The best ecommerce website creators
Do you want to go straight to find out the answer? The best ecommerce website builder is Wix.
Certainly, there are still many other possibilities: whether it be an ecommerce website builder proper or an e-commerce platform.
E-commerce platforms are so numerous that one could get lost in their choice. However, when it comes to e-commerce website builders, the choice is limited. So the question arises: Are e-commerce website creators the only option to consider when starting from scratch?
As a website creator, I am referring to CMS such as WordPress. Then, you canCustomize your site using WordPress pluginsHowever, you will have to work hard! This option is only feasible if you already have an existing website, and you are going to convert it into an ecommerce site.
For a new website, it is much easier to hire a specialized web designer in ecommerce. The work is reduced: you won't need to install all kinds of plugins for it to be fully functional.
So, to help you, I have listed 8 of the best ecommerce website builders. Use this guide to find the one that suits you best.
The 8 best e-commerce website builders
Wix - Best e-commerce website builder for beginners.
Shopify - The most popular e-commerce website builder.
Squarespace - Best website builder for designing beautiful and creative e-commerce stores.
Weebly The best for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
3DCart - Best ecommerce website builder for developers and experienced store owners.
BigCommerce The best for scaling with omnichannel sales.
Volusion - This is the best solution for large e-commerce websites.
Grand Cartel - Affordable plans for ecommerce stores with limited products.
For each e-commerce website builder, I will explain their features, advantages, prices, and specific use cases. I will also mention any potential drawbacks or disadvantages.
Wix
Price starting from $23/month
100% commission-free
Ideal for beginners
Build a website by drag and drop
Get a 14-day free trial
• Try for free
Wix is a leading website builder for beginners. If you are creating a new e-commerce site without any experience, Wix's simplicity will greatly make your life easier.
Your Wix website will be easy to reference and fully customizable thanks to its "drag-and-drop" functionality.
Wix has prepared specific offers for e-commerce websites. In fact, no matter which plan you have chosen, Wix gives you access to unlimited bandwidth, $300 in advertising vouchers, a free domain for one year, and a feature that will allow you to analyze website visitors.
It is also worth noting that all online payments from your Wix store are 100% commission-free.
Here is an overview of the main features and benefits you will get with a Wix ecommerce plan:
More than 500 models
SEO tools
Mobile phone optimization
Wix chat
Several payment methods
Global maritime transport
Coupons and discounts
You will also be able to easily track orders, stocks, and pages dedicated to your products. If you need it, a blog is available. Thanks to Wix as well, you may not necessarily need a graphic designer to design your logo.
Here are the e-commerce rates:
Business Basic - $23 per month
Business Unlimited - $27 per month
Business VIP - $49 per month
Business - $500 per month
Honestly, I am not attracted to the Business Basic plan. For just 4 dollars more, with the Business Unlimited plan, you get an additional 35 GB of storage, double the hours of video, and a professional logo.
How to save money with Wix? Subscribe to a basic Wix plan. You can then create a personal website with Wix for only $13 per month. When you feel ready, just upgrade to a higher plan: ecommerce.
If Wix does not satisfy you, know that you are free to cancel your subscription (only if the cancellation is made within 14 days following your registration). Moreover, before that, why not try Wix for free (for 14 days)?
Shopify
The price starts at $29 per month
Over 70 themes
Integrated payment gateway
Customer support available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Get a free 14-day trial
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This CMS comes with everything you need to set up and manage your online store.
To begin, you must choose between Shopify's 70 free and paid themes.
Each theme has settings that allow you to customize everything to your liking. To do this, simply install various applications (available in the Shopify App Store).
One of the advantages of Shopify is that all payments are processed directly by the platform. With the Shopify Payments gateway integrated into your plan, you won't need to connect other processors for payment acceptance. As soon as you finish your site, you can start selling immediately!
That being said, you are free to choose another payment gateway (if that is what you desire). Over 100 payment processors seamlessly integrate with Shopify.
All packages offered by Shopify include web hosting, unlimited email transfer, unlimited bandwidth, and a content delivery network for optimal performance. You will also benefit from marketing and SEO tools, mobile optimization, and analytics.
You will never be alone, as their team offers a 24/7 customer support service via phone, email, and live chat.
Other advantages of Shopify include the ability to set up dropshipping, customer accounts, target abandoned carts, a point of sale software, and manage your shipping rates.
Here is an overview of Shopify's plans and prices:
Basic Shopify - $29 per month
Shopify - $79 per month
Advanced Shopify - $299 per month
Are you planning to build a very large online store? In this case, I strongly recommend consulting a Shopify sales expert. To top it all off, you canTry Shopify for free for 14 days !
Squarespace
Price starting from $12/month
Beautiful drawings
Building a website by drag-and-drop
Selling products, subscriptions, and digital goods
Get a 14-day free trial
Sorry, there is no text provided to translate Try for free
Squarespace is one of the top leaders in the best ecommerce website builders (worldwide).
This is explained in particular by the fact that Squarespace has an easily accessible integrated e-commerce functionality. It is indeed included in every plan (unlike other top e-commerce website builders).
Squarespace is an ideal solution for creatives. The platform knows how to showcase your design. Even if you are not a web designer, you will be able to create a modern and attractive ecommerce site with Squarespace.
Also, each element of your pages can be easily customized thanks to the "drag and drop" function. The interface is simply intuitive and responsive.
Squarespace offers premium templates, specially designed for online stores. Whether you are selling products, services, subscriptions, or digital goods, Squarespace is made for you.
Even on mobile, Squarespace is accessible! Its mobile version will make it easy for you to manage and make changes to your site, even when you are on the go. Are you thinking of adding physical stores to your online shop? It's possible with Squarespace.
Squarespace also hasintegrated SEO tools, blog posts, analysis, and all other things you may need for your success!
There are hundreds of applications integrated with Squarespace. The only downside is that it does not have an App Store for one-click installations. You will need to use some code for certain installations.
Squarespace offers a total of 4 different plans, three of which specifically focus on creating an ecommerce website
Personnel - $12 per month
Businesses - $18 per month
Basic Commerce - $26 per month
Advanced Commerce - $40 per month
I particularly recommend the Basic Commerce option (if you want to have the bare minimum of features for an ecommerce site).
This option includes 0% transaction fees, point of sale, e-commerce analytics, customer accounts, and many more.
As your business grows and you desire more advanced features, you can always upgrade to the advanced business plan. I simply assure you that in the beginning, you won't really need it.
All plans come with 24/7 customer support service. You can try Squarespace for free with a 14-day trial period.
Weebly
Price starting from $12/month
Build a website with drag and drop
Add product search to your store
Integrates with PayPal, Square, and Stripe
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Weebly is another popular ecommerce website builder. It offers a free plan that is accessible forever.
Unfortunately, the free plan does not include ecommerce capabilities. I still advise you to use it to test if the platform is suitable for your needs. It is wiser than immediately switching to the paid plan.
The paid plans are affordable, which is what sets Weeblly apart from other top ecommerce site builders.
You can accept payments with popular gateways like PayPal, Stripe, and Square.
Weebly also allows entrepreneurs to easily establish an online presence and grow through e-commerce. So if you already have a small business or a local business, I recommend Weebly!
As Weebly is powered by Square, it is very easy to integrate the Square point of sale into your online sales system. You will be able to manage your products and inventory in one place, which is very convenient!
The drag-and-drop website builder allows you to launch your store with minimal effort and no coding.
Weebly also offers other tools for email, SEO, site statistics, shipping, inventory, and more. Help your customers find what they are looking for by adding a product search bar to your online store. Even better, add badges to products when items are on sale or when availability becomes limited.
These are the prices of Weebly for online stores:
Pro - $12 per month
Businesses - $25 per month
Business Plus - $38 per month
The Pro plan is quite basic (shopping cart and payment acceptance), but it is perfect for you if you do not need complex features.
If you want to get the most out of Weebly, you will need at least a business plan.
My advice about Weebly is therefore the following: try out the free plan of Weebly (available for life) and use it as an extended free trial before officially launching your online store.
3DCart
Price starting from $9.50/month
More than 200 built-in features
No long-term contracts
30-day money-back guarantee
Sorry, there is no text provided to translate Try for free
3DCart is definitely not the most popular platform, but it remains one of the best ecommerce site builders! However, it is not suitable for beginners. The platform is therefore far from easy to use.
If you are experienced developers or owners of ecommerce stores, you can fully benefit from using 3DCart.
The platform has over 200 built-in features and is one of the best ecommerce site builders for SEO preparation. Your store will be optimized for search engines from the start.
3DCart offers over 50 free themes and supports over 100 payment processors.
3DCart is equipped with features and benefits such as:
Access to the API
Unlimited products
Mobile-ready themes
Web hosting
Unlimited bandwidth
No transaction fees
Integrated Blog
Once again, I prefer to repeat that this e-commerce website builder is not made for beginners! You will need to use the API access for example.
The pricing of 3DCart is very transparent. There are no hidden fees or long-term contracts. You can cancel at any time. Finally, all plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Startup Store - $9.50 per month
Basic store - $14.50 per month
Plus Store – $39.50 per month
Pro Store - $114.50 per month
It should be noted that these are introductory prices for new customers. Your rates will double after your first year of using the platform (many other top ecommerce website builders have the same process, so don't be surprised).
BigCommerce
Price starting from $29.95/month
B2B Sales Tools
Multichannel sales
Integrated features
• Try for free
BigCommerce is another option to consider if you are looking for a reputable and trustworthy e-commerce website builder!
BigCommerce is very versatile. This platform also features specific characteristics for B2B commerce (wholesale pricing, quote management, customer groups, and personalized price lists).
Did you know? BigCommerce specializes in multichannel selling. Each plan includes the ability to sell on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google Shopping, eBay, Amazon as well as in brick and mortar stores.
For those of you who want to take advantage of these types of sales, BigCommerce should be at the top of your list.
BigCommerce is equipped with many features that are just as interesting as each other. Compared to the other top e-commerce site builders that I have listed in this list, I believe that BigCommerce is among those with the most comprehensive features.
That being said, the additional features make it somewhat complex. I mean, it is not suitable for beginners.
BigCommerce is specifically designed for large e-commerce websites that want to grow quickly. With other e-commerce website builders, you may end up paying for additional options that you won't even use. That won't happen with BigCommerce.
You will have a ton of ecommerce features and other customizations for which you are not required to pay extra fees.
All BigCommerce stores are secure. In case you have any issues, you will also have 24/7 customer support through phone, live chat, and email.
Here is an overview of the prices offered by BigCommerce:
Standard - $29.95 per month
Plus - $79.95 per month
Pro - $249.95 per month
These prices are almost identical to those of Shopify. The difference is that Shopify is a bit easier to use. Therefore, if you have to choose between these two options, you will need to determine which features are most important to you.
You can try BigCommerce for free with a 15-day trial period before choosing a plan.
Volusion
Price starting from $26 per month
Drag-and-drop builder
Free themes
Optimized for large e-commerce stores
Get a free 14-day trial
Not provided Try it for free
As an e-commerce startup, Volusion probably offers more than what you need initially. This top e-commerce site builder is designed for large online stores and those looking to grow quickly.
The website builder itself is easy to use (not as much as Wix and Squarespace, but still intuitive!). It also has a drag-and-drop editor.
Volusion also offers many free themes. However, these designs are not as modern as those of the other top ecommerce site creators that I just mentioned. I would even go as far as to say that some of the themes are outdated.
That being said, Volusion is an all-in-one website builder. The platform provides everything you need to create and manage your online store (product pages, SEO, payments, etc.)
You have the choice between four different Volusion plans:
Personnel - $26 per month
Professional - $71 per month
Startup - $161 per month
Businesses - $269 per month
I don't really know many people who use the cheapest solution. I would advise you to jump straight to the starter plan.
This price is significantly higher than that of the best e-commerce site creators on the list for a particular reason: the benefits you will gain from using Volusion are greater (such as reports on abandoned carts).
If you are building a small ecommerce website with less than 10 products, know that you should not choose Volusion.
But for those of you who are considering selling hundreds of products, it's worth trying Volusion for free for 14 days before making a decision.
BigCartel
Price starting from $0/month
The cheapest diets in the industry
The best for small online stores
Features and limited functionalities
• Try it for free
If you are looking for an affordable e-commerce website builder, Big Cartel is also among your options. It is the only legitimate provider I can find that offers a free ecommerce plan.
The free plan is extremely limited and only allows you to sell a maximum of five products. Overall, I do not recommend it.
That being said, BigCartel has some of the cheapest paid ecommerce plans on the market.
You can sell up to 25 products for only $10 per month. Even the most expensive option is priced at a similar point to entry-level plans in other ecommerce site builders.
The cheapest plan from the Gros Cartel always includes features such as:
Free themes
Real-time statistics
Bulk Assembly
Shipment tracking
Automatic tax calculation
Discounts and promotions
Inventory tracking
However, all plans are limited to only five images per product. Overall, Big Cartel is still "limited".
I only recommend it if you are selling a handful of products and do not need advanced e-commerce features.
How to choose among these top e-commerce site builders?
All of these top ecommerce website builders that I just listed should interest you. But how do you choose the best of the best (according to your needs)?
I will detail the features that should matter most when choosing the best e-commerce website builder.
1. Ease of use
Examine the ease of use of each option. Does it have a "drag and drop" builder? How to add products and manage your inventory? Is it easy, intuitive?
This ease of use also applies to choosing themes, changing templates, and managing your site once it is up and running.
Options like Shopify, Squarespace, and Wix are easy to use for beginners. While eCommerce site builders like Volusion or 3DCart are a bit more complicated and are aimed at people with more technical knowledge.
2. Integrated Features
Some ecommerce website builders have a longer list of features than others. While some have app stores or marketplaces, others do not.
It is therefore up to you to determine what is best suited to your situation.
If you want to integrate as many features as possible, look for a platform like BigCommerce. If you prefer additional features, go for something simple like Shopify.
3. Conception
Every website creator will offer you templates or themes. But they are not all created the same way.
If you want to build something modern, visually attractive, creative, and beautiful, then you should consider a platform like Squarespace.
Other website creators, like Volusion, fall short in this area. If design is not important to you, Volusion will not be a problem for you.
4. Value
I determine the value based on the quality of the features offered and performance, in relation to the price. Some of you will have a tighter budget than others and will not need to consider the most expensive platforms.
However, know that expensive ecommerce website builders are generally more valuable. BigCommerce and Volusion may seem costly compared to Big Cartel, but a cheap website designer will not meet the needs of a large-scale ecommerce site.
To find the best value for your website, you need to determine your budget and identify the features that are most important to you.
Resume
If you are looking for an all-in-one solution to create an e-commerce website, look no further.
The best ecommerce website builders are listed here (best for both beginners and experienced site creators).
Here is a summary of the list...
The best e-commerce website builders for 2020
Wix - Best e-commerce website builder for beginners.
Shopify The most popular e-commerce website builder.
Squarespace - Best website builder for designing beautiful and creative e-commerce stores.
Weebly - The best for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
3DCart - Best e-commerce website builder for developers and experienced store owners.
BigCommerce The best for scaling with omnichannel sales.
Volusion - This is the best solution for large e-commerce websites.
Grand Cartel - Affordable plans for ecommerce stores with limited products.