Why Choosing the Right Ecommerce Platform Matters for Small Businesses in 2026
For a small business, the store platform is one of the few software costs that grows with every sale. You pay a subscription, then a card fee on each order, and on some plans a platform transaction fee on top. Add a few paid apps and the real bill can be double the price on the pricing page.
The good news is that the main platforms now price their entry plans in a narrow band. Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix and Squarespace all land between $19 and $39 per month for a usable store plan, and most charge 2.9% + 30¢ per online card payment. The differences that matter are in the details: which plans add a 2% transaction fee, which cap your sales or your product count, which include in-person selling, and which need a developer to keep running.
This guide compares seven platforms for a business of 1 to 10 people with under about $1 million in yearly sales: Shopify, Squarespace, Wix eCommerce, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Ecwid by Lightspeed and Big Cartel. All prices are in US dollars and were checked on each vendor's own site in October 2026.
Shopify review
Shopify is a hosted platform built only for commerce. You pick a theme, add products, connect Shopify Payments and you can sell online, on social channels and in person from the same inventory.
Pricing: Basic is $39/month, Grow $105/month and Advanced $399/month on monthly billing, or $29, $79 and $299/month billed yearly. Plus starts at $2,300/month. New stores get 3 days free, then pay $1/month for 3 months.
Fees: With Shopify Payments, online cards cost 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic, 2.7% + 30¢ on Grow and 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced. In-person cards cost 2.6% + 10¢ on Basic. If you use another payment gateway, Shopify adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced.
Key features for small businesses:
- Unlimited products on every plan
- Abandoned checkout recovery, gift cards and 200+ reports on every plan
- Selling on social channels and marketplaces, plus casual in-person selling with the built-in POS
- POS Pro for $89/month per location if you run a real shop with staff and inventory needs
- Shipping discounts of up to 87%
- Live chat support on Basic and Grow
Pros:
- Every core store feature starts on the cheapest plan
- The biggest app and theme ecosystem, so almost any need has a ready-made answer
- One inventory across web, social and POS
Cons:
- Basic includes no additional staff accounts; Grow adds 5
- The 2% gateway fee on Basic makes Shopify Payments close to mandatory
- Apps add up. Reviews, subscriptions or advanced search can each be a monthly charge
Who should use it: Online-first businesses that want to grow, especially product brands selling through a website, social channels and pop-up markets.
Who should avoid it: Businesses that only need to sell a handful of items, or that must use a specific outside payment processor on a tight budget.
Squarespace review
Squarespace is a website builder known for its templates, with commerce built in. For a small brand where the site is part of the product, it is a strong option.
Pricing: Basic $19/month billed yearly ($25 monthly), Core $29 ($39), Plus $49 ($65) and Advanced $99 ($139). There is a 14-day free trial with no credit card.
Fees: Basic adds a 2% transaction fee on online store sales. Core and higher plans have 0%. Squarespace Payments charges 2.9% + 30¢ per card on Basic and Core, 2.7% + 30¢ on Plus and 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced, with a 1.5% surcharge on international cards.
Key features for small businesses:
- Unlimited products on every plan
- Squarespace POS on all plans; the mobile app is US only
- Abandoned cart recovery, gift cards, invoices and subscriptions on every plan
- Discount codes, US shipping labels, carrier-calculated shipping and ecommerce analytics from Core
- Facebook and Instagram catalog sync; selling via Instagram from Core
Pros:
- Polished templates that make a small catalog look premium
- 0% transaction fee from Core
- POS included without an extra subscription
Cons:
- Basic is a trap for stores: 2% fee, no discounts, no shipping labels
- Fewer third-party integrations than Shopify or WooCommerce
- Only 2 contributors on Basic
Who should use it: Makers, studios, restaurants and service businesses that sell some products alongside a strong brand site.
Who should avoid it: Stores with complex catalogs, heavy marketplace selling, or a need for many specialist apps.
Wix eCommerce review
Wix is a general website builder with a full store on its business plans. It gives the most layout freedom of the hosted builders here and bundles bookings, events and a blog.
Pricing: The free plan and the Light plan ($17/month) cannot accept payments. Store plans, billed yearly in the US, are Core at $29/month (basic eCommerce), Business at $39/month (standard eCommerce) and Business Elite at $159/month (advanced eCommerce). The plans page shows yearly prices only and notes that prices vary by location. There is a 14-day money-back guarantee on your first premium plan, and yearly plans include a free domain voucher for one year.
Fees: Wix Payments charges 2.9% + 30¢ per card in the US (American Express 3.7% + 30¢). In person, Wix POS costs 2.6% with no fixed fee, or 2.6% + 20¢ with Tap to Pay.
Key features for small businesses:
- Drag-and-drop editor with store, bookings and blog in one dashboard
- 50 GB storage and 5 collaborators on Core, 100 GB and 10 on Business
- In-person selling through Wix POS
- 24/7 customer care on all plans
Pros:
- The most design freedom of the builders compared here
- Good fit if you sell services and products together
- Low in-person rate with no fixed fee
Cons:
- No way to take payments on the free or Light plans
- The plans page does not show monthly-billing prices
- Commerce depth and app choice trail Shopify
Who should use it: Businesses where the website comes first, such as salons, studios or local shops adding online sales.
Who should avoid it: Online-only product brands that expect to grow quickly and need deep commerce tools.
BigCommerce review
BigCommerce is a hosted commerce platform with many features built in rather than added by apps. For small businesses its main draw is native marketplace selling.
Pricing: Core $39/month, Growth $105/month and Scale $399/month billed monthly, or $29, $79 and $299/month billed annually. There is a 15-day free trial with no credit card.
Sales caps: Each plan has a trailing-12-month GMV limit, defined as gross order value minus 10%. Core covers up to $30K and Growth up to $100K. Scale is capped at $33,333 a month, with a 0.9% charge above that. A store selling $5,000 a month ($54K GMV) is already over the Core cap.
Fees: No transaction fee with BigCommerce's embedded payment providers. With open payment providers the fee is 2% on Core, 1% on Growth and 0.6% on Scale. Card processing begins at 2.89% + 29¢.
Key features for small businesses:
- Amazon, eBay and Walmart channels on every plan
- Google, Meta, TikTok, Microsoft and Pinterest product feeds via Feedonomics Surface, free on every plan
- Staff accounts on every plan
- POS integrations on every plan
- Abandoned cart saver, customer groups and stored cards from Growth
Pros:
- Strongest built-in marketplace selling at entry level
- No transaction fee with embedded providers
- Fewer paid apps needed for core features
Cons:
- The sales caps decide your plan, not the features you want
- No abandoned cart saver on Core
- POS works through integrations rather than a native app
Who should use it: Small sellers who already sell, or plan to sell, on Amazon, eBay or Walmart alongside their own store.
Who should avoid it: Fast-growing stores that would hit the $30K and $100K caps quickly, and anyone who wants a simple built-in POS.
WooCommerce review
WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin that turns a WordPress site into a store. You choose the host, the theme and the extensions, and you own everything.
Pricing: The plugin is free with no monthly subscription. WooCommerce's own estimate puts hosting at $25 to $350/month for most stores, and paid extensions at $29 to $299/year each.
Fees: WooPayments has no monthly fee. US rates are 2.9% + 30¢ online and 2.7% + 10¢ in person, plus 1.5% for international cards and 1% for currency conversion. Disputes cost $15. Each active card reader costs $5/month; Tap to Pay on a phone does not.
Key features for small businesses:
- No platform fee and no product limit
- WooPayments for online and in-person cards
- Thousands of free and paid extensions
- WordPress blogging and SEO tools on the same site
Pros:
- Full control over code, data and hosting
- In-person card payments at 2.7% + 10¢ with no monthly fee (readers cost $5/month each when active)
- Easy to move to another host
Cons:
- You own updates, security, backups and speed
- Extensions for subscriptions, bookings or advanced shipping cost extra each year
- Slower setup than hosted platforms
Who should use it: Businesses with an existing WordPress site, or a technical owner or contractor.
Who should avoid it: Owners who want to spend no time on software upkeep.
Ecwid by Lightspeed review
Ecwid, now branded Ecwid by Lightspeed, is a store you add to an existing website. It works with many site builders and also includes a simple Instant Site if you have none.
Pricing: There is no free plan on the current pricing page. Starter is $5/month for 10 products, selling on your website only. Venture is $35/month, or $29/month billed yearly, for 100 products. Business is $65/month ($49 yearly) for 2,500 products. Unlimited is $149/month ($119 yearly) for unlimited products. Yearly billing saves 16%. Nonprofits can apply for 6 months of Venture free.
Fees: Ecwid charges no setup or transaction fees on any plan. You still pay your payment processor's card fees.
Key features for small businesses:
- Add a store to an existing website, or use Instant Site
- Instagram and Facebook selling and the App Market from Venture
- Digital goods from Venture
- Marketplaces (via third-party apps), subscriptions and abandoned cart recovery from Business
- 2 staff accounts on Business, unlimited on Unlimited
- POS integration on Unlimited, with Lightspeed Retail sync and Square or Clover sync in some countries
Pros:
- Cheapest paid entry point at $5/month
- Keeps your current website instead of replacing it
- No Ecwid transaction fees
Cons:
- The free plan is gone
- Product caps are tight: 10 on Starter, 100 on Venture
- Abandoned cart recovery needs Business and in-person POS needs Unlimited
Who should use it: Businesses happy with their current website that want to add a cart quickly.
Who should avoid it: Stores with more than 100 products on a small budget, or shops that need POS without paying for the top plan.
Big Cartel review
Big Cartel is a simple store builder aimed at artists and makers. It has a real free plan and keeps the feature set small on purpose.
Pricing: Gold is free for up to 5 products with 1 image each. Platinum is $15/month or $144/year for 50 products with 5 images each. Diamond is $30/month or $288/year for 500 products with 25 images each. Annual billing is 20% off. Platinum has a 7-day free trial.
Fees: Big Cartel charges no transaction fees. Payments run through Stripe (2.9% + 30¢ for most US online cards) or PayPal, which set their own rates.
Key features for small businesses:
- Free plan that can accept payments
- On paid plans: custom domain, inventory tracking, discounts, shipping labels and in-person selling with Tap to Pay or Stripe card readers (from $59)
- On Diamond: abandoned cart emails, scheduled product drops, password-protected products, Zapier and priority support
Pros:
- Genuinely free for a tiny catalog
- No platform transaction fees
- Very quick to set up
Cons:
- Hard product caps of 5, 50 and 500
- Free plan lacks a custom domain, discounts and inventory tracking
- Few integrations below Diamond
Who should use it: Illustrators, bands, print sellers and makers with a small, changing catalog.
Who should avoid it: Any store expecting to pass 500 products or needing deep marketing tools.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Ease of use
Squarespace, Big Cartel and Shopify are the quickest to set up for a non-technical owner. Wix is easy but its freedom means more design decisions. BigCommerce has more settings to learn. Ecwid is easy if you already have a site to embed it in. WooCommerce takes the longest because you also set up hosting and WordPress.
Features at the entry level
Shopify Basic has the most complete entry plan: unlimited products, abandoned checkout recovery, gift cards and POS. Squarespace Core matches most of this and adds no transaction fee. BigCommerce Core is strong on marketplaces but lacks abandoned cart recovery. Ecwid Starter and Big Cartel Gold are deliberately minimal.
Pricing value
For a typical card-paid store, Shopify Basic, Squarespace Core and Wix Core end up within a dollar of each other, because card fees dominate. Big Cartel is the cheapest hosted option for small catalogs. BigCommerce becomes pricier for growing stores because of its GMV caps. WooCommerce can be cheapest in cash but not in time.
Transaction and payment fees
| Platform | Platform transaction fee | US online card rate (own payments) |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | 0% with Shopify Payments; 2% / 1% / 0.6% with other gateways | 2.9% + 30¢ (Basic) |
| Squarespace | 2% on Basic, 0% on Core and up | 2.9% + 30¢ (Basic, Core) |
| Wix | Not listed on the plans page | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| BigCommerce | $0 with embedded providers; 2% / 1% / 0.6% with open providers | from 2.89% + 29¢ |
| WooCommerce | None | 2.9% + 30¢ (WooPayments) |
| Ecwid | None | Set by your processor |
| Big Cartel | None | 2.9% + 30¢ (Stripe) |
POS and social selling
Shopify, Squarespace and Wix include in-person selling on their store plans. Shopify's in-person rate is 2.6% + 10¢ on Basic and Wix's is 2.6%. Big Cartel supports in-person sales on paid plans through Stripe. WooCommerce has WooPayments in-person at 2.7% + 10¢. BigCommerce relies on POS integrations, and Ecwid puts POS on its top plan only. For social selling, Shopify includes social and marketplace channels on every plan, BigCommerce feeds Meta, TikTok and Pinterest through Feedonomics Surface, and Ecwid adds Instagram and Facebook from Venture; Squarespace syncs catalogs on all plans but reserves Instagram selling for Core and up.
Integrations
Shopify and WooCommerce have the largest app ecosystems. BigCommerce has a solid app store and the best built-in marketplace links. Wix and Squarespace cover common needs but have fewer specialist apps. Big Cartel leans on Zapier on Diamond.
Learning curve
Lowest: Big Cartel and Squarespace. Moderate: Shopify, Wix and Ecwid. Higher: BigCommerce. Highest: WooCommerce.
How to Choose: Decision Framework
Answer these questions in order:
- Do you already have a website you like? If yes and it is WordPress, choose WooCommerce. If it is on another builder, choose Ecwid. If not, keep going.
- How many products will you sell in the next year? Under 5 and testing the idea: Big Cartel Gold. Under 50: Big Cartel Platinum is the cheapest hosted option. More than 100: Shopify, Squarespace, Wix or BigCommerce.
- Will you sell on Amazon, eBay or Walmart? If yes, BigCommerce has those channels built in. Check the GMV caps against your forecast.
- Do you sell in person at markets or a shop? Shopify (built-in POS, POS Pro for a real shop), Squarespace (POS on all plans) and Wix (POS at 2.6%) are the simplest.
- Is the website itself central to your brand? Squarespace or Wix.
- Do you expect to grow fast? Shopify. It has the clearest upgrade path and the deepest app ecosystem.
Whatever you pick, avoid plans with a platform transaction fee once sales pass a few thousand dollars a month. On $5,000 in monthly sales, a 2% fee costs $100 a month, more than the jump to the next plan.
The Verdict: Final Recommendations
Shopify is our pick for most small businesses. Basic at $29/month billed yearly includes everything a new store needs, and the platform grows with you. Use Shopify Payments to avoid the 2% gateway fee, and keep paid apps to the few you really need.
Squarespace is the best alternative for brands that care most about how the site looks. Go straight to Core for 0% transaction fees and discount codes.
Wix eCommerce suits businesses that sell services and products and want one flexible site.
BigCommerce is the choice for marketplace sellers, as long as the $30K and $100K GMV caps fit your plans.
WooCommerce is right for WordPress users who want control and can handle upkeep.
Ecwid by Lightspeed is the easiest way to add a store to a site you already have, from $5/month.
Big Cartel is the best free start for a catalog of 5 products or fewer.
Conclusion
For a small business, the best ecommerce platform is the one that keeps total monthly cost low without boxing you in. Card fees of about 2.9% + 30¢ will be your largest cost on any platform, so focus on avoiding extra transaction fees, product caps and sales caps that force upgrades. Shopify is the safest all-round choice. Squarespace and Wix are excellent if design and services matter. BigCommerce suits marketplace sellers, WooCommerce suits WordPress owners, Ecwid suits existing sites and Big Cartel suits tiny catalogs. Start with a free trial or the lowest plan that fits, and check the numbers again before your first yearly renewal.
Marcus Williams