Best ecommerce platforms 2026: independent ranking
We rank platforms for building an online store by verifiable facts only: whether you can sell on a free plan, the lowest price on monthly billing, the extra fee the platform takes when you use an outside payment provider, the free trial, an API, selling in several currencies, product limits, a public status page, the platform's track record and the App Store rating of its app. Every fact links to the official page and carries the date we checked it. Paid placement never changes the Score.
| # | Company | Who it serves | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PrestaShop | 74 | Yes | $0.00 | 0% | Yes | Free plan you can sell on API Selling in several currencies No product limit on the entry plan Open source |
| 2 | WooCommerce | 72 | Yes | $0.00 | 0% | Not verified | Free plan you can sell on API No product limit on the entry plan Open source |
| 3 | Squarespace Commerce | 62 | No | $25.11 | 2% | Not verified | API No product limit on the entry plan |
| 4 | Sellfy | 56 | No | $29.00 | 0% | Yes | API Selling in several currencies No product limit on the entry plan |
| 5 | BigCommerce | 55 | No | $39.00 | 2% | Yes | API Selling in several currencies |
| 6 | SHOPLINE | 50 | No | $29.00 | 2% | Yes | API Selling in several currencies |
-
- Free plan you can sell on
- Yes
- Lowest price per month (monthly billing)
- $0.00
- Extra platform fee on sales, entry plan
- 0%
- Selling in several currencies
- Yes
Pros
- Low entry price on monthly billing
- You can sell on a free plan with no time limit
- No extra platform fee on sales
- Documented API for integrations
Details Visit site ↗ 74% backed by facts
-
- Free plan you can sell on
- Yes
- Lowest price per month (monthly billing)
- $0.00
- Extra platform fee on sales, entry plan
- 0%
- Selling in several currencies
- Not verified
Pros
- Low entry price on monthly billing
- You can sell on a free plan with no time limit
- No extra platform fee on sales
- Highly rated app on the App Store
Details Visit site ↗ 76% backed by facts
-
- Free plan you can sell on
- No
- Lowest price per month (monthly billing)
- $25.11
- Extra platform fee on sales, entry plan
- 2%
- Selling in several currencies
- Not verified
Pros
- Publishes incidents on a public status page
- Documented API for integrations
- No limit on the number of products
- Free trial of the paid plan
Cons
- No free plan for selling
Details Visit site ↗ 92% backed by facts
-
- Free plan you can sell on
- No
- Lowest price per month (monthly billing)
- $29.00
- Extra platform fee on sales, entry plan
- 0%
- Selling in several currencies
- Yes
Pros
- No extra platform fee on sales
- Documented API for integrations
- Sells in several currencies
- No limit on the number of products
Cons
- No free plan for selling
Details Visit site ↗ 80% backed by facts
-
- Free plan you can sell on
- No
- Lowest price per month (monthly billing)
- $39.00
- Extra platform fee on sales, entry plan
- 2%
- Selling in several currencies
- Yes
Pros
- Publishes incidents on a public status page
- Documented API for integrations
- Sells in several currencies
- Free trial of the paid plan
Cons
- No free plan for selling
Details Visit site ↗ 92% backed by facts
-
- Free plan you can sell on
- No
- Lowest price per month (monthly billing)
- $29.00
- Extra platform fee on sales, entry plan
- 2%
- Selling in several currencies
- Yes
Pros
- Publishes incidents on a public status page
- Documented API for integrations
- Sells in several currencies
- Free trial of the paid plan
Cons
- No free plan for selling
Details Visit site ↗ 82% backed by facts
Not ranked yet: not enough verified data
These services are known to us, but we haven't verified enough facts to rank them fairly.
- Big Cartel (site closed to automated checks, )
- Ecwid by Lightspeed (site closed to automated checks, )
- Hostinger Ecommerce (31% backed by facts)
- Jimdo Online Store (site closed to automated checks, )
- Lightspeed eCom (site closed to automated checks, )
- Mozello (31% backed by facts)
- OpenCart (53% backed by facts)
- Payhip (site closed to automated checks, )
- Shift4Shop (site closed to automated checks, )
- Shopify (site closed to automated checks, )
- Shopware (55% backed by facts)
- Square Online (site closed to automated checks, )
- Tilda Store (38% backed by facts)
- Volusion (site closed to automated checks, )
- Wix eCommerce (38% backed by facts)
- nopCommerce (site closed to automated checks, )
Sites marked as closed refuse automated reading (403 error, captcha or a robots.txt ban). We don't bypass such protection, so we can't verify their facts and they are not ranked. This says nothing about their quality. A company can send links to its official pages to [email protected].
How we calculate the Score
45%
Cost
A free plan with no time limit on which you can sell, the lowest monthly price of a store plan on monthly billing ($0 scores 100, $50 or more scores 0; non-USD prices converted at the ECB rate, without VAT), the platform's extra fee on sales on the entry plan (0% scores 100, 3% or more scores 0) and the length of the free trial (14 days or more gets full credit). For open-source software the price is the platform's own price: hosting is paid separately.
25%
Features
A documented API, selling in several currencies and no limit on the number of products on the entry plan, as described on official pages.
20%
Reliability
A public status page with incidents and the platform's track record (20+ years gets full credit).
10%
Reputation
Rating of the platform's official app in the US App Store (3 stars scores 0, 5 stars scores 100), weighted by the number of ratings.
How to choose an ecommerce platform
Start from what and how much you sell
Digital downloads, a small handmade shop and a catalog of thousands of products need different tools. Note your product count and expected sales: some plans cap either one.
Count the fees, not just the subscription
Add the monthly price, the payment provider's rate and any extra platform fee. At low sales the subscription matters most; at high sales the percentage does.
Compare the monthly and annual price
Advertised prices often assume a year paid upfront. We compare monthly billing because it is what you pay while you are still testing the idea.
Decide who runs the technical side
A hosted platform handles servers and updates for you. Open-source software gives you full control and the code, but you need hosting and someone to maintain it.
Check your exit before you start
Find out how to export products, customers and orders. Moving a store is much easier if your data leaves with you and your domain is registered in your name.
Frequently asked questions
Which ecommerce platform is the best right now?
The platform at the top of the ranking above has the highest Score by our public methodology. The best choice for you depends on your store: check the factor bars — cost, features, reliability — and pick the leader in what matters most to you.
What is the extra fee for an outside payment provider?
Some platforms add their own percentage to each sale on top of what the payment provider charges, usually if you do not use the platform's own or preferred payments. We show that percentage for the entry plan. It often falls on higher plans.
Is open-source store software really free?
The software is free, but hosting is not, and paid extensions, maintenance and security updates are on you. That is why we show $0 as the platform's price only and mark such platforms as open source.
Why is a well-known platform missing from the ranking?
Some sites refuse automated reading or forbid it in their terms, so we cannot verify their facts and do not rank them. They are listed below the ranking with a note. Their place in the list says nothing about the quality of the product.
How do you rank ecommerce platforms?
By facts from official pages, each with a link and a check date, combined by a fixed public formula. We do not run our own speed or sales tests, so the ranking is reproducible and cannot be bought.