The Best Ecommerce Platforms for Small Business (2026)

The best ecommerce platform for a small business is one you can afford every month that doesn't take a cut of every sale. LotsStore, Big Cartel and Ecwid all take 0% of your sales. Shopify is the most complete, Squarespace suits a full website with a shop, and Square Online has a $0 plan.

Below are nine platforms a small business can open a store on today, with LotsStore first because it's mine, and the others with their real prices, including the ones that cost less to start. I opened every vendor's own pricing page on 22 October 2026. Prices are in US dollars, monthly first, then the per-month price billed yearly where the vendor shows one. Sources are at the end.

What a small business needs from a store platform

I picked and described these on four things that decide the monthly bill and the daily work:

1. What it takes from each sale. A platform fee comes on top of your payment provider's processing fee. Some platforms charge one only if you use another provider, or only on a cheaper plan.
2. What you pay every month on the plan you'd actually use, including product caps that push you up a tier.
3. Where the money goes. Into your own payment account, or through the platform's own payments service.
4. How much upkeep it needs. Hosted platforms update themselves; self-hosted ones need hosting, updates and security.

Ecommerce platforms for small business at a glance

Checked on 22 October 2026.

1. LotsStore: a store that looks established, 0% of your sales

This is the one I built, for agencies that build stores for clients, founders starting a product brand and shops selling through Instagram, WhatsApp or in person. You get a store on your own domain that takes orders day and night and pays you directly. We take 0% of your sales.

• Your money goes straight to you. Connect your own Stripe account (in the countries Stripe supports) or Razorpay account (for businesses registered in India), take UPI to your own UPI ID, or take orders on WhatsApp and settle directly. Shoppers pay on Stripe's own checkout and the money lands in your Stripe balance; LotsStore never holds it (how to connect Stripe, how to connect Razorpay).
• Every feature on every plan. Your logo, colours, pages and policies on a free yourstore.mylots.store address or your own domain with HTTPS. Unlimited products with variants, categories and collections; CSV import and export; stock per variant with a low-stock view. You accept each order, then fulfil, ship with any carrier and refund from the dashboard. Discount codes, your own shipping zones and rates, shopper accounts, wishlists, reviews you approve, and analytics from visit to order.
• Plans by store, not by sales. Starter $12 a month for 1 store, Pro $29 for 3 stores, Business $79 for 10 stores; billed yearly $120, $290 or $790 (two months free). Products, orders, customers and teammates are unlimited.
• Free start: 15,000 free credits for new accounts, valid 90 days, no card. That's about a month of one store.
• Nothing deleted if a payment lapses. The storefront stays readable, new orders pause and the dashboard turns read-only until the store is funded again.

See the pricing page or the full pricing explained.

2. Shopify: the most complete, 0% with Shopify Payments

Shopify is the biggest store platform, with apps and themes for almost any need.

• Plans: Basic $39 a month ($29 billed yearly), Grow $105 ($79), Advanced $399 ($299). Plus starts at $2,300 a month. Unlimited products on every plan. Extra staff accounts start on Grow (up to 5).
• The fee: none with Shopify Payments. With another provider, 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced.
• Card rates with Shopify Payments: 2.9% + 30¢ online on Basic, 2.7% + 30¢ on Grow, 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced.
• Pick it if you want the biggest ecosystem and Shopify Payments works for you. If you'd rather use another payment provider, Shopify Basic adds 2% of each sale, while LotsStore takes 0% at $12. I compared the two in more depth in Shopify alternatives with no transaction fees.

3. Squarespace: a full website with a shop

Squarespace is a design-led website builder with a store built in.

• Plans: Basic $25 a month ($19 billed yearly), Core $39 ($29), Plus $65 ($49), Advanced $139 ($99). Unlimited products on every plan.
• The fee: 2% on online store sales on Basic, 0% from Core. Digital content and memberships carry a separate fee: 7% Basic, 5% Core, 1% Plus, 0% Advanced.
• Payments: Squarespace Payments card rates from 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic and Core.
• Pick it if the website matters as much as the shop. For 0% on store sales, the real starting price is Core at $39 ($29 yearly).

4. Big Cartel: 0% and a free plan for makers

Big Cartel is built for makers and musicians and says it plainly: "we never take a cut".

• Plans: Gold is free with up to 5 products. Platinum is $15 a month or $144 a year, up to 50 products, with a custom domain and digital products. Diamond is $30 a month or $288 a year, up to 500 products.
• Payments: cards, PayPal (including PayPal Credit and Venmo), Afterpay and more.
• Where it's strong: a free start, sales tax autopilot, and label printing with up to 90% off shipping.
• Pick it if you have a small catalog and want to start at $0. Like LotsStore, it takes 0% of sales. More in LotsStore vs Big Cartel.

5. Ecwid: 0% and the cheapest paid plan

Ecwid (by Lightspeed) doesn't charge "any setup or transaction fees on any of our plans", and you can add it to a site you already have.

• Plans: Starter $5 a month, up to 10 products. Venture $35 ($29 billed yearly), up to 100 products plus e-goods. Business $65 ($49), up to 2,500 products. Unlimited $149 ($119), unlimited products.
• Payments: more than 70 providers, including PayPal and Stripe.
• Pick it if you sell a handful of products: $5 is the lowest paid price here. Like LotsStore, it takes 0% of sales; the difference is product caps until the $149 plan. More in LotsStore vs Ecwid.

6. Square Online: a $0 plan, paid through card processing

Square Online is Square's store builder, sharing one system with Square's in-person payments.

• Plans: Free $0 a month, Plus $49 and Premium $149, each per location.
• Processing: online cards 3.3% + 30¢ on Free and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium.
• Pick it if you already take card payments in person with Square. The Free plan costs nothing monthly; you pay a higher online card rate on every sale instead.

7. BigCommerce: room for high volume

BigCommerce is a hosted platform for growing stores.

• Plans: Core $39 a month ($29 billed yearly), Growth $105 ($79), Scale $399 ($299). Performance from $1,499 a month, billed annually.
• The fee: 0% on orders through its embedded providers, a list that includes Stripe, PayPal and BigCommerce Payments. Other providers carry 2% on Core, 1% on Growth and 0.6% on Scale.
• Sales caps: Core covers up to $30K in trailing 12-month sales and Growth up to $100K; Scale charges 0.9% above $33,333 a month.
• Pick it if you expect high volume and want a long list of fee-free payment providers. Check the sales caps before choosing a tier.

8. WooCommerce: no revenue share, but you run the hosting

WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress.

• Cost: the plugin is free and WooCommerce says there's no revenue share. Its own pricing page estimates hosting at $25 to $350 a month for most stores, and paid extensions at $29 to $299 a year each.
• Payments: WooPayments at about 2.5% to 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction, or other gateways through extensions.
• Pick it if your business already runs on WordPress and someone looks after updates and security. If that someone is your agency, see WooCommerce alternatives for agencies.

9. Wix: if your site is already on Wix

Wix is a website builder used by many small businesses. I don't quote Wix prices here because its plans page shows prices that vary by location.

• Selling: Wix's plans page lists accepting payments and eCommerce on the Core, Business and Business Elite plans.
• Per site: Wix says "A site plan cannot be used for multiple sites", so each store needs its own plan.
• Pick it if your website is already on Wix and you want the shop in the same place. Check the price for your location on Wix's plans page.

Which one fits your business

• You sell products and want every sale to be yours: LotsStore, Big Cartel or Ecwid, all 0% of sales. LotsStore if you want unlimited products and the money in your own Stripe or Razorpay account; Big Cartel for a free start with label printing; Ecwid for the lowest price with 10 products or fewer.
• You want the most features and apps: Shopify, with Shopify Payments to stay at 0%.
• The website matters as much as the shop: Squarespace Core or higher.
• You also sell in person with Square: Square Online.
• You sell DMs-first today: start with one store and move the orders off chat. I wrote up how in selling on Instagram and WhatsApp without losing orders.

For agencies building stores for small businesses

If you build and run stores for small-business clients, two things matter more than the entry price: how many stores one plan covers, and whether each client's money goes straight to the client. On LotsStore, Business covers 10 client stores for $79 a month, each store connects the client's own payment account, and each client gets the role they need. On Wix, by contrast, each site needs its own plan. More in best multi-store ecommerce platforms for agencies.

Manage your store from ChatGPT or Claude

Every LotsStore feature works in the dashboard. If you use ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant, you can also connect it and manage the store in plain words; it works with the AI agent you already use. For example: "Which orders are waiting for me to accept, and which products are running low?" Every change shows in your dashboard. See how to connect your assistant.

FAQ

What is the best ecommerce platform for a small business?

It depends on what you sell and how you get paid. LotsStore, Big Cartel and Ecwid take 0% of your sales on every plan. Shopify is the most complete, with 0% only with Shopify Payments. Squarespace suits a full website with a shop, and Square Online has a $0 plan with higher online card rates.

Which ecommerce platforms take 0% of sales?

LotsStore, Big Cartel and Ecwid take 0% on every plan. Shopify is 0% with Shopify Payments, BigCommerce with its embedded providers such as Stripe and PayPal, and Squarespace from its Core plan. WooCommerce has no revenue share. Your payment provider's own processing fee still applies everywhere (checked on 22 October 2026).

What is the cheapest ecommerce platform for a small business?

Big Cartel has a free Gold plan for up to 5 products, and Square Online has a $0 Free plan with online cards at 3.3% + 30¢. The cheapest paid plan here is Ecwid Starter at $5 a month for up to 10 products. LotsStore Starter is $12 a month, or $10 billed yearly, with unlimited products.

Is Shopify good for a small business?

Yes, if you want the biggest set of apps and themes. Basic is $39 a month, or $29 billed yearly, and there's no transaction fee with Shopify Payments. With another payment provider, Shopify adds 2% of each sale on Basic.

Can I get paid straight into my own account?

On LotsStore, yes: shoppers' payments go into your own Stripe account (in the countries Stripe supports) or Razorpay account (for businesses registered in India), and UPI and WhatsApp orders are settled with you directly. LotsStore never holds your money.

Can I try LotsStore for free?

New accounts get 15,000 free credits, valid 90 days, no card needed. That's about a month of one store. After that, choose a plan from $12 a month, or $10 a month billed yearly.

Sources

Checked on 22 October 2026: LotsStore pricing, Connect Stripe guide, Connect Razorpay guide, Shopify pricing, Squarespace pricing, Big Cartel pricing, Big Cartel plans and features, Ecwid pricing, Square Online plans, BigCommerce pricing, WooCommerce pricing, Wix plans, Wix: one plan per site. Compare all our pages at lotsstore.app/compare.