If you\u2019re serious about starting and growing an ecommerce store, Shopify<\/a> is truly the best website builder for you<\/strong>. It\u2019s been around for almost 20 years and is the gold standard for selling online. If you haven\u2019t looked into it, I encourage you to do so. <\/p>\n If you HAVE looked into it and don\u2019t like it for whatever reason, I have a handful of other recommendations worth considering. <\/p>\n Shopify<\/a> is hands down the best ecommerce website builder. <\/strong>There\u2019s not really a way to argue against it. And I\u2019m not just saying that because they pay me more than the other brands on my list (they don\u2019t<\/em>). I say that because it\u2019s been around for nearly two decades and has everything you need to go from a brand new store to a thriving business bringing in millions per year. Literally everything. <\/p>\n The biggest downside? It\u2019s slightly more expensive<\/strong>\u2013but we\u2019re talking just a few dollars per month. <\/p>\n Aside from that, you may just not like it. And that\u2019s ok. <\/p>\n There are dozens of amazing tools I don\u2019t like for one reason or another that have nothing to do with what they do or how they work. If that\u2019s how you feel about Shopify, here are a few other options I can strongly recommend:<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re wondering about other options, you shouldn\u2019t. Between those five, I\u2019m confident you\u2019ll find something that works well for you. <\/p>\n Cheaper solutions like Square Online<\/a>, Weebly<\/a>, or Shift4Shop<\/a> are just that\u2013cheap. You can honestly ignore these, unless you\u2019re selling for fun or as a hobby. <\/p>\n Shopify<\/a> is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms out there\u2013for good reason. It\u2019s also what I recommend to anyone who asks me. <\/p>\n It\u2019s a true plug-and-play<\/strong> solution for anyone looking to start an online store<\/a> and grow it. It\u2019s equally great if you\u2019re using something else and want a better ecommerce builder. <\/em><\/p>\n One of the key reasons I recommend it over everything else is that no matter how big you get, you\u2019ll never outgrow it.<\/strong> <\/p>\n But even if you\u2019re starting small and you\u2019ve never built a website before, it\u2019s easy to use<\/strong>\u2013you may feel overwhelmed at first, but it doesn\u2019t take long to get comfortable<\/strong>. From choosing a theme and adding your products to configuring shipping options and setting up payment processing, it\u2019s incredibly user friendly. <\/p>\n There are more than 100 free and paid themes to choose from<\/strong> and you can customize just about everything<\/strong> to your liking using a drag-and-drop website editor<\/strong>. Colors, fonts, images, text, layouts, styles, etc. You can make your site look like whatever you want. <\/p>\n You can also add features and functionality by installing apps from the Shopify App Store\u2013things like marketing tools, accessibility checkers, and dropshipping suppliers can be added in just a few clicks<\/strong>. <\/p>\n What\u2019s even better is that Shopify Payments is built right in. You don\u2019t have to sign up with another payment processor<\/strong> and integrate or anything like that. All you have to do is configure all of your settings and you\u2019re ready to start taking payments. With that said, you can bring in other payment processors<\/a> (it integrates with more than 100) if you\u2019d like. <\/p>\n Aside from that, every ecommerce feature you\u2019ll ever need is available to you<\/strong>\u2013SEO tools, mobile optimization, abandoned cart emails, customer accounts, wish lists, and discounts. <\/p>\n You name it, Shopify has it or partners with someone who does. <\/p>\n The same is true for selling in person. Shopify\u2019s POS is a great option<\/strong> if you decide to open (or already have) a physical location. Everything syncs with your online store to ensure inventory levels are up-to-date and back-end operations are centralized<\/strong>. <\/p>\n Shopify plans start at $29 per month, which is comparable to everything else on the list except Hostinger. <\/p>\n Hostinger<\/a>\u2018s website builder offers a very affordable way to get your new online store up and running<\/strong>. It gives you basic ecommerce features for a fraction of the price\u2013with a promo rate of $2.99 per month for four years, you\u2019ll pay just $143.52 up front<\/strong>\u2013that\u2019s equivalent to 5 months of Shopify. <\/p>\n With that said, there are some tradeoffs and limitations. <\/p>\n For starters, you can only have up to 500 products<\/strong>. For most people, that\u2019s more than enough but your numbers quickly add up when you consider variations, like size, color, and design. <\/p>\n You\u2019ll also miss out on some of the more advanced ecommerce tools<\/strong>, including POS functionality, a built-in payment processor, marketing tools, and advanced inventory management. Everything with Hostinger will feel very basic<\/strong> in comparison to Shopify. But that\u2019s the tradeoff you make with a solution that\u2019s just a few dollars per month. <\/p>\n Hostinger offers 150 free templates<\/strong> you can use as a starting point for your store. <\/p>\n There\u2019s also an AI-powered site builder that creates the whole entire thing for you. All you have to do is answer a few questions and it\u2019ll pop out an entire website for you in a matter of minutes<\/strong>. Will it be publishable out of the box? No, but it will give you a unique and fun way to get started. <\/p>\n As far as customization goes, you won\u2019t get as many options as Shopify. It\u2019s drag-and-drop builder is very easy, but basic in comparison. <\/p>\n You won\u2019t be able to customize your product pages, quick views, or checkout nearly as much. If you\u2019re anything like me, you care a lot about those little details and it could become a source of frustration. <\/p>\n If you\u2019re more tech-savvy and prefer to use WordPress + WooCommerce<\/strong> to build your store, Hostinger\u2019s shared hosting plans are an affordable alternative<\/strong>. This route isn\u2019t plug-and-play\u2013you\u2019ll have a lot of work to do setting everything up, installing the correct plugins, and building your website. But you\u2019ll get full design control and ultimate flexibility in exchange. <\/p>\n These plans also start at $2.99 per month with a four-year agreement. <\/p>\n Wix<\/a> is one of the only true drag-and-drop website builders out there. Most restrict you to columns and rows, which give you a professional feel right away, but limit what you can do. Wix is the opposite\u2013you can place elements literally wherever you want.<\/strong><\/p>\n If that level of freedom and creative control appeals to you, you\u2019ll love Wix. <\/strong><\/p>\n But if you want something that looks good no matter what you do\u2013something you can\u2019t really screw up\u2013run the other way. All the possibilities can feel overwhelming.<\/strong> Unlike most other builders, it\u2019s definitely possible to make a Wix site look bad. I\u2019m not saying you will, I\u2019m just saying it\u2019s possible. <\/p>\n In terms of ecommerce functionality, Wix has added serious muscle to its capabilities over the last few years. It\u2019s not just a bunch of features slapped onto it\u2019s core builder. It\u2019s a full suite of business tools specifically for selling online<\/strong>. <\/p>\n You\u2019ll get abandoned cart recovery emails, coupons, discounts, support for online orders and delivery, reservation options, online appointment booking, and even ticket management<\/strong>. <\/p>\n However, there are tradeoffs. For one, automated sales tax isn\u2019t included on the cheapest ecommerce plan<\/strong>. On the two higher tiers, there are still limits on the number of times you can use it\u2013100 or 500 transactions, respectively. This can be a huge deal if your customers are located all over the country. <\/p>\n Another limitation is that advanced shipping options, product reviews, and multi-currency aren\u2019t available on the cheapest plan, either<\/strong>. Dropshipping is limited to 25 products<\/strong> and back-in-stock notifications are limited to 10 per month.<\/strong> To remove these limitations, you\u2019ll have to pay $32 or even $159 per month, making it significantly more expensive than Shopify. <\/p>\n There are a ton of little things like this that can quickly require you to upgrade to higher tiers. If you\u2019d rather not worry about restrictions like these, Shopify is probably a better choice<\/strong> despite it being less customizable. <\/p>\n BigCommerce<\/a> is a reputable ecommerce site builder that offers top-tier features for enterprise businesses<\/strong>. It also offers standout wholesale and B2B ecommerce options<\/strong>, like bulk pricing, quote management, customer groups, and custom price lists. <\/p>\n Every plan also comes with the ability to sell on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google Shopping, eBay, Amazon, and via POS. None of the others are as extensive at the cheapest level.<\/p>\n But what makes it most interesting is that it\u2019s built specifically for large stores with a ton of products<\/strong>. <\/p>\n It focuses heavily on simplifying inventory management, stock levels, and updating hundreds of products at the same time<\/strong>. Imagine going into 400 products one at a time\u2013no thanks. This isn\u2019t really a problem if you only have a few products, but it gets very cumbersome at scale. <\/p>\n Its Enterprise plan comes with even more advanced capabilities, specifically for large stores, including multiple storefronts, headless ecommerce options, advanced wholesale capabilities, commerce as a service, and international sales. <\/strong><\/p>\n One tradeoff with BigCommerce is that many essential features aren\u2019t available on the cheapest plan<\/strong>, including abandoned cart emails, customer reviews, and product filtering. But the biggest on is that each plan has an annual revenue cap<\/strong>\u2013for example, you\u2019ll be forced to upgrade if you make more than $50,000 in sales. <\/p>\n If none of those the advanced features interest you, you\u2019re better off going with Shopify. <\/p>\nThe Best Ecommerce Website Builders\u2013Our Top Picks<\/h2>\n
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Shopify<\/a> \u2013 Best for Most Ecommerce Stores<\/h2>\n
![\"Shopify](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/shopify-logo.jpg\"\/){kind=logo}
![\"Shopify](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/shopify-logo.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/figure>\nHostinger<\/a> \u2013 Best <\/strong>if You Want Something Cheaper<\/h2>\n
![\"Hostinger](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/hostinger-logo-1.jpg\"\/){kind=logo}
![\"Hostinger](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/hostinger-logo-1.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/figure>\nWix<\/a> \u2013 Best if You Want More Drag-and-Drop Customization<\/h2>\n
![\"Wix](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/wix-logo.jpg\"\/){kind=logo}
![\"Wix](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/wix-logo.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/a><\/figure>\nBigCommerce<\/a> \u2013 Best if You Have Thousands of Products<\/h2>\n
![\"BigCommerce](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/big-commerce-logo.jpg\"\/){kind=logo}
![\"BigCommerce](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/big-commerce-logo.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/figure>\nSquarespace<\/a> \u2013 Best if Imagery and Videos Help You Sell<\/h2>\n
![\"Squarespace](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/squarespace-logo.jpg\"\/){kind=logo}
![\"Squarespace](\"https:\/\/www.quicksprout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/squarespace-logo.jpg\"){kind=logo}
<\/figure>\n