Selling online is different from a blog or portfolio — you need fast pages, reliable checkout, and room to grow. Here's how the main options stack up, in plain terms.
Slow pages lose sales. Every option below is fast enough for most stores, but it's worth checking as you grow.
Cart, checkout, and inventory should come ready to go — not bolted on afterward.
Look at the monthly price and any extra fee per sale — some platforms charge more if you skip their own payment system.
| Platform | Best for | Starting price | Extra fees? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Most first-time stores | ~$29/mo | Only if you skip Shopify Payments |
| BigCommerce | Larger catalogs, wholesale | ~$29/mo | None, on any plan |
| Squarespace | Small, design-led stores | ~$16/mo | None on paid plans |
| WordPress + hosting | Full control, existing WordPress users | Hosting cost only | Depends on your payment setup |
Shopify — the most beginner-friendly path to a working store.
BigCommerce — built for bigger inventories and no extra fees.
Squarespace — beautiful templates, simple to learn.
A WordPress-ready host paired with a store plugin gives you the most flexibility.
No — these are fully hosted platforms, so hosting is already included in your monthly price.
Yes, but moving a store (products, orders, customer info) takes real effort — it's worth picking based on where you expect to be in a year or two, not just today.
Pairing WordPress with basic hosting usually has the lowest starting cost, but it also takes more of your own time to set up and maintain.