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ToolGPA

Price against what you get

Best-value online store builders

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.

Set price against

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

C2.0B3.0A4.0$5$10$20$50$100More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessShopifyEcwidSubblyVolusion

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

  • Nothing scores higher without costing more
  • The best score at each price
  • Has a free plan
  • No free plan
8 of the 10 online store builders in this directory. Scores are ToolGPA’s own grades; prices are each vendor’s own, read up to Oct 18, 2026. The lines cross at the middle starting price ($29) and the average score (2.7). The data as JSON · The chart as a picture
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Paste this where you want it. The picture links back here and is redrawn whenever a price or a grade changes. Use it freely, with the link left in.

<a href="https://toolgpa.com/charts/online-stores"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/charts/online-stores/chart.svg" alt="8 online store builders by starting price and by ToolGPA score" width="1200" height="675" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>

The best at every price

Each step is the highest score online store builders reach at that price or below. Nothing on the chart beats these without costing more.

  1. $5

    a month to start · scores 3.0 of 4

    • Ecwid$5 per month (Starter)BBB

  2. $29

    a month to start · scores 3.7 of 4

    • Shopify$29 per month, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly)AAB

Paying more for less

The online store builders that the most others beat on both counts: a higher score and a lower starting price.

  1. SubblyStarts at $51 a month and scores 2.3 of 4.5 of 7 score higher for lessCCB
  2. VolusionStarts at $35 a month and scores 2.0 of 4.5 of 7 score higher for lessCCC
  3. Square OnlineStarts at $49 a month and scores 2.7 of 4.4 of 7 score higher for lessBCB
  4. PrestaShopStarts at about $26.89 a month and scores 2.3 of 4.2 of 7 score higher for lessCCB

A high starting price often means a product is sold to companies and has no small plan, and a score is three letters, not the whole product. Read a tool’s own page before ruling it out.

The four quarters

Where the tools fall when the chart is cut at the middle price and the average score.

More for less4

Each scores above the category's average and starts at or below its middle price.

Shopify, Ecwid, Big Cartel, BigCommerce

Costs more, scores more0

Each scores above the average and starts above the middle price.

None.

Costs less, scores less1

Each scores below the average and starts at or below the middle price.

PrestaShop

Costs more, scores less3

Each scores below the average and starts above the middle price.

Square Online, Subbly, Volusion

All 8 on the chart

Highest score first, then lowest price. The last column counts the tools that score higher and start lower.

#ToolScoreFeatures, ease, platformsA monthAs its listing states itScore higher for less
1Shopify3.7AAB$29$29 per month, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly)None
2Ecwid3.0BBB$5$5 per month (Starter)None
3Big Cartel3.0CAB$12$12 per month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)None
4BigCommerce3.0BBB$29$29 per month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly)None
5Square Online2.7BCB$49$49 per location / month (Square Plus)4
6PrestaShop2.3CCB$26.89€24 per month excl. VAT, billed annually (Hosted; €29 billed monthly)2
7Subbly2.3CCB$51$51 per month, billed yearly ($69 billed monthly)5
8Volusion2.0CCC$35$35 per month (Personal)5

How online store builders grade

Every bar is all the online store builders we grade, cut by the letter each got on that count.

  • Value for moneyaverage 2.0
  • Free plan and trialaverage 1.9
  • Featuresaverage 2.6
  • Ease of useaverage 2.5
  • Platforms and integrationsaverage 2.8

An A is worth 4 and an F nothing. C is the ordinary grade. Every online stores grade in one table

Not on the chart

Sold for a single payment, or with no public price that can be put as dollars a month. They are graded like the rest.

  • SHOPLINEA$41 per month, billed annually (A$49 monthly; Australian site)
  • WooCommerceNo public price

Common questions

Which online store builders give the most for the money?

Shopify and Ecwid. Each is the highest-scoring tool at its price or below: Ecwid scores 3.0 out of 4 and starts at $5 a month; Shopify scores 3.7 out of 4 and starts at $29 a month. This goes by ToolGPA's own grades for features, ease of use and platforms, averaged out of 4, set against the price each tool's paid plans start at.

Which online store builders cost the most for what they offer?

On this chart, Subbly (starts at $51 a month, scores 2.3 out of 4, and 5 tools score higher for less), Volusion (starts at $35 a month, scores 2.0 out of 4, and 5 tools score higher for less) and Square Online (starts at $49 a month, scores 2.7 out of 4, and 4 tools score higher for less). A high starting price often means a product is sold to companies and has no small plan, so check what the price includes before ruling one out.

How much do online store builders cost?

The middle starting price is $29 a month: half of the 8 online store builders with a recurring price start below that and half above. 0 of the 10 in this directory have no paid plan, and 3 of those that charge also have a free plan.

How is the score on this chart worked out?

It is the average of three of the five grades ToolGPA gives every tool: features, ease of use, and platforms and integrations, with an A worth 4 and an F worth 0. The other two grades, value for money and the free plan, are about price, so they are left out and price gets an axis of its own. 8 of the 10 online store builders are on the chart; 2 are left off because they are sold for a single payment or publish no price that can be put as dollars a month.

How this chart is made

  • The score is the average of three of a tool’s five grades: features, ease of use, and platforms and integrations. An A is 4 points and an F none. Value for money and the free plan are left out because they are about price, and price has an axis of its own.
  • The price is what paid plans start at, in dollars a month, on the cheapest way of paying the listing names. A yearly price is divided by twelve, and a price in another currency is converted. A price for each person is shown for one person.
  • A tool with no paid plan sits in the band marked Free. A tool with a free plan beside paid ones is placed at its paid price and drawn as a filled dot.
  • The grades are ToolGPA’s own judgement from each vendor’s pages and from public reviews, not from testing, and no vendor can pay for one. How we grade

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