the Best Free eCommerce Platforms
Key Factors to Consider When Choosing an eCommerce Platform
When evaluating platforms, here are the key factors shop owners like you should consider:
Features
The platform must have core ecommerce functionality like:
- Shopping cart and checkout process
- Product listings and management
- Inventory management
- Shipping and tax calculations
- Payment gateway integration
You‘ll also want marketing features like coupons, promotions and analytics. Advanced platforms offer things like abandoned cart recovery and personalization too.
Ease of Use
Look for an intuitive, beginner-friendly interface. Drag and drop site builders are ideal for non-technical users. Stay away from platforms that require coding.
Design Flexibility
You‘ll want templates and themes to customize the look and feel. Good options allow you to modify layouts, fonts, colors and more to fit your brand.
Scalability
Ensure the platform can grow with your business. You want the ability to add unlimited products, traffic and sales volume without slowdowns.
Costs
Consider the base platform fees, addon costs, transaction fees and payment processing rates. Watch out for hidden or unexpected costs as your store grows.
Keeping these key criteria in mind, let‘s dive into the top contenders:
1. WooCommerce (Best Overall Free Option)
WooCommerce is by far the most popular free ecommerce solution. It powers over 28% of all online stores, according to BuiltWith.com.
As an open source WordPress plugin, it provides enterprise-level features without licensing fees.
Key Features
- 100% free and open source
- Unlimited products, traffic and bandwidth
- Complete store management features
- Scales to any size, from startup to enterprise
- Design flexibility with WordPress themes
- Extendable with plugins
- No transaction fees (just payment processing rates)
Pros
- Free, open source software
- Extremely flexible and customizable
- Scales to any size company
- Large library of themes and extensions
- Very affordable hosting and development
Cons
- Requires self-hosting and WordPress setup
- Steeper learning curve than some platforms
Who It‘s Best For
WooCommerce is ideal for any size store. It‘s especially good for small businesses with growth ambitions, as you have unhindered ability to scale. The main downside is the WordPress setup and maintenance, which requires some technical skill.
For designers and developers, it provides the most customization flexibility. Thousands of design themes and plugins allow you to achieve almost any custom ecommerce site vision.
Overall, WooCommerce beats all free platforms in terms of features, design flexibility, scalability and ownership control.
2. Shopify (Top Hosted Solution)
Shopify powers over 1 million online stores and $153 billion in sales, making it the most popular hosted ecommerce platform.
It offers a 14-day free trial and starter plan at $29/month. The ease of use and setup make it appeal to ecommerce beginners.
Key Features
- Shopping cart, payments, shipping built-in
- Drag and drop store builder
- Mobile commerce optimized
- 100s of themes and customization
- Robust app ecosystem with thousands of integrations
- Scales up to enterprise level
Pros
- Extremely easy to use
- Quick setup without web hosting
- Excellent design flexibility
- Access to payment gateways and shipping carriers
- Scalable from small to very large stores
Cons
- Monthly subscription fees
- Transaction fees on top of payment processing
Who It‘s Best For
Shopify is ideal for anyone who wants an all-in-one solution without needing their own web hosting and domain setup. Beginners can launch a site in under an hour.
The themes and customization options make Shopify great for building branded, beautiful online stores. If you want to get up and running quickly, Shopify is likely the best choice.
Just keep in mind the monthly fees and that you are locked into the Shopify platform once you start building a significant store.
3. BigCommerce (Top Enterprise Solution)
BigCommerce is Shopify‘s top competitor that caters more to mid-sized and enterprise brands. It provides a 15-day free trial and starter plan at $29.95/month.
Over 60,000 online stores use BigCommerce, including industry leaders like Toyota, General Electric and Facebook.
Key Features
- Enterprise level security and compliance
- B2B sales and checkout functionality
- Advanced shipping and tax features
- Powerful CRM and email marketing integrations
- Scales to big revenue and traffic volumes
Pros
- Easy drag and drop builder
- Built-in cart, checkout, shipping
- Feature rich for mid and large stores
- Low transaction fees at competitive rates
- Dedicated enterprise support options
Cons
- Monthly fees on top of transactions
- Less design flexibility than WooCommerce
Who It‘s Best For
BigCommerce is great for established brands doing over $1 million in annual sales. The focus on enterprise security, compliance and B2B features make BigCommerce shine for medium-large businesses.
However, the monthly fees and transaction charges add up quickly. Make sure you need the advanced capabilities before choosing BigCommerce over an open source option like WooCommerce.
4. Square Online Store (Best for Retail + eCommerce)
Square offers a phenomenal free online store solution for businesses already using their payments and point-of-sale systems.
You get seamless integration between online and brick-and-mortar sales channels. Everything syncs in real time across the platforms.
Key Features
- Totally free online store included with any Square plan
- Unified inventory management
- Online and offline sales reports in one dashboard
- Automatically syncs products, inventory, orders
- Accept payments online and in-person
Pros
- 100% free online store
- Unified platform for retail + ecommerce
- Easy implementation if already using Square
- Nice features even on free plan
Cons
- Very limited design customization
- Less features than advanced ecommerce platforms
- Must use Square for payment processing
Who It‘s Best For
If you have an existing brick-and-mortar store and use Square, the free website is a no-brainer. The seamless integration makes managing inventory and sales across online and offline channels extremely convenient.
You can be up and running in under an hour with a polished online storefront. Just don‘t expect deep ecommerce features or extensive design options.
5. Selz (Best Free Website Builder)
Selz offers one of the most full-featured free website builders for small ecommerce stores. They deliver far more functionality than competitors in the free website builder space.
You can launch a free online store with up to 10 products and basic ecommerce features.
Key Features
- Completely free online store with 10 products
- Shopping cart and checkout
- Payments via Stripe and PayPal
- Basic product management
- Custom domain support
Pros
- Very quick and easy setup
- Allows 10 entire products for free
- Directly accept payments
- Basic inventory and order management
Cons
- Max of 10 products on free plan
- Limited design customization
- 1% transaction fee
Who It‘s Best For
Selz is great for launching a simple ecommerce site for free to validate a business idea. You can setup a professional looking store in under an hour and immediately start taking orders.
Just be aware that you will outgrow the capabilities quickly if your store takes off. But overall, Selz offers outstanding free features compared to other website builders.
6. Ecwid (Best for Social Selling)
Ecwid focuses heavily on selling through multiple social channels like Facebook and Instagram, beyond just your own website.
You can manage and sync product listings across your website, Facebook and Instagram profiles all through their dashboard.
Key Features
- Sell through website, Facebook, Instagram, etc
- Deep integration across channels
- Free standalone online storefront
- Free plan allows up to 10 products
Pros
- Streamlined selling across website and social media
- Very easy setup directly on Facebook
- Generous free plan with core features
Cons
- Primarily for selling via social media
- No free custom domain
- Transaction fees unless you use Ecwid Payments
Who It‘s Best For
Ecwid works extremely well for ecommerce businesses selling primarily through social media. The direct Facebook and Instagram integration are unmatched.
However, they lack many standard store features on their free plan if you want to use your own custom domain website. But as a Facebook commerce platform, Ecwid shines for social sellers.
7. Web.com (Affordable Package)
While not free, Web.com offers an online store builder starting at $13.95/month. This provides a decent packaged solution for low-budget startups.
Key Features
- Combined hosting and ecommerce
- Free domain name
- Shopping cart and checkout
- 24/7 customer support
Pros
- Easy drag and drop builder
- Affordable starter option
- Good features for the price
- Free domain included
Cons
- Shows advertising and branding
- Less design control than other platforms
- Limited compared to advanced options
Who It‘s Best For
Web.com fills a gap for stores needing an inexpensive all-in-one hosted ecommerce platform. The ads and branding are annoying, but the price and included hosting and support may make up for it.
Advanced users will quickly outgrow Web.com‘s features and limitations. But it remains a viable starter platform if you‘re on an ultra tight budget.
Summing Up the Best Free eCommerce Platforms
All the options we covered allow you to launch a free online store on some level. So which is right for you?
For a robust ecommerce site that can grow indefinitely, WooCommerce is hands-down the best free platform available. Its customizability and scalability can‘t be beaten.
If you value quick setup and convenience over long-term ownership, Shopify and BigCommerce provide the easiest entry points. Just be aware of the monthly fees and you‘re locked into their ecosystems.
Square offers an amazing free store for existing customers selling both online and in-person. And Selz provides the most fully functional free website builder for basic ecommerce stores.
No matter which platform you choose, focus first on validating your business idea before investing heavily. A free or low-cost option allows you to test the market before upgrading to more advanced paid platforms.
