With an estimated 24M online stores and thousands more being launched daily, the ecommerce industry is booming. Building an online store is the single most effective way to establish an online presence, reach the most customers and create a profitable ecommerce business.
The rise of online store builders has made it easier than ever for the average Joe to create a stunning ecommerce website. In fact, most online store builders provide an all-in-one solution for selling online including a domain name, hosting and integrated payment processors.
In this guide, I’m going to list the 13 best online store builders for creating an ecommerce website. Whether you’re a coding expert or complete newbie, the following solutions were specifically designed to be simple and affordable.
Quick View
- WooCommerce – Free ecommerce plugin for WordPress
- Shopify – Popular all-in-one solution with 1M+ users
- Shift4Shop – Turnkey platform with over 20K users
- BigCommerce – Well-established online store builder
- AmeriCommerce – Premium store building solution
- Ecwid – Store builder and multi-channel software
- Wix Ecommerce – Website builder with 140M users
- Mozello – Low-cost with free plan for 5 listings
- EKM – UK’s most popular store builder with 80K users
- Duda – Award-winning site builder with store plan
- Webador – Affordable solution for small online stores
- Squarespace – Website builder and hosting company
- Volusion – Drag-and-drop store builder software
1. WooCommerce (Free)
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 countless performance-boosting plugins, WooCommerce is the perfect solution for both newbies and those already experienced with WordPress.
2. Shopify (From $29/month)
With over 1M global users and more than $40 billion in annual sales, Shopify is one of the most popular online store builders in the world, widely praised for being user-friendly and highly customisable, as well as cost-effective and secure. Shopify features include over 70 professional themes, thousands of performance-enhancing extensions and direct integration with 100+ payment gateways, as well as a free SSL certificate and Google Ads voucher.
3. Shift4Shop (From $29/month)
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-customisable 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.
Looking for a dropshipping store?
If you’re looking to start a dropshipping business, purchasing a turnkey dropshipping website is the quickest way to get up and running. With pricing starting at only $119 for a custom-made dropshipping store with a domain name, hosting and mobile-responsive design, as well as fully-loaded with profitable dropshipping products and pre-configured with automation software, there are multiple reliable suppliers of turnkey dropshpping stores.
Learn More4. BigCommerce (From $29.95/month)
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 globally recognised companies including Toyota, BigCommerce powers over 90K online stores, making it one of the most popular ecommerce solutions. From a drag-and-drop page builder to customisable themes and super-fast loading speeds, BigCommerce excels in cutting-edge features.
5. AmeriCommerce (From $24.95/month)
AmeriCommerce is a powerful ecommerce store building solution known for its advanced features, extreme flexibility and unique customisation options, as well as it’s 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 third party plugins or extensions.
6. Ecwid (From $15/month)
Ecwid is a professional online store builder and multi-channel selling software trusted by over 100K users. Featuring a free plan which includes 10 product listings and unlimited bandwidth, as well as premium plans for unlimited listings and multi-channel selling, 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.
7. Wix Ecommerce (From $14/month)
Trusted by more than 140M 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 and built-in marketing and cross-platform selling tools.
8. Mozello (From $7/month)
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 £11 / 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.
9. EKM (From £32/month)
EKM is the UK’s leading online store building platform, featuring everything you need to create a stunning ecommerce website including over 70 customisable themes, a simple user interface and a free logo maker. With transparent pricing plans which include a domain, hosting and SSL, EKM is a complete all-in-one solution. Going that one step further than other ecommerce solutions, EKM members also get a dedicated account manager for the first 6 months.
10. Duda (From $22/month)
Founded in 2009, Duda is an award-winning website building platform with more than 450K users and over 150M monthly visitors. From ecommerce stores to blogs and digital marketplaces, a new website is created on Duda every 14 seconds. Starting at $22 per month, the ecommerce plan includes a range of exclusive features including no transaction fees, unlimited bandwidth and unlimited storage, as well as built-in marketing and multi-channel selling tools.
11. Webador (From $9/month)
Webador is a cost-effective and simple to use website builder with over 50 mobile responsive themes, a user-friendly interface and fully-customisable editing options, as well as traffic analytics, integrated social media and over 100k free stock photos. Ideal for individualists or hobbyists, the free plan includes hosting and unlimited storage, while the paid plans include a domain, SSL certificate and business email, as well as 0% commission and ad free websites.
12. Squarespace (From $12/month)
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 marketing and SEO tools, as well as the addition of 3rd party apps makes Squarespace a highly flexible platform for building any type of website from digital stores to event booking platforms.
13. Volusion (From $29/month)
Founded in 1999, Volusion is a powerful and intuitive ecommerce website building software trusted by over 180K loyal users. 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 and discounted yearly options, as well as a 14-day free trial, Volusion is a cost-effective platform for business of all sizes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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. In fact, more than 75% of consumers shop online at least once a month. While selling through online marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon can be highly profitable, building an online store is the most effective way to break into the market and create a trusted brand.
From having less competition to earning bigger profit margins and retaining more control over the business, building an online store has endless benefits when compared to selling through a third party marketplace In fact, when selling products through your own online store, you won’t need to worry about selling fees, policies or negative feedback. Furthermore, you won’t find yourself competing with thousands of other sellers for the very same customers. In turn, you will have the flexibility to aim for higher profit margins while setting your own business policies and rules.
Why use an online store builder?
An online store builder allows you to quickly create a professional ecommerce website without having to learn coding or web design. 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 an ecommerce website.
How long does it take to build a store?
The amount of time it takes to build an online store will vary depending on the ecommerce platform and your current experience level. However, most online store builders provide a simple drag-and-drop solution which anyone can use to quickly create a professional online store in a matter of hours. It should certainly take no longer than a few days to get your store up and running, even if you’re a complete newbie 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. While some people choose to build a store using WooCommerce because of their familiarity with WordPress, others prefer an all-in-one solution with a domain name and hosting 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 it’s features to determine which would be best for your needs and budget.
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 $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 which includes 5 product listings and 0.5GB of storage space, whereas Ecwid’s free plan includes 10 listings. Alternatively, WooCommerce is a free to use ecommerce solution which has no restrictions or limitations, the only requirement is to purchase a domain and hosting separately.
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.
Do I need coding skills to build an online store?
As most online store builders feature a simple drag-and-drop style page builder or simple content management dashboard, no web design or coding skills are required to build a professional ecommerce website. In fact, most average people are able to create and launch a fully-functional ecommerce store within a few hours, even with zero web design experience.
Should I build my own 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. In fact, most online store builders provide an all-in-one solution which includes a domain name and hosting, whereas web designers typically charge for the website only. Furthermore, fast advancements in technology has 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 or Amazon. 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 and avoiding the high selling fees attached to third party platforms. The online store builders outlined in this guide are the most popular solutions for creating a stunning and professional ecommerce website, without having to learn complex coding or web design.
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