SFStatfield Research
E-commerce · Updated October 2026

Best Ecommerce Platforms

Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Wix and Squarespace compared on checkout, transaction fees, apps, SEO controls and the true monthly cost of running an online store.

Tobias Renn, Senior Analyst, Commerce & FintechTobias RennSenior Analyst, Commerce & FintechReviewed October 2026
Top pick

Shopify

The most complete hosted platform for selling online and in person.

9.2

From $29 / mo · Best for Most new and growing online stores

What the numbers say

  • 01Shopify takes the top spot with a score of 9.2, best suited to most new and growing online stores.
  • 02Entry pricing runs from $23 / mo (Squarespace Commerce) to $29 / mo (Shopify) — a 1.3x spread.
  • 03Squarespace Commerce offers the most score per unit of price, at $23 / mo.
  • 04Average score across the 5 products reviewed is 8.4, with a 1.4 point gap between first and last.
  • 05Most common drawback raised in testing: extra fee when using third-party payment gateways.
5

Products ranked

9.2

Top score

8.4

Average score

from 23

Lowest entry price

How we scored

01Checkout quality and payment options
02Transaction and payment processing fees
03Product, inventory and multichannel selling tools
04SEO, speed and content control
05Total monthly cost including apps and themes
The ranking
01

Shopify

The most complete hosted platform for selling online and in person.

Shopify handles hosting, security and checkout so owners can focus on products. The Basic plan covers most small stores; costs rise mainly through paid apps, so audit those before launch.

Pros

  • + Fast, trusted checkout with Shop Pay
  • + Huge app and theme ecosystem
  • + Built-in POS for in-person sales

Cons

  • — Extra fee when using third-party payment gateways
  • — App subscriptions add up quickly
9.2

Statfield score

Best for
Most new and growing online stores
Price from
$29 / mo
Source: Shopify Basic plan, billed annually
02

WooCommerce

Open-source commerce on WordPress with full control.

WooCommerce turns WordPress into a store. It is the most flexible option here, but the owner carries the technical responsibility, so budget for quality hosting and maintenance.

Pros

  • + No platform licence fee
  • + Full ownership of code and data
  • + Excellent content and SEO flexibility

Cons

  • — You manage hosting, updates and security
  • — Premium extensions carry annual fees
8.6

Statfield score

Best for
Content-heavy brands already on WordPress
Price from
Free + hosting
Source: WooCommerce core plugin, free download
03

BigCommerce

Feature-rich hosted platform with no added transaction fees.

BigCommerce ships more features out of the box, reducing reliance on apps. Note that each plan has a sales threshold that moves you up a tier as revenue grows.

Pros

  • + No extra transaction fees on any plan
  • + Strong built-in features and B2B tools
  • + Good multichannel selling

Cons

  • — Plans have annual online sales thresholds
  • — Smaller theme selection than Shopify
8.4

Statfield score

Best for
Larger catalogues and B2B sellers
Price from
$29 / mo
Source: BigCommerce Standard plan, billed annually
04

Wix eCommerce

Drag-and-drop store building for small catalogues.

Wix is ideal when the store is part of a broader small-business website. Its Core plan enables payments; larger catalogues will feel its limits sooner than on Shopify.

Pros

  • + Very easy visual editor
  • + Store, bookings and blog in one site
  • + Many templates

Cons

  • — Less scalable for large catalogues
  • — Switching templates later is hard
8.0

Statfield score

Best for
Small businesses wanting design freedom
Price from
$29 / mo
Source: Wix Core plan, billed annually
05

Squarespace Commerce

Polished templates for design-led brands.

Squarespace suits brands whose store is driven by imagery and storytelling. It is easy to run but offers fewer extensions for complex operations.

Pros

  • + Best-looking templates in this list
  • + Simple all-in-one pricing
  • + Good for selling services and content

Cons

  • — Fewer integrations and apps
  • — Limited advanced inventory tools
7.8

Statfield score

Best for
Creators and boutique brands
Price from
$23 / mo
Source: Squarespace Core plan, billed annually
Side by side
#ProductScoreBest forPrice fromValue
01Shopify9.2Most new and growing online stores$29 / mo0.32 pts per unit
02WooCommerce8.6Content-heavy brands already on WordPressFree + hosting—
03BigCommerce8.4Larger catalogues and B2B sellers$29 / mo0.29 pts per unit
04Wix eCommerce8.0Small businesses wanting design freedom$29 / mo0.28 pts per unit
05Squarespace Commerce7.8Creators and boutique brands$23 / mo0.34 pts per unit
The full guide
01

How to choose an ecommerce platform

Start with the business model, not the feature list. A store selling 30 handmade products has very different needs from a distributor with 20,000 SKUs and wholesale pricing. Write down your catalogue size, expected order volume, sales channels and who will run the store day to day.

Then compare the total cost of ownership over twelve months: plan price, payment processing, any platform transaction fee, theme, paid apps and the time someone spends maintaining the site. Headline plan prices are rarely the biggest number.

02

Checkout is where revenue is won or lost

Baymard Institute's long-running research puts the average documented cart abandonment rate at around 70%. Many causes—unexpected costs, forced account creation, long forms—are checkout design problems. Platforms with fast, familiar checkouts and wallet payments recover a meaningful share of these orders.

Test each shortlisted platform's checkout on a phone. Count the fields, check guest checkout, and confirm the wallets your customers use are supported.

03

Hosted versus self-hosted

Hosted platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix and Squarespace bundle hosting, security patches and PCI compliance into a monthly fee. Self-hosted WooCommerce gives full control and ownership but makes you responsible for performance and security.

Choose self-hosted only if you have reliable technical help. For most small teams, the hosted model costs less in total once time is counted.

Before you buy

  1. 01Estimate catalogue size and monthly order volume for the next two years.
  2. 02Calculate total yearly cost including payments, apps and themes.
  3. 03Test checkout on mobile with guest checkout and wallet payments.
  4. 04Confirm the platform supports your shipping, tax and currency needs.
  5. 05Check SEO controls: titles, descriptions, URLs, redirects and sitemaps.
  6. 06Export sample product and customer data to confirm you can leave.
Terms used above
Payment gateway
The service that authorises and processes card and wallet payments for an online store.
Transaction fee
A percentage a platform charges per order, separate from card processing fees.
SKU
Stock keeping unit: a unique code for each product variant.
PCI DSS
The security standard that governs how card payment data is handled.
Headless commerce
An architecture where the store's back end is separated from a custom front end.
FAQ

What is the best ecommerce platform for beginners?

Shopify is the easiest complete option for most beginners because hosting, checkout and security are handled for you. Wix and Squarespace are simpler still for very small catalogues.

Is WooCommerce really free?

The plugin is free, but you pay for hosting, a domain, security and often premium extensions. Small stores typically spend a modest monthly amount once these are included.

Which ecommerce platform is best for SEO?

WooCommerce offers the most control because it runs on WordPress. Shopify and BigCommerce cover the essentials—editable titles, descriptions, URLs and sitemaps—well enough for most stores.

Do ecommerce platforms charge transaction fees?

Payment processing fees apply almost everywhere. Some platforms also add a fee when you use an external payment gateway, so check both before comparing plans.

Sources

Prices are the vendors' published entry-level list prices in USD, shown where vendors publish them; quote-only products are marked as such. Annual billing is usually cheaper than monthly. Always confirm on the vendor's pricing page before buying.

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Scores are relative to the products in this ranking and to the tests described above. Prices are list prices captured from vendor pages on the dates noted and are not quotes.