The Best Online Store Builders for Newbies & Small Business

Online retail sales across the globe amount to $2.3 trillion in 2017 and the revenue in 2021 are projected to grow to $4.88 trillion (source). In 2019, eCommerce comprise more than 13% of all retail revenue worldwide.

Online retail business is mega huge.

You are missing out (a lot!) if your business hasn't expand its reach online.

With the advent of online store builders, it’s never been easier to create an online store – even that you are just a newbie with no web development experience.

There are a number of great eCommerce website builders that are catered to beginners who just want a simple and functioning online store. We’ve narrowed it down to the best five that are great for any newbie or small business owners with limited budget.

In a Glance: Compare Best Online Store Builders

Compare features and review online store builder pricing in the following table.

* Note: Click “+” to view more options.

1. Shopify

The one-stop solution for all business owners, Shopify is the solution for those who want to run an eCommerce store on their website. Shopify gives you access to its online store builder which lets you build your site exactly the way you want it.

Using pre-built Shopify templates, it’s quite easy to create an eCommerce store. You get to choose from over a hundred different templates. All the professional looking templates are mobile-friendly.

They even include a number of features such as SEO, marketing resources, social media integration, secure shopping carts, and even support over 100 payment gateways. If you need extra features to extend your store, you can choose the suitable add-on from the Shopify app store – come with both free and paid.

If your online store is based in the US or Canada, you can make use of Shopify payment and the shipping solution. Shopify payment is fully integrated with your store. You don't have to pay any transaction fee. Or else, you will charge up to 2% transaction fees for each sale.

Learn more – read our in-depth review on Shopify.

Shopify Key Features

• Scalability – Powerful online store builder for small and large businesses
• Sell everywhere – Integrate with Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, and more
• Built-in store-front design – 100+ professional templates for eCommerce websites (free & premium)
• Shopify Point-of-Sale – Unify offline in-store and online sales
• Shopify Location – Setup multiple locations to track inventory and fulfillment
• Shopify Payment – Accept credit card payment without third party accounts
• Shipping support – Auto calculate shipping rates and print USPS shipping labels
• Shopify Business Name Generator – Choose your original business name with the help of automated tool
• Exchange Marketplace – Buy, sell, or transfer your Shopify store easily 
• Biggest apps and community support – Shopify is supported by a large community of independent developers; Shopify App Store is packed with tons of useful add-on

Shopify Pricing

• Shopify Lite – $9 Monthly (limited features)
• Basic Shopify Plan – $29 Monthly
• Shopify – $79 monthly
• Advanced Shopify – $299 monthly

2. BigCommerce

Whether you’re a serious business owner or just a newbie, BigCommerce offers a ton of features that are super user-friendly. The important thing to note though is that their website can be a bit confusing for new visitors.

Because of the depth in features that BigCommerce has, it can cater to a massive range of users. They split their product lines into two major segments – Enterprise and Essentials. Unless you’re running a multi-billion dollar company then chances are higher that you’ll want to be looking at the Essentials section.

BigCommerce Essentials offers users an all-in-one platform that helps you at every stage from sign-up to operations of your site. From starter free templates to help you with design to other extensive features like multi-channel sales, marketing tools, and more – BigCommerce Essentials has it all.

They also have very extensive support, and this can be leveraged on in more ways than one. Aside from the usual help channels you can also benefit from their on-demand courses that help teach you the essentials of how to grow your site.

You can give them a try with a 15-day free trial, no credit card required.

Read detail BigCommerce review here.

BigCommerce Key Features

• Wide themes selection – Build a beautiful online store with easy-to-customize theme
• Sell everywhere – Integrate with eBay, Amazon, Facebook, Square, Google Shopping, and more
• Shipping and taxing support – Auto calculate shipping and tax rates
• Comprehensive analytic tools – Built-in store analytics and intergrate with Google Analytics; export sales data and product data in CSV or XML format
• Dropshipping capabilities – Different apps available for dropshipping business
• Best SEO capabilities – Solid SEO features and support
• No transaction fees in all plans – Sell and earn more with BigCommerce

BigCommerce Pricing

• Standard – $29.95 monthly
• BigCommerce Plus – $79.95 monthly
• Pro – $299.95 monthly

3. Zyro

Zyro’s aim is to make website building easily available to the masses and this includes online stores. Their dual capability means that new users have a progression path even when starting on their free plans – and can, later on, upgrade to commercialize their websites. 

It should be noted though that this very simplicity can be a two-edged sword. For users who are seasoned veterans of eCommerce, you might find what’s available here a tad restrictive. If you’re new however, you’ll likely adapt with ease.

Being a new service, there are teething issues, but the Zyro team has worked hard to resolve problems. All you need is to get in touch with them and their support will handle the rest.

In any case, with a forever trial account, what can go wrong?

Learn more – Read our detail Zyro review to find out.

Zyro Key Features:

• Easy to use online store builder
• Pre-designed templates
• Helpful business tools such as logo maker included
• SEO-optimized sites
• No transaction fees charged
• Multi-channel sales support

Zyro Pricing

• eCommerce – $14.99 monthly
• eCommerce+ – $21.99 monthly

4. Weebly

Weebly offers a powerful platform for building a website but still remains affordable for businesses who are just starting out. Next to Wix, Weebly is quite similar in terms of the features they offer.

Some of the great features they offer is the ability to let your customer to search and filter for products they want on your website.

But of course, Weebly’s biggest advantage is their pricing. And at $12 for their lowest eCommerce plan, it’s definitely easier, and less painful on your wallet, to have an eCommerce website.

Read our in-depth Weebly review here.

Weebly Online Store Key Features

• Affordable – Cheapest online store builder in market, start at just $12/month
• Auto tax calculator – Ability to set up tax rates for your customer’s locations
• Payment support – Accept payments through Square or 3rd party providers
• Easy store management – Inventory management tool with Item Badges and Square GiftCards
• Good SEO support SEO tools to improve your site and product visibility

Weebly Pricing

• Pro – $12 monthly
• Business – $25 monthly
• Business Plus – $38 monthly

5. Wix

Wix has over 154 million registered users in 190 countries and they are continuing to grow at a fast rate. For businesses who are looking to start small in the eCommerce world, Wix is a great web building solution as you can have a site ready in a few minutes.

One of the great things about Wix is that they cater to those who have zero knowledge on starting a website. From providing templates to choosing fonts, they spoon feed you all the help you’ll need to have a website.

While Wix is more known for a general website, they also have a robust eCommerce website building tool which is fairly powerful.

Read our in-depth Wix review here.

Wix Stores Key Features

• Easy-to-use editor – Build your store with drag-and-drop tool 
• Wix Logo Maker – Design custom logo that matches your brand
• Business Name Generator – Choose an original and memorable name for your business
• Mobile friendly – All websites and online stores are optimized for mobile users
• Blogging available – Add blog features to your eCommerce site easily
• Online store templates – More than 500+ customizable template in Wix Stores

Wix Stores Pricing

• Business Basic – $17 monthly
• Business Unlimited – $25 monthly
• Business VIP – $35 monthly

Is an eCommerce Store Builder Right for You?

Like all good things in life, online store builders do have their fair share of downsides. Let's have a look at the pros and cons of using an online store builder:

Pros of Online Store Builder

• No coding required – Create and edit your online store easily using a drag-and-drop editor. In comparison you need advanced web development skills to build an online store from scratch using open-source solution (ie. PrestaShop or Magento website)
• After-sales technical support – Platforms like BigCommerce and Shopify comes with extensive after-sales support, help is (usually) just one email away.
• Ready-made, beautifully designed storefront
• Get protected with built-in security features and shared SSL certificates
• Grow your business on multiple channels and platforms easily (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Amazon, etc)
• Easily get paid in various currencies via multiple payment gateways
• Some store builders allow you to manage both online and offline sales at one place (ie. Shopify Pos)
• On-going website support (including security and software upgrades) at no additional costs

Cons of Online Store Builder

• Lowering your business margin – Many online store builders charge transaction fee per sale (ie. Shopify charge 0.5 – 2.0%)
• Some online store builders come with SEO issues (URL structure, .htaccess access, etc) that you can't fix
• The life and death of your store depending on the platform. If the platform goes out of business, so does your store

Also Read

• Awesome platforms to build your website
• Best web hosting for small business websites
• How to migrate to a new web host
• Where to sell your stuffs online

How to Choose the right Online Store Builder for Your Business?

There are a variety of online store builders available on the internet and choosing the right platform for you depends on what you and your business really need out of it.

It’s kind of like shopping for a car. The main purpose of it is to get you from point A to B, but there’s more to it when you’re trying to pick one. With an online store platform, the main purpose is to show the product you’re selling, put it in a shopping cart, and give you money. But just like buying a car, there’s more to it.

When it comes to choosing the best eCommerce website builder for your business, the following factors should be considered beforehand:

1. What’s your budget?

Your budget will decide what you can afford to get. If you have a bigger budget, you can get a bigger car. The same applies to online stores and eCommerce options. A bigger budget will definitely get you more interesting platforms that offer more built-in features. The affordable ones, on the other hand, will be more simple and straightforward.

Tip

• Store builder with no transaction fees: BigCommerce, Volusion
• Cheapest store builder: Zyro

2. User-friendliness?

When looking for an online store builder, you need to understand the difference between something working and something being user-friendly. Certain builders will focus on design over features or vice versa. If you don’t mind going through walk-throughs and user manuals, you might prefer having more features and options. Some might want a simple and straightforward design over obscure features.

Tip

• Most business-friendly store builder: Shopify, BigCommerce

3. Do you need extra support?

Having support is always great, especially when you can call someone up for help. Unfortunately, it can also cost money. While some might be fine with having standardized help or by doing everything themselves, if you need the extra help, you might want to consider having a developer on retainer.

Tip

• Store builder with best support community: Shopify

4. Do you need offline sales/inventory?

With eCommerce platforms, you’ll be able to manage your orders and inventory. Some platforms, however, will allow you to sync it with your offline sales as well. You can even use some as an offline ordering system so that your inventory/payment can seamlessly work between online and offline store.

Tip

• Store builder with built-in POS system: Shopify

5. What are the basic features of the online store?

A good online store builder should offer the basic features that you would need for an eCommerce site, such as SSL certificates, cart functions, website SEO features, sales and inventory reporting, card recovery, and transaction plugins. Some will offer more features and plugins but the trade-off means having to deal with a more complicated interface.

Tip

• Online store builder with best features: BigCommerce

Final Thoughts

When choosing one for your business – remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.

That said, however, a great online store builder should take care of the heavy lifting in setting up an online store. These include website creation, store-front setup, inventory calculation, shipping fees calculation, inventory management, sales reporting, payment gateway integration, storefront design, etc; so that you can focus on growing your business.

With these in mind, you’ll be able to choose the one that hits all the right spots.

Frequently Asked Questions on eCommerce Website Builders