Online Store Builders

Contents

1. 01WelcomeWhat these tools do, how many we grade and what to know before choosing
2. 02Our top threeThe three we'd look at first, and who each one suits
3. 03What they costWhat paid plans start at, the best buy at each budget and the free plans
4. 04The gradesThe highest graded, and how the whole category does on each subject
5. 05Keep or make?Which are worth paying for, and which you could make yourself
6. 06Every toolAll of them, best graded first, with what each costs
7. 07Quick answersThe questions people ask when choosing, each answered in a line or two
8. 08About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from each tool’s own pages, their app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on the Online Store Builders page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.

Sell physical products online, with the storefront, checkout, stock and shipping in one place.

Before you choose, here are 7 things to know about online store builders, worked out from every one we grade.

1. 1

   We grade 10 online store builders

   4 of them are free or have a free plan, and 5 more let you try before paying. Everything in this guide comes from their own pages and our grades.

2. 2

   Paid plans start at $29 a month in the middle

   From $5 (Ecwid) to $51 (Subbly), going by what each one's paid plans start at.

3. 3

   Best value: Shopify and Ecwid

   Nothing on our chart scores higher than these without costing more.

4. 4

   6 of 10 have iPhone and Android apps

   10 run in a web browser and 0 have a Windows app. Check the one you need before you fall for anything.

5. 5

   The middle GPA is 2.3

   0 score 3.0 or higher. The highest is Big Cartel, at 2.8.

6. 6

   Best free option: Big Cartel

   Big Cartel has the highest GPA of the free ones, 2.8. Simple online store for artists, makers and independent sellers.

7. 7

   10 worth keeping, 0 you could make

   By our keep-or-make rules, 10 do something you couldn't reasonably build yourself, 0 are simple enough to make with an AI app builder, and 0 are a close call.

Part 02 · Top three

Our top three

The three we'd look at first, and who each one suits

The three online store builders we'd look at first. First place suits the most people; second and third are the best picks for the people it leaves out. Each has an Insider's Guide of its own.

1. 1st

   

   2.8GPA

   Shopify

   Free trial · from $29/mo

   For: Most people starting to sell products online

   Shopify builds the store from a theme or a written prompt, with hosting, a custom domain and no cap on products on every plan, plus checkout, stock across up to 10 locations, shipping labels, email campaigns and in-person sales from the phone app. Basic is $29 a month billed yearly ($39 monthly), and after a 3-day free trial the first 3 months cost $1 a month. Its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 from about 42,800 ratings. Know the limits: a payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds 2% a sale on Basic, live third-party carrier rates need Advanced at $299, and POS Pro for a physical shop is $89 a month per location.

   The Shopify Insider’s Guide

2. 2nd

   

   2.8GPA

   Big Cartel

   Free plan · from $12/mo

   For: Artists and makers with a small catalog

   Big Cartel sells physical and digital products from a template, with card, PayPal, Venmo and Afterpay checkout, shipping labels, stock tracking and in-person sales from its phone app. The free Gold plan allows 5 products on one template with no custom domain, and Platinum is $12 a month billed annually ($15 monthly) with your own domain. Its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 from about 6,800 ratings. It is second because it is built for small shops: its pricing pages do not say how many products the paid plans allow, Google Shopping is the only outside channel named, and abandoned-cart recovery needs Diamond at $24 a month billed annually.

   The Big Cartel Insider’s Guide

3. 3rd

   

   2.6GPA

   Square Online

   Free plan · from $49/mo

   For: Shops that use Square, and anyone after no monthly fee

   Square Online shares items, stock and discounts with Square Point of Sale and takes orders for pickup, local delivery or shipping, with bulk labels on every plan. Square Free has no monthly fee and runs on a Square web address, with online card payments at 3.3% + 30¢. A custom domain needs Square Plus at $49 a month per location, which also covers Square's point of sale and lowers online cards to 2.9% + 30¢. It is third because the free store cannot use your own domain, abandoned-cart emails need Plus and live carrier rates Premium at $149, and no App Store rating is on record for the store itself.

   The Square Online Insider’s Guide

Going by our grades, Shopify and Ecwid give the most for the money among online store builders: no tool on this chart scores higher without costing more.

Paid plans start at a middle price of $29 a month across the 8 that charge, from $5 (Ecwid) to $51 (Subbly).

4 of the 8 score above the category's average while starting at or below its middle price. 3 cost more than the middle price and score below the average.

Every tool gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. Here are the 10 highest graded online store builders, then how the whole category does on each subject.

Tool	Value	Free	Features	Ease	Platforms	GPA
Big Cartel	B	C	C	A	B	2.8
Shopify	C	D	A	A	B	2.8
BigCommerce	C	C	B	B	B	2.6
Square Online	C	B	B	C	B	2.6
PrestaShop	C	B	C	C	B	2.4
Ecwid	C	F	B	B	B	2.2
SHOPLINE	C	C	B	C	C	2.2
WooCommerce	C	B	C	D	B	2.2
Volusion	C	C	C	C	C	2.0
Subbly	D	D	C	C	B	1.8

Some software does something you couldn’t reasonably build yourself. Some is simple enough that an AI app builder could make the core of it in an afternoon. Here’s where online store builders land, by the same rules for every tool.

• 10

  Keep it

  It does something you could not reasonably make for yourself, or it costs nothing.

• 0

  Your call

  You could make the core of it, and you would give something up.

• 0

  You could make this

  What it does is the kind of thing an AI app builder makes well, and it charges every month.

Every online store builder we grade, with its GPA and what it costs. Each one has a page of its own on toolgpa.com, with its Insider’s Guide.

1. 1Big CartelFree plan · from $12/mo2.8
2. 2ShopifyFree trial · from $29/mo2.8
3. 3BigCommerceFree trial · from $29/mo2.6
4. 4Square OnlineFree plan · from $49/mo2.6
5. 5PrestaShopFree plan · from €24/mo2.4
6. 6EcwidFrom $5/mo2.2
7. 7SHOPLINEFree trial · from $41/mo2.2
8. 8WooCommerceFree plan2.2
9. 9VolusionFree trial · from $35/mo2.0
10. 10SubblyFree trial · from $51/mo1.8

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

• 2,068

  tools graded

• 57

  categories

• 426

  price changes on record

• 579

  apps priced in 12 countries