13 Best Online Store Builders for Ecommerce Sellers in 2024

With an estimated 24 million online stores around the globe and thousands more being created daily, the ecommerce industry is thriving.

It’s no secret that building an online store is the single most effective way to establish an online presence and create a trusted brand. It’s also the best way to reduce overhead costs, reduce selling fees, and increase profit margins.

Here you will find a curated list of the 13 best online store builders for creating a professional ecommerce website, even if you have zero web design experience.

1. Shopify

With over 1 million global users and more than $40 billion in annual sales, Shopify is one of the most popular online store builders in the world. It’s widely praised for being user-friendly and flexible, as well as cost-effective and secure.

Shopify features over 70 professional themes, thousands of third-party apps, and direct integration with 100+ payment gateways, as well as a free SSL certificate, abandoned cart recovery, and flexible shipping options.

Shopify has everything you need to make a unique store. The possibilities are almost endless. You can check these Shopify design examples for inspiration. All of these stores were created using the Shopify platform.

Starting at only $29/month for unlimited products and unlimited orders, the basic plan has all the tools you need to quickly launch a store including web hosting.

Features

• Over 70 mobile-responsive themes and 100 compatible payment processors
• Thousands of performance-enhancing extensions including dropshipping apps
• Unlimited products and sales with a free SSL certificate and advertising voucher
• Built-in search engine tools (SEO) and abandoned cart recovery features
• All-in-one dashboard to track sales, manage orders, and view traffic analytics

2. WooCommerce

Designed for use with the highly flexible WordPress platform, WooCommerce is one of the most popular ecommerce plugins in the world, powering over 28% of all online stores including 22% of the top 1M most well-established ecommerce websites.

Renowned for its thousands of professional themes and virtually endless collection of performance-boosting plugins, WooCommerce is the perfect solution for both newbies to web design and those already experienced with WordPress.

WooCommerce is also completely free. The only costs attached to building a WooCommerce store are for a domain name and hosting, typically around $5-$10/month.

Features

• Highly flexible and secure with more than 5 million global users
• Completely free to use with only a domain name and hosting required
• Thousands of professional themes and performance-boosting plugins
• Unlimited product listings with multiple built-in payment processors
• User-friendly step-by-step wizard to get your store online in minutes

3. Shift4Shop

Founded over 20 years ago, Shift4Shop is a powerful and low-cost website-building platform with more than 20,000 global customers.

From an intuitive website builder to integrated marketing tools and dozens of highly flexible themes, Shift4Shop is packed full of features.

Recently acquiring 3dcart, a leading ecommerce software known for pioneering the mobile commerce movement, Shift4Shop has firmly established itself as a leader in the industry.

Features

• Turnkey online store builder with an intuitive and simple user interface
• Huge selection of professional and mobile-responsive templates
• Includes a domain name, secure web hosting, and SSL certificate
• Built-in marketing, search engine, and security tools
• Low-cost plans with unlimited products and unlimited bandwidth

4. BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a well-established ecommerce website builder known for its extreme scalability and unique features including built-in marketing tools.

From start-ups to major companies including Toyota, BigCommerce powers over 90,000 online stores, making it one of the most popular ecommerce solutions on the market.

BigCommerce excels in cutting-edge features with a drag-and-drop page builder, professional themes, and super-fast loading speeds,

Features

• Simple drag-and-drop page builder to create a stunning store in minutes
• Wide selection of professional, robust, and mobile-responsive themes
• User-friendly dashboard to manage listings, orders and customers
• Real-time performance analytics including sales and traffic reports
• Highly reliable and secure with lightning-fast loading speeds

5. AmeriCommerce

AmeriCommerce is a powerful ecommerce store building solution known for its advanced features, extreme flexibility, and unique editing options, as well as its innovative built-in marketing tools and professional themes.

From SEO and email marketing to payment gateways and recurring subscriptions, everything you need to build a professional online store is right at your fingertips, without having to install any third-party plugins, extensions, or apps.

However, more than 100 (optional) apps are available including payment gateways, accounting software, security add-ons, and integration with online marketplaces.

Features

• All-in-one ecommerce solution with built-in features and marketing tools
• No transaction fees and more than 40 integrated payment processors
• Huge selection of fully responsive and stylish themes and templates
• Over 100 integrations with 3rd party apps including accounting software
• Ultra-fast and highly reliable with thousands of users across the globe

6. Ecwid

Founded in 2009, Ecwid is a professional online store builder and multi-channel selling software trusted by over 100,000 global users.

Featuring a free plan that includes 10 product listings and unlimited bandwidth, as well as premium plans for unlimited listings and selling on multiple channels including eBay and Amazon, Ecwid is perfect for businesses of all sizes.

With a simple drag-and-drop interface and single-user dashboard for managing everything from one location, Ecwid is a true all-in-one ecommerce solution.

Features

• Trusted ecommerce store solution with over $4 billion in merchant revenue
• Sell across multiple platforms including eBay and sync prices and inventory
• Manage listings, customer orders, and inventory from one user dashboard
• Compatible with over 100 payment gateways including PayPal and Stripe
• Free plan for up to 10 product listings with unlimited bandwidth

7. Wix Ecommerce

Trusted by more than 140 million users, Wix is one of the most popular website-building platforms in the world. From small blogs to fully functioning ecommerce stores, Wix provides a range of low-cost monthly solutions for all types of businesses.

Starting at only $14 per month, the ecommerce package includes a custom domain, unlimited bandwidth, and 20GB of storage, as well as unlimited products, unlimited orders, and powerful built-in marketing and cross-platform selling tools.

With a modern drag-and-drop editor and over 500 professional themes to choose from, you can quickly create a unique store for your brand or business.

Features

• Over 500 professional and easy-to-edit online store templates
• Seamless integration with over 30 leading payment gateways
• Free domain name, company logo, and $75 advertising voucher
• All-in-one dashboard for managing orders, shipping, and returns
• Detailed business analytics including sales and traffic statistics

8. Mozello

Considered a low-cost alternative to other online store builders, Mozello excels in ease of use, simplicity, and fast results, offering a free plan for small stores with up to 5 products or an unlimited plan for fully scalable, mobile-responsive stores starting at just £6 / month.

Features include customizable delivery options, built-in marketing tools, and a rich selection of professional themes, as well as compatibility with multiple leading payment gateways.

The premium plans further include a domain name and hosting, along with exclusive features such as unlimited product variants, custom checkout forms, and API access.

Features

• Create a store in minutes with a simple drag-and-drop website builder
• Simple to edit with millions of possible (mobile-friendly) designs
• Low-cost with free plan for 5 products and 0.5 GB storage
• Free domain name and built-in marketing features

9. EKM

Established in 2002, EKM is the UK’s leading online store-building platform, featuring everything you need to create a stunning ecommerce website including over 70 stunning themes, a simple user interface, and a free logo maker.

With transparent pricing plans that include a domain, hosting, and SSL certificate, EKM is a complete all-in-one solution. Going that one step further than other ecommerce solutions, EKM also provides its members with a dedicated account manager for the first 6 months.

If you’re in the UK and looking for an ecommerce platform with a UK-based support team, EKM is the ideal solution, currently boasting a 4.8 rating from over 2000 users on Trustpilot.

Features

• UK’s leading online store builder trusted by over 80k users since 2002
• Over 70 robust and stunning themes designed for a wide range of industries
• Fully mobile response and configured to work perfectly on all devices
• Professional logo maker and built-in EKM banner and graphics image builder
• Low-cost packages with web hosting, domain name, and SSL certificate

10. Duda

Founded in 2009, Duda is an award-winning website-building platform with more than 450,000 members and over 150 million monthly visitors.

From ecommerce stores to blogs, forums, and marketplaces, a new website is created on Duda every 14 seconds, making it the go-to platform for businesses of all shapes and sizes.

Starting at $22 per month, the ecommerce plan includes a range of exclusive features including no transaction fees, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited orders, and unlimited storage, as well as built-in marketing and multi-channel selling tools.

Features

• Well-established and reliable website builder with more than 450K users
• All-in-one ecommerce store solutions starting at less than $25 per month
• Professional and mobile-responsive design with 40+ payment gateways
• Built-in marketing and SEO tools with multi-channel selling features
• No transaction fees with unlimited bandwidth and unlimited storage

11. Webador

Webador is a cost-effective and simple-to-use website builder with over 50 mobile responsive themes, a user-friendly interface, and easy editing options, as well as traffic analytics, integrated social media, and over 100,000 free stock photos.

Ideal for individualists or hobbyists, the free plan includes hosting, unlimited storage, and unlimited orders, while the paid plans include a domain, SSL certificate, and business email address, as well as 0% commission and ad-free websites.

Additional features with premium plans include Google Analytics integration, a professional blog, and custom contact forms, along with a powerful search bar,

Features

• Simple drag-and-drop interface with no coding or design skills needed
• Over 50 professional, fully responsive, and highly robust themes
• Detailed traffic statistics to check website performance and referral sources
• Free plan with unlimited pages, unlimited storage, and web hosting
• Low-cost premium packages with free domain, SSL and email

12. Squarespace

Launched in 2004, Squarespace is a leading website-building platform for creating a professional online store or small business site.

Featuring an extensive range of award-winning templates and an innovative page builder, creating a unique store is simple and easy.

Built-in digital marketing and SEO tools, as well as the ability to install third-party apps, make Squarespace a highly flexible platform for building any type of website from digital stores to event booking platforms and fully functional ecommerce stores.

Features

• Leading all-in-one platform for building an online store or business website
• Huge collection of award-winning and easy-to-edit premium themes
• Free SSL certificate, unlimited bandwidth, and storage with all packages
• Fully responsive and mobile-friendly designs with built-in SEO features
• 14-day free trial with low-cost monthly packages and yearly discounts

13. Volusion

Founded in 1999, Volusion is a powerful and intuitive ecommerce website-building software trusted by more than 180,000 global customers.

Featuring a drag-and-drop builder, responsive themes, and multiple payment integrations, Volusion is the perfect all-in-one solution for newbies with limited design skills.

Furthermore, with low-cost monthly plans starting at only $29/month and discounts of up to 10% or more when paying yearly, as well as a 14-day free trial, Volusion is a cost-effective platform for businesses of all sizes including start-ups.

Features

• Simplistic and powerful drag-and-drop site builder trusted by over 180k users
• Built-in SEO marketing features to naturally increase search engine visibility
• Direct integration with more than 30 payment gateways including PayPal
• Secure checkout with powerful site editing tools and social media integrations
• 14-day free trial with low-cost monthly plans and discounted yearly options

Why build an online store?

With more than 4 billion global internet users in 2021, there has never been a better time to start selling products online through an ecommerce store.

From less competition to bigger profit margins and retaining more control over the business, building an online store has endless benefits when compared to selling on a marketplace.

When selling products through an online store, you won’t need to worry about selling fees, performance defects, or negative feedback.

Furthermore, you won’t find yourself competing with thousands of other sellers. This allows you to earn higher profit margins. Plus, you will have complete control over your business policies.

Why use an online store builder?

An online store builder allows you to quickly create a professional ecommerce website without having to learn complicated coding or web design skills.

Furthermore, most online store builders provide you with everything you need to start selling online including a domain name, hosting, and storage space, as well as an SSL certificate, integrated payment processors, and marketing tools.

Quite simply, using an online store builder is the quickest and most cost-effective way to launch a professional ecommerce website on a budget.

How long does it take to build a store?

The amount of time it will take to build an online store will vary depending on the ecommerce platform and your level of experience with using software.

However, most online store builders provide a simple drag-and-drop solution that anyone can use to quickly create a stunning online store in a matter of hours.

It shouldn’t take longer than a few days to get your store up and running with any of the ecommerce platforms listed in this guide, even if you’re completely new to web design.

What is the best online store builder?

The best online store builder will depend on your budget, experience, and own personal preferences, as well as the number of products you plan on selling,

While some people choose to build a store using WooCommerce because of their familiarity with the WordPress platform, others prefer an all-in-one solution with a domain name, hosting, and built-in marketing tools such as Shopify or Shift4Shop.

Alternatively, those with only a small number of products are better suited to online store builders with free versions for a fixed number of products such as Mozello or Ecwid.

It’s important to study each platform and its features to determine which would be best for your needs and budget. The online store builders listed in his guide are a mixture of both free and paid solutions, each offering a widely different range of features.

What is the cheapest online store builder?

With prices starting at less than $15/month for unlimited products and hosting included, Wix Ecommerce, Mozello, and Webador are the cheapest all-in-one online store builders, whereas WooCommerce is the only free-to-use website builder with no limitations.

However, WooCommerce requires users to purchase a domain name and hosting separately which typically costs around $5-$10/month depending on the provider.

Are there any free online store builders?

While most online store builders charge a monthly fee, many offer free versions which usually allow a fixed number of listings or monthly orders.

For example, Mozello has a free plan that includes 5 product listings and 0.5GB of storage space, whereas Ecwid’s free plan includes 10 listings and unlimited orders.

Alternatively, WooCommerce is free to use and has no restrictions or limitations, the only requirement is to purchase a domain and hosting separately. WooCommerce also comes complete with a shopping cart and built-in payment processors.

What is the best online store builder for small stores?

When it comes to small stores with only a few products, using a store builder with a free version is the best solution. Mozello and Ecwid both offer free plans for up to 10 products, whereas Wix Ecommerce and Webador offer low-cost plans of less than $15/month for unlimited products.

Furthermore, WooCommerce is a fantastic free-to-use option with the only expense being web hosting which typically costs around $5-$10/month or less. With WooCommerce, you can sell an unlimited number of products with unlimited orders for free.

Do I need coding skills to build an online store?

As most online store builders feature a simple drag-and-drop page builder or content management dashboard, no web design or coding skills are required.

Most average people can create and launch a fully functional ecommerce store within a few hours, even with zero web design experience. From shipping policies to payment processors and returns, everything can be managed using a single platform.

Should I build a store or hire a web designer?

While hiring a professional designer to build your ecommerce website has its advantages, using an online store builder is a quicker and cheaper alternative.

Most online store builders provide an all-in-one solution that includes a domain name and hosting, whereas web designers typically charge for the website only.

Furthermore, fast advancements in technology have made it easier than ever for anyone to create a unique and original ecommerce store without breaking the bank.

Final Word

Building an online store has many benefits when compared to selling on third-party marketplaces such as eBay, Amazon, or Etsy.

With an online store, you will have less competition and more opportunity to earn bigger profit margins, while also retaining full control over your business. You will also be able to avoid the high selling fees attached to third-party platforms, as well as the strict selling policies.

The online store builders listed in this guide are the most popular solutions for creating a stunning and professional ecommerce website, without having to learn coding or web design.

Make sure you research each platform and its features to find the best option for your needs and goals. You may also want to try multiple free trials to test drive the software.