8 Best Ecommerce Website Builders For Small Business
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Our top choice for small business owners is Wix – why, I hear you ask? The beginner-friendly ecommerce website builder scores 4.7/5 overall. This feature-rich, easy to use builder makes setting up your ecommerce website fun with its drag-and-drop system.
Here’s a peek at the line up for the eight best ecommerce website builders for those of you starting your online ventures:
8 Best Ecommerce Website Builders for Small Businesses
- Wix – best overall ecommerce website builder for small businesses
- Shopify – best for sales-specific features
- Squarespace – best for creative control
- Square Online – best value for money
- BigCommerce – best for growth
- Zyro – best for hobbyists to supplement their income
- Big Cartel – free to sell, but very restrictive
- Shift4Shop – more complicated than it’s worth
We’re pretty proud of our research process, because not many sites can say they’ve carried out such in-depth testing before making recommendations. Here’s how our in-house research team go about finding the best ecommerce website builders on the market.
Every single builder goes through our thorough research process. We investigate important areas such as:
- Ease of use
- Design flexibility
- Value for money
- Feature quality
- Sales tools
- Help and support
- Customer satisfaction
This helps us rate and compare the builders fairly, focusing on important factors that users have told us matter most.
We even get groups of everyday people to test the builders out and give us feedback, which we then analyze. This helps us:
- understand exactly how easy (or difficult) beginners find the builder
- uncover any issues within the builder
- judge customer satisfaction
We’ve applied this process to over 50 website builders so far – all so we can bring you the most accurate results and recommendations!
Still got questions? Read our report on How We Conduct Our Website Builder Research for a more detailed explanation.
Do you wish there was a quicker way to find out which small business ecommerce platform you should use? You’re in luck! Our quick and easy quiz gives you a personalized recommendation, so you’ll know exactly which one is best for your needs. Click below to get started…
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Yes! Start the Quiz NowThe top three ecommerce website builders for small businesses are Wix, Shopify, and Squarespace. You can see how each performed in our research by taking a glance at their star ratings below:
Best overall ecommerce website builder for small businesses 
Compare The 8 Best Website Builders for Small Businesses
It can be tricky to figure out which ecommerce builder is perfect for your small business. Instead of leaving you to scramble around and try to collect all the information, we’ve put this handy comparison chart together for you.
Just use these little arrows below to scroll through and compare the eight best platforms, and compare features, pricing, and star ratings. There’s also some reviews attached if you want more information!
| Overall rating | Starting Price | Transaction Fees | Free plan or free trial | Bandwidth | Storage space | Number of products on cheapest plan | Payment options | Sales features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||
Wix | Shopify | Squarespace | Square Online | BigCommerce | Zyro | Big Cartel | Shift4Shop | |||||
4.7 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.0 | |||||
$23 | $29 | $18 | $12 | $29.95 | $10.90 | $9.99 | ||||||
None | 0% – 2% | 0% – 3% | None | None | 0% – 1% | None | None | |||||
Free plan | 14-day free trial | 14-day free trial | Free plan | 15-day free trial | No free trial for ecommerce plans | Free plan | ||||||
Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unspecified | Unlimited | |||||
20GB – 50GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unspecified | Unspecified | |||||
Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 100 | 5 | Unlimited | |||||
11 including: Paypal, Wix Payments, Stripe, Square | 100+ including: Shopify Payments, Paypal, Klarna | 3: Stripe, Paypal, Square | 4: Credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Square | 36 including: Paypal, Square, Stripe, Klarna | 14+ Paypal, Stripe | 5 including: Venmo, Apple Pay, Stripe | 100+ including: Paypal, Square, Stripe | |||||
4.4 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 3.4 | 2.3 | 3.4 | |||||
Not yet reviewed |
Further Information
- To compare these ecommerce builders side-by-side , check out our Online Store Builders Comparison Chart.
- Discover how to enhance your ecommerce site with our guide to the Best Online Business Tools.
#1 Wix
Best for small online stores
Price Range: $23 to $49 per month (billed annually)
Wix
Best ecommerce builder for small businesses
- Easiest to use
- 800+ template designs
- Most popular in testing
Free plan available
Paid Plans: $14 - $56 / month
Features
In our research, Wix scored particularly well in three main areas: value for money, website features, and sales features. It also came in second for ease of use after Squarespace.
Wix’s plans are rich in features, yet its prices are a lot cheaper than ecommerce competitors like Shopify. In short, Wix gives you total creative control, makes building an online store easy for beginners, and packs tons into its ecommerce plans without hiking up its prices.
The main area where Wix didn’t perform quite as well in our research was in the help and support category. That said, Wix does have a range of support channels including phone support, live chat, and articles in the Wix Help Center, offering users 24/7 support.
However, Wix has more than enough to offer a small business looking to get started online.
Wix is a dream for tech beginners – it’s easy to use, and lets anyone build an awesome online store. You can also add product videos, which is a great feature.
Templates
Wix’s template design and level of creative control is impressive. You simply drag images, text boxes, and more onto your page, then drop them into position wherever you want. This drag-and-drop editing style is super easy, and gives you total creative freedom over the design of your store.
Pricing
Wix lets you create a store at no cost, so you can build your ecommerce empire’s foundations without spending a dime. However, to actually sell products, you’ll need to upgrade to at least the Business Basic plan, which costs $23 per month.
As you can see, there’s plenty of reasons why Wix is our #1 recommended ecommerce website builder for small businesses. But don’t just take our word for it. We spoke to Claudia, founder of The Vegan Bakes, to find out about her experience of using Wix to build her small bakery website.
USER REVIEW: THE VEGAN BAKES
Claudia’s Wix website allows her to sell her Vegan bakes to customers all over the country.
Claudia runs The Vegan Bakes from her kitchen at home. She launched her business after turning vegan and struggling to get hold of any yummy vegan treats. Believing no one should have to miss out on a little indulgence, Claudia chose to create a Wix online store to sell her brownies, cookies, and cakes.
Q&A with Claudia
Why did you want to build a website?
“I wanted to build a website so that I can sell my bakes online to post out all over the UK. Having a website means I have a platform to sell to a large audience.”
Why did you choose to build your website on Wix?
“Wix was the first platform after WordPress that I tried and I love how easy it was to use. I had a look at Squarespace too as I know a lot of people use it, but I struggled to get to grips with it so stuck with Wix.”
How easy was it to build your website with Wix?”
“Wix is super easy to use, it almost reminds me of using Microsoft Word as it uses a simple drag-and-drop system.”
“I would definitely recommend Wix to anyone looking to create their own website at a low cost. It’s so straight forward to use and you can personalize every part of your site.”
What do you like most about Wix and why?
“I love how simple it is to navigate and create beautiful sites. I wanted a minimal, modern and professional looking site and this was so easy to create on Wix. I selected a completely blank template to allow 100% personalization. This way I could make my website exactly how I wanted it to be.”
What was most challenging when building your website with Wix?
“I wanted to add a subscription option to my website to allow people to get boxes of brownies and cookies delivered to their door each month! Initially when I was looking this option wasn’t available, but I got creative and managed to use an app to create the subscription functionality.”
Do you think Wix is good value for money?
“I was trying to keep costs down when launching my vegan bakery as I didn’t have the money to spend on branding and website design. I think Wix is pretty affordable for what it is. I made a one-off payment for the year and it works out at a low cost per month.”
Further Information
- Like the sound of Wix? Read our in-depth Wix ecommerce review.
- Or see how Wix compares to Shopify here.
#2 Shopify
Best for larger businesses
Price Range: $29 – $299 per month
Shopify
Best for larger businesses
- Best design flexibility
- Over 3,000 apps available
- Multi-platform selling
Free plan available
Paid Plans: $29 - $299 / month
Features
If you’re serious about selling and want to give your small business a boost, Shopify has all the tools you’ll need. And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, there’s an enormous app store for you to browse!
Shopify is a dedicated ecommerce platform, meaning it’s designed purely to help you build an online store. That’s why it has more advanced sales tools than website builders like Squarespace and Zyro.
In our research, Shopify didn’t just come top of the rankings for its sales features – it also received the highest customer score. We calculate this score by getting people to try out the builder, and then rate it based on their experience. Shopify was the people’s favorite for building an online store.
An especially great feature of Shopify is that it comes with built-in dropshipping tools. So if you’re a small business struggling to find storage for your products, Shopify could be your perfect solution.
If you’re already selling, Shopify has apps that let you sync your inventories, making it easy to manage all your sales from one place. Shopify also has great multichannel selling options, including integration with Instagram, Facebook, and even Amazon and eBay.
Pricing
Shopify didn’t wow us in every department, though – the most significant area where it fell down was value for money. A lot of Shopify’s sales tools are actually too advanced for small businesses, meaning you’re paying for features you might not need for a long time. When you’re on a tight budget, every cent counts!
Shopify’s pricing plans start from $29 per month, although you can save money by signing up to an annual plan rather than paying on a monthly basis.
You’ll save 10% if you sign up for one year, but you’ll save 20% if you sign up for two years, which means you could save almost $190 per year on the Shopify plan which you could put towards travel expenses, office equipment, or some new business cards!
Shopify’s powerful tools won’t benefit you if you just want to sell one or two products. However, if you’re ambitious and want to give your store a solid foundation, then Shopify has the full package to support your small business.
Further Information
- Read our full Shopify Review to find out if it could be the perfect ecommerce builder for your small business.
#3 Squarespace
Best value for money
Price Range: $18 – $40 per month (billed annually)
Squarespace
Best value for money
- Best website designs
- Great in-built features
- Ideal for creatives
Free plan available
Paid Plans: $12 - $46 / month
Templates
If you’re looking to build an eye-catching portfolio or online business, then make space for this platform. Why? Because Squarespace stores stand out.
In our research, Squarespace has a respectable score when it came to design. Its online store templates are modern, sleek, and built to show off your products. You can even rebuild your template any time you like – perfect for any rebrands you might have down the line.
Features
Unlike Wix, Squarespace wasn’t so strong in our testing of its sales features. For example, it does support multichannel selling, but only through Instagram – a pretty limited offering compared to builders like Shopify.
That said, with Squarespace’s built-in tools, you’ll still get everything you need to set a small store up for success. You can even add extra sales features from Squarespace’s app store, Squarespace Extensions.
Overall, Squarespace is a great choice if you’re after a superb-looking storefront.
Pricing
Even the Squarespace price plans look good – if you sign up for a year, you’ll pay just $18 per month on the cheapest ecommerce plan (or $26 per month on a month by month contract).
However, you can get the $18/month plan for only $16.20/month when you use our exclusive Squarespace offer code on your first purchase. Simply enter code WBE at the checkout to save 10% on any Squarespace plan.
Further Information
- Read more about Squarespace with our ecommerce review.
- Or, check out our Shopify vs Squarespace article.
#4 Square Online
Best for ability to sell for free
Price Range: $12 – $72 per month (Free option available)
Square Online
Best for ability to sell for free
- Easy-to-use dashboard
- Easily add products
- Great marketing features
Free plan available
Paid Plans: $16 - $79 / month
Ease of Use
Square is a payment processing giant which bought Weebly – the popular website builder – in 2018. The result is Square Online, which combines Square’s features with Weebly’s website building platform.
You sign up through Square Online, and get extra features, but you’re still using Weebly’s building software to actually create your store.
This is especially great news for beginners, as Weebly is a straight forward builder that uses drag-and-drop editing blocks. However, it also comes with Weebly’s limitations, namely the limited customization options.
Square Online uses Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) to build you a store that’s tailored to your needs. This is the same method used by builders like GoDaddy, asking questions about your store to create a personalized layout for your website.
Features
So, why use Square Online instead of Weebly? Well, Square Online comes with extra features and integrations that Weebly doesn’t, such as tracking customer behavior and creating custom invoices.
It also uses its AI tech to help you follow best practice when adding products, which was a feature that really stood out when we tested Square Online. For example, it can identify products and suggest the category name for you, saving time.
Pricing
Because of these features, we recommend Square Online to sellers who want to get the most value for their money – it scores an impressive 4.5 out of 5 for value for money in our research!
Square Online’s platform is easy to use and affordable, but it doesn’t sacrifice great features, either.
One of the most obvious things to shout about with Square Online is the fact it has a free plan for you to sell on – a very rare offer that isn’t available with most ecommerce builders. Square Online has four plans, ranging from $0 to $72 per month (billed annually).
#5 BigCommerce
Best for a purely online business
Price Range: $29.95 – $249.95 per month
BigCommerce
Best for a purely online business
- No platform fees
- multi-channel integration
- Strong SEO support
Free plan available
Paid Plans: $29.95 - $299.95 / month
Features
BigCommerce has the most sales features of any ecommerce builder, meaning it’s less reliant on apps than platforms like Shopify. In fact, BigCommerce has the best sales features of any ecommerce platform we’ve tested, with an impressive feature rating of 4.6 out of 5!
This can help keep your costs down, but it also means that BigCommerce is the most scalable ecommerce builder on the market. So, if you’ve got big dreams for your small business, this is the best choice for you!
BigCommerce also lets you sell across a variety of channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, eBay, Google Shopping, and Walmart. This lets you expand your store’s reach while still keeping costs low.
BigCommerce Named a “Strong Performer” in the Ecommerce Space
Forrester Research named BigCommerce a strong performer in two recently released reports, one on B2B commerce suites and one on B2C commerce suites. These reports evaluate the most significant commerce software providers, to help digital businesses select the best technology for their needs.
BigCommerce earned the highest possible score in five total criteria: Expanded Sales Channels (B2C Wave), A/B and Multivariate Testing, Platform Architecture, Platform Integration, Delivery Model, and Technology Partners and Marketplace (B2B Wave).
The reports also cite feedback from BigCommerce customers, which found that they “like the culture and responsiveness of the support experience” when using the platform.
The main snag with BigCommerce is that a lot of its tools are geared towards helping businesses grow rapidly, and supporting large stores. If you’re not looking to scale, then you’ll find you’re paying for features you don’t need for your small business.
It was for this reason that BigCommerce scored unexceptionally for value for money in our research, with a score of 3 out of 5. It also fell down in our ease of use testing because of the complex terminology it uses. This makes it less than ideal for a small business wanting to get online quickly, and with minimum hassle.
However, BigCommerce unsurprisingly received high scores for its sales features, and it has great SEO tools to help your business get found via Google.
Pricing
If you want to build with BigCommerce, you’ve got three ecommerce plans to choose from – the cheapest starts at $29.95 per month. It has a 15 day free trial so you can give it a go before you commit to a plan!
Overall, BigCommerce is ideal if you want some advanced tools under your belt as you grow your small business. It’s undoubtedly a powerful ecommerce builder, but for most small stores, it sits in the middle of the pack.
Further Information
- Does BigCommerce sound ideal? Check out our full BigCommerce Review to see if it ticks all your boxes.
#6 Zyro
Best for hobbyists to supplement their income
Price Range: $4.90 – $18.90 per month (billed yearly)
Zyro
Best for hobbyists to supplement their income
- High renewal prices
- Helpful grid layout
- Clean, logical templates
Free plan available
Paid Plans: $1.9 - $29.99 / month
For UX design enthusiasts and business hobbyists, Zyro is the right builder for you. It has POS integration, which means that the hardware and software help your customers purchase via the online checkout.
With a straightforward design editor, Zyro lets you create aesthetically pleasing storefronts – quickly. Although it’s got some great features, users did mention it’s a challenge to go hunting for these features in the builder.
Features
In our research, Zyro scores a 3.4/5 for its website features, placing it slightly below the average. The main issue with Zyro’s ecommerce is its usability requires a lot of patience. It has some good features but many lack the depth of other competitors.
Where Zyro did a stand up job was in the design category. That said, if you’re running a small business Zyro might not be worth the price.
However, if you want omnichannel design, product pages, and to let your design creativity out, Zyro might be the place for you.
Pricing
Zyro only has its Unleashed plan for $10.90 per month. Keep your eyes peeled, though, as Zyro does weekly discounts of up to 64% on a three-year plan, or 46% on the yearly plans!
Further Information
- Read our full Zyro Review to learn whether it’s the best choice for you.
#7 Big Cartel
Best for independent artists
Price range: $0 – $29.99 per month
Big Cartel
Best for independent artists
- Sell online for fee
- Selling individual pieces
- Clean navigation
Free plan available
Paid Plans: $9.99 - $29.99 / month
Features
Big Cartel’s main selling point is that you can build, publish, and even sell without having to pay a cent. That’s pretty rare. With most other ecommerce website builders, you have to be on a paid plan to sell through your site, but Big Cartel breaks this mold.
However, the phrase “you get what you pay for” springs to mind, because Big Cartel is an extremely basic ecommerce builder. It comes last in four out of seven of our research categories, making it the worst builder for:
- Website Features – for example, Big Cartel doesn’t have any built-in blogging tools.
- Sales Features – it’s missing important features; for example, it’s not PCI compliant, and there’s no abandoned cart recovery.
- Help and Support – you only get help through email support Monday to Friday, or via the Help Center.
- Value for Money – although you can sell for free, the features you get on the paid plans are very limited.
When you compare it to other free ecommerce small website builders like Square Online, Big Cartel struggles to compete. But no builder is all bad, and Big Cartel does have its own benefits that earn it a place in our list of the best ecommerce builders for small businesses.
If you’re starting small and don’t mind staying that way, Big Cartel is built for you.
It’s designed to help artists, makers, and creatives sell their products online, meaning it’s ideal for selling a small number of unique items. You can’t bulk upload products, so be prepared to add each one separately!
You can be sure that Big Cartel isn’t going to overwhelm you with tons of features you don’t need, making it easy to keep your small business manageable.
Pricing
One of the best things about Big Cartel is its affordable price plans. These are very budget-friendly, although even on the most expensive packages, its features are limited.
Big Cartel’s free plan lets you sell up to five products, and comes with very basic features. The cheapest paid plan costs $9.99 per month, unlocks all Big Cartel’s features, and lets you sell up to 25 products. You can upgrade or downgrade at any time.
Further Information
- Read our full Big Cartel Ecommerce Review for more details.
#8 Shift4Shop
Others do it better
Price Range: $17.10 – $206.10 per month
Shift4Shop (was 3dcart)
Others do it better
- Good SEO prompts
- Change template anytime
- Free plan (US users)
Free plan available
Paid Plans: $29 - $229 / month
Features
Shift4Shop is the opposite to Squarespace. It relies on powerful back-end tools and inventory features, focusing less on creativity and design – Shift4Shop scores a disappointing 2 out of 5 for its designs, making it the worst option for creatives on this list.
With no mobile app, you can’t edit your site on the go, but Shift4Shop does come with a surprisingly good range of built-in sales tools. This will also save you from buying tons of apps, which can see costs quickly rack up.
Shift4Shop scores the same as website builder Zyro for its sales features, with 3.4 out of 5. That said, Shift4Shop comes with a great inventory system, and plenty of management control in the backend. It also reformats your site for you when you change themes, earning it points in the design category.
Ease of Use
However, Shift4Shop fell down when we put it to the test. Our users who tried it out gave it the lowest customer score, making it the small business ecommerce builder people were least likely to recommend. It’s also the most difficult ecommerce platform to use on this list, with an ease of use rating of just 2.8 out of 5!
Pricing
Shift4Shop’s cheapest plan is $29 per month, which is the same as Shopify’s lowest price plan. With this in mind, you’ll get more for your money elsewhere.
Further Information
- Check out our Shift4Shop Ecommerce Review for more detail.
Best Ecommerce Website Builders for Small Business: Recap
There are many website builder options for your small business. These builders let you create an awesome online store for a relatively low cost, helping you get off the ground and into the world of ecommerce.
To recap, the 8 best ecommerce website builders for small businesses are:
8 Best Ecommerce Website Builders for Small Businesses
- Wix – best overall ecommerce website builder for small businesses
- Shopify – best for sales-specific features
- Squarespace – best for creative control
- Square Online – best value for money
- BigCommerce – best for growth
- Zyro – best for hobbyists to supplement their income
- Big Cartel – free to sell, but very restrictive
- Shift4Shop – more complicated than it’s worth
This list of eight is a great fix for small businesses looking to get started online. However, as your store grows, so will your website’s needs.
If your store does grow quickly – and hopefully it will – you might want to consider switching to a big business-friendly platform like BigCommerce or Shopify, both of which are ideal for fast-growing ecommerce stores.
For most small businesses, we recommend one of our top three. You should use:
- Wix if you want to get the most out of your budget – or if you’re a beginner who wants total creative freedom over your site’s design.
- Shopify if you’re serious about selling, and want powerful tools and an endless choice of apps to help you run your business.
- Squarespace if you want a sleek, modern design template for your business website, tons of creative control, and all your features built-in.
Unless you have very specific needs, we don’t recommend Big Cartel or Shift4Shop – they’re right for some small businesses, but most will find them restrictive and time consuming.
For now, we recommend trying one of the other builders listed above for your small business. Don’t forget that each platform either offers a free plan or a free trial, so you can begin building the foundations for your future ecommerce empire at no personal cost.
FAQs
We take great care to ensure the information we publish is reliable and accurate. However, WBE takes no responsibility for any inaccuracy in information supplied to us by users, research participants, or other entities.
Please note the insight contained within this article is for general information purposes only. We’re glad to answer any questions you may have about this article and its supporting research. For further information, please contact Website Builder Expert directly via email at info@websitebuilderexpert.com.
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