8 Best eCommerce Website Builders for Your Online Store
You’re considering launching an ecommerce business and setting up your online store, But
where do you even begin?
An ecommerce website builder makes the process of creating an online store much easier, faster and more affordable compared to hiring a developer.
These DIY platforms come packed with tons of features, templates and tools specifically for building and running an ecommerce website.
Given that there are so many options to choose from, it can get overwhelming trying to figure out the best ecommerce website builder for your specific needs.
we’ll compare the top 8 picks based on essential ecommerce features, extra functionalities and price points. Here’s what we’ll cover:
Features to look for in an ecommerce website builder
Ease of Use: The builder should be simple and intuitive, even for someone who isn’t tech-savvy.
Design Options: It should offer a variety of templates and customization options to help you create a unique and attractive online store.
Mobile-Friendly: Since many people shop on their phones, the builder should allow you to create a site that looks good and works well on mobile devices.
Product Management: It should make it easy for you to add products, create categories, and manage inventory.
Secure Payment Options: The builder should support secure payment methods like credit cards, PayPal, and others.
SEO Features: To help people find your store through search engines like Google, the builder should have built-in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) features.
Customer Support: Good customer service is crucial. The builder should offer helpful support when you need it.
Scalability: As your business grows, your website will need to grow too. The builder should be able to handle this growth.
I’ll highlight the standout pros and cons of each platform and provide tips to help you determine the right fit. Let’s dive in!
1. Hostinger Website Builder
Hostinger tops our list for the best overall ecommerce website builder.
Key Benefits:
- Over 50 free responsive ecommerce templates
- Intuitive drag-and-drop editor
- Built-in AI tools for design, copywriting and optimization
- All-in-one platform with hosting, domain and SSL certificate included
- No transaction fees
Creating an online store is quick and easy with Hostinger. You simply:
- Pick a template
- Customize the design
- Add products
- Set up payments
- Publish your site!
The AI-driven features give you a competitive edge right off the bat:
- The AI Website Builder guides as you build.
- The AI Heatmap helps you place buttons and CTAs strategically to boost conversions.
- The AI Writer generates SEO-optimized product descriptions, blog posts and more.
- The AI Logo Maker whips up a customized logo for your brand.
You get a free domain, web hosting, SSL certificate and dedicated IP without any hidden charges. There are no transaction fees either.
Hostinger has specific tools to allow you to conveniently manage inventory, shipping, coupons, taxes and integrate analytics platforms like;
Custom Code: This feature allows you to integrate custom code (scripts) into your website. It is often used to add third-party integrations or verify your website for one or another third-party service or platform, e.g., Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Facebook pixel, Google AdSense.
Hotjar: A product experience insights tool that gives you data to help you better understand your customers.
Messenger Live Chat: This plugin allows you to integrate the Facebook Messenger experience directly into your website.
Google Tag Manager: Allows you to add and update your own tags for conversion tracking, site analytics, remarketing, and more.
Atlasmic: For live chat, sales acceleration, inbound marketing.
Calendly: For appointment scheduling.
Elfsight: For various website widgets.
Infogram: For infographics, reports, interactive maps.
Involve.me: For quizzes, surveys, calculators, forms.
Jotfrom: For contact forms.
Lordicon: For animations.
Hostinger Website Builder is a stellar choice for a complete online store solution with immense value for money with very responsive customer support and resources to assist you..
Downsides
- Limited advanced functionality bigger brands may need
Tip: Watch Hostinger’s video tutorial for a visual walkthrough of building an online store.
2. BigCommerce
Established brands like Toyota, Skullcandy and Sony use BigCommerce to power their online stores.
Key Benefits:
- Enterprise-level features
- Robust selling tools and CRM
- Scales with your business growth
- Third-party integrations like accounting, email marketing, POS systems etc.
BigCommerce is the leading SaaS ecommerce platform built specifically for rapidly growing brands. The advantage over DIY website builders is in its advanced backend functionality for taking your business to the next level.
When your business outgrows starter tools, BigCommerce should be your go-to. You get access to detailed sales reports, powerful CRM features to manage customers and multi-channel selling across online stores, brick-and-mortar outlets, marketsplaces like Amazon and social channels.
Setting up, running and optimizing operations is easy with BigCommerce’s intuitive central dashboard. But working through the extensive configuration options can seem a bit for new store owners.
While quite affordable for all you get, it’s pricier than beginner-focused platforms. BigCommerce costs around $29.95/month for the Standard plan.
Downsides:
- Steep learning curve
- Higher monthly fees than basic ecommerce builders
- Transaction fees apply unless you upgrade to the most expensive Enterprise plan
Tip: Try out BigCommerce easily with a free 15-day trial to experience the premium ecommerce features firsthand.
3. Weebly
Weebly strikes the right balance between simplicity and smart ecommerce functionality.
Key Benefits:
- Seamless drag-and-drop site builder
- SEO and marketing tools included
- Blogging and membership capabilities
- Customizable themes and layouts
Anyone can build a professional-looking online store with Weebly, no coding skills necessary. Simply use the user-friendly editor to add products, customize pages, tweak themes and publish.
Along with essential ecommerce features like carts, tax calculations and inventory management, you also get integrated tools for marketing and search optimization. Blog posting, membership subscriptions and video backgrounds further extend functionality.
Weebly is a great mid-range option covering all the ecommerce basics while supporting unique customizations and growth. You can also access source code to edit HTML/CSS if desired.
Paid plans start at $12 per month but you can create a free site with Weebly using a subdomain URL.
Downsides:
- Limited free plan
- Some third-party integrations require upgrade
- Transaction fees apply unless on highest paid plan
Tip: Check out Weebly’s App Center for additional ecommerce features like shipping calculators, loyalty programs etc.
4. Strikingly
Strikingly is perfect for easily setting up a simple yet stunning online store quickly.
Key Benefits:
- Quick 5-minute store setup
- Trendy mobile-optimized templates
- Intuitive editing tools
- Built-in analytics
With Strikingly, anyone can launch a beautiful ecommerce site in no time. You just pick a template, add products, customize pages and publish!
Handy features like coupons, subscriptions, galleries and SEO tips help enhance your online store as well. The intuitive editor lets you customize design elements without any coding knowledge.
However, Strikingly works best for simple stores with just a few products. Complex inventory management is lacking. You’re also limited to 5 pages and 1 product on their free plan.
Paid subscriptions start at $12 monthly and transactions incur a 2.5%-5% fee depending on your plan.
So while Strikingly isn’t suitable for large operations, it excels at letting entrepreneurs and small businesses easily open a basic online shop quickly.
Downsides:
- Limited inventory capabilities
- Constrained free plan
- Transaction fees apply
Tip: Try a simple Dropshipping model if selling more than a few products. You can drive traffic to Strikingly and process orders elsewhere.
5. Volusion
Volusion provides robust ecommerce stores with significant selling capabilities.
Key Benefits:
- Extensive backend inventory tools
- In-depth analytics and tracking
- Custom pricing for large brands
- CRM features
Volusion positions itself as an “all-in-one” ecommerce solution providing everything merchants need.
Along with standard web store functionality, you get access to detailed sales reports, powerful CRM tools and advanced options for tweaking and managing operations.
Bulk product uploads, custom order statuses, tiered admin roles and more enable large-scale selling while optimized checkout flows and promotions maximize conversion rates.
However, Volusion’s pricing plans and transaction fees cater more towards established businesses rather than new startups. Plans begin at $35/month.
For quickly launching an online store on a modest budget, Volusion may be slightly cost prohibitive. But brands already selling offline or via other channels will appreciate the robust ecommerce features.
Volusion offers a free 14-day trial, giving you the opportunity to set up a store and test transactions before committing to a paid plan
Downsides:
- Expensive setup and monthly costs
- Steep learning curve
Tip: Make use of Volusion’s built-in guides, videos and community forums while getting acquainted with the extensive backend tools.
6. Squarespace
Squarespace strikes the ideal balance between creative freedom and commerce capabilities.
Key Benefits:
- Beautiful designer-made templates
- Intuitive drag-and-drop builder
- Built-in marketing and analytics
- Easy integration with domains, email marketing, booking services etc.
Squarespace makes it possible for anyone to build an immersive online store that stands out from competitors. You get complete creative control over customizing the look and feel, while its robust ecommerce features handle all the backend complexities seamlessly.
Hundreds of professional templates make it easy to get started. Pick one of the templates, replace the images with yours, tweak fonts, colors etc. and watch your branded webstore come alive in real time. No coding required!
Its native features help you market products effectively with automated email sequences, promotions and Instagram or Google Ads integration. Also, its detailed analytics provide insight to improve conversions.
Squarespace charges a 3% transaction fee for the Business plan. However, there are no Squarespace transaction fees for Squarespace Commerce plans (Basic and Advanced).
The Business plan costs $23 per month for an annual subscription or $33 for monthly subscription. This plan does provide a suite of basic tools for online selling, but for more advanced ecommerce features, you would need to upgrade to the Basic Commerce plan ($27/mo) or the Advanced Commerce plan ($49/mo).
They do offer a 14-day free trial. You can request a one-time, 7-day extension to your website trial.
Downsides:
- Higher monthly costs than basic ecommerce platforms
- Must upgrade from cheapest plan to unlock ecommerce features
Tip: Make the most of Squarespace’s free trial to experience both store setup and selling capabilities firsthand.
7. Shopify
Over 1 million businesses in about 175 countries trust Shopify to sell online.
Key Benefits:
- Huge app store and theme marketplace
- Scales to enterprise-level operations
- Advanced features like fraud protection, warehouses etc.
- Integrates with marketplaces, POS systems, accounting tools etc.
As an end-to-end ecommerce platform, Shopify can power anything from small indie brand stores to mega enterprises like Gymshark. Along with essential online selling functionality, you get access to an entire ecosystem of apps and expert support.
Shopify takes care of security, speed and reliability so you can focus on your business. It’s trusted by entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies alike. Dynamic themes and templates make storefront design easy even without coding skills.
Sell across multiple online and offline channels, offer discounts and gift cards, process various payments, track inventory in real-time and simplify shipping logistics. In-depth analytics and reporting provide actionable business insights.
For all it offers, Shopify’s starting plan is priced at $39/month. This plan includes everything you need to create your store, ship products, and process payments. The transaction fees for the starting plan are 2.9% + 30¢ USD. The transaction fees decrease as you upgrade to higher plans.
The equivalent plan in terms of price is the Advanced plan, which costs $399/month. This plan offers the best of Shopify with custom reporting and the lowest transaction fees.
Comprehensive but complex, Shopify works best for established merchants ready to scale up operations.
Downsides:
- Steep learning curve given vast features
- Transaction fees on non-shopify payment processing
- No native support for blogging or content
Tip: Make use of Shopify’s immense Support resources like guides, videos and community forums available 24/7.
8. Wix
As a creative-first platform, Wix makes it incredibly easy for non-techies to build sleek, stylish online stores.
Key Benefits:
- Mobile/SEO friendly templates
- Creative design features like animation
- Add popular ecommerce apps easily
- Built-in marketing and analytics
Wix empowers entrepreneurs to build, manage and grow their businesses online themselves – no coding skills required.
Along with an award-winning website builder packing 200+ designer templates, you get hundreds of drag-and-drop ecommerce features for creating shop pages, adding products, customizing cart flows and enabling one-click checkouts.
Further extend functionality via Wix’s App Market with additions like loyalty programs, custom coupons, bookings management and more.
While reliable and accessible for most people, Wix does lack some advanced capabilities bigger brands may require. Fully realizing ambitious design visions also demands an upgraded plan.
You can open a basic online store with Wix for free but will see ads. Removing Wix branding and accessing premium features costs from $17 – $25/month. Additional transaction fees apply too.
Downsides:
- No export features: Wix does not allow you to export your site.
- Limited tracking and analytics: Basic tracking tools like Google Analytics are not accessible on the free plan.
- Cannot switch templates: Once you’ve selected a template on Wix, you cannot change it.
- Wix branding: If you use the free plan, your URL will end with wix.com
Tip: Choose from dozens of free e-commerce templates to simplify getting your store online quickly.
Key Takeaways
- Hostinger – Best overall value all-in-one ecommerce site builder
- BigCommerce – Most powerful advanced ecommerce platform for scaling brands
- Weebly – Easy-to-use editor with ecommerce+marketing features
- Strikingly – Quickly launch a basic but beautiful online store
- Volusion – Robust backend tools for established ecommerce merchants
- Squarespace – Perfect balance of creative freedom and built-in commerce
- Shopify – Unmatched app ecosystem ideal for ambitious brands
- Wix – Easy drag-and-drop store builder for non-techies
Choosing the right platform comes down to thoroughly assessing your level of technical skill, business needs and budget.
Keep the pros, cons and target user profile of each website buikder in mind. Weigh them against your specific goals, capabilities and resources. This will help you determine what solution checks all the boxes for your specification.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which ecommerce platform has the easiest site builder?
Hostinger, Strikingly and Wix have the most beginner-friendly drag-and-drop website builders requiring no coding knowledge.
How much does it cost to build an online store?
With a DIY ecommerce website builder, you can launch an online store for $0-29 per month for the software. Hosting, domain registration and SSL certificate can add on extra but inexpensive yearly costs.
What is the best ecommerce platform for small business?
We recommend Hostinger for starting due to the combination of features, ease of use and affordability. Wix and Weebly are also great for small ecommerce.
Does Shopify or Squarespace offer a free trial?
Yes, both Shopify and Squarespace provide 14-day and 30-day free trials respectively to test run their ecommerce platforms.
Can I use an ecommerce website builder with my existing domain?
Most website builders allow you to connect your custom domain purchased separately so you can use your existing one.
What is the difference between Shopify and BigCommerce?
Shopify offers greater flexibility for all businesses while BigCommerce focuses on advanced ecommerce functionality for enterprise brands.
Why should I use an online store builder over hiring a developer?
Ecommerce website builders are significantly more affordable, faster to launch with, easier to manage afterward and provide turnkey access to essential store features.
