You want to start an online business or get your existing business online, but you're not sure which eCommerce website is best.
Maybe you're looking for the freedom and independence that an eCommerce business can provide. I can relate.
Whatever your eCommerce website needs are, at least one (most likely several) of the platforms below has you covered. These are not ordered from best to worst or vice-versa. Each one is unique, and which one is best for you depends on your business and your situation.
Best Websites for eCommerce
Let's start with the best eCommerce website builders, followed by some examples further below.
1. Shopify
Shopify Overview
Shopify is a powerful eCommerce builder with arguably the broadest range of eCommerce features. It's designed for businesses of all sizes. Whether you're selling physical goods or digital products, Shopify lets you sell anywhere, anytime, and on any device.
It's a one-stop-shop solution with a professional storefront for a great user experience. Shopify is also an eCommerce leader in online payment processing, inventory management, marketing, and shipping features.
You get unlimited bandwidth and online storage, plus advanced features, including gift cards, fraud analysis, analytics, and finance reports.
Key Features
- 10 Free Mobile-Friendly Storefront Templates
- Unlimited Products and Bandwidth
- More Than 100 Payment Gateways, Including Square, PayPal, Stripe, and Dwolla.
- Amazon and eBay Integration
- 24/7 Customer Support via Email and Phone.
- Support For Over 30 Languages
- Discount Codes
- WordPress Integration
- Advanced Reporting
- Real-Time Shipping Rates
- Product Categories and Collections
- Smile.io Loyalty Program Integration
Shopify Pricing
Shopify currently offers a 14-day free trial. Then, if you decide to continue, you can choose between the Basic, Shopify (Standard), or Advanced Plans.
- Basic Plan – $29/month
- Shopify Plan – $79/month
- Advanced Plan – $299/month
All plans include everything you need to get started. The basic plan will most likely be sufficient if you're just starting out.
The Shopify plan adds more reporting options, inventory locations, and staff accounts. It also provides a higher shipping discount and smaller payment fees.
The Advanced plan offers even better discounts and lower fees and adds eCommerce automation and international options such as pre-calculated duties and taxes.
Get Shopify's complete features and plan list on their pricing page.
Who Is Shopify Best For?
Shopify is great for all types of eCommerce stores but is suited particularly well to small businesses, startups, and individual entrepreneurs with online businesses. If you're a drop shipper, you might also consider Shopify.
2. Volusion
Volusion Overview
Volusion is an Austin Texas based eCommerce platform provider. They offer a wide range of options from basic shopping carts to more complex solutions such as product-based subscription services. Their platforms allow merchants to add products easily, set prices, track orders, and accept payments all in one place.
With Volusion, you can create a website that looks great and works perfectly for your business.
They provide drag-and-drop website building tools that allow you to customize your own eCommerce store. In addition, the platform is mobile-friendly and has built-in search engine optimization tools to ensure potential customers find you when they search online.
The platform also includes inventory management tools, which help manage your products and orders efficiently.
Key Features
- Drag-and-Drop Site Editing Tools
- Mobile Responsive Themes
- Secure Checkout
- Built-in SEO Tools
- Inventory Management Tools
- Accept credit cards, Amazon Pay, Cash, Wire payment, PayPal, E-checks, and Money Orders.
- Social Media Integrations, Customer Rating, and Reviews
- Abandoned Cart Reports
- Take Orders by Phone with Customer Management System (CRM)
- Multiple Staff Accounts
- Batch Order Processing
- Integration with FedEx, UPS, and USPS
Volusion Pricing
Volusion offers a “no-credit-card” 14-day free trial. From there, you can choose between four plans:
- Personal – $35/month
- Professional – $79/month
- Business – $299/month
- Prime – Contact Sales (price based on gross merchandise volume)
The plan limits you to $50K gross merchandise volume (GMV) and 100 products. And although it offers support, it is online support only.
Those who upgrade to the Professional plan get phone support (as well as online support), abandoned cart reports, and customer rating and review capability. They can also sell up to 5000 products with a $100K annual GMV limit.
With the Business plan, your annual GMV limit is raised to $400K, and you can sell unlimited products. In addition, you get priority support, batch order processing, advanced reporting, etc.
The Prime plan is similar to the Business plan except with VIP support.
Some other differences between plans are transaction fees and the number of staff accounts you are allowed.
Get Volusion's complete list of plans and features on their pricing page.
Who Is Volusion Best For?
Volusion is another all-around good eCommerce platform suited to small and medium-sized sellers. Similar to platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce, choosing Volusion might just come down to personal preference.
3. Wix eCommerce
Wix eCommerce Overview
Wix is a custom website builder with hundreds of professionally designed templates. One of, if not the easiest platforms to build your eCommerce website with, adding content is simple, as is customizing colors, fonts, and layouts. Of course, with Wix eCommerce, you can also sell online.
Wix is also mobile-friendly, so you and your customers can access your website and buy products anywhere.
They provide many helpful resources to help you get started, including tutorials that teach you how to set up your store, manage orders, and market your products. They also have live chat agents available that will save you a ton of time when (and if) you get stuck.
Key Features
- Over 800 Professional Templates, 100 or More In The “Online Store” Category.
- Optimized for Mobile
- Total Design Freedom
- App Market
- Many Design Tools and Effects
- Advanced SEO Tools
- Advanced Design Features
- Media Galleries
- Abandoned Cart Recovery
- Multi-Channel Campaigns
- 50 Payment Options, Including PayPal, Stripe, and Square.
- Mass Products Imports Using a CSV (Comma Separated Values) File from a Spreadsheet.
- Integrations with Salesforce, Mailchimp, and ShipStation.
Wix Pricing
Wix has several pricing plans categorized as Website Plans, Business and eCommerce Plans, and Enterprise Plans.
The Wix eCommerce options for business are:
- Business Basic – $27/month
- Business Unlimited – $32/month
- Business VIP – $59/month
The most significant difference between plans is storage space, video hours, and customized reports.
Customized reports are only available to Business VIP members, who also get unlimited storage and video hours.
Business Unlimited comes with 100GB of storage and 10 hours of video, while Business Basic comes with 50GB and 5 hours.
Visit the Wix pricing page for the complete list of features and plans.
Who Is Wix eCommerce Best For?
Wix eCommerce is excellent for small and medium-sized businesses and professionals such as medical specialists with small practices. Their order fulfillment features and integrations with software like Salesforce make them a good choice if you're selling locally.
4. Zyro
Zyro Overview
The Zyro website builder is a robust platform that allows you to build any type of online store you desire. So whether you want to sell physical goods, digital downloads, services, or even subscriptions, Zyro has everything you need to start selling.
This website builder is straightforward and comes with a variety of pre-made designs that you can customize however you'd like.
Like most eCommerce website builders, Zyro does not require any programming knowledge. All you need to do is choose a template, add content, and publish. Of course, it's a little more complicated than that, but you get the idea.
Once your site goes live, you can track sales, set up shipping options, and integrate with popular social media apps like WhatsApp and Messenger Live Chat.
Key Features
- 28 eCommerce Templates
- What You See is What You Get (WYSIWYG) Editor
- Optimized for Mobile Devices
- Order Tracking
- Built-in Inventory Management
- Multiple Payment Gateways (more than 70 integrations, including PayPal and Stripe)
- Free Help and Support
- Multiple Languages (although they don't specify how many)
- 0% Commission on eCommerce Plans
- Multiple Marketing Channels
- Gift Cards and Discount Coupons
Zyro Pricing
Every Zyro plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. It's also one of the most inexpensive options for an online store.
They currently have four plans:
- Website – $2.90/month
- Business – $4.90/month
- Online Store – $8.90/month
- Advanced Store – $15.90/month
For an eCommerce website, Zyro's business plan is necessary. It allows you to manage up to 100 products and offers more than 20 payment methods.
The Online Store plan offers more than 70 payment methods.
However, to compete with some of the other platforms, the Advanced Store includes essential eCommerce functions such as multiple languages, abandoned cart recovery, and product filters. You can also sell up to 2500 products and integrate your store with Amazon and eBay.
Get more pricing and feature details from Zyro's pricing page.
Who Is Zyro Best For?
Zyro has a robust set of eCommerce features, making it suitable for most small businesses, individual sellers, drop shippers, and online businesses. The ability to sell digital products also makes it a good choice for artists, musicians, entrepreneurs selling software, educational products, etc.
5. BigCommerce
BigCommerce Overview
BigCommerce is one of the leading providers of eCommerce solutions. It was founded in 2009 and provides services to over 60,000 merchants, including Ben & Jerry's and Skullcandy.
It comes with an easy-to-use eCommerce website builder, a powerful shopping cart, and everything you need to build and grow your online store.
BigCommerce is an all-in-one solution, no matter what size your business is. More than just a website builder. In addition to extensive eCommerce functionality, they provide unlimited web hosting, domain registration, and access to a full suite of tools.
Once you've signed up (which you can do with a 15-day free trial), you'll be able to customize your site with a simple drag-and-drop editor, add products, and fulfill orders.
And because BigCommerce has robust security, you can sleep at night not worrying about breaches or data loss.
Key Features
- No Transactions Fees
- Mobile-Responsive
- Single-Page Checkout
- Process Payment with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Amazon Pay
- Point of Sale Integrations with Square, Vend, and others.
- Multi-Currency
- Multiple Sales Channels, including Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Facebook, and Instagram
- Offer Your Customers Coupons, Discounts, and Gift Cards
- Smile.io Loyalty Program Integration
- Reporting Tools
- Product Rating and Review Functionality
- Abandoned Cart Recovery
- 24/7 Tech Support
BigCommerce Pricing
You can start using BigCommerce for free with their 15-day trial. Once your trial is over, you'll have four plans to choose from.
- Standard – $29.95/month
- Plus – 79.95/month
- Pro – $299.95/month
- Enterprise – Call for a quote
New eCommerce business owners can get by with the Standard plan, which includes 24/7 support and up to $50K in online sales per year.
The Plus plan adds an abandoned cart saver feature and the ability to store credit cards. It also allows you to sell up to $180K per year.
With the Pro plan, you get product filtering, Google customer reviews, and a $400K limit on your annual sales.
Enterprise users have access to express routing, priority support, multiple storefronts, and API integrations, among other things
BigCommerce's complete feature list and plans can be found on their pricing page.
Who Is BigCommerce Best For?
BigCommerce has everything you'd need to sell online, whether you're a home-based business or a company with hundreds of employees and multiple locations. Its pricing is geared more towards existing businesses than at-home entrepreneurs and individual startups. However, it has all the features individuals need to start and build an online business.
6. Square Online
Square Online Overview
Square Online offers a wide range of eCommerce features for businesses of all sizes. Their platform allows merchants to build online businesses by providing tools to accept payments online and offline.
If you don't already have a website or an online store, they provide everything you need to launch one, including a free domain name, hosting, and an easy-to-use website builder.
With Square Online, you can sell unlimited products with any of their plans. They also provide features like age confirmation, social media integrations, and self-serve ordering to improve your customer's user experience.
Your customers can shop online and choose between curbside pickup or delivery. And when they order, they can pay using PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Square Pay.
Key Features
- Easy To Use Website Builder with Mobile-Optimized Templates
- Unlimited Products
- Integrations with Instagram and Facebook
- SEO Tools
- Sync with Square Point-of-Sale
- Custom Domain
- Free Domain for 1 Year
- Password-Protected Pages
- Cart Checkout with PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Square Pay
- Abandoned Cart Recovery
- Advanced Reporting
- Product Reviews
- Advanced Reporting
Square Online Pricing
Square Online's basic plan is free. With it, you can sell unlimited products on Instagram and Facebook, making it great for bloggers, artists, and small business owners. You can also sync your online store with Square's point-of-sale. However, each Square Online plan comes with a transaction fee of 2.9% plus $0.30 or 2.6% plus $0.30, depending on the plan you're on.
In addition to the free plan, you can choose between…
- Professional – $12/month
- Performance – $26/month
- Premium – $72/month
The Professional plan removes the Square advertising and adds features like password-protected pages and a custom domain.
Merchants on the Performance plan have access to PayPal payments, abandoned cart recovery, reviews, reporting, and gifting options.
If you choose Square Online's Premium plan, you can provide your customers with more accurate shipping rates based on weight, destination, and carrier. Your transaction fees are also reduced from 2.9% to 2.6%.
For Square Online's complete feature list, check out their pricing page.
Who Is Square Online Best For?
Square Online is best suited to small and medium-sized businesses selling physical products. You can upload digital products, but fulfilling each order requires emailing your customers with a download link.
7. Squarespace
Squarespace Overview
Squarespace is another popular platform that allows you to build a professional-looking website.
Whether you sell physical goods or digital downloads, Squarespace lets you build a site that looks great, works well, and helps you grow your business.
With Squarespace, you don't need any technical expertise. Simply choose a template and start adding products, photos, and videos. Your site will be optimized for search engines, making it easier for visitors to find your store.
Their intuitive interface allows you to manage every aspect of your online presence, including product listings, social media integration and abandoned cart recovery.
Key Features
- Custom Domain (1-year free registration)
- Unlimited Products
- Video Storage
- SEO Features
- Custom Templates Optimized for Mobile Devices
- Mobile Optimized
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Opentable Integrations for Restaurant Reservations
- Reports and Analytics
- Abandoned Cart Recovery
- Subscription Sales Feature
- Real-time Shipping Rates
- Gift Cards
Squarespace Pricing
Squarespace has four pricing plans. You can pay annually and save up to 30 percent, but if you're just starting out, you may want to test it for a month or two before committing to a full year.
The monthly rates are:
- Personal – $19/month
- Business – $33/month
- Basic Commerce – $36/month
- Advanced Commerce – $65/month
The Personal plan lacks most of the features you'd want for your eCommerce website, like inventory and product ordering capability.
However, with the Business plan, you get full eCommerce functionality, unlimited products, gift cards, and advanced website analytics, among other things.
The Basic Commerce plan allows your customers to pay through Square, create their own customer accounts, and checkout directly on your website.
Merchants on the Advanced Commerce plan have access to the full suite of eCommerce tools, including abandoned cart recovery, real-time shipping rate calculations, and the ability to sell subscriptions.
Visit the Squarespace pricing page for the complete list of features and plans.
Who Is Squarespace Best For?
Squarespace integrates with OpenTable making it an excellent choice for Restaurants. In addition, merchants selling membership services or product subscriptions like health supplements can also use Squarespace's subscription features.
8. Shift4Shop (Formerly 3dcart)
Shift4Shop Overview
With over 200,000 users, Shift4Shop (formerly 3dcart) is trusted by thousands of businesses across the globe. They have a unique business model that provides a fully-featured eCommerce solution for free.
Rather than charging a monthly fee on the front end, they earn it on the back end through transaction fees, which are still reasonable. This makes Shift4Shop a low-risk option for new eCommerce merchants.
Also, because Shift4Shop's success is aligned with your success, they provide tutorials, guides, and resources to help you sell more.
Overall, Shift4Shop is a great option. It comes with everything you need to start selling products online, from customizable themes and social media integrations to advanced shipping options and CRM software.
Key Features
- Free (for US merchants) End-to-End eCommerce Platform
- Built-in SEO Tools and Blog
- Free Domain Registry and Renewals
- Gift Registry and Certificates
- Abandoned Cart Recovery
- 100+ Mobile-Optimized Themes
- Social Media and Email Newsletter Integrations
- Real-Time Shipping Rate Calculations
- Single-Page Checkout
- Advanced Reporting and Dashboards
- Product Reviews
- Multiple Payment Gateways Including Credit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.
Shift4Shop Pricing
Shift4Shop is free (sort of) for US-based merchants. There are no monthly fees, but there are transaction fees which I'll go over below.
For international merchants using Shift4Shop, there are 4 plans similar in price and features to other popular eCommerce platforms.
- Free (US merchants only) – Per-transaction fees (see below)
- Basic – $29/month
- Plus – $79/month
- Pro – $229/month
- Enterprise – $1,999/month ( + $499 one-time setup fee)
The per-transaction fees for Shift4Shop's free plan are 2.9% plus $0.30/transaction when using Shift4 Payments. Or 2.59% plus $0.49/transaction for online card payments and PayPal.
Get more features and details from Shift4Shop's pricing page.
Who Is Shift4Shop Best For?
Shift4Shop is great for online businesses and individuals with limited experience. Their free plan for US customers means you'll only pay when you sell something. This is the perfect plan for those starting out and not yet making sales.
Small businesses and boutique shops might also find Shift4Shop a great option.
9. Big Cartel
Big Cartel Overview
Big Cartel is a small eCommerce builder created primarily for artists… by artists. They offer a simple, affordable solution for anyone who wants to sell their own goods online.
They don't charge transaction fees, and if you're only selling a handful of different products, Big Cartel is free. Compared to bigger platforms, though, their features are limited.
However, Big Cartel makes it simple to set up your shop quickly, whether you're selling t-shirts, jewelry, art prints, or other handmade goods.
They provide basic templates and designs and an easy drag-and-drop editor for customizing your storefront.
Key Features
- No Transaction Fees
- Customizable Themes
- Custom Domain
- Inventory and Shipment tracking
- Bulk Editing
- Product Grouping Options
- Discount Codes
- Printing and Fulfillment Integrations
- Google Analytics Integration
- Unlimited Bandwidth
Big Cartel Pricing
You can set up your shop and sell up to 5 products on Big Cartel for free. If you have more than 5 products, there are two plans you can choose from…
- Gold – Free
- Platinum – $9.99/month
- Diamond – $19.99/month
The free plan offers basic features like real-time stats, discount and promo codes, and shipment tracking. As mentioned above, you can sell up to 5 products. Not mentioned above is that you can only use one image per product.
When you upgrade to Platinum, you can present your products using up to 5 images (per product). You can also sell 50 products and add inventory tracking, Google Analytics, and custom code to your site.
Diamond provides the same features as Platinum but ups your product limit from 50 to 500.
For Big Cartel's complete feature list, check out their pricing page.
Who Is Big Cartel Best For?
Big Cartel was created specifically for artists and creatives. It's great if you're selling individual pieces and interacting personally with your customers and clients.
10. Weebly
Weebly Overview
You've probably heard of Weebly. They are a well-known and trusted eCommerce builder used by millions of people worldwide.
Weebly is a website builder first, with eCommerce functionality second. They are known for making it incredibly easy to create beautiful, professional-looking sites with just a few clicks. Their drag-and-drop design tool makes building a great-looking store effortless.
They offer a variety of templates and themes to choose from. Templates come pre-designed and ready to go, but you can also customize them however you'd like.
And your website will have a fully integrated shopping cart and checkout features so you can easily sell products from your online store.
Key Features
- Mobile-Optimized Themes
- Easy to use Drag-and-Drop Editor
- Unlimited Items
- Sell Digital Products
- Inventory Management
- Coupons and Square Gift Cards
- Shipping Calculator
- SEO Features and Analytics Tools
- Chat, email, and phone support
- Abandoned Cart Reports
- Email Templates
- Real-Time Shipping Rates
- Bulk Import and Export
- Customer Reviews
Weebly Pricing
Weebly offers some of the industry's most affordable prices. In fact, you can set up your online shop and sell unlimited products for free. And you'll have access to inventory management tools, a shopping cart, and secure checkout.
You'll need to upgrade to one of their paid plans, which are competitively priced, for more advanced features.
- Free
- Personal – $9/month
- Professional – $16/month
- Performance – $29/month
Weebly's free plan is hosted on a subdomain. To upgrade to your own custom domain, you'll need a Personal plan. The Personal plan also includes a shipping calculator, shipping labels, and the ability to sell digital products.
The Professional plan takes it further and includes phone support (the Free and Personal plans only provide email and chat support).
Merchants on the Performance plan have access to PayPal payments, product reviews, abandoned cart emails, and priority support, among other things.
Weebly's complete feature list and plans can be found on their pricing page.
Who Is Weebly Best For?
Weebly is suited for most types of businesses and individuals, but as mentioned above, it's a website builder first and an eCommerce platform second. That makes it great for creatives who want more design freedom.
11. WordPress + WooCommerce
WooCommerce Overview
WooCommerce is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms available. It's free and open-source, which means you own your store completely.
There are no transaction fees, and payment methods such as credit cards, Apple Pay, Android Pay, PayPal, Square, and others are available.
The catch is that it's not a full-service eCommerce platform like the others on this list. Instead, it's a plugin for the most popular website platform, WordPress.
It's not necessarily complicated, but the learning curve is steeper than a one-stop-shop like Shopify or BigCommerce.
The benefits are that WooCommerce (combined with WordPress) is the most versatile eCommerce option, and you own the platform (rather than building your store on someone else's platform).
WooCommerce offers many features, including product listings, payment options, reports, and tracking. It also includes built-in subscription functionality, allowing you to offer recurring billing to customers.
You get live shipping rates, and you can also set different shipping rates for other countries.
Another benefit to WooCommerce and WordPress is that they integrate with hundreds of other WordPress plugins such as email capture and contact forms, drag-and-drop page builders, and premium store management systems like ZenCart.
Key Features
- No Transaction Fees (except those charged by payment processors)
- Cost-Free Scalability
- Accept Credit Cards, In-person payments, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, PayPal, Square, Stripe, etc.
- Built-In Subscription Functionality
- Open Source (you complete ownership of your store)
- Live Shipping Rates
- Public Support Forum
- Support Team
- List Products on Google Shopping
- Reports and Tracking through Google Analytics
- 24 Languages
WooCommerce Pricing
WooCommerce pricing is indirect, meaning you're not necessarily paying for a WooCommerce plan. Instead, you're paying for your own WordPress website domain, hosting, and theme.
Depending on your store size and traffic, it could add up to anywhere from $5 per month to $150+ for a dedicated server (for mid to large-sized companies).
An estimated breakdown of costs would look something like this…
- Custom Domain: $15/year
- Web Hosting: $5 – $35/month (for most independent merchants and small businesses)
- Website Theme: Free – $50/year
- Payment Processing Fees: vary by sales volume and payment processor
- Website Plugins: Free to $100/year
For businesses small to large, WooCommerce is the most cost-effective eCommerce solution. However, it comes with the hidden cost of requiring more time to set up. In addition, if you're running a mid to large-sized store, you may also need a developer to build and maintain it.
Who Is WooCommerce Best For?
WooCommerce is not the best option for beginners or businesses with time constraints. It's the most versatile and arguably the most scalable platform, but the learning curve is steeper than all-in-one solutions like Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, etc.
12. Selz
Selz Overview
Selz is a powerful e-commerce platform for growing businesses. Thousands of companies and entrepreneurs worldwide rely on Selz to build and grow their online sales.
Based in Australia and the Philippines, Selz provides tools for small businesses and individuals to sell online through mobile, social media, and many other marketplaces. Your sales, payments, returns, promotions, and fulfillment can all be managed in one place.
Everything you need to build a successful store is here, including unlimited storage space, bandwidth, and 24/7 live customer service.
Once you're ready to launch, you can customize your store with a professional theme, add your logo, products, etc. and put it all on your own domain name.
Key Features
- Unlimited Storage, Bandwidth, and Customers
- Rent Feature for digital products
- 24/7 Live Support
- Customizable Themes optimized for mobile
- Custom Domain Name
- Built-in Blog
- Button Embeds and Widgets for any Website
- Facebook and Instagram Integration
- Google Shopping Integration
- Discount Codes
- Abandoned Cart Recovery
- Process Payments with PayPal and Stripe
- FounderU
Selz Pricing
Selz provides a free 14-day trial that doesn't require a credit card. Then, if you're happy with their service, you can upgrade to one of four plans.
- Basic – $26/month
- Standard – $53/month
- Advanced – $179/month
- Do It For Me – $599/month
The Basic plan has most of the features you need to get started, including advanced options like abandoned cart recovery and integrations.
With the Standard Plan, you're adding the ability to collect payments through Stripe and automatically send invoices. You can also have more staff accounts (five vs. two for the Basic plan) and get access to priority support.
Merchants on the Advanced plan get real-time shipping rates and up to fifteen staff accounts.
With each plan upgrade, you also reduce your payment processing fees.
The Do It For Me plan includes everything you get in Advanced, plus a team of marketing, design, and eCommerce experts to build and manage everything.
For Selz's full feature and plan, check out their pricing page.
Who Is Selz Best For?
Selz is great for entrepreneurs who sell digital products such as ebooks, educational programs, templates, and software. Their rent feature also makes Selz good for anyone with a rental business, such as outdoor equipment, tools, musical instruments, and even membership-type programs with recurring payments.
13. Ecwid
Ecwid Overview
Merchants can easily set up a store and begin selling quickly with Ecwid's easy-to-use platform. Ecwid can also be added to an existing site or anywhere you have an online audience.
Founded in 2009 with locations in California, Colorado, and Russia, Ecwid is a well-established eCommerce website services provider.
Their platform allows you to sell physical and digital products, offer subscription plans, send discount coupons, and offer volume pricing.
With Ecwid, you can run multiple online stores from one platform and manage all your sales channels from the same dashboard.
You can also sell on Google Shopping, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp and send abandoned cart emails to potential customers who haven't purchased in a while.
Key Features
- Operate Multiple Online Stores
- Add Ecwid to an Existing Site
- Design Integration with Existing Sites
- Sell Physical and Digital Products
- Google Shopping, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Amazon, eBay, and other integrations.
- Mobile App
- Send Abandoned Cart Messages
- Sell Subscriptions
- 50+ Payment Options
- One Page Site Builder
- Language Detection Recognizes 45 Languages
- Promotional Pricing, Discount Coupons, and Volume Discounts
- Real-Time Shipping Rates
Ecwid Pricing
Rather than offering a free trial, Ecwid just gives you a free plan. It's relatively basic, but it may be sufficient for individual sellers with less than 10 products who do not require support.
You have three more plans to choose from if you do need support, though, and more advanced features.
- Free
- Venture – $15/month
- Business – $35/month
- Unlimited – $99/month
With the Venture plan, you get unlimited bandwidth, 25GB per file if you're selling digital goods, gift cards, discount coupons, and physical product inventory tracking.
The Business plan adds features like abandoned cart emails, scheduled order pickups, and product filters.
Sellers on the Unlimited plan get priority support and Square point-of-sale functionality.
You can check Ecwid's complete feature list and plans on their pricing page.
Who Is Ecwid Best For?
Since Ecwid can be added to an existing website, it's a good option for individuals and businesses who already have an established presence online.
14. Web.com
Web.com Overview
Web.com has been helping businesses online for over 20 years. They offer an easy-to-use website builder with over 150 free responsive templates you can use to sell unlimited products and categories.
Web.com also supports the most popular website builders, including WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.
Although lacking basic eCommerce features in its lower-priced plans, their top-tier plans are priced comparably.
They host your site, offer design expertise, and submit your business to local directories and search engines, making it easier for potential clients to find you.
Once you've built your site, you can sell products and invoice customers through popular payment gateways such as Paypal and Stripe so you can accept payments directly.
Key Features
- Drag-and-Drop Website Building
- 150+ Mobile-Optimized Templates
- Unlimited Products and Categories
- Accept PayPal and Stripe Payments
- Bulk Editing Tools
- Customizable Social Buttons and Embedded Social Feeds
- Embed and Customize Google Maps
- Google Analytics Integration
- Millions of Free Stock Images
- Free Domain Registration for 1 year
- Business Profile Submission to Local Directories
- Real-Time Shipping Rates
Web.com Pricing
Web.com provides attractive first-month pricing, but it jumps considerably from there.
Like most eCommerce website builders, you can save when paying yearly, but you may want to try them out for a few months before making that commitment.
- Website Essentials – $14.99/month (first month $1.95)
- Business Essentials – $19.99/month (first month $3.95)
- eCommerce Essentials – $32.99/month (first month $9.95)
- eCommerce Premium – $49.99/month (first month $24.95)
The first two plans are useless for sellers who need an online store. Web.com's eCommerce features don't kick in until Essentials and Premium, Web.com's two options for eCommerce plans.
The Essentials plan provides basic services such as secure online checkout options, integrations with shipping companies, discount codes, abandoned cart emails, and appointment scheduling.
The eCommerce Premium adds integrations with Etsy, eBay, Walmart, Google, Amazon, and Bonanza. A few other features you get with the Premium plan include bulk editing tools, multi-channel fulfillment, and barcode creation.
Check out Web.com's complete feature list and prices on their store builder page.
Who Is Web.com Best For?
Web.com is a website builder first and an eCommerce platform second. That makes its “non-eCommerce” plans great for new entrepreneurs building an online presence but not yet selling products.
If you upgrade, the e-Commerce features are there, but you don't need to spend money every month on those features if you're not using them.
Also, the appointment scheduling feature makes Web.com suitable for sellers who provide services like teaching classes, cutting hair, giving massages, etc.
15. Jimdo
Jimdo Overview
The Jimdo platform offers a great range of tools and services to help you build an online store quickly and easily. Whether you only need a basic website or an online store, Jimdo has what you need to start selling.
It's not a full-featured platform like Shopify or BigCommerce, but for independent sellers looking for something quick and simple, Jimdo might be what you're looking for.
There are plenty of reasons to choose Jimdo. It's inexpensive, mobile-responsive, and comes with a stock photo library. It also offers support via email, social media, and a platform knowledge base.
Key Features
- Mobile Optimized Website Builder
- Google Analytics
- No Transaction Fees
- Free Subdomain on Free Plan
- Free Domain for One Year on Paid Plan
- Discount Codes
- Social Media Integrations
- Accept Direct Debit, Credit Cards, and PayPal Payments
- Email Forwarding
- Support (email, social media, FAQ, and knowledge base)
- 70+ Plugin Integrations Such as YouTube Gallery, Age Verification, and What's App Chat
Jimdo Pricing
Jimdo has a handful of plans, but only two are suitable for eCommerce. You can start out on a free plan and play around with their website builder to see if it's for you.
From there, you'll have to step up to the Business or VIP plan to sell directly from your site.
- Play – Free (website only)
- Start – $9/month (website only)
- Grow – $14/month (website only)
- Business – $18/month (online store)
- VIP – $24/month (online store)
Even with Jimdo's online store plans, some important features are missing, like shipping integrations, abandoned cart follow-up, and bulk product importing.
With the Business plan, you're limited to 15GB of storage and 20GB of bandwidth. Customer support is within 4 hours, and you have 5 forwarding email addresses.
The VIP plan has unlimited storage and bandwidth, 1-hour customer support, and 20 forwarding email addresses. You also get professional design analysis and an unlimited number of web pages.
Jimdo's features and plans can be found on their pricing page.
Who Is Jimdo Best For?
Jimdo is best for self-employed solopreneurs and creatives who sell local and online services.
16. SmugMug
SmugMug Overview
SmugMug is different from most eCommerce websites and platforms. It's a photography platform that allows photographers and videographers to showcase their work and sell prints of their photos and video downloads.
If you're an artist, SmugMug might be the perfect fit.
You can sell your images and videos with their built-in eCommerce features, which include a shopping cart, payment processing system, and integrated order fulfillment.
SmugMug also provides access to premium printing services so that you can turn your photos and videos into high-quality prints and gifts.
Even if you're not looking to sell your photos, SmugMug allows you to share them. You can easily upload your images and videos to your account and then send them to anyone who wants a copy.
SmugMug is built on Amazon Web Services, so you can sleep better knowing your files and data are secure.
Key Features
- Unlimited Photo and Video Storage (images are not compressed)
- Drag-and-Drop Customization
- Built-in Stats and Analytics
- 20+ Mobile-Optimized Design Templates
- Custom Domain
- Gallery Engagement Metrics
- Prints and Gifts from Top Print Labs
- Sell Prints, Products, and Digital Downloads
- Accept Online Payments Through PayPal and Electronic Funds Transfer
- Custom Shopping Cart, Backprinting, and Print Marks
- Custom Price Lists by Gallery or Image
- Photo Packages and Coupons
- Client Galleries and Proofing
- Password Protection for Photos, Galleries, and Pages
SmugMug Pricing
SmugMug offers a 14-day free trial, so you can test out their service before committing. Then, if you're happy with their service, you can upgrade to one of four plans.
- Basic – $9/month
- Power – $13/month
- Portfolio – $28/month
- Pro – $42/month
The Basic and Power plans are great as personal photography websites. They come with unlimited full-resolution storage, drag-and-drop customization, and password protection for photos, galleries, and photos.
However, neither plan comes with eCommerce features.
To sell your photos, videos, and artwork, you'll need to choose between their Portfolio and Pro plans.
The Portfolio plan comes with a fully integrated order fulfillment system, complete with a shopping cart and payment processors.
The Pro plan adds customer price lists, client galleries, branded packaging, and coupons, among other things.
Get SmugMug's complete feature list and pricing on their plans page.
Who Is SmugMug Best For?
SmugMug is purpose-built for photographers, videographers, and artists selling their work, either as physical products or digital downloads.
17. Site123
Site123 Overview
Site123's website builder is a great choice if you want to quickly and easily build a site. What it lacks in customization, it makes up for in simplicity.
They've got a range of templates available, including photography, business, and restaurant-themed templates. Their Premium plan includes free domain registration, hosting, email, and 24/7 support.
Once you've created your website, you can add content and sell products, including digital products and event tickets. Site123 even supports restaurant reservations and appointment scheduling.
Key Features
- Mobile- Responsive Web Design
- Recommended Templates by Category (Photography, Business, Restaurant, etc.)
- Built-In SEO Tools and Blog with Like and Share Buttons
- Custom Domain and Domain Management
- Domain Branded Email
- 24/7 Support (Multi-Language)
- Schedule Booking Tool
- Ticket Selling Support, Events, and Tour Dates
- Restaurant Menus and Reservations
- No Transaction Fees
- Sell Music Files and Digital Products
- Accept Credit Card, PayPal, and Wire Transfer Payments
- Inventory Management
Site123 Pricing
Site123 recently updated its pricing structure. They used to offer five plans; Basic, Advanced, Professional, Gold, and Platinum.
They currently only offer Free and Premium.
- Free
- Premium – $12.80/month
The free plan is great if you only want a small site to show friends and family or start a blog. It's limited, though, with only 250MB of storage and bandwidth.
The Premium plan comes with eCommerce features as well as 10GB storage and 5GB of bandwidth (which is still relatively small).
Get Site123's current features and plans on their pricing page.
For comparison, here is their previous pricing page…
Their top-tier plans used to provide significantly more storage and bandwidth. The Platinum plan (not shown above) came with 1000GB of storage and bandwidth.
Who Is Site123 Best For?
Site123 is best for small businesses and independent creators looking for a small and simple website. In addition, Site123's scheduling tool and ticket selling feature make it an excellent choice for musicians and entrepreneurs selling services.
And, with their menu and reservation-taking ability, it's also great for small restaurants.
18. Webador
Webador Overview
Webador is a web design software that allows you to build a fully functional webshop without technical know-how. Over 33,000 online stores have been opened using Webador.
They offer various plans that include everything you need to start selling products online.
Their drag-and-drop interface allows you to add images, text, and videos to your site. They also provide many prebuilt templates that you can customize to suit your needs.
In addition to physical products, Webador provides eCommerce tools that let you sell digital products such as music, books, apps, and educational products.
Like most website builders, Webador is mobile-friendly, so your customers can access your site from anywhere using a smartphone or tablet.
Key Features
- Custom Domain and Mailbox
- Unlimited Storage and Traffic
- More than 50 Templates
- Free Stock Photo Library
- Dedicated Support Team
- Accept Credit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay, iDEAL, and more.
- No Transaction Fees
- Product Filters and Sorting Options
- Inventory Management
- Sell Digital Products
- Discount Codes
Webador Pricing
Webador provides a free plan that does not expire, which is great for testing their site builder. If you're happy with it, you can upgrade to their Pro or Business plans to sell products.
- Free
- Pro – $10/month
- Business – $20/month
The free plan is, of course, pretty basic. It's built on a .webador subdomain, so functionality is limited.
With the Pro plan, you get a custom domain for free. You can also sell up to 10 products.
The Business Plan lets you sell unlimited products and increases the size of your personal mailbox.
Get a complete feature list at Webador's pricing page.
Who Is Webador Best For?
Webador, like Web.com, is a website builder first with eCommerce features you can upgrade to access if you need them. That makes it a great choice financially for someone who is just starting out and building an online presence with the intent of selling products in the future.
What Is An eCommerce Website?
An eCommerce website is one where people buy products directly through your website instead of going to a retail store or being redirected to a retailer like Amazon.
It's similar to a regular website but with added eCommerce features for order fulfillment, online payments, and shipping.
For example, musicians can sell digital downloads of their music or physical CDs, event tickets, and merchandise. They can also sell services such as music lessons and schedule appointments.
Types of eCommerce Websites
There are different types of eCommerce websites. Some sell and deliver digital products like courses, software, templates, and membership groups.
Others sell and deliver services, like restaurants where you can book reservations or order your meal online. A travel site to book vacations and hotels is another example, or a wedding photography site that allows you to schedule events.
The most common type of eCommerce website, however, or at least the kind most people think of when they think of eCommerce, is one that sells physical products. This could be anything from t-shirts to automobiles and everything in between.
eCommerce sites are also classified into various buyer/seller designations. They include…
B2C (Business to Consumer) – This type of eCommerce website is one where businesses sell directly to consumers. The most common form of this is a storefront where customers can browse items and purchase them.
B2B (Business to Business) – A B2B site is one where companies sell to other businesses. An example would be an automotive parts wholesaler who only sells to automotive parts retailers. A B2B seller typically does not sell directly to or market to consumers.
C2C (Consumer To Consumer) – ECommerce websites where individuals sell to other individuals. Examples include eBay, Etsy, and Facebook Marketplace.
C2S (Consumer to Supplier) – Probably the least known are C2S (sometimes referred to as C2B or Consumer to Business) eCommerce websites. These sites are critical to the gig economy and for gig workers like freelance consultants or developers, for example. Some C2S websites you may be familiar with are Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer.
The Best eCommerce Builder
Depending on your circumstances and preferences, any eCommerce builder listed above could be the right one for you. If I had to pick just one, though, I'd say Shopify is the best all-around eCommerce Builder.
While platforms like Wix may have a better website builder, Shopify has better overall eCommerce functionality (with a good enough website builder). And, if selling products is your goal, you just want the most straightforward solution with the fewest limitations.
That's Shopify, in my opinion.
But again, each person's needs are different.
If you're an artist, Big Cartel is the platform specifically for you. However, Weebly or Shift4Shop may be your best bet if you're on a tight budget.
On the other hand, if money is not an issue and you're a mid to large-sized business with hundreds of employees, BigCommerce is likely to suit your needs better.
In most situations and for most people, though, Shopify has you covered. It's not the cheapest option, but Shopify is worth it, in my opinion. You're going to get 24/7 support, and because it's so popular, many of the questions you might have are a Google search away.
It's also one of the few platforms you don't need to research extensively to find if it does “this or that.” Not that you should avoid research. However, if you need a feature, Shopify most likely has it.
When you're talking about the “best” eCommerce builders, though, any of the most popular ones are likely to have all you'll ever need. So your decision will likely come down to personal preference.
eCommerce Website Examples
You may be overwhelmed when building your first eCommerce website; not knowing what it should it look like or how to structure it.
Most new site owners have an idea of what they want, but what looks great in their mind doesn't necessarily look good on the screen. Having built dozens of sites, some for myself and some for clients, there's always an issue with something.
For example, what looks good on a desktop computer doesn't always look good on a phone. Or maybe you pictured your site like your business card, but blowing up a 3″ business card to fit on a 17″ monitor doesn't work.
Whether it's the size and location of your logo or which menu items and categories to include, it's difficult when you're starting from scratch. Especially if it's your first website.
The best way start is to look at other websites. There are thousands (if not millions) of eCommerce website examples.
Check out your competitors to see what they're doing. Can you do it better?
Incorporate design elements and ideas from a variety of sites or find just one you like and build from there. You can find eCommerce sites by searching your favorite products (or services) online, or you can start with these 15 examples…
- Amazon
- American Muscle
- Athletic Greens
- Grovemade
- Hebe
- Ikea
- Little Mission Studio
- Magic Spoon
- Onnit
- Parts Engine
- Poketo
- Shop JuJu
- Simply Chocolate
- Welly
- zero otto nove
Top 10 eCommerce Websites
These are currently the top 10 eCommerce websites in the world. Aside from Amazon (US), which is the undisputed king of eComm, the list may get shuffled around from month to month as traffic varies.
- Amazon (US) – Estimated Monthly Visits 2.3 Billion (March 2022)
- eBay – Estimated Monthly Visits 757.4 Million (March 2022)
- Amazon (Japan) – Estimated Monthly Visits 757.4 Million (March 2022)
- Rakuten (Japan) – Estimated Monthly Visits 542.8 Million (March 2022)
- Amazon (Germany) – Estimated Monthly Visits 451.2 Million (March 2022)
- AliExpress – Estimated Monthly Visits 390.0 Million (March 2022)
- Walmart – Estimated Monthly Visits 387.4 Million (March 2022)
- Etsy – Estimated Monthly Visits 373.3 Million (March 2022)
- Amazon (UK) – Estimated Monthly Visits 368 Million (March 2022)
- Avito.ru (Russian Classifieds Website) – Estimated Monthly Visits 307.3 Million (March 2022)
The top 10 eCommerce websites listed above are specifically “shopping” websites where physical products are sold.
However, eCommerce sites don't necessarily have to sell physical products only or only be “shopping sites.”. They can also sell services and digital products, like software, video streaming, and cloud storage. And much of its traffic can be for educational or entertainment purposes in addition to shopping.
For example, the three eCommerce websites listed below get more monthly traffic than the number two eCommerce website (eBay) listed above but are not “shopping only” websites.
- NetFlix.com – Estimated Monthly Visits 2.2 Billion (March 2022)
- Microsoft.com – Estimated Monthly Visits 837 Million (March 2022)
While Netflix gets significantly more traffic than Microsoft, Microsoft generates substantially more revenue ($168 Billion vs. 29.6 Billion). And both of them have less revenue than the following big eCommerce website on the list, which is… - Samsung.com – Estimated Monthly Visits 771.5 Million (March 2022)
Samsung's 2021 earnings were roughly $233 Billion.
Of course, most of us are not going to build the next $100+ billion-dollar website. But these are all impressive examples that prove eCommerce is alive and well.
There are countless businesses and entrepreneurs making money online through their websites, I hope this list of best websites for ecommerce helps you become the next.
