4.9 
eCommerce Website Builders Features Overview
| Provider | Starting Price | Storage (GB) | Bandwidth | Free Domain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $2.99 | 100-200 | Unlimited | Yes | Visit Hostinger |
 | $2.90 | 30-110 | Unlimited | Yes | Visit Ultahost |
 | $1.00 | 10-unlimited | Unlimited | Yes | Visit IONOS |
 | $2.99 | 5-25 | 10-75 GB | Yes | Visit Elementor |
 | $16.00 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Yes | Visit Squarespace |
 | $17.00 | 2-Unlimited | 500mb – Unlimited | Yes | Visit Wix Website Builder |
Introduction
If you already have a favorite eCommerce website builder and want to compare it against its competitors, this article can help you do so. Also, you can find out about all of our best eCommerce platforms with our comparison chart below. And, if you want to find out what all of the providers in our comparison chart offer, continue reading this article, where we will go through each provider in detail.
Quick Rundown of Our Top 6 Best Ecommerce Website Builders:
- Squarespace – Best quality website templates suitable for artists and photographers.
- Wix Website Builder – Best for building small online stores.
How Do We Test and Rank?
We spend a lot of time testing eCommerce builders so that we can rank them accordingly. Also, we put them through a series of tests that help us determine which are the best builders available.
Our experts at HostAdvice test all kinds of products from leading web hosting providers almost on a daily basis. Also, they continuously test and improve their review methodologies and provide the most accurate results.
What’s best about our testing and ranking process is that when they’re reviewing, our experts buy the plans to test them out, just like any other regular customer would do. We base our ranking on a few factors. We give specific percentages to those factors depending on how important they are for an eCommerce service.
- Ease-of-Use (25%): overall ease of the setup process, ease of navigation through the dashboard, ease of using and navigating through the Control Panel, the slope of the learning curve.
- Design and Templates (30%): amount of pre-built templates provided, quality of the templates provided, customizability of the templates, ability to change the template when the site is already live.
- Help with building (15%): how the provider’s team helps users during the building process, whether there is a designated agent for each user.
- Tech Support (20%): technical knowledge and skill of the staff, what kind of help they provide (24/7 support via email, live chat, phone), response time, issue-resolving abilities.
- Check Platform Policies (10%): overall transparency, whether the provider discloses its policies, whether it has hidden fees that are not mentioned right from the start.
How to Find the Best eCommerce Website Builder For You
Choosing which eCommerce website builder is right for you can be challenging. There are many builders available for you to choose from, and it can get overwhelming. So, we are here to provide you with some tips on finding the best eCommerce website builder that you can use while making your choice.
- easy to use
The first thing you should look for is a builder that is easy to use. It will help if you look for a builder that has an easy setup process and is easy to design. That can save you a lot of time, and it will essentially make your life a lot easier. - design and templates
Another critical parameter is design and templates. When choosing a website builder, always check how many templates they offer and their design. The template you choose will be the first thing customers see when they open your website, so being able to choose from a large number of high-quality templates is very important for your online store. - help with building
If you are a beginner, make sure to choose a provider that will help you build your online store. Also, it would be best to choose a provider that makes it easy for you to put what you need on your website and make changes in the future without additional coding. - tech support
Tech support is another essential feature your builder has to have. Especially if you are new to the scene, having constant 24/7 support will allow your store to function seamlessly. - check platform policies
Lastly, check the platform policies before finally saying yes and buying a subscription. Some companies often have hidden policies and fees that they do not disclose on their websites. That is why you should always check platform policies and terms of service before committing to a builder. There you can find everything you are agreeing to do by buying a subscription and everything your provider promises to do for you.
The Top 6 Best Ecommerce Website Builders
- Overall Score: 4.5
- Ease-of-Use: 5.0
- Design and Templates: 5.0
- Help with Building: 4.2
- Tech Support: 4.3
- Check Platform Policies: 4.2
has been around for a long time now. Ever since 2004, the people at Squarespace have been improving and increasing its features and tools and have made a great name for themselves and the company.
The features and tools that Squarespace offers are an ideal fit for anyone that puts design first. Squarespace’s design options make products stand out and be the main attraction on a website.
Pros:
- Flexible payments
- Easily customizable templates
- Drag-and-drop site builder
- Allows data import and export
- G Suite Integration
Cons:
- No free plans
- Limited SEO tools
is built for highly visual and creative websites with many high-quality templates ready for you to use.
| Plan | Personal | Business | Commerce (Basic) | Commerce (Advanced) |
| Price | US $19/month | US $33/month | US $36/month | US $65/month |
| Number of Products | None | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Free Trials | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Additional Feature | Mobile-Optimized Websites. | Fully integrated eCommerce, Mobile-Optimized Websites, Gift cards. | Fully integrated eCommerce, Mobile-Optimized Websites, Gift cards, Point of sale, Customer accounts, Products on Instagram. | Fully integrated eCommerce, Mobile-Optimized Websites, Gift cards, Point of sale, Customer accounts, Products on Instagram, Abandoned cart recovery, Sell subscription. |
Squarespace’s Outstanding Features:
Since Squarespace is built explicitly for creative and highly visual websites, it is our top choice for artists and photographers.
- templates
Squarespace’s templates are among the best on the market, with the most aesthetically pleasing designs. Also, you can customize the templates easily with an intuitive editing tool. - online booking tool
One standout feature that we like from Squarespace is its online booking tool. The tool allows you to sell premium spots on your calendar for custom work or consultation, making Squarespace the ideal tool for artists and photographers. - sell memberships and subscriptions
You can also sell memberships and subscriptions with the advanced commerce plan. That is an excellent feature for people who want to sell stock photography subscriptions, digital assets, and similar products. - excellent mobile app
Also, Squarespace has a mobile app that allows you to edit your website on the move. Furthermore, you can use the mobile app as a POS solution if you have physical locations or stores. - easy to set up
You need to complete six steps to build your online store with Squarespace. First, you need to pick a template and start your free trial. After that, you need to register or transfer your domain name. Then, you need to add products. After adding products, you need to connect to a payment processor. Lastly, you have to customize your online store in the way you like. After completing the steps, all you need to do is grow your online store with SEO and good marketing.
To sum up, you can see that Squarespace is easy to use and not time-consuming at all. Its primary focus is on design and aesthetics, so it is the ideal choice for individuals or businesses that want to showcase their products or abilities in the best (and most aesthetically-pleasing) light.
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- Overall Score: 4.7
- Ease-of-Use: 5.0
- Design and Templates: 5.0
- Help with Building: 4.3
- Tech Support: 4.4
- Check Platform Policies: 4.8
Wix is one of the most popular website builders on the market. It makes the process of creating a site easy and enjoyable for all.
The same goes for its web store solution – Wix eCommerce. Creating an online store and starting to sell online with Wix eCommerce is pretty straightforward and does not take a lot of time at all.
Ever since it started, the company has been adding a great deal of features to its eCommerce solution. Thus, Wix eCommerce has become a fully integrated business solution with a wide array of impressive features and tools in its back pocket.
Pros:
- Easy-to-use editor
- It offers almost every feature you could need for your eCommerce store
- Powerful features
- Multichannel integration
- Provides over 500 professional online store templates
Cons:
- Low-end plans have bandwidth limits
- An online store is not included in free and basic plans
- The starter plan does not remove ads from your website
| Plan | Business Basic | Business Unlimited | Business VIP |
| Price | US $17/month | US $25/month | US $17/month |
| Number of Products | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Free Trials | 14-day trial period | 14-day trial period | 14-day trial period |
| Additional Feature | Remove Wix ads from your website. | Subscriptions, multiple currencies, selling on marketplaces, remove Wix ads from your website. | Customized reports, subscriptions, multiple currencies, sell on marketplaces, remove Wix ads from your website. |
Wix’s Outstanding Features:
Wix is one of our top choices for the best website builder for eCommerce for several reasons.
- drag-and-drop builder
Wix is incredibly versatile, and its drag-and-drop builder is easy to use even for beginners. - pre-made templates
Wix offers almost one thousand pre-made templates, which is a lot more than what most eCommerce website builders offer. - no additional transaction fees
Another great feature we like about Wix is that it does not charge any additional or secret transaction fees, unlike other builders. So, all online payments from a Wix store are 100% commission-free. - unlimited number of products
All eCommerce plans include an unlimited number of products you can have, so the revenue you can generate is infinite. What’s more, even if you choose the cheapest plan, you will still get everything you need to build your online store. That is why we deem Wix as the best builder for small online stores. - easy-to-use interface
Also, its easy-to-use interface makes it perfect for people who are just starting their eCommerce journey. - unlimited bandwidth and free domain for one year
Every Wix plan includes unlimited bandwidth and a free domain for a year. That is even greater for small stores since they get a lot of unlimited features even if they choose the cheapest plan. - SEO tools
A feature that stands out from Wix is its SEO tools. Wix’s SEO tools allow users to optimize their website for mobile. They can do that by creating an automatic mobile-friendly version of their website as they are customizing it. Also, Wix’s SEO tools can get your website listed on Google immediately within 60 seconds.
Wix is one of the most popular website builders for a reason. It offers many useful tools that make building and managing an online store a piece of cake. Since it is packed with powerful features, creating a website with Wix allows people to do virtually anything they want and build the website of their dreams.
How Much Do eCommerce Website Builders Cost?
There are many factors in making an eCommerce website. And all of those factors affect the total price you will pay for your subscriptions. Knowing which factors are considered when making an eCommerce website and how much they cost will help you estimate the price you will need to pay to start your online eCommerce business.
The costs (factors) that go into making an eCommerce website include the following:
- Payment processing costs
- Web hosting costs
- Add-ons and extensions costs
- Design costs
As you may or may not know, every website needs hosting. Also, you will need a domain name which is your website’s address on the Internet. Many website builders offer web hosting as a part of their eCommerce plans. However, sometimes you might need to buy a separate web hosting plan for your online store. Basic web hosting plans usually start at $7.99 a month, although there are cheaper and more expensive options out there. Domain names usually start at $14.99 a year. However, some hosting providers offer a free domain name in their plans.
The industry standard for payment processing amounts to 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. However, some payment gateways, like Authorize.net, also require you to pay additional monthly fees as well.
The total design cost for an average-sized eCommerce website can start from $1,500 and go to $6,000. As for larger eCommerce websites, the design costs can start from $10,000 and go to $30,000. Remember that you do not pay those fees; however, the costs are dispersed in the website builder’s subscription prices.
The price you pay for add-ons depends on the number of features your provider offers. So, if your provider offers a large number of features included in their plans, you will end up paying a couple of hundreds of dollars for them or nothing at all. A lot of the website builders that we mentioned above offer more than enough features, so you most likely won’t need to buy any add-ons or extensions.
Thus, the best value you can get on this market is by finding a provider that includes many features, web hosting, and high-quality templates in its plans.
Next Steps In Building the Perfect Ecommerce Website
Now that you have seen which are our top 6 picks for Best Website Builder for eCommerce, we will cover the things you need to consider when creating your eCommerce site.
Choosing the right software is essential for your online store because your site might never reach its true potential if you choose the wrong software.
Try it out first – Some builders offer free trials or free packages for their users. If the builder you choose offers a free trial or free plan, you should always try them out before finally buying a plan. That way, you can make sure that the builder you have chosen is suitable for you and learn how to use it.
Ask people to test your online store – you can ask friends, family, or other people to try out your store and see what they think. Their feedback can help you get rid of bugs and find out what you should keep in your store.
Optimize – Many builders offer numerous reporting tools that can help you improve your site. Make sure to use those tools consistently, as they can help you boost your sales and find out what your customers like and don’t like.
Prepare – Explore the features and tools your eCommerce builder offers and learn something about them. That can help you a lot in the future as you will already know which tool you might need or which feature you might use often. Also, if you already have a business, you should check if the software you will use is compatible with your existing payment systems and accounting software.
Summary
Creating an eCommerce site might seem impossible to you. However, with the help of the website builder we mentioned here, you can have your online store up and running in no time. You will notice that the most challenging thing you will have to do during this process is choosing the right website builder.
When choosing your builder, you have to pay attention to many things and details. Also, if you are new to all of this, you might get lost in all the tech talk and wind up even more confused than you were before. That is why this article exists. It can help you choose the most suitable builder for your eCommerce store as it provides information about the top 6 Best Ecommerce Website Builders on the market. You will not have to waste your time with providers that are not suitable for you and offer lousy performance. Instead, you can choose between ten world-class providers that will help you build your eCommerce site and start selling online.
