6 Best Ecommerce Platforms for Small Businesses in 2023
This article is part of a larger series on Retail Management.
The best ecommerce platforms offer a powerful website builder on the frontend with detailed order management tools, sales and product features, and marketing solutions on the backend. For small businesses, the ecommerce website builder also needs to be easy to set up and maintain at an affordable price.
Based on our extensive research, the best ecommerce platforms for small businesses are:
- Best overall: Shopify
- Best for growing businesses: BigCommerce
- Best for adding to an existing site: Ecwid by Lightspeed
- Best for storefronts wanting to add a website: Square Online
- Best for SEO and drag-and-drop design: Wix
- Best templates: Squarespace
Best Ecommerce Platforms Compared
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Shopify: Best Overall Ecommerce Platform for Small Businesses
Shopify
Pros
- Easy to use
- Detailed sales tax tools
- Affordable Starter plan
- Huge app marketplace and community
- Best-in-class POS app
Cons
- Added transaction fees if you don’t use Shopify Payments
- Professional reporting only available in higher-tier plans
- Customer support is not always reliable
- Very limited number of free themes
Deciding Factors
Monthly Fee: $29–$299 per month
Custom enterprise plans also available
Discounts for annual billing
Free Trial: 3-day free trial, then $1 per month for first 3 months
Compatible Payment Gateways: 85+ options including ApplePay, Shopify Payments, Shop Pay, Adyen, AmazonPay, Braintree, Chase, PayPal
Integrated Sales Channels: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Google, Amazon, Walmart, YouTube, eBay, Pinterest, in-person through Shopify POS app, and more.
Customer Support: 24/7 Phone, live chat, and email support
Shopify is sometimes called the only true competitor to Amazon—and for a good reason. We have tested a lot of ecommerce website builders, and Shopify is one of the easiest systems to use when it comes to creating an ecommerce website and managing orders.
Usually, when we test products that are very easy to use, it’s often easy to use because the functionality is more basic. And when a product has a ton of functionality, the user interface will typically be more complex or clunky to navigate.
Shopify is unmatched when it comes to packing in functionality in a way that is intuitive to navigate for new sellers yet is robust enough to scale up and accommodate enterprise businesses.
In fact, in our evaluation, Shopify was the only system to earn a perfect score for sales and product features, as well as ease of use. It’s the best all-around ecommerce platform for most online sellers.
Want to learn more about Shopify?
- Read our full Shopify ecommerce review for a deeper look at pricing and features
- Calculate fees and find the best plan for you with our Shopify pricing guide
- Learn about Shopify POS for in-person sales, including a video walkthrough
- Get up and running quickly with our guide on How to Set Up a Shopify Store
- If you’re just diving into the world of ecommerce, start with our introductory guide: What is Shopify?
BigCommerce: Best for Growing Businesses
BigCommerce
Pros
- 65+ payment gateway options
- No transaction fees
- Great value plans: Competitive pricing for the features included
- Best-in-class product management
Cons
- Customization tools aren’t beginner-friendly
- Plans have sales volume limits
- No abandoned cart recovery in Standard plan
Deciding Factors
Monthly Fee: $29.95–$299.95
Custom enterprise plans also available
Discounts for annual billing
Free Trial: 15 days
Compatible Payment Gateways: Dozens of options including Adyen, AmazonPay, Authorize.net, Bolt, Braintree, Chase, Clover, PayPal, Square, and Stripe.
Integrated Sales Channels: Amazon, eBay, Google, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Walmart, and in-person through POS integrations
Customer Support: 24/7 email, live chat, and phone support
When it comes to choosing the right ecommerce software for your business, it will most likely come down to BigCommerce vs Shopify.
We consider BigCommerce a close runner-up to Shopify in being the best overall ecommerce platform. BigCommerce, as its name implies, is best for growing businesses that need a scalable sales platform. Its open SaaS structure also makes BigCommerce an attractive platform for companies that want to personalize their stores as much as possible.
In our evaluation, BigCommerce came right behind Shopify. Its built-in sales features, advanced level of customization, SEO capabilities, and zero transaction fees earned high marks. However, its ease of use and sales volume limits on pricing plans prevented it from getting a perfect score.
Get the full scoop on BigCommerce:
- Read our full BigCommerce review
- Watch our video review of BigCommerce
- See how BigCommerce compares to Shopify
Ecwid by Lightspeed: Best for Adding to an Existing Site
Ecwid
Pros
- Sell anywhere (website, social media, and in person)
- No ads shown on free sites
- Free USPS, UPS, and FedEx shipping calculator
- Works on Wix, Squarespace, Blogger, Tumblr, WordPress, and more
Cons
- Free plan is limited to 10 products and lacks inventory tracking
- Limited customer support
- Limited customization options
Deciding Factors
Monthly fee: $0–$99
Discounts for annual billing
Free Trial: None for paid plans
Compatible Payment Gateways: Dozens of options including Lightspeed Payments, Stripe, Square, PayPal, Authorize.net
Integrated Sales Channels: Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, eBay, and in-person through POS integrations
Customer Support: Weekday email support on all plans. Weekday phone support and 24/7 chat support available on certain plans
If you already have a Tumblr, Blogger, Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress website and want to start selling products, then Ecwid is an excellent free option. While Wix and Squarespace have ecommerce plans, they can get expensive. If you just need a simple shopping cart of a few products, Ecwid is a great free option.
Ecwid can work on any website where you can inject code. It can also be used as a free standalone website, with its instant site builder. Though this is less common, it’s a good option if you need a quick and simple site with just a few products. It also comes with a mobile-responsive shopping cart and the Apple Pay one-tap checkout feature.
In our evaluation, Ecwid lost points for having limited customization features and customer support, which are crucial for ecommerce solutions. However, it is still the best value and user-friendly choice if you want free ecommerce software for your existing website.
In the News: Lightspeed acquires Ecwid
In 2021, Lightspeed purchased Ecwid. Since then, Ecwid launched several feature improvements, including:
- Pre-orders
- New themes
- Better control and options for shipping
- Checkout customizations
- Ability to connect Lightspeed Payments
Continue learning about Ecwid:
- Read our step-by-step guide on using Ecwid
- See our full Ecwid review
- Check out our Ecwid vs Shopify comparison
Square Online: Best for Storefronts
Square Online
Pros
- Create an online store for free
- Sell items on Instagram and Facebook
- Integrates with all major postal carriers (with upgrade)
- All-in-one ecommerce and payment processing solution
Cons
- The free option is filled with Square ads and branding
- Inventory can be counterintuitive
- Premium features can get expensive
Deciding Factors
Monthly Fee: $0–$79, billed annually
Free Trial: 30-day free trial for paid plans
Compatible Payment Gateways: Square (required), Afterpay, PayPal (optional add-ons)
Integrated Sales Channels: Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, TikTok, and in-person with Square POS
Customer Support: Email, live chat, and phone support 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time Monday–Friday
Square Online is best for brick-and-mortar stores wanting to add online ordering, such as cafes, retail outlets, and professional service shops. A free plan lets you create a professional online store and sell unlimited products with built-in credit card processing. Paid subscriptions are available for more advanced features, such as using a custom domain instead of the yoursite.square.site domain that’s provided for free.
Like Shopify, Square includes a POS for businesses that sell in-store and online. Unlike Shopify, however, its POS is free to use, with optional paid upgrades. Square Online is our leading free ecommerce platform. Meanwhile, Square is one of our best POS systems for small businesses.
If you need an online ordering solution with BOPIS, curbside pickup, or local delivery to supplement your storefront, Square Online is a great option.
Since Our Last Update: New Square Online Features
- A better integration with Meta for more control and flexibility selling on Facebook and Instagram
- Automated sales tax for payment links
- Deeper Square Messages integration for chatting with site visitors
- Scheduled product updates like releases, pricing changes, and more
- Customer logins with personalized ordering, loyalty rewards, ability to view past purchases and manage gift cards
Want to learn more?
- See everything the platform has to offer in our guide to Square for small businesses
- Read our full Square Online review
- Follow along and set up a Square Online store in just a few minutes
- See how Square compares to Shopify
Wix: Best for SEO & Drag-and-Drop Design
Wix
Pros
- Best-in-class design functionality
- Top-notch SEO tools
- Wix Owner mobile app
- Free domain included
Cons
- No low stock alerts
- Basic product management tools
- Too much creative freedom
- Cannot switch templates
Deciding Factors
Monthly fee: $27–$59 (for ecommerce plans)
Custom enterprise plans available
Free Trial: No
Compatible Payment Gateways: 20+ options including Wix Payments, Authorize.net, Braintree, PayPal, Square, and Stripe
Integrated Sales Channels: Amazon, eBay, Wish, Facebook, Instagram, and in-person through Wix POS app
Customer Support: 24/7 phone and chat support for most plans
Wix is a popular platform for all kinds of small businesses. In fact, it’s now our top-recommended website builder thanks to its design flexibility and recently improved (and impressive) SEO tools.
And, it now makes our list of the best ecommerce platforms. Its new SEO tools along with more payment processing tools, upgraded marketing solutions, and ecommerce-focused reporting tools have earned it a spot on our list.
In our evaluation, Wix performed well for site builder tools as well as ease of use. Like Squarespace, Wix is a site builder first, so it excels with its design features, SEO tools, and site analytics; however, it falls short of Shopify and BigCommerce when it comes to inventory, product, and order management, which is reflected in its score.
Learn more about why Wix is one of our favorite solutions for small businesses:
- See why Wix is the best website builder for SEO
- Learn how Wix’s drag-and-drop functionality compare to the rest
- Compare Shopify vs Wix in detail
- Read our full Wix review
Squarespace: Best Templates
Squarespace
Pros
- Highly rated website templates
- Easy to use
- Sell items on Instagram and Facebook
Cons
- High transaction fees without upgrade
- Moderate design customization freedom
- No phone support
Deciding Factors
Monthly Fee: $33–$65 (for ecommerce plans)
Discounts available for annual subscriptions
Free Trial: Yes, 14-days
Compatible Payment Gateways: Stripe, PayPal, Square
Integrated Sales Channels: Facebook, Instagram, in-person through Square POS partnership
Customer Support: 24/5 live chat support, 24/7 email support. No live phone support
Squarespace is simple but doesn’t sacrifice quality, making it ideal for solopreneurs who don’t want a more powerful system like Shopify but want to showcase their products with top-notch quality. Its sites are always designed to look modern and trendy, no matter how much of a novice you are at web design. In fact, it’s one of our top picks for the best website builder for small businesses for that very reason.
In our evaluation, Squarespace earned a perfect score on its design functionality and available templates, as Squarespace is known for top-rated templates. However, as Squarespace is a website builder first and ecommerce platform second, its online selling tools aren’t as advanced as what you would find with Shopify or BigCommerce.
Since our Last Update: New Features from Squarespace
- Fluid Engine – Squarespace’s new site builder with better drag-and-drop functionality and a smart design grid that makes it easier to customize precisely.
- Tools to design and launch merch using your business logo and automated print-on-demand dropshipping.
- Features to create, manage, host, display, and monetize video content.
Continue reading about Squarespace:
- Read our full Squarespace review
- Find out how Squarespace compares with Shopify
- Learn how to setup an ecommerce website with Squarespace
How We Evaluated Ecommerce Platforms for Small Businesses
Ecommerce Platform Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the best ecommerce site for beginners?
Shopify is the best ecommerce website builder for most beginners. It is easy to use and can grow with you as your business evolves.
Learn more in our Shopify review.
How do I choose the best ecommerce platform?
The best ecommerce platform for you depends on what kind of business you have and what your goals are. Consider everywhere you want to sell (your own website, social media, in-person, Etsy, etc.). It’s most important that you choose a platform that can accommodate all of your sales channels in one place.
Also consider your inventory tracking needs. If you just have a few products and plan to manage all orders yourself, a website builder with ecommerce tools (like Squarespace or Wix) might be enough for you. However, if you have a larger inventory assortment or one with variants, you’ll want to choose something designed with this in mind, like Shopify or BigCommerce.
Learn more about honing your business concept in our guide to starting an online store
Which platform is the cheapest?
Square Online tops our list of the best free ecommerce platforms. It allows for unlimited products and sales with few limitations. You can create a professional-looking site, connect other sales channels, and market your business for free.
Bottom Line
If you want your online store to scale with your business, you need to consider the features your customers will expect as you grow. For example, are you prepared to support multiple languages and currencies or provide customer support through an automated chatbot? Can you set up customer user accounts, email marketing, and a loyalty program?
These features become more important as your store expands and play a key role in helping your store grow. Ecommerce platforms must offer the essential features at a lower starting price point and have options for advanced functions and extensive integrations.
Shopify has advanced functionalities and plans that scale with your business in a user-friendly package and at an affordable price point. We recommend it as the best ecommerce platform for small businesses. Visit Shopify to try it for free for 14 days.