Introduction
If you already have a favorite eCommerce website builder and want to compare it against its competitors, this article can help you do so. Also, you can find out about all of our best eCommerce platforms with our comparison chart below. And, if you want to find out what all of the providers in our comparison chart offer, continue reading this article, where we will go through each provider in detail.
Quick Rundown of Our Top 10 Best Ecommerce Website Builders:
- Wix Website Builder – Best for building small online stores.
- HostPapa – Best for your online store’s security
- GoDaddy Website Builder – Best for Creating a Website Quickly
- Shopify – Best for large businesses and larger online stores.
- Squarespace – Best quality website templates suitable for artists and photographers.
- BigCommerce– Best for scaling quickly.
- Zyro - Best for beginners with no technical background.
- Weebly – Best for those who want flexibility.
- Shift4Shop – Best for US merchants.
- Big Cartel - Best for selling freelance work.
How Do We Test and Rank?
We spend a lot of time testing eCommerce builders so that we can rank them accordingly. Also, we put them through a series of tests that help us determine which are the best builders available.
Our experts at HostAdvice test all kinds of products from leading web hosting providers almost on a daily basis. Also, they continuously test and improve their review methodologies and provide the most accurate results.
What’s best about our testing and ranking process is that when they’re reviewing, our experts buy the plans to test them out, just like any other regular customer would do. We base our ranking on a few factors. We give specific percentages to those factors depending on how important they are for an eCommerce service.
- Ease-of-Use (25%): overall ease of the setup process, ease of navigation through the dashboard, ease of using and navigating through the Control Panel, the slope of the learning curve.
- Design and Templates (30%): amount of pre-built templates provided, quality of the templates provided, customizability of the templates, ability to change the template when the site is already live.
- Help with building (15%): how the provider’s team helps users during the building process, whether there is a designated agent for each user.
- Tech Support (20%): technical knowledge and skill of the staff, what kind of help they provide (24/7 support via email, live chat, phone), response time, issue-resolving abilities.
- Check Platform Policies (10%): overall transparency, whether the provider discloses its policies, whether it has hidden fees that are not mentioned right from the start.
How to Find the Best eCommerce Website Builder For You
Choosing which eCommerce website builder is right for you can be challenging. There are many builders available for you to choose from, and it can get overwhelming. So, we are here to provide you with some tips on finding the best eCommerce website builder that you can use while making your choice.
- easy to use
The first thing you should look for is a builder that is easy to use. It will help if you look for a builder that has an easy setup process and is easy to design. That can save you a lot of time, and it will essentially make your life a lot easier. - design and templates
Another critical parameter is design and templates. When choosing a website builder, always check how many templates they offer and their design. The template you choose will be the first thing customers see when they open your website, so being able to choose from a large number of high-quality templates is very important for your online store. - help with building
If you are a beginner, make sure to choose a provider that will help you build your online store. Also, it would be best to choose a provider that makes it easy for you to put what you need on your website and make changes in the future without additional coding. - tech support
Tech support is another essential feature your builder has to have. Especially if you are new to the scene, having constant 24/7 support will allow your store to function seamlessly. - check platform policies
Lastly, check the platform policies before finally saying yes and buying a subscription. Some companies often have hidden policies and fees that they do not disclose on their websites. That is why you should always check platform policies and terms of service before committing to a builder. There you can find everything you are agreeing to do by buying a subscription and everything your provider promises to do for you.
The Top 10 Best Ecommerce Website Builders
- Overall Score: 4.7
- Ease-of-Use: 5.0
- Design and Templates: 5.0
- Help with Building: 4.3
- Tech Support: 4.4
- Check Platform Policies: 4.8
Wix is one of the most popular website builders on the market. It makes the process of creating a site easy and enjoyable for all.
The same goes for its web store solution – Wix eCommerce. Creating an online store and starting to sell online with Wix eCommerce is pretty straightforward and does not take a lot of time at all.
Ever since it started, the company has been adding a great deal of features to its eCommerce solution. Thus, Wix eCommerce has become a fully integrated business solution with a wide array of impressive features and tools in its back pocket.
Pros:
- Easy-to-use editor
- It offers almost every feature you could need for your eCommerce store
- Powerful features
- Multichannel integration
- Provides over 500 professional online store templates
Cons:
- Low-end plans have bandwidth limits
- An online store is not included in free and basic plans
- The starter plan does not remove ads from your website
Plan | Business Basic | Business Unlimited | Business VIP |
Price | US $17/month | US $25/month | US $17/month |
Number of Products | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Free Trials | 14-day trial period | 14-day trial period | 14-day trial period |
Additional Feature | Remove Wix ads from your website. | Subscriptions, multiple currencies, selling on marketplaces, remove Wix ads from your website. | Customized reports, subscriptions, multiple currencies, sell on marketplaces, remove Wix ads from your website. |
Wix’s Outstanding Features:
Wix is one of our top choices for the best website builder for eCommerce for several reasons.
- drag-and-drop builder
Wix is incredibly versatile, and its drag-and-drop builder is easy to use even for beginners. - pre-made templates
Wix offers almost one thousand pre-made templates, which is a lot more than what most eCommerce website builders offer. - no additional transaction fees
Another great feature we like about Wix is that it does not charge any additional or secret transaction fees, unlike other builders. So, all online payments from a Wix store are 100% commission-free. - unlimited number of products
All eCommerce plans include an unlimited number of products you can have, so the revenue you can generate is infinite. What’s more, even if you choose the cheapest plan, you will still get everything you need to build your online store. That is why we deem Wix as the best builder for small online stores. - easy-to-use interface
Also, its easy-to-use interface makes it perfect for people who are just starting their eCommerce journey. - unlimited bandwidth and free domain for one year
Every Wix plan includes unlimited bandwidth and a free domain for a year. That is even greater for small stores since they get a lot of unlimited features even if they choose the cheapest plan. - SEO tools
A feature that stands out from Wix is its SEO tools. Wix’s SEO tools allow users to optimize their website for mobile. They can do that by creating an automatic mobile-friendly version of their website as they are customizing it. Also, Wix’s SEO tools can get your website listed on Google immediately within 60 seconds.
Wix is one of the most popular website builders for a reason. It offers many useful tools that make building and managing an online store a piece of cake. Since it is packed with powerful features, creating a website with Wix allows people to do virtually anything they want and build the website of their dreams.
2. HostPapa – Best for your online store’s security
- Overall Score: 4.9
- Ease-of-Use: 5.0
- Design and Templates: 5.0
- Help with Building: 4.8
- Tech Support: 5.0
- Check Platform Policies: 4.6
HostPapa is one of the best website builders out there. If you consider whether to use HostPapa to create an online store, you should definitely give it a try. This website builder comes with an eCommerce hosting plan that provides a one-click installation of some of the best eCommerce tools. Creating an online store with HostPapa will be a true enjoyment. You will have your eCommerce-optimized store in about 5 minutes.
Pros:
- Easy-to-use
- It offers some of the best eCommerce features
- One-click installation of eCommerce tools
- Fast-loading store
- Provides hundreds of professional online store templates
Cons:
- High-priced add-ons at checkout
- You should pay extra for the advanced security features
Developing the perfect eCommerce online store can be pretty challenging. That’s why the team of HostPapa provides fantastic support, proactive security features, and flexible designs that will deliver only the best of your business. The HostPapa eCommerce hosting plan, which is pretty affordable, will help you achieve the best.
Plan | Starter | Business | Business Pro |
Price | US $2.95/month | US $2.95/month | US $9.95/month |
Number Of Products | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
Free Trial | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Additional Feature |
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HostPapa outstanding features
- Proactive Security
HostPapa’s hosting plans come with a great package of security features. Your eCommerce store will be protected by a server firewall, monitoring, DDoS attack prevention and responses, RAID-10 redundancy, SSL certificates, network monitoring, brute force detection, and a few more. What we also found amazing is that you don’t need to purchase the most advanced hosting plan to get all of these. The above-mentioned features are available in the most basic plan.
However, by purchasing the Business Pro plan, you will get domain privacy protection, a premium Wildcard SSL certificate, a daily malware scan, a dedicated IP address, and automated website backups. - Superb loading speed and uptime
One of the most crucial things for your online store is for it to be fast and to be always up, at least most of the time. These elements will help you gain more page traffic but also maintain it. If your store faces some issues, like downtime or slow loading time, the visitors will simply exit your page, and you will lose potential customers. That’s why HostPapa has high-speed servers that provide an uptime of 99.96%, which is fantastic, and a loading speed of 594 ms. - SEO tools
Nowadays, almost everyone is on their phones, and they even order things from their mobile phones. Having a mobile-optimized platform is essential, especially if you provide eCommerce hosting. Because of that, HostPapa decided to optimize its platform to be mobile phone-friendly, so their loyal or potential customers can have a pleasant experience no matter where they are.
There is a reason why HostPapa has a place in many reviews on the Internet. With each feature, optimization, and improvement, HostPapa proves that it may become the best of the best one day. Its numerous security features and eCommerce tools make this website builder stand out from the rest.
- Overall Score: 4.7
- Ease-of-use: 4.8
- Pricing: 4.7
- Design: 4.6
- Customer Support: 4.6
- Features: 4.7
GoDaddy is primarily a domain registrar and a web hosting company. It was founded in 1997, and ever since then, it has served more than 20 million users worldwide. In addition to providing domain registration and web hosting services, GoDaddy also has its own website builder with which you can create, design, and manage a website. Also, thanks to its excellent ADI website builder, GoDaddy allows users to create a website and get online quickly – within minutes.
Pros:
- Mobile-responsive designs
- Users can switch their templates whenever they want
- Powerful features
- ADI functionality
Cons:
- Not suitable for more complex, content-driven websites
GoDaddy is best known for its reliable and fast services. It is an excellent solution for creating all kinds of websites, including eCommerce sites, business websites, blogs, etc.
Plan | Basic | Standard | Premium | eCommerce |
Price | UK £5.59/month | UK £7.99/month | UK £11.99/month | UK £15.99/month |
Number of Products | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
Free Trials | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Additional Feature |
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GoDaddy Outstanding Features:
- ADI Functionality
Users can take advantage of GoDaddy’s excellent ADI website builder and get online within minutes. With GoDaddy’s ADI, users will only have to answer a few website-related questions and leave the rest of the website-creating process up to the builder. The builder will create a website based on the answers that users give to the previously-mentioned questions. Thus, within minutes, you will have an entire, fully-functioning website at your disposal and ready to launch. Also, if you want to edit or change something to the website before launching it, you can do so easily with GoDaddy.
- Templates
GoDaddy’s template library includes templates suitable for all kinds of industries and purposes, including:
- Coming Soon templates;
- Fashion & Beauty;
- Home Services;
- Health & Fitness;
- Online Store;
- Photography;
- Art & Design;
- Restaurants & Food;
- Music;
- Professional Services;
- Personal & Blog;
- Automotive & Cars;
- Travel;
- Community & Nonprofit;
- And more.
- Other Features
By creating your website will GoDaddy, you will be able to take advantage of the following features:
- The ability to manage your website, social media, email marketing, and online store in one place;
- More than 20 theme filters that you can use to change fonts, colors, and layouts;
- GoDaddy Studio;
- Web hosting is included in all plans;
- Click and drag reorder;
- Backup and Restore;
- Dropdown menus;
- Promo banners;
- Contact forms;
- Calls-to-action;
- Single image library;
- SEO optimization;
- Email marketing;
- Sync with Facebook;
- Instagram Connect;
- Integration with Google My Business;
- Over by GoDaddy, which allows you to create unique social media posts;
- And more.
GoDaddy is an excellent website builder with which you can create a robust eCommerce website and sell online. You can also promote your business and increase your sales with GoDaddy’s marketing tools and rank your website higher on search engines with GoDaddy’s SEO tools. If you want to learn more about GoDaddy, you can do so by reading our expert review on the builder.
- Overall Score: 4.6
- Ease-of-Use: 4.6
- Design and Templates: 5.0
- Help with Building: 4.3
- Tech Support: 5.0
- Check Platform Policies: 4.3
Shopify is another popular eCommerce company that allows users to start, grow, and manage their business. Not only can users build and grow their online business with Shopify, but they can also sell in physical locations using Shopify’s POS.
Shopify has all the tools needed for starting and managing an online store and offers many tools that you can use to make cool changes to your store at any time. Thus, Shopify is an excellent solution for an eCommerce business, especially for larger, already established businesses.
Pros:
- Multichannel integration
- Huge app selection
- 24/7 customer support
- Gift card options
- Easy to modify your store
Cons:
- More expensive than other builders
- Not very user-friendly
Plan | Basic | Shopify | Advanced |
Price | US $29/month | US $79/month | US $299/month |
Number of Products | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Free Trials | 14-day trial period | 14-day trial period | 14-day trial period |
Additional Feature | Shipping discount up to 77%, Shopify POS Lite. | Shipping discount up to 88%, USPS Priority Mail Cubic pricing, Shopify POS Lite, International domains, International pricing. | Third-party calculated shipping rates, shipping discount up to 88%, USPS Priority Mail Cubic pricing, Shopify POS Lite, International domains, International pricing, International pricing (per variant pricing). |
Shopify’s Outstanding Features:
- customer service
Shopify’s customer service truly stands out from the rest of the competition. Not only does it provide 24/7 support, but it also provides users with at least two staff members to help them with building their website. The agents help users with whatever they need and guide them through the whole process of building an online store. - modifying feature
One of the features we like the most from Shopify is its modifying feature. Modifying designs is truly easy, and you can modify everything, including pre-made templates. - free high-resolution stock photos
Shopify also provides you with free high-resolution stock photos that you can use on your website. - unlimited products, assistance, and selling all kinds of products
What makes it great for large businesses is that you can sell unlimited products, have more than two employees assist you with whatever you need, and sell both physical and digital goods and services. - numerous sales features
Shopify also offers numerous sales features, like Shopify POS Lite and Pro, the ability to sell products in 133 currencies, and conduct sales in up to 20 languages. So, it is an ideal choice for large companies that have customers all over the world. With Shopify, you will have an online invoice generator, which will make billing and collecting money much easier for you. You can also sell products and services across multiple channels, including Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. - manage everything in one place
Another feature that not many other website builders have is the ability to manage all your sales, accounting, and inventory through one platform, even if you own a regular brick-and-mortar store. Yes, you read that right. You can manage both your online and physical stores all in one place with Shopify.
Shopify is the ideal choice for large companies that need to run a multi-product eCommerce store with inventory, marketing tools, customer records, and unlimited products. The ability to manage everything in one place, including sales, accounting, and inventory, is an excellent option that not many other providers have and is an excellent one to have for any business.
- Overall Score: 4.5
- Ease-of-Use: 5.0
- Design and Templates: 5.0
- Help with Building: 4.2
- Tech Support: 4.3
- Check Platform Policies: 4.2
The features and tools that Squarespace offers are an ideal fit for anyone that puts design first. Squarespace’s design options make products stand out and be the main attraction on a website.
Pros:
- Flexible payments
- Easily customizable templates
- Drag-and-drop site builder
- Allows data import and export
- G Suite Integration
Cons:
- No free plans
- Limited SEO tools
Plan | Personal | Business | Commerce (Basic) | Commerce (Advanced) |
Price | US $19/month | US $33/month | US $36/month | US $65/month |
Number of Products | None | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Free Trials | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Additional Feature | Mobile-Optimized Websites. | Fully integrated eCommerce, Mobile-Optimized Websites, Gift cards. | Fully integrated eCommerce, Mobile-Optimized Websites, Gift cards, Point of sale, Customer accounts, Products on Instagram. | Fully integrated eCommerce, Mobile-Optimized Websites, Gift cards, Point of sale, Customer accounts, Products on Instagram, Abandoned cart recovery, Sell subscription. |
Squarespace’s Outstanding Features:
Since Squarespace is built explicitly for creative and highly visual websites, it is our top choice for artists and photographers.
- templates
Squarespace’s templates are among the best on the market, with the most aesthetically pleasing designs. Also, you can customize the templates easily with an intuitive editing tool. - online booking tool
One standout feature that we like from Squarespace is its online booking tool. The tool allows you to sell premium spots on your calendar for custom work or consultation, making Squarespace the ideal tool for artists and photographers. - sell memberships and subscriptions
You can also sell memberships and subscriptions with the advanced commerce plan. That is an excellent feature for people who want to sell stock photography subscriptions, digital assets, and similar products. - excellent mobile app
Also, Squarespace has a mobile app that allows you to edit your website on the move. Furthermore, you can use the mobile app as a POS solution if you have physical locations or stores. - easy to set up
You need to complete six steps to build your online store with Squarespace. First, you need to pick a template and start your free trial. After that, you need to register or transfer your domain name. Then, you need to add products. After adding products, you need to connect to a payment processor. Lastly, you have to customize your online store in the way you like. After completing the steps, all you need to do is grow your online store with SEO and good marketing.
To sum up, you can see that Squarespace is easy to use and not time-consuming at all. Its primary focus is on design and aesthetics, so it is the ideal choice for individuals or businesses that want to showcase their products or abilities in the best (and most aesthetically-pleasing) light.
- Overall Score: 4.1
- Ease-of-Use: 4.5
- Design and Templates: 4.0
- Help with Building: 4.1
- Tech Support: 4.0
- Check Platform Policies: 4.1
BigCommerce offers many services, including online store creation. BigCommerce’s online store builder focuses primarily on providing the best features for rapid growth, like numerous built-in sales tools, multichannel integration, and more.
It is designed to boost companies into the big leagues, making it the best builder for rapid scalability out there!
Pros:
- B2B Selling Tools
- Many built-in features
- Multichannel Selling
- Mobile Friendly
- User Friendly
- Easy to set up
Cons:
- No multi-lingual store
- Themes for customizing a website are expensive
Plan | Standard | Plus | Pro | Enterprise |
Price | US $29.95/month | US $79.95/month | US $299.95/month | Custom pricing |
Number of Products | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Free Trials | Yes | Yes | Yes | / |
Additional Feature | Point of sale, Selling on Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Facebook, Instagram, Google Shopping, Single-page checkout. | Point of sale, Selling on Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Facebook, Instagram, Google Shopping, Single-page checkout, Abandoned cart saver. | Point of sale, Selling on Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Facebook, Instagram, Google Shopping, Single-page checkout, Abandoned cart saver, Google customer reviews. | Point of sale, Selling on Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Facebook, Instagram, Google Shopping, Single-page checkout, Abandoned cart saver, Google customer reviews, Unlimited API calls. |
BigCommerce’s Outstanding Features:
- growth-driven features
BigCommerce focuses more on already-established businesses that want to grow quickly. That is why it is our best choice for scaling quickly. Your website can quickly grow with BigCommerce as it uses automation, personalizing the customer experience, and delivering enhanced strategies to attract new customers in its website building strategy. - multichannel integration
With BigCommerce, you can sell on multiple channels like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Also, you will not have to pay any transaction fees. Thus, you will keep more of the money you make through your sales. - single-page checkout
One of its features that genuinely stands out is its single-page checkout process. Not only is the process fast and straightforward, but it also boosts conversion rates. Most website builders offer a two-page checkout process, which means that customers have to go through more steps to buy something. By reducing the number of steps in the checkout process, BigCommerce allows you to boost your sales and revenue. - excellent eCommerce features
No matter which plans you choose, you will get fantastic eCommerce features like coupons, discounts, reporting tools, product ratings and reviews, a built-in blog, and real-time shipping quotes with all of them. All of those features can help you grow, and that is why we deem BigCommerce as the best builder for scaling quickly.
BigCommerce is extremely growth-driven and offers the tools and features to prove that. With it, businesses have the opportunity to grow fast, unlike with any other builders. So, BigCommerce is an excellent choice for companies that are primarily focused on sales and need powerful sales features for their online store.
- Overall Score: 4.0
- Ease-of-Use: 4.5
- Design and Templates: 4.3
- Help with Building: 3.8
- Tech Support: 3.8
- Check Platform Policies: 4.0
Zyro is a website builder that has its own drag-and-drop builder. The goal behind its drag-and-drop builder is to allow users to build a website with no coding knowledge and background.
Since 2019, Zyro has been improving and perfecting its features and tools, making them as easy to use for everyone as possible. It uses Artificial Intelligence to make the whole process of building and managing a site as intuitive and simple as it can be.
Pros:
- Intuitive user interface
- Drag-and-drop builder
- Simple to use
- AI tools
- A lot of free images
Cons:
- Limited support
- Difficult to connect with domain names
Plan | Website | Business | Online Store | Advanced Store |
Price | US $2.61/month | US $4.41/month | US $8.01/month | US $14.31/month |
Number of Products | None | Up to 100 | Up to 100 | Up to 2,500 |
Free Trials | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Additional Feature | Free domain for one year, Free email for three months, 24/7 customer support, Marketing integrations, Unlimited bandwidth, Unlimited storage, AI, and blogging tools. | Free domain for one year, Free email for three months, 24/7 customer support, Marketing integrations, Unlimited bandwidth, Unlimited storage, AI and blogging tools, Accepts online payments. | Free domain for one year, Free email for three months, 24/7 customer support, Marketing integrations, More than 70 payment methods, Unlimited bandwidth, Unlimited storage, AI and blogging tools, Accept online payments, All eCommerce functions. | Free domain for one year, Free email for three months, 24/7 customer support, Marketing integrations, More than 70 payment methods, Abandoned cart recovery, Selling in multiple languages, Unlimited bandwidth, Unlimited storage, AI and blogging tools, Accepts online payments, All eCommerce functions, Product filters, Selling on Amazon and eBay. |
Zyro’s Outstanding Features:
- in-depth analytical tools
In addition to the features we mentioned above, Zyro also offers deep marketing, tracking, and targeting tools. Zyro has the best price available for such in-depth analytical tools. - options for running sales and rearranging products
With Zyro, you can rearrange products on your site based on how things are selling. You can also run a sale if one of your items leads to many abandoned carts. - intuitive website builder
One feature that stands out at Zyro is its intuitive website builder. It makes the process of building a website incredibly easy and fast. Also, Zyro offers full-fledged inventory and order management tools in its plans. Also, accepting payments is very easy, and you can accept payments of all types – including payments from Stripe, PayPal, traditional credit cards, and more. - multichannel selling
Another great feature you can find at Zyro is the ability to sell your products across multiple platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Amazon. The feature that stands out most and sets Zyro apart is its powerful AI business tools. Zyro’s AI business tools use machine learning and artificial intelligence to help you create your online store. Some of the AI tools you will get at Zyro include:- A slogan generator
- Logo maker
- A business name generator
- An AI content generator and an AI heatmap.
Also, the AI content generator is optimized for SEO which is ideal for those that want to write product descriptions and other written content.
Using Zyro as a website builder is the definition of simplicity. It uses Artificial Intelligence to make sure that users have the most straightforward and easy experience, and the company is always improving and increasing the level of simplicity of its website builder. Not only can everyone and their mom use Zyro and get the hang of it quickly, but the company also offers great features and tools to its users.
- Overall Score: 3.5
- Ease-of-Use: 3.8
- Design and Templates: 3.5
- Help with Building: 3.4
- Tech Support: 3.4
- Check Platform Policies: 3.4
Weebly eCommerce is a great solution for an online store. It offers reasonable prices and a solid range of features which means that you will get a great value for your money.
Its drag-and-drop editor gives users the ability to edit every aspect of their website, add new blog posts, manage their store and orders, and ask for support directly through the app. It is flexible and offers users the opportunity to make changes and tweak their stores as much as they want.
Pros:
- Drag-and-drop site builder
- Product search feature
- Multiple payment options
- Affordable prices
Cons:
- Limited plug-ins
- Limited SEO tools
Plan | Pro | Business | Business Plus |
Price | US $12/month | US $25/month | US $38/month |
Number of Products | 25 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Free Trials | No | No | No |
Additional Feature |
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Weebly’s Outstanding Features:
- affordable prices
Weebly offers some of the most affordable prices for website builders on the market. So, Weebly is among the most affordable options you can get. - great payment options and POS opportunities
With Weebly, you can accept payments via PayPal, Stripe, and Square. It is a good place to start building your online presence, suitable for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Square powers it, so it is easy to integrate the Square POS with your online store at Weebly. Integrating your Weebly online store with Square POS will allow you to manage your products and inventory in one place, which is always a great feature to have. - beginner-friendly
Also, you will not need to do any coding to launch your online store with Weebly. Furthermore, you will get tools for SEO, email, site stats, inventory, shipping, and more. Even though Weebly’s SEO tools are more limited than those of other website builders, they are enough to get you started. - product search feature
Weebly has a product search feature that you can use in your online store. It will allow your customers to find what they need fast. - flexible
Creating your online store will take up to one hour max, and adding new products to your site will be easy for you, even if you are a beginner with no experience. You can also remove out-of-stock products, push updates, and track inventory levels with Weebly. Also, you can create coupons, offer gift cards, and manage inventory in real-time as customers order your products. Thus, Weebly is great for beginners with a smaller scope of operations who are looking to start their online journey.
Weebly is one of the most flexible website builders on the market. With it, users can easily add, change, and do whatever they please on their websites. It offers affordable prices and a good value for money. Also, Weebly is beginner-friendly and comes with enough SEO tools to get you started.
- Overall Score: 3.3
- Ease-of-Use: 3.7
- Design and Templates: 3.5
- Help with Building: 3.0
- Tech Support: 3.0
- Check Platform Policies: 3.3
Shift4Shop is another old-timer with more than two decades of experience and presence on the market. It develops electronic eCommerce applications for online stores and POS systems.
Shift4Shop offers a lot of built-in features in its plans and is suitable for social and mobile online commerce. Aslo, it allows users to engage in dropshipping if they want to, no matter where they are from.
Pros:
- Free enterprise-level online store
- More than 200 built-in features
- Easy to use
- Social and mobile online commerce
Cons:
- Customers support is based in the United States only
- The free plan is available for US-based organizations and individuals only
Plan | End-to-end eCommerce | Basic Store | Plus Store | Pro Store |
Price | Free | US $25/month | US $38/month | |
Number of Products | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Free Trials | Yes | No | No | No |
Additional Feature |
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Shift4Shop’s Outstanding Features:
- free enterprise-grade eCommerce plan
Shift4Shop truly stands out from the crowd due to its free enterprise-grade eCommerce plan. However, it is further down our Top 10 best website builders for eCommerce list because the free plan is only available for US merchants.Nevertheless, let’s look into Shift4Shop’s free plan. It includes all the features one might expect from an enterprise-grade website builder. The plan includes unlimited products, unlimited bandwidth, SEO tools, and more than 100 themes for your online store. - many additional features
Shift4Shop has additional transaction fees that are standard for the eCommerce industry and are 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. It also comes with many additional features that we mentioned above and is a great builder for seasonal business.
Choosing Shift4Shop should come as a no-brainer for US merchants. Its free enterprise-grade plan comes with everything a user might need for their online store and more. So, as long as you use their credit card processing and are based in the US, Shift4Shop is a great solution for your online store.
- Overall Score: 3.1
- Ease-of-Use: 3.0
- Design and Templates: 3.2
- Help with Building: 3.0
- Tech Support: 3.1
- Check Platform Policies: 3.4
BigCartel’s main focus is small businesses and freelance workers. Thus, it provides all the basic features one might need to sell online.
It is a great stepping stone and starter point that lets users create and manage their store from any device with Internet access. Thus, users can manage their stores on the move, wherever they are.
Pros:
- Allows you to sell up to five products for free
- Multiple payment methods
- Suitable for selling individual pieces of art
- Affordable prices
Cons:
- Not very suitable for scalability
- Not as beginner-friendly as its competitors
Plan | Gold Features | Platinum Features | Diamond Features |
Price | Free | US $9.99/month | US $19.9/month |
Number of Products | 5 | 50 | 500 |
Free Trials | Free | No | No |
Additional Feature | Sell online and in-person, real-time statistics, use a custom domain, offer discounts and run promos, shipment tracking, sales tax autopilot. | Sell online and in-person, real-time statistics, use a custom domain, offer discounts and run promos, shipment tracking, sales tax autopilot, theme code editing, Google Analytics, inventory tracking, bulk editing. | Sell online and in-person, real-time statistics, use a custom domain, offer discounts and run promos, shipment tracking, sales tax autopilot, theme code editing, Google Analytics, inventory tracking, bulk editing. |
BigCartel’s Outstanding Features:
- simple features ideal for custom-made products
Big Cartel is an excellent solution for people who want to sell a few products online. So, it is excellent for individual products and custom-made products. It has simple features and enough sales options for creators who need something small to sell their pieces. - options to promote your work
Artists and creators can also tag their Big Cartel products on Instagram, which is an excellent feature for showcasing artwork and similar products. - good payment options and standard transaction fees
BigCartel allows users to use payment processing platforms like PayPal and Stripe. Also, there are no in-house transaction fees. However, you will still have to pay transaction fees imposed by the payment processor. Those fees are usually 2.9% + $0.30 for each sale, but that is a standard occurrence with many online store builders.
BigCartel is a great option for those who do not need a lot of advanced features and tools for their online stores. It is ideal for people who want to sell their individual or custom-made products online, or offer their services to make such products.
How Much Do eCommerce Website Builders Cost?
There are many factors in making an eCommerce website. And all of those factors affect the total price you will pay for your subscriptions. Knowing which factors are considered when making an eCommerce website and how much they cost will help you estimate the price you will need to pay to start your online eCommerce business.
The costs (factors) that go into making an eCommerce website include the following:
- Payment processing costs
- Web hosting costs
- Add-ons and extensions costs
- Design costs
As you may or may not know, every website needs hosting. Also, you will need a domain name which is your website’s address on the Internet. Many website builders offer web hosting as a part of their eCommerce plans. However, sometimes you might need to buy a separate web hosting plan for your online store. Basic web hosting plans usually start at $7.99 a month, although there are cheaper and more expensive options out there. Domain names usually start at $14.99 a year. However, some hosting providers offer a free domain name in their plans.
The industry standard for payment processing amounts to 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. However, some payment gateways, like Authorize.net, also require you to pay additional monthly fees as well.
The total design cost for an average-sized eCommerce website can start from $1,500 and go to $6,000. As for larger eCommerce websites, the design costs can start from $10,000 and go to $30,000. Remember that you do not pay those fees; however, the costs are dispersed in the website builder’s subscription prices.
The price you pay for add-ons depends on the number of features your provider offers. So, if your provider offers a large number of features included in their plans, you will end up paying a couple of hundreds of dollars for them or nothing at all. A lot of the website builders that we mentioned above offer more than enough features, so you most likely won’t need to buy any add-ons or extensions.
Thus, the best value you can get on this market is by finding a provider that includes many features, web hosting, and high-quality templates in its plans.
Next Steps In Building the Perfect Ecommerce Website
Now that you have seen which are our top 10 picks for Best Website Builder for eCommerce, we will cover the things you need to consider when creating your eCommerce site.
Choosing the right software is essential for your online store because your site might never reach its true potential if you choose the wrong software.
Try it out first – Some builders offer free trials or free packages for their users. If the builder you choose offers a free trial or free plan, you should always try them out before finally buying a plan. That way, you can make sure that the builder you have chosen is suitable for you and learn how to use it.
Ask people to test your online store – you can ask friends, family, or other people to try out your store and see what they think. Their feedback can help you get rid of bugs and find out what you should keep in your store.
Optimize – Many builders offer numerous reporting tools that can help you improve your site. Make sure to use those tools consistently, as they can help you boost your sales and find out what your customers like and don’t like.
Prepare – Explore the features and tools your eCommerce builder offers and learn something about them. That can help you a lot in the future as you will already know which tool you might need or which feature you might use often. Also, if you already have a business, you should check if the software you will use is compatible with your existing payment systems and accounting software.
Summary
Creating an eCommerce site might seem impossible to you. However, with the help of the website builder we mentioned here, you can have your online store up and running in no time. You will notice that the most challenging thing you will have to do during this process is choosing the right website builder.
When choosing your builder, you have to pay attention to many things and details. Also, if you are new to all of this, you might get lost in all the tech talk and wind up even more confused than you were before. That is why this article exists. It can help you choose the most suitable builder for your eCommerce store as it provides information about the top 10 Best Ecommerce Website Builders on the market. You will not have to waste your time with providers that are not suitable for you and offer lousy performance. Instead, you can choose between ten world-class providers that will help you build your eCommerce site and start selling online.