6 Best Free Ecommerce Platforms 2026 | Save and Sell Today

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Best Free Plan	Best Upgrade Cost	Best Sales Features	Best Advanced Customization	Best for Selling Services	Best Free To Build
Square Online	Hostinger	Shopify	WooCommerce	Squarespace	Wix
Starting Price $49	Starting Price 84% off in the New Year Sale: $18.99 $2.99/month + 3 months for free	Starting Price $29 $1/mo for 3 months	Starting Price $14.79 with Bluehost	Starting Price $16 $14.40 with code “WBE10”	Starting Price $29 $26.10 with code “TAKE10”
Free plan or free trial Free plan	Free plan or free trial 7-day free trial	Free plan or free trial 3-day free trial	Free plan or free trial Free to install	Free plan or free trial 14-day free trial	Free plan or free trial Free plan
Free custom domain	Free custom domain	Free custom domain	Free custom domain	Free custom domain	Free custom domain
AI website builder	AI website builder	AI website builder	AI website builder	AI website builder	AI website builder
Transaction fees 3.3% + $0.30	Transaction fees 0%	Transaction fees 2.9% + $0.30	Transaction fees Fees vary	Transaction fees 2%	Transaction fees 2.9% + $0.30
Payment gateways 1	Payment gateways 100+	Payment gateways 100+	Payment gateways 43	Payment gateways 6	Payment gateways 80+
Recommended for Businesses in the food industry and brands on a budget	Recommended for Beginners and budget-conscious businesses	Recommended for Businesses who want to easily scale their store as they grow	Recommended for Businesses that want more control over their store	Recommended for Creatives and service-based businesses	Recommended for Businesses promoting their online presence
Try Square	Try Hostinger	Try Shopify	Try WooCommerce	Try Squarespace	Try Wix
See our Square Online review	See our Hostinger review	See our Shopify review	See our WooCommerce review	See our Squarespace review	See our Wix review

The only builder that will allow you to actually sell online for free is Square Online. The other builders on this list will give you some kind of free access, but to sell your products or services and reach a provider’s true ecommerce potential, you’ll need to pay to unlock better sales tools.

Square Online is our top free ecommerce platform because you can actually sell online with its free plan. This is a major advantage for those starting a new online business or wanting a fresh start, because you won’t need to break the bank.

The only costs you need to prepare for as a business are Square Online’s processing fees. These are higher on the free plan, with online processing fees costing 3.3% + $0.30 per order. If you upgrade to the Square Plus or Square Premium plan, the online processing fee reduces to 2.9% + $0.30.

Should You Use Square Online?

Square Online is a great option for small businesses, especially if you’re on a budget or operate a physical storefront. Its design tools are quite basic to use, but Square Online keeps its focus on selling.

While its free plan has its drawbacks and limited scalability, you can use Square’s POS (point of sale) integrations to sync your online and offline sales. This makes it easy to track all of your payments in one place, but, of course, you’ll need to pay for POS hardware. The standard Square Terminal costs $299.

Free Plan Limitations

While you can sell products with Square Online’s free plan, it does have some limitations:

• Footer ad on your website
• Limited website functionality
• Basic customization
• No custom domain
• Lacks basic sales features, including product reviews

When should you upgrade?

I’d recommend using Square Online’s free plan to build your online store and test the waters with selling online, especially if it’s a new practice for you.

However, it’s best to upgrade to a premium plan as soon as possible to remove ads from your site and unlock advanced sales tools, like QR code ordering. Square Online’s pricing introduced new pricing in October 2025, with its two premium plans now ranging from $49 to $149 per month (billed annually).

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

Hostinger’s seven-day free trial gives you enough time to build your website, add products to your inventory, and browse the platform’s tools.

However, like the majority of other builders, you’ll need to upgrade to start selling online (starting from $2.99 per month). Thankfully, Hostinger is one of the cheapest website builders, making it a great option for new businesses, freelancers, and side hustles.

Should You Use Hostinger?

Hostinger is an incredibly easy-to-use and affordable ecommerce platform, but it does lack the advanced functionality of other builders, especially when compared with Shopify.

Hostinger only has one ecommerce plan, meaning you’ll struggle to expand over time, and your store is limited to 1,000 products (a tiny amount in comparison to Shopify’s unlimited allowance). For this reason, we recommend Hostinger for new sellers and stores with very small inventories.

Free Trial Limitations

Hostinger’s seven-day free trial limits what stores can achieve:

• Brief free trial period
• Your website remains private
• Can’t sell unless you upgrade
• Basic sales features
• Limited scalability

When should you upgrade?

Hostinger’s free trial gives you plenty of time to decide whether the platform is right for your business, but I suggest upgrading right away. Hostinger’s only ecommerce plan currently costs just $2.99 per month (for a 48-month term).

For a few dollars, you can start selling to customers and unlock all of Hostinger’s useful AI tools. Plus, Hostinger operates a 30-day money-back guarantee, so it’s not a risky move to test out a full subscription. 

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

If you’re looking for the total package for your online store, Shopify’s sales features are the best we’ve tested. You can sell unlimited products, sync your store across social media channels and marketplaces, and set up marketing automations to connect with your customers.

Unfortunately, Shopify doesn’t let you sell online for free. You can test out the platform with its three-day free trial, but you’ll need to upgrade to accept payments, with plans starting from $29 per month (billed annually).

Should You Use Shopify?

Smaller businesses won’t need all of the bells and whistles that come with Shopify, especially with its higher price point. That said, Shopify is our top-rated ecommerce website builder for a reason.

Its built-in sales features and app store (with over 8,000 third-party integrations) mean you can equip your online store with the tools you really need. Because of this, Shopify is ideal if you run a large or expanding business, since you’ll benefit the most from its powerful sales tools.

Free Trial Limitations

You’ll need to free up your calendar ahead of using Shopify’s brief free trial to ensure you have enough time to explore its features. Unfortunately, though, the free trial has its drawbacks:

• Only lasts three days
• Your website remains private
• Can’t sell products until you upgrade
• No custom domain name
• Additional costs to consider (premium templates can cost between $100 and $500)

When should you upgrade?

You can get a taste for Shopify’s features and how to use its editor in its free trial window, but you have to upgrade to start selling products. And, since Shopify’s free trial only lasts three days, you’ll be forced to upgrade pretty quickly.

Shopify’s pricing ranges from $29 to $299 per month (billed annually), or you can opt for its cheaper Shopify Starter plan ($5 per month) to sell only on socials. That said, if you’re committing to Shopify, I suggest going all in on a website builder plan to get the best features and support.

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

WooCommerce is a versatile ecommerce plugin built for WordPress, meaning you’ll need a WordPress website to use it. And, like WordPress, WooCommerce is free to install… but you need to pay for extras.

This includes finding a hosting provider, obtaining security licenses, and downloading any themes or third-party integrations your store needs. For the best match when it comes to hosting, we recommend picking Bluehost, since it has WooCommerce-specific hosting plans.

Should You Use WooCommerce?

If you’re comfortable with coding and managing all of the extras, such as hosting and security, WooCommerce makes for a highly customizable ecommerce platform. Plus, you can add integrations to suit your business needs.

However, there are easier options to choose than WooCommerce – it’s complex and not very beginner-friendly. If you use a builder like Wix or Shopify instead, you can create an attractive and functional website without coding experience.

Free Plan Limitations

Since WooCommerce isn’t an all-in-one deal, there are some obvious limitations:

• Pay for extras, including hosting and storage
• No security features
• Complex customization

When should you upgrade?

Unlike the other options on this list, you aren’t locked into a fixed website builder subscription, so you can determine how much you want to spend on these essential upgrades.

While WooCommerce itself is free to download, you’ll need to pay for extras, like a custom domain name and plugins. And, to host your site, I suggest picking Bluehost, which has WooCommerce-specific plans, starting from $6.95 per month.

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

Squarespace is our top choice for creative and service-based businesses, but its 14-day free trial doesn’t allow you to sell online. Instead, you can use the couple of weeks to build your store with its easy drag-and-drop editor and get everything set up in the back end.

Unfortunately, you will need to upgrade to accept payments, and there are some additional costs you may need to consider, such as Squarespace’s Acuity Scheduling tool if you want to take bookings.

Should You Use Squarespace?

Squarespace’s beginner-friendly AI website builder, drag-and-drop editor, and customization options make it easy for anyone to build an online store, no matter your skill level.

It might not be as scalable or as advanced as other platforms, like Shopify, but Squarespace is a good option for small inventories and service-based businesses. Squarespace’s built-in scheduling tools and invoice tools make it easy for businesses to take bookings online and manage payments.

Free Trial Limitations

Squarespace’s free trial has its drawbacks, including:

• Can’t sell unless you upgrade
• Your website remains private
• Additional costs to consider (Acuity Scheduling costs an extra $16 per month)

When should you upgrade?

Because of Squarespace’s free trial limitations, it’s best to upgrade as soon as possible to publish your site, start selling to customers, and build brand awareness. In my experience, you should be ready to upgrade after a week with the free trial.

Squarespace recently updated its plans to make them all ecommerce-friendly, with Squarespace’s pricing now ranging from $16 to $99 per month (billed annually). That said, I suggest upgrading to at least the $23 per month Core plan to remove online transaction fees and unlock extra sales tools, such as discounts.

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

Like Shopify, Hostinger, and Squarepace, you can’t sell on Wix without upgrading to a paid plan. However, Wix differs in that it allows you to build and run a website for free, for an indefinite period of time.

You can use Wix’s AI website builder to create your online store and get familiar with the platform. Then, when you’re ready to sell to customers, you can subscribe to a Wix plan.

Should You Use Wix?

Wix is one of the best website builders out there, particularly for online stores. It has a solid range of sales features, and Wix’s customization options (including a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor and over 2,000 free templates) make it easy for beginners and experienced users to get up and running in under an hour.

Personally, it’s one of the more intuitive platforms I’ve tested, and it’s built-in marketing tools help you boost brand visibility and engage with your target audience. Plus, Wix provides a ton of helpful resources, such as its SEO Learning Hub, to help businesses thrive.

Free Plan Limitations

Wix’s free plan remains free forever, but it isn’t ideal for online stores for a few reasons:

• Can’t sell unless you upgrade
• Ads on your website
• No custom domain name
• Limited storage

When should you upgrade?

I recommend upgrading as soon as possible to remove ads, increase your storage allowance, and unlock Wix’s ecommerce functionality. You really won’t need more than a week or so with Wix’s free plan to get to grips with the platform and features.

To sell online, Wix’s pricing ranges from $29 to $159 per month (billed annually), but the Core plan ($29 per month) is a good starting point for small businesses.

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

While you can often get started for free with an ecommerce platform, whether that’s a free plan or free trial, you’ll realistically need to upgrade to a premium plan as your business grows.

A free ecommerce platform rarely means zero cost – even Square Online’s free ecommerce plan isn’t totally “free”. There are plenty of hidden or additional fees to consider, such as:

• Transaction fees
• Domain names
• Website hosting
• Security and privacy
• Templates
• Premium plan upgrades (typically needed to sell products online)
• Third-party apps and integrations

What’s the Difference Between Hosted Free Plans and Self-Hosted “Free” Software?

Of the six ecommerce platforms discussed, WooCommerce is the only one to provide a self-hosted option. Square Online, Hostinger, Shopify, Squarespace, and Wix include hosting with their bundled packages, along with security, sales tools, and user-friendly customization options.

This means you generally don’t need to pay for these separately, since they’re included in your plan.

In comparison to these all-in-one hosted builders, you need to sort out hosting yourself with WooCommerce. If you choose to use Bluehost as a hosting provider, this can cost $6.95 per month.

Self-hosted plans aren’t ideal for beginners or anyone looking to keep their website costs close to $0. WooCommerce requires a larger budget, more hands-on maintenance, and technical knowledge.

There are a few important factors to consider when picking a free ecommerce platform:

• Can I sell for free?
• Do the platform’s limitations outweigh its benefits?
• Is it suited to the products I want to sell?

That said, a free ecommerce plan isn’t suitable for long-term growth or profit. All of the builders on this list, besides Square Online, don’t even let you sell until you’ve upgraded your plan. And, if you’re committed to selling with a free plan, you’ll end up frustrated by its limitations.

For this reason, I recommend finding the right platform for your business and upgrading to a paid plan as soon as possible. Selling for free is a great tagline, but I wouldn’t advise it.

We’ve spent over 300 hours testing, analyzing, and building websites ourselves with the best ecommerce platforms to help you find the right fit for your business. Our research process identified seven key areas of investigation, each with a unique weighting:

• Sales Features: 30%
• Pricing: 20%
• Website Functionality: 15%
• Design Features: 10%
• Help and Support: 10%
• User Experience: 10%
• Reputation: 5%

These categories help us determine our overall scores. However, I’ve ordered this list based on price (an area of importance for businesses on a budget) to help you find the best free – or, almost free – platforms to sell with.

While free plans make perfect sense for money-conscious business owners, they do have their limitations. And, truly free ecommerce plans are rare.

Square Online is the only builder on this list that lets you sell for free. However, you’ll be cut off from a lot of essential features, your site will display ads, and you’ll need to pay processing fees.

Most platforms will make you spend some money to sell products and accept payments. For this reason, we recommend using a builder’s free plan or trial as a testing period to see if it’s the right fit for your business. Once you’ve decided, upgrade your plan to gain access to better sales tools and support for your business.