Software directory
Best Ecommerce Platforms: 12 tools compared for 2026
An ecommerce platform is software for building and running an online store, covering product catalog, checkout, payments, orders and shipping. Hosted platforms handle servers and updates, while open-source options give more control and more maintenance. Buyers weigh cost, customization, scalability and sales channels.
- Tools compared
- 12
- Publish prices
- 9 of 12
- Free plan or trial
- 8 of 12
- Median G2 rating
- 4.3
Ecommerce Platforms at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Pricing model | Starting price | G2 rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Shopify | Small and mid-size brands that want a hosted store without managing servers. | flat monthly plan plus payment fees | $29/month billed yearly ($39 monthly) for Basic | 4.4 (4,964 reviews) |
 Wix eCommerce | Small shops and service businesses that want site and store in one editor. | tiered monthly plan billed yearly | Free plan; ecommerce from $29.77/month (Core) billed yearly | 4.2 (1,801 reviews) |
 WooCommerce | Merchants already on WordPress who want full code control. | free software plus hosting, extensions and processor fees | Free (core); hosting typically $25-$350/month | 4.4 (1,278 reviews) |
 Squarespace Commerce | Brands and creators that prioritize templates and design. | tiered monthly plan | EUR 12/month (Basic, lower of the two shown figures); 14-day trial | 4.4 (1,135 reviews) |
 BigCommerce | Growing stores wanting B2B tools and open APIs on a hosted platform. | flat monthly plan with sales caps | $29/month billed yearly (Core), $39 monthly | 4.2 (574 reviews) |
 Salesforce Commerce Cloud | Enterprise teams already on Salesforce who want sales-quoted B2C or B2B commerce. | custom | Contact sales | 4.3 (572 reviews) |
 Adobe Commerce (Magento) | Large merchants with in-house or agency developers. | custom | Contact sales | 4.0 (570 reviews) |
 Square Online | Existing Square POS merchants adding an online store. | flat + processing fees | Free | 4.2 (478 reviews) |
 Ecwid by Lightspeed | Sites that already exist and need a cart added. | flat | $5/month (Starter) | 4.7 (402 reviews) |
 PrestaShop | European merchants wanting open source control. | free software plus hosting, modules, payment fees | Free (source code download) | 4.3 (160 reviews) |
 Shift4Shop | Small to mid sellers who want many built-in features at a low flat price. | flat | $41/month (as advertised on homepage) | 3.9 (36 reviews) |
 Big Cartel | Artists and small makers who want a cheap flat-fee store. | flat | $15/month (Platinum) | 4.2 (27 reviews) |
Prices as published by each vendor on October 24, 2026. "Contact sales" means no public price. G2 ratings read on the same day.
How to compare ecommerce platforms
- Hosted versus self-hosted. Determines maintenance burden, control and who handles security.
- Payment processing and transaction fees. Fees on every sale often outweigh the monthly plan price.
- Themes and customization. Storefront flexibility affects brand fit and developer cost.
- App and integration ecosystem. Marketing, shipping and ERP integrations extend core features.
- Multichannel and marketplace selling. Selling on Amazon, social and POS needs native channel support.
- SEO and site performance. Clean URLs, speed and metadata control influence organic sales.
- B2B and wholesale features. Price lists, quotes and net terms serve business buyers.
- Scalability and checkout limits. Traffic, product and API limits matter as catalogs grow.
- Pricing model and transparency. Plan tiers, app costs and transaction fees together set total cost.
- Target company size. Starter stores, mid-market brands and enterprise suit different platforms.
| Tool | Hosted versus self-hosted | Payment processing and transaction fees | Themes and customization | App and integration ecosystem | Multichannel and marketplace selling | SEO and site performance | B2B and wholesale features | Scalability and checkout limits | Pricing model and transparency | Target company size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Hosted SaaS. | Shopify Payments online card 2.1% + EUR 0.30 on Basic down to 1.3% + EUR 0.30 on Plus; third-party gateways add 2% / 1% / 0.6% / 0.2% by plan. | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Staff seats rise from none (Basic) to 5, 15 and unlimited (Plus) | Four tiers, about 25% cheaper when paid yearly; fees fall as plan rises. | Starter stores to enterprise (Plus) |
| Wix eCommerce | Hosted SaaS. | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Storage 50 GB / 100 GB / unlimited by plan. | Yearly prepaid tiers; domain voucher only on first purchase. | Small business. |
| WooCommerce | Self-hosted on WordPress (host of your choice) | WooPayments about 2.50-2.90% + 30 cents; other gateways add no WooCommerce fee. | Not verified | Extensions sold a la carte at $29-$299/year each. | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | No product variant limits per vendor page; depends on your hosting. | Free core, costs shift to hosting, extensions and processor. | Small to large, developer-led. |
| Squarespace Commerce | Hosted SaaS. | Basic 2% store fee + 2.0% + EUR 0.25 card; Core 0% store fee; Advanced card 1.5% + EUR 0.25. | CSS/JS and code injection from Core up. | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Unlimited product sales on Basic per vendor page. | Four tiers, fee falls as plan rises. | Small business. |
| BigCommerce | Hosted SaaS. | Card rates from 2.89% + $0.29 (Amex 3.50%); Open Payment Provider fee 2.0% / 1.0% / 0.6% / none by plan. | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Price Lists on Performance only; customer groups on Growth and up. | Sales caps: $30K, $100K TTM GMV, $33,333/month on Scale; 0.9% overage on Scale. | Tiered with GMV caps, about 25% discount yearly. | Small to enterprise. |
| Salesforce Commerce Cloud | Salesforce-hosted SaaS. | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Separate B2B Growth Edition is sold. | Not verified | Contact for pricing; separate B2C Premium and B2B Growth editions. | Mid-market and enterprise (inferred from quote-only sales; not stated by vendor) |
| Adobe Commerce (Magento) | Cloud-hosted or self-managed (not verified) | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Quote-based. | Enterprise / upper mid-market. |
| Square Online | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | POS plus online ordering or booking site in one Square account. | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Free tier with pay-per-payment fees; Plus plan lowers processing fees. | Not verified |
| Ecwid by Lightspeed | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Instagram/Facebook from Venture; Amazon, eBay, Walmart marketplaces from Business; POS from Unlimited. | Not verified | Wholesale pricing groups from Business; no separate B2B plan. | Staff accounts: 2 on Business, unlimited on Unlimited. | Flat tiers by product limit (10 / 100 / 2,500 / unlimited) | Not verified |
| PrestaShop | Self-hosted (open source) or vendor-hosted offer. | Not verified | Marketplace modules and themes. | Thousands of modules and themes per vendor homepage. | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Free core, paid modules and hosting. | Small to mid-size. |
| Shift4Shop | Hosted SaaS. | Not verified | 100+ free themes, free SSL, free domain registration. | Not verified | Facebook, eBay, Amazon integrations. | SEO-optimized templates. | Not verified | Not verified | Single advertised unlimited plan at $41/month. | Not verified |
| Big Cartel | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Zapier connections to 7,000+ apps on Diamond. | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified | Flat monthly plans: free Gold, $15 Platinum, $30 Diamond. | Small sellers and makers (inferred) |
The 12 tools in detail
Shopify
Hosted ecommerce platform sold in Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus tiers, with payment fees that drop as the plan price rises.
- Starting price
- $29/month billed yearly ($39 monthly) for Basic
- Pricing model
- flat monthly plan plus payment fees
- G2 rating
- 4.4 (4,964 reviews)
- Hosted versus self-hosted
- Hosted SaaS.
- Payment processing and transaction fees
- Shopify Payments online card 2.1% + EUR 0.30 on Basic down to 1.3% + EUR 0.30 on Plus; third-party gateways add 2% / 1% / 0.6% / 0.2% by plan.
- Scalability and checkout limits
- Staff seats rise from none (Basic) to 5, 15 and unlimited (Plus)
- Pricing model and transparency
- Four tiers, about 25% cheaper when paid yearly; fees fall as plan rises.
Choose it if
- Small and mid-size brands that want a hosted store without managing servers.
- Merchants that will use Shopify Payments to avoid the third-party gateway fee.
- Brands that need a path from a cheap plan to Plus without replatforming.
Skip it if
- Merchants that must use an outside payment gateway at low volume (2% extra fee on Basic)
- Teams needing full server-level control of code and data.
- Anyone expecting SSO details on the public pricing page (not stated there)
Worth knowing
- Third-party payment gateway fee is 2% on Basic and 0.2% on Plus, on top of the gateway's own fees, so gateway choice changes plan economics.
- Basic includes no additional staff accounts; Grow adds 5, Advanced 15, Plus unlimited.
- Plus starts at EUR 2,100/month and the FAQ offers 1 or 3 year terms.
Wix eCommerce
Website builder with ecommerce on its Core, Business and Business Elite premium plans.
- Starting price
- Free plan; ecommerce from $29.77/month (Core) billed yearly
- Pricing model
- tiered monthly plan billed yearly
- G2 rating
- 4.2 (1,801 reviews)
- Hosted versus self-hosted
- Hosted SaaS.
- Scalability and checkout limits
- Storage 50 GB / 100 GB / unlimited by plan.
- Pricing model and transparency
- Yearly prepaid tiers; domain voucher only on first purchase.
- Target company size
- Small business.
Choose it if
- Small shops and service businesses that want site and store in one editor.
- Owners with no developer.
- Businesses that need bookings next to a store.
Skip it if
- Large catalogs needing complex B2B or ERP workflows.
- Teams wanting self-hosting.
Worth knowing
- Ecommerce starts at Core; Light has no ecommerce listed.
- Listed prices are yearly, paid in full upfront.
- Free domain voucher applies to first purchase only, not renewal or upgrade.
WooCommerce
Free open source ecommerce plugin for WordPress where you pay for hosting, extensions and your chosen payment processor.
- Starting price
- Free (core); hosting typically $25-$350/month
- Pricing model
- free software plus hosting, extensions and processor fees
- G2 rating
- 4.4 (1,278 reviews)
- Hosted versus self-hosted
- Self-hosted on WordPress (host of your choice)
- Payment processing and transaction fees
- WooPayments about 2.50-2.90% + 30 cents; other gateways add no WooCommerce fee.
- App and integration ecosystem
- Extensions sold a la carte at $29-$299/year each.
- Scalability and checkout limits
- No product variant limits per vendor page; depends on your hosting.
Choose it if
- Merchants already on WordPress who want full code control.
- Stores with unusual product or checkout logic that justifies developer time.
- Merchants wanting no platform revenue share.
Skip it if
- Teams without anyone to handle hosting, updates and security.
- Merchants wanting one vendor to call for everything.
Worth knowing
- Core software is free with 0% revenue share; real cost is hosting ($25-$350/month per vendor) plus extensions.
- Extensions are priced $29-$299 per year each, so a stack of them recurs annually.
- You carry security, updates and backups yourself unless the host does.
Squarespace Commerce
Design-led website builder whose Core, Plus and Advanced plans add commerce with lower card rates as the plan rises.
- Starting price
- EUR 12/month (Basic, lower of the two shown figures); 14-day trial
- Pricing model
- tiered monthly plan
- G2 rating
- 4.4 (1,135 reviews)
- Hosted versus self-hosted
- Hosted SaaS.
- Payment processing and transaction fees
- Basic 2% store fee + 2.0% + EUR 0.25 card; Core 0% store fee; Advanced card 1.5% + EUR 0.25.
- Themes and customization
- CSS/JS and code injection from Core up.
- Scalability and checkout limits
- Unlimited product sales on Basic per vendor page.
Choose it if
- Brands and creators that prioritize templates and design.
- Small stores wanting site and store from one vendor.
- Sellers of digital content or memberships.
Skip it if
- Stores wanting extensive app marketplaces or advanced B2B.
- Basic plan users needing custom code (not included)
Worth knowing
- Basic charges a 2% store transaction fee on top of card fees; Core and up remove it.
- CSS/JS customization and code injection start at Core.
- Digital content and membership fee is 7% on Basic, 5% Core, 1% Plus, 0% Advanced.
Full Squarespace Commerce review · Squarespace Commerce alternatives
BigCommerce
Hosted ecommerce platform whose plans are capped by trailing twelve month sales, with Enterprise-style Performance tier.
- Starting price
- $29/month billed yearly (Core), $39 monthly
- Pricing model
- flat monthly plan with sales caps
- G2 rating
- 4.2 (574 reviews)
- Hosted versus self-hosted
- Hosted SaaS.
- Payment processing and transaction fees
- Card rates from 2.89% + $0.29 (Amex 3.50%); Open Payment Provider fee 2.0% / 1.0% / 0.6% / none by plan.
- B2B and wholesale features
- Price Lists on Performance only; customer groups on Growth and up.
- Scalability and checkout limits
- Sales caps: $30K, $100K TTM GMV, $33,333/month on Scale; 0.9% overage on Scale.
Choose it if
- Growing stores wanting B2B tools and open APIs on a hosted platform.
- Merchants that want no transaction fee on embedded payment providers.
- Mid-market brands expecting to cross sales tiers.
Skip it if
- Merchants who dislike sales-based plan caps and forced upgrades.
- Tiny stores wanting the cheapest possible plan.
Worth knowing
- Plans are capped by trailing twelve month sales ($30K on Core, $100K on Growth), so growth forces upgrades.
- Scale charges 0.9% overage above its $33,333 monthly cap.
- Price Lists (B2B) appear only on Performance per the pricing page.
Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Enterprise B2C and B2B commerce SaaS from Salesforce, sold only through sales quotes.
- Starting price
- Contact sales
- Pricing model
- custom
- G2 rating
- 4.3 (572 reviews)
- Hosted versus self-hosted
- Salesforce-hosted SaaS.
- B2B and wholesale features
- Separate B2B Growth Edition is sold.
- Pricing model and transparency
- Contact for pricing; separate B2C Premium and B2B Growth editions.
- Target company size
- Mid-market and enterprise (inferred from quote-only sales; not stated by vendor)
Choose it if
- Enterprise teams already on Salesforce who want sales-quoted B2C or B2B commerce.
Skip it if
- Small shops that need public self-serve pricing.
Worth knowing
- Pricing page lists B2C Premium and B2B Growth Edition as separate products.
- All commerce products show 'Contact for pricing' with no public numbers.
- Success Plans (Standard, Premier, Signature) are sold on top of the product.
Adobe Commerce (Magento)
Enterprise commerce platform from Adobe built on the Magento codebase, sold by quote.
- Starting price
- Contact sales
- Pricing model
- custom
- G2 rating
- 4.0 (570 reviews)
- Hosted versus self-hosted
- Cloud-hosted or self-managed (not verified)
- Pricing model and transparency
- Quote-based.
- Target company size
- Enterprise / upper mid-market.
Choose it if
- Large merchants with in-house or agency developers.
- Complex catalogs and B2B needing deep customization.
Skip it if
- Small stores without developer budget.
- Buyers needing published prices.
Worth knowing
- Adobe bought Magento for $1.68 billion, closed June 19, 2018 (Wikipedia).
- Magento Commerce was rebranded Adobe Commerce in April 2021; the free edition is Magento Open Source.
- Code is under OSL v3.
Square Online
Square's website and online store builder, bundled with Square's POS and payments.
- Starting price
- Free
- Pricing model
- flat + processing fees
- G2 rating
- 4.2 (478 reviews)
- Multichannel and marketplace selling
- POS plus online ordering or booking site in one Square account.
- Pricing model and transparency
- Free tier with pay-per-payment fees; Plus plan lowers processing fees.
Choose it if
- Existing Square POS merchants adding an online store.
Skip it if
- Merchants who want to use a third-party processor (not verified)
Worth knowing
- Free plan includes POS app and a basic site or online store.
- Plus lowers both in-person and online processing fees.
- Texts: first 500 free, then 3 cents each.
Ecwid by Lightspeed
Add-to-any-site store widget and standalone store, priced by product count in four paid tiers.
- Starting price
- $5/month (Starter)
- Pricing model
- flat
- G2 rating
- 4.7 (402 reviews)
- Multichannel and marketplace selling
- Instagram/Facebook from Venture; Amazon, eBay, Walmart marketplaces from Business; POS from Unlimited.
- B2B and wholesale features
- Wholesale pricing groups from Business; no separate B2B plan.
- Scalability and checkout limits
- Staff accounts: 2 on Business, unlimited on Unlimited.
- Pricing model and transparency
- Flat tiers by product limit (10 / 100 / 2,500 / unlimited)
Choose it if
- Sites that already exist and need a cart added.
Skip it if
- Merchants needing a free plan.
Worth knowing
- Product limits gate the tiers: 10, 100, 2,500, unlimited.
- Phone support starts at Business.
- Marketplace selling may add third-party app fees.
PrestaShop
Open source ecommerce software from France, free to download with paid hosted offer, modules and themes.
- Starting price
- Free (source code download)
- Pricing model
- free software plus hosting, modules, payment fees
- G2 rating
- 4.3 (160 reviews)
- Hosted versus self-hosted
- Self-hosted (open source) or vendor-hosted offer.
- Themes and customization
- Marketplace modules and themes.
- App and integration ecosystem
- Thousands of modules and themes per vendor homepage.
- Pricing model and transparency
- Free core, paid modules and hosting.
Choose it if
- European merchants wanting open source control.
- Developers building customized stores.
Skip it if
- Merchants wanting a fully managed platform with no technical upkeep.
- Teams needing a huge ecosystem of US apps.
Worth knowing
- Vendor claims 250,000+ merchants.
- MBE Worldwide took over PrestaShop in November 2021 and later renamed itself Fortidia (Wikipedia).
- Licensed under OSL.
Shift4Shop
Hosted ecommerce platform owned or affiliated with Shift4 (formerly 3dcart), advertised as one unlimited plan.
- Starting price
- $41/month (as advertised on homepage)
- Pricing model
- flat
- G2 rating
- 3.9 (36 reviews)
- Hosted versus self-hosted
- Hosted SaaS.
- Themes and customization
- 100+ free themes, free SSL, free domain registration.
- Multichannel and marketplace selling
- Facebook, eBay, Amazon integrations.
- SEO and site performance
- SEO-optimized templates.
Choose it if
- Small to mid sellers who want many built-in features at a low flat price.
Skip it if
- Teams that need verified pricing terms before buying.
Worth knowing
- Homepage advertises 100+ free themes, free SSL and free domain.
- Cart abandonment tools and PayPal-integrated payments listed.
- Homepage compares itself to competitors at up to $299/month Standard and $2,000+ Enterprise.
Big Cartel
Low-cost store builder aimed at artists and small makers, with a free tier and two paid plans.
- Starting price
- $15/month (Platinum)
- Pricing model
- flat
- G2 rating
- 4.2 (27 reviews)
- App and integration ecosystem
- Zapier connections to 7,000+ apps on Diamond.
- Pricing model and transparency
- Flat monthly plans: free Gold, $15 Platinum, $30 Diamond.
- Target company size
- Small sellers and makers (inferred)
Choose it if
- Artists and small makers who want a cheap flat-fee store.
Skip it if
- Teams needing B2B or multichannel features.
Worth knowing
- Diamond is advertised as no commitment, cancel anytime.
- Zapier access to 7,000+ apps only on Diamond.
- Platinum starts with a 7-day trial.
Frequently asked questions
What are ecommerce platforms?
An ecommerce platform is software for building and running an online store, covering product catalog, checkout, payments, orders and shipping. Hosted platforms handle servers and updates, while open-source options give more control and more maintenance. Buyers weigh cost, customization, scalability and sales channels.
Which ecommerce platforms publish their pricing?
9 of the 12 tools we compared publish prices: Shopify ($29/month billed yearly ($39 monthly) for Basic); Wix eCommerce (Free plan; ecommerce from $29.77/month (Core) billed yearly); WooCommerce (Free (core); hosting typically $25-$350/month); Squarespace Commerce (EUR 12/month (Basic, lower of the two shown figures); 14-day trial); BigCommerce ($29/month billed yearly (Core), $39 monthly); Square Online (Free); Ecwid by Lightspeed ($5/month (Starter)); Shift4Shop ($41/month (as advertised on homepage)); Big Cartel ($15/month (Platinum)). The others quote on request, so ask for a written quote that names the seat or spend basis, the term and the renewal uplift.
Which ecommerce platforms have a free plan or free trial?
Shopify (free trial), Wix eCommerce (free plan), WooCommerce (free plan), Squarespace Commerce (free trial), BigCommerce (free trial), Square Online (free plan), PrestaShop (free plan) and Big Cartel (free plan, free trial), according to the vendors' sites on October 24, 2026.
Which ecommerce platforms are rated highest on G2?
Among tools with at least 20 G2 reviews: Ecwid by Lightspeed 4.7 from 402 reviews, Shopify 4.4 from 4964 reviews, WooCommerce 4.4 from 1278 reviews. Ratings were read on October 24, 2026; small review counts move quickly, so read recent reviews from companies your size.