Best eCommerce Platform for Beginners (2024)
The best eCommerce platform for beginners is the one that will help you quickly and efficiently build and scale your business. The following platforms have been selected because they offer exceptional value for both the merchant (you!) and the customer.
Ranking Criteria
To generate this list we used a weighted average based on 11 factors: onboarding, website builder, product management, shopping cart and checkout process, order management, marketing and SEO tools, analytics and reporting, mobile responsiveness, customer support, third-party integrations, and scalability.
See our full ranking criteria.
Our #1 pick
on Shopify’s secure website
Shopify
4.6 rating Reviewed by our internal team.
MONTHLY FEE
$29 USD/mo – Basic
$79 USD/mo Shopify, $299 USD/mo Advanced
PAYMENT PROCESSING FEES
2.9% + $0.30 USD online
2.6% + $0.10 USD in person
Why we like it
Shopify offers a best-in-class platform for building and scaling your eCommerce store. It’s built-in multi-channel selling capabilities are unmatched.
Pros and Cons
Why we like it
Shopify offers a best-in-class platform for building and scaling your eCommerce store. It’s built-in multi-channel selling capabilities are unmatched.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Easy-to-use website builder with high converting checkout
- Native eCommerce platform built to help scale your business
- Straightforward product management system
Cons
- Running too many apps may slow website down
Our #2 pick
on Wix’s secure website
Wix
4.4 rating Reviewed by our internal team.
MONTHLY FEE
$29 USD/mo – Core
$36 USD/mo Business, $159 USD/mo Business Elite
PAYMENT PROCESSING FEES
2.9% + $0.30 USD online
2.6% in person
Why we like it
Wix offers an exceptional website creation process. Their pre-made templates and AI website generation support helps you build a functional website fast.
Pros and Cons
Why we like it
Wix offers an exceptional website creation process. Their pre-made templates and AI website generation support helps you build a functional website fast.
Pros and Cons
Our #3 pick
on Squarespace’s secure website
Squarespace
4.3 rating Reviewed by our internal team.
MONTHLY FEE
$23 USD/mo – eCommerce
$49 USD/mo Commerce Advanced
PAYMENT PROCESSING FEES
2.9% + $0.30 USD online
2.6% +$0.10 in person (Square)
Why we like it
Squarespace helps you make beautiful websites. Plain and simple. They’ve got advertising integration built in to help you drive traffic and AI built in to help build out your site even faster.
Pros and Cons
Why we like it
Squarespace helps you make beautiful websites. Plain and simple. They’ve got advertising integration built in to help you drive traffic and AI built in to help build out your site even faster.
Pros and Cons
Top-Rated Ecommerce Platforms
Shopify, Wix and Squarespace are the top-rated eCommerce platforms available for a number of reasons:
- They’re user-friendly. Getting started is extremely easy. Well thought out onboarding processes (and AI) you can have an eCommerce store built out in a handful of minutes.
- They’re UX is intuitive. You’re logged in to the platform and you inherently know where to go. Everything is easily accessible.
- Robust core functionality. These platforms have APPs and extensions, but much of the core functionality to run an eCommerce site (or a dropshipping site) is built into the platform.
Ranking Criteria (ranking factor, weight and why it matters)
Scalability
Weight: 15%
Why it matters: The ability to scale and handle increased traffic, sales volume, and growth is crucial for long-term success.
Product Management
Weight: 15%
Why it matters: Efficient product management is essential for maintaining and expanding product catalogs.
Shopping Cart and Checkout Process
Weight: 13%
Why it matters: A smooth and secure checkout experience continues to be vital for customer satisfaction and conversions.
Marketing and SEO Tools
Weight: 12%
Why it matters: Robust marketing and SEO features become increasingly important for driving traffic, engaging customers, and staying competitive.
Analytics and Reporting
Weight: 10%
Why it matters: Comprehensive analytics and reporting tools are valuable for making data-driven decisions and optimizing operations.
Mobile Responsiveness
Weight: 8%
Why it matters: Mobile responsiveness is growing in importance as more customers shop on various devices.
Website Builder
Weight: 7%
Why it matters: Having a beginner-friendly no-code platform built for non-techy people dramatically helps create an online store that converts well.
Third-Party Integrations
Weight: 7%
Why it matters:
The ability to integrate with other tools and services becomes more valuable as the business grows and needs expand.
Order Management
Weight: 5%
Why it matters: Efficient order management is essential, but may be slightly less critical than other factors.
Customer Support
Weight: 5%
Why it matters: Reliable customer support remains important, but may be less of a priority once the business is established.
Onboarding
Weight: 3%
Why it matters: The onboarding process becomes less significant after the initial setup phase.