Best ecommerce platforms of 2026, ranked
Ecommerce platforms: 4 scored on one rubric. Shopify leads at 9.0/10, followed by B12 and BigCommerce.
- 1 ShopifyThe default for a real store. If commerce is the point rather than a feature, start here. 9.0
- 2 B12The fastest route from a description to a working website: an AI builder that drafts a complete site, store or simple web app from one prompt, then lets you edit it by chatting or clicking. 8.7
- 3 BigCommerceThe Shopify alternative that makes most sense for B2B, multiple storefronts and growing stores that want more built in. 7.8
- 4 WooCommerceCheapest on paper, most expensive in time. Right if you already run WordPress. 7.6
At a glance
| Score | From | Free plan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | 9.0 | $29/mo | No |
| B12 | 8.7 | $20/mo | Yes |
| BigCommerce | 7.8 | $29/mo | No |
| WooCommerce | 7.6 | $0/mo | Yes |
The top three, in brief
Shopify
Anyone whose primary activity is selling physical or digital goods and who wants the commerce infrastructure to be someone else's problem. It is the right answer from the first sale up to very large volumes, and the point at which you outgrow it is far enough away that most merchants never reach it.
B12
Anyone who wants to go from a description to a finished, working site without assembling it: small businesses, founders, freelancers and teams who need a website, a store or a simple web app live this week, and would rather talk to an AI than learn a design tool.
BigCommerce
B2B sellers, merchants running several storefronts or complex catalogues, and stores that want more built in and fewer apps. The native B2B feature set is the strongest reason to choose it.
How to choose an ecommerce platform
The right platform depends less on features than on three practical questions: where your business is based, how you want to take payments, and how much of the running you are willing to do yourself. Almost every platform here can list products and take an order. They differ in what each sale costs you, how much of the store you control, and how much work it takes to keep going.
Hosted platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce and Squarespace run everything for a monthly fee. WooCommerce is free software you run on your own WordPress site. Wix and Weebly add a store to a general website builder. And in several countries a local platform, such as Nuvemshop in Brazil, ikas in Turkey or PrestaShop in France and Spain, handles local payments and shipping better than any of the global names.
The fee on every sale
This is where most of the difference sits. Shopify charges nothing extra if you use Shopify Payments, but that is only available to businesses in 40 countries; everywhere else Shopify adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced on top of your payment provider's fee. BigCommerce charges no platform fee on orders through its embedded payment providers and a fee on other providers. Squarespace takes 2% of store sales on its Basic plan and nothing from Core upwards. WooCommerce never adds a platform fee, whichever provider you use.
The chart shows what that means for a store selling $10,000 a month through a third-party payment provider, such as a business in a country without Shopify Payments.
Subscription or running costsPlatform transaction fee
Plans that move with your sales
BigCommerce ties each plan to your sales over the previous twelve months: Core covers up to $30,000 a year, Growth up to $100,000, and Scale includes $33,333 a month with 0.9% on sales above that. Your plan upgrades automatically as you grow. Shopify's plans are chosen by features rather than revenue, but staff accounts, reporting and lower card rates are the usual reasons stores move up.
How much of the checkout you control
Shopify's checkout converts well because Shopify controls it; changing the information, shipping and payment steps themselves needs Shopify Plus. WooCommerce lets you customise the checkout on any setup, because you own the code. If your business depends on something unusual at checkout, that difference decides the platform.
A short decision list
- Most new stores in a Shopify Payments country: Shopify, starting on Basic.
- B2B, several storefronts or a desire for fewer apps: BigCommerce.
- Already on WordPress, or in a country with high third-party fees: WooCommerce.
- A design-led small shop alongside a website: Squarespace Core.
- A shop connected to Square point of sale: Weebly Professional.
- Brazil, Turkey, France or Spain: check the local platform in your country edition first.
Questions people ask
What is the best ecommerce platform?
Shopify leads at 9.0/10. The default for a real store. If commerce is the point rather than a feature, start here.
What is the cheapest ecommerce platform?
WooCommerce has the lowest entry price, from $0/mo, with a free plan.
Sources
Some links on PlatformZoo are affiliate links, so we may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. That never affects a score: every tool is scored on the same rubric before any link is added.