6 Best Free Ecommerce Platforms for 2021

With the rise of ecommerce, it has become more important than ever to stay competitive in this space. In many industries, free ecommerce platforms are becoming a popular and viable option for both sellers as well as consumers who want to save money on their shopping experience. Here’s six services that are worth checking out!

The “free ecommerce website unlimited products” is a platform that offers free ecommerce websites to start your own business. The six best free platforms are Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Shopify Plus, WP E-Commerce and Volusion.

It may be tough to locate free ecommerce software. You want a professional-looking online shop with useful features like inventory management and marketing connections. However, you don’t want to spend hours putting up your shop only to discover that unless you pay $15 a month for a “upgrade,” it will be covered with annoying ads.

We took on the tough job of examining all of the available free ecommerce platforms and selected six that really provide a comprehensive set of features for no cost (and by that, we mean free forever).

According to our research, the best free ecommerce website builders for 2021 are:

• Online Square is the best free ecommerce website builder overall.
• The best free ecommerce software for WordPress users is WooCommerce.
• For developers, PrestaShop is the best free open source ecommerce platform.
• Ecwid is the best free ecommerce platform for customers of Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace.
• Cartel de la Grande is ideal for artists and others who want to use bespoke domains.
• For foreign merchants, Mozello is the best free ecommerce platform.

While all of the above are free to use, you will be charged a credit card processing fee when you make a transaction, which is usually 2.9 percent + 30 cents. Aside from that, there are no commissions or hidden costs with any of them. There are premium upgrades available, which we’ll go over in greater depth below.

What’s New

New eligible Square Online clients may get up to $1,000 in free payment processing in their first 90 days from now until November 16th. Fit Small Business subscribers are the only ones who can take advantage of this promotion.

Comparing the Best Free Ecommerce Website Builders

Don’t know which free ecommerce website builder to use? For our suggestion, take this four-question quiz (you will not be sent to another screen):

We’ll offer you a customized product match once you answer a few questions about your company.

How We Rated Ecommerce Website Builders for Free

We examined seven ecommerce platforms using the same criteria we used to assess ecommerce software: site builder tools, sales and product capabilities, and simplicity of use. However, we took into account the limits of each system and only looked at features accessible in forever-free subscriptions. Our retail and ecommerce professionals also chimed in with their opinions on each piece of software.

Square Online is the finest free ecommerce platform for small companies based on the criteria listed above. According to our grading methodology, Square Online got the greatest overall grade (4.38 out of 5). We’ve also found Square Online to be one of the most user-friendly options, enabling you to set up an online shop in just a few minutes.

For a more comprehensive explanation of our assessment criteria, go through the tabs below. Please note that we only evaluated each software’s free plans:

15%

Features of the Site Builder and Site Maintenance

15%

Product Features and Sales

40% of the overall score

First, we looked at the product limitations of each of the software’s free plans, as well as if there are premium alternatives available for small company owners to upgrade to as their companies expand. Finally, we awarded extra points to platforms that connect with the most popular payment systems (such as Stripe, PayPal, and Apple Pay), as well as one-click checkouts, which we believe are a more user-friendly and revenue-generating choice for small companies.

15% of the overall score

Every small ecommerce company’ online shop is built on a robust ecommerce website builder. As a result, we evaluated the site builder’s accessible templates, customization possibilities, and general versatility. We also looked at whether the program comes with an SSL certificate, limitless storage and bandwidth, and SEO tools and site analytics built-in. Platforms that enable users to connect to a custom domain were given bonus points. The number and quality of third-party extensions that were compatible with the program were also examined.

15% of the overall score

We looked at aspects including the ability to offer digital (downloadable) goods, ease of product setup, catalog and SKU administration, tools for selling in-store and on mobile devices, integrated social network selling, and marketplace selling (such as Amazon). We also checked to see whether it offered discounts and label printing as part of its shipping services. We looked at the availability of built-in marketing tools, such as abandoned cart recovery and promotions and discounts, since many small companies conduct their own marketing.

20% of the overall score

We awarded higher marks to platforms that provide 24/7 customer service and various customer touchpoints, such as phone, email, and chat—even on free plans—due to the fact that online shops run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We also gave points to solutions that are simple to set up or offer a thorough help center with guided instructions.

10% of the overall score

Finally, our retail specialists evaluated any unique features of each platform, as well as if the program provides excellent overall value for its free plans. We also looked at how popular each platform is among small companies and how well it integrates with other small company software. We also gave scores for our own experiences using the program and dealing with the company’s customer service.

*Percentages based on total score

Square Online

Overall, the best free ecommerce platform

PROS

• Website designed just for your company, complete with a logo and colors that match your brand.
• There are no limits to the number of goods and variations available.
• POS software is included for in-person sales.

CONS

• There will be no shipping integrations until you upgrade.
• Branding on the footer is square.
• Languages other than English are not supported.

Total Points

4.38

OUT OF

5

When we say that obtaining excellent free ecommerce software is difficult, we mean that free plans often come with a lot of restrictions. You may have to make concessions and forego apparent features, offer a limited number of goods, or show advertisements on your internet pages. Square Online offers a surprising lack of restrictions, which we enjoy. It’s the closest you’ll come to setting up a full-fledged online shop without having to provide a credit card number.

The forever-free Square Online plan allows you to list an infinite number of goods (physical or digital), monitor inventory, manage SEO, and connect marketing tools like Mailchimp—all of which you may not need right away but will appreciate as your business grows.

Square Online received a 4.38 out of 5 star rating in our review. Square Online got top marks for having no product limitations on its free plan, as well as one-click checkout and the ability to offer digital goods. It’s also the only platform that lets you sell online or on your phone with its POS goods, even if you’re on a free plan. The major disadvantage of Square is that a free account does not allow you to link a custom domain. However, the free yourstore.square.site subdomain is still more professional than the majority.

A free Square website template example (Source: Square)

What Does Square Online’s Free Plan Include?

• With no website storage or picture upload restrictions, you may list and sell an infinite number of physical and digital (such e-books and movies) goods.
• Full website: You may build a full website with all of the necessary sections (such contact forms, email sign-ups, and more) that is custom branded with your logo and colors. However, unlike other systems like as WooCommerce and PrestaShop, you cannot completely customize the layout or add integrations.
• Create coupon codes for visitors to use in order to get a percentage discount, a cash amount discount, or free delivery. Coupons may be used on all purchases, orders above a particular dollar amount, or specific products.
• Subdomain: Free plans include a square.site subdomain that you can customize, so your website will show in the URL bar as yourstore.square.site.
• Square footer: Each page of a free website has a footer that says “Powered by Square.” It’s unobtrusive and, in comparison to other free websites, doesn’t look too terrible. However, you’ll need to subscribe to at least the Professional version ($12 per month) to get rid of it.
• Customer service for Square Online is a bit difficult to get by. You must contact the company’s support robot and ask to talk with a person. Weekdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time, and weekends from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time, phone and live chat assistance is accessible. Getting connected to a live support person took approximately 30 minutes during my assessment, and receiving an email answer took one business day.

On all free websites, the “Powered by Square” footer appears.

Create a free Square account and follow our instructions to Set Up a Free Square Online Store if you’re ready to get started.

When Should Square Online Be Upgraded?

• Use your own domain name instead of yourstore.square.site: Using your own domain name, www.yourstore.com, instead of yourstore.square.site, is one of the major reasons to upgrade from the free plan. To do so, you’ll need to subscribe to Square Online’s Professional plan ($12 per month), which comes with a year’s worth of free custom domain.
• Shipping tools: Upgrade to the Performance plan ($26 per month) to get cheap FedEx, UPS, USPS, and DHL shipping labels directly from Square Online. You may utilize a shipping calculator with a Premium account ($72 per month) that charges clients real-time shipping costs depending on their location and order weight. If you’re not ready to upgrade just yet, keep in mind that some of these shipping capabilities are available for free via WooCommerce and Ecwid.
• Customer reviews: You’ll need to upgrade to at least the Performance plan ($26 per month) if you want to allow consumers to write reviews for your goods.

WooCommerce

PROS

• Free ecommerce platform with the most features
• Charge shipping rates from the United States Postal Service (USPS) in real time.
• Detailed design control and a wide range of options

CONS

• The cost of hosting is not included.
• Setup takes a long time.
• There is no free customer service.

Total Points

4.01

OUT OF

5

WooCommerce is one of the few free ecommerce systems with a lot of functionality. It allows you to sell an infinite number of digital and physical goods, manage inventory, create discounts, manage customer feedback, and utilize a USPS postage calculation, to name a few features.

With a score of 4.01 out of 5, WooCommerce came in second behind Square Online in our review. WooCommerce received excellent ratings for its broad third-party connections, limitless storage, and simple product setup. It didn’t get a perfect score since it had to pay for customer service and an SSL certificate.

WooCommerce needs the usage of WordPress, which is free but requires hosting and may be difficult to set up. Square Online and Big Cartel are easier alternatives if you’re searching for something to set up fast. WooCommerce, on the other hand, provides unrivaled possibilities for tech-savvy individuals who don’t mind getting their hands dirty.

What Does WooCommerce’s Free Plan Include?

In a WooCommerce shop, how do you put up coupons? (Source: WooCommerce)

• You have an infinite amount of items to list, including both physical and digital commodities (like e-books and videos). WooCommerce also offers inventory management options including low-stock notifications.
• USPS integration: When a customer checks out, calculate the shipping price in real time, then print discounted USPS postage directly from WooCommerce with the client’s name and address already filled in. Additional carriers, such as UPS and FedEx, may be incorporated for a charge.
• Coupon codes: WooCommerce allows you to generate discount codes for your customers’ orders. You may also set specific restrictions, such as a minimum spend requirement or the exclusion of particular products.
• Allow consumers to rank and comment on your goods via product reviews.
• Customer assistance is not accessible to free users of WooCommerce, however there is a help forum where you may ask other users problems.

Options for product management (Image courtesy of WooCommerce)

When Should You Upgrade Your WooCommerce Store?

WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that integrates with a variety of third-party services. The following integrations are available for purchase:

• Many customers will install an SEO plugin like Yoast to assist them modify search engine titles and descriptions for their goods and pages since WooCommerce does not come with excellent SEO capabilities out of the box.
• Multi-Language Capability: To show your site in several languages, you’ll need an extension, which may cost up to $200 per year.
• Installing one of the hundreds of marketing extensions is another popular method for customers to enhance WooCommerce. You may sell on Facebook, establish an affiliate program, or send targeted email campaigns to customers with special offers based on their past purchases. Annual fees vary from $0 to hundreds of dollars.

PrestaShop

Developers’ Favorite Open Source Platform

PROS

• Exceptionally adaptable
• Has a robust and supportive community forum.
• Over 75 languages are supported.

CONS

• Customer service is too expensive.
• Developer abilities are needed.
• Scalability is limited.

Total Points

4.00

OUT OF

5

PrestaShop has tools for customizing your shop, managing your inventory, collecting payments, and running marketing campaigns. Its software may be downloaded and installed for free as long as your computer and hosting fulfill the minimal requirements. PrestaShop Addons, the company’s official marketplace, sells extensions, which range in price from $50 to $150 per module.

In our review, PrestaShop received a 4 out of 5 rating. It received flawless scores for the quality of its native integrations—the majority of functions are already built into the program, removing the requirement for paid add-ons from its app store. PrestaShop, on the other hand, did not get a perfect grade due to its high learning curve and the necessity to pay for customer assistance.

In PrestaShop, this is an example of a premium template (Source: Prestashop.com)

What Does PrestaShop’s Free Plan Include?

• Basic and sophisticated inventory management options are available in PrestaShop. You may define quantities for any product (or combination) in your shop once sophisticated stock management is enabled, as well as the warehouse in which the product is kept (with various carriers), monitor inventory movements, product current status, and more.
• Payment processing: You may set up a variety of payment methods, including invoice payments, cash on delivery (COD), checks, bank transfers, credit cards, subscriptions, and point-of-sale (POS) or in-store purchases.
• You may activate options for promo codes, coupons, and discounts, as well as pricing restrictions, in marketing (special offers based on product, customer, or order). It’s also possible to retrieve abandoned carts and send engagement emails.
• Customer service is a premium (fee-based) service. PrestaShop, on the other hand, has a big and active community that contributes to its forum and help center.

An explanation of how to activate PrestaShop’s Advanced Stock Management Option (Source: PrestaShop Manager)

When Should PrestaShop Be Upgraded?

• Customized website themes: While PrestaShop provides free website templates, most of them are either restricted in terms of customisation or lack attractive designs.
• You’ll need to pay for an extension module if you want to link your shop to popular marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Google Shopping.

Ecwid

Users of Wix, Squarespace, and Blogger will benefit the most.

PROS

• On free sites, there are no advertisements.
• Shipping calculators for USPS, UPS, and FedEx are all available for free.
• Wix, Squarespace, Blogger, Tumblr, WordPress, and more platforms are supported.

CONS

• There are only ten items available.
• There are no promotional coupons available.
• There is no inventory tracking.

Total Points

3.33

OUT OF

5

Ecwid allows you to sell both online and in person via its shop, an existing site, social media platforms, and marketplaces. You may either start a new online shop or add a checkout to an existing Squarespace, WordPress, Wix, Weebly, or GoDaddy website. If you want to add an inexpensive checkout to your current website, this option makes it a suitable match. Ecwid is compatible with these platforms, as well as any other website builders that allow you to enter custom code.

Ecwid received a 3.33 out of 5 rating in our review. Ecwid’s high score was boosted by the availability of free shipping calculators and the flexibility to sell from anywhere. Unfortunately, Ecwid’s free plan is restricted to 10 items and does not include inventory tracking or discount coupons. When you upgrade to one of the premium levels, these features become available.

Ecwid may also be used as a free stand-alone website, but we’ve discovered that this isn’t very popular.

What Does Ecwid’s Free Plan Include?

• Users with a free account may list up to ten distinct items at a time. Customers may pay with a credit card through PayPal, Stripe, Square, and more than 60 additional payment channels. Users who are on a free account are unable to sell digital goods such as e-books and movies.
• Ecwid may be set up as a free independent site, however most customers choose to connect it with their current website. Ecwid offers official connectors with Wix, Weebly, and WordPress, enabling you to quickly and easily integrate your own Ecwid shop. You can connect Ecwid with other website builders like Squarespace by copying and pasting HTML code.
• Ecwid is the only free ecommerce website builder we know of that includes free shipping calculators for all major US carriers, as well as Canada Post, Royal Mail, and others. This means you may charge consumers real shipping costs depending on their location and the weight of their item. However, unless you use an app like ShipStation, you won’t be able to buy shipping labels directly from Ecwid.
• Support: Email support is accessible exclusively to free users. Paying clients have access to live chat and phone assistance.

The Wix website now has an Ecwid shop (Source: Ecwid.com)

When Should You Upgrade Ecwid?

• Add additional items to the list: A Venture ($12.50 per month) plan enables you to list up to 100 items at a time, while a Business ($29.17 per month) plan allows you to sell up to 2,500. In the meanwhile, an Unlimited subscription ($83.30 per month) allows you to publish an unlimited number of items.
• Custom domain: If you’re hosting your website with Ecwid, you may use a custom domain (for example, www.yourstore.com) instead of the free storename.company.site domain.
• Multi-channel selling: One of the most appealing features of Ecwid is the ability to connect your online shop with several websites—and this is possible even with a free account. You may also list your goods on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Facebook, and Instagram with a Business level account ($29.17 per month). There may be extra charges.
• Multi-Language: Ecwid’s Business plan ($29.17 per month) has multi-language capabilities.
• Coupon codes: Paid users now have the option of creating promotional coupons for consumers to use in their shop. Ecwid offers you a lot of control over coupons, allowing you to limit the number of times a coupon may be used, set a minimum purchase quantity, limit it to certain customers, and limit it to specific items/categories.

Big Cartel

PROS

• Add a custom domain.
• Controlling the design
• Themes that are stylish and do not include any advertisements or logos.

CONS

• Only five items are available.
• Without an update, there will be no inventory monitoring.
• SEO tools are limited.

Total Points

2.62

OUT OF

5

Big Cartel is the only free ecommerce platform we looked at that lets you use your own domain. Big Cartel’s excellent scores were aided by its easy platform and visually appealing templates; but, product restrictions and a lack of inventory monitoring (no SKU management) prevented it from receiving a perfect score.

Its themes are attractive and contemporary, and unlike many of its rivals, they are free of annoying advertisements. On the footer, there’s usually only a modest Big Cartel logo, which you may delete with code.

Big Cartel was created with artists and craftspeople in mind, and as a consequence, it works best for companies with a limited inventory. Big Cartel is difficult to beat if you just need to sell a few items at a time.

Big Cartel received a 2.62 out of 5 rating in our review due to its product restriction and lack of inventory monitoring.

A Big Cartel website as an example. The gray “Big Cartel” logo in the lower-left corner is the only branding visible in this theme. (Image courtesy of Big Cartel)

What Does Big Cartel’s Free Plan Include?

• Use a custom domain: Apart from WooCommerce and PrestaShop, Big Cartel is the only free ecommerce website builder that allows you to connect a custom domain, such as www.yourstore.com. If you don’t have your own domain, you may use a Big Cartel subdomain for free, such as yourstore.BigCartel.com.
• Up to five goods: Free plans allow you to list up to five different products at a time, each with one picture. Customers may pay with a credit card, which will be handled by PayPal or Stripe. Users who are on a free account are unable to sell digital goods such as e-books and movies.
• Create a comprehensive website, complete with numerous pages and a contact form. Big Cartel offers a variety of attractive themes that you may personalize with your own logo and colors. Big Cartel offers you a surprising amount of flexibility over the look and feel of your website, as well as the ability to connect a small but powerful collection of applications like Mailchimp, ShipStation, and live chat apps.
• Big Cartel offers email assistance from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, including weekends. I filed a query after hours during my assessment and got a helpful answer first thing in the morning.

When Should Big Cartel Be Upgraded?

• Additional goods and images are available at: The option to add more than five items and upload more than one picture per item is the most compelling reason to upgrade Big Cartel. The $10 monthly version allows you to sell up to 50 items, the $20 monthly edition allows you to sell up to 250, and the $30 monthly edition allows you to sell up to 500. Big Cartel’s premium editions allow you to sell digital goods as well.
• Coupons: You may generate digital coupons for consumers in all premium editions of Big Cartel. This may be for a percentage off, a cash amount off, or free delivery.
• More SEO options: You cannot change the SEO title and description of goods in either the free or premium editions of Big Cartel. This won’t be a problem for most customers since Big Cartel produces them automatically. Square or WooCommerce, on the other hand, are better options for businesses that want more SEO control.

Mozello

International Sellers Will Benefit the Most

PROS

• Ability to build a multilingual website
• It’s very simple to use.
• Upgrades at a low cost

CONS

• Only five items are available.
• There are no promotional coupons available.
• SSL isn’t available (except during checkout)

Total Points

2.35

OUT OF

5

Mozello is one of the few free ecommerce systems that allows you to have several languages on your website. Choose from more than 60 languages and allow your visitors to change the language by clicking a link at the top of the page.

Mozello received a 2.35 out of 5 rating in our review. Although Mozello is simple to use and a good website builder, it does have certain restrictions when it comes to more sophisticated ecommerce capabilities, such as related goods and marketing connections.

The top-right links allow users to alter the language. In addition, a Mozello ad appears in the footer. (Photo courtesy of Mozello)

What Does Mozello’s Free Plan Include?

• Up to five items are allowed: At any one moment, free users may list up to five different items. Unlike Big Cartel, you don’t have a restriction on the number of pictures you may post, but there is a 500MB storage limit for free users.
• Comprehensive website: Mozello makes building a full website with numerous pages and a contact form extremely simple. It’s easily the quickest ecommerce website to get up and running, along with Square and Big Cartel. However, its design choices are far more restricted, and it only supports a few integrations.
• Mozello is the only free ecommerce website builder on our list that allows multi-language sites, and it’s also the only one we’re aware of that supports more than 60 languages across the globe. Simply decide which languages you wish to support and create information for each language (such as product names and descriptions). Visitors will be able to choose the language they wish to display at the top of your site.
• Subdomain: Free websites come with a mozello.com subdomain that you may customize, so your website will show up in the URL bar as yourstore.mozello.com.
• “Created using Mozello – the world’s simplest to use website builder,” says a tiny statement on the bottom of free websites. While it doesn’t make the website seem terrible, it does make it look a little less elegant when compared to the other websites on our list, especially Big Cartel, Ecwid, and WooCommerce.
• Mozello provides free email assistance in English. During my assessment, I emailed a few questions, and three hours later, I got a very comprehensive and customized answer. While there is a phone help line, the office is located in Eastern Europe, so you will have to call early in the morning and may be charged international fees.

When Should You Upgrade Mozello?

• Additional goods and storage: Adding more products and increasing storage for pictures, movies, and other kinds of data are two of the most compelling reasons to upgrade. The $7 monthly plan includes up to 15 things and 50GB of storage, while the $14 monthly plan includes limitless items and storage.
• Another important reason to upgrade is to utilize a custom domain instead of the free yourstore.mozello.com subdomain. This is available to all paying customers (beginning at $7 per month), and a custom domain is given for free for the first year. You may, however, link a domain bought through a third-party registrar.
• SSL certificate: For a monthly fee of $7, you may activate SSL encryption on your website, making it more secure and converting your URL from HTTP to HTTPS. This increases the attractiveness of your website to search engines and may help you rank higher in the results. The remainder of the site is HTTP, but free accounts receive HTTPS at checkout to protect credit card information.
• Coupon codes: Paid users may generate promotional coupons for their store’s consumers to utilize.

Conclusion

All free website builders have restrictions, such as the ability to sell a limited amount of goods or the fact that some features are “locked” until you pay for an upgrade.

These restrictions may not be an issue when you first start out, but as your shop develops and your company has to scale, they may become significant obstacles.

Square Online, out of all the free ecommerce systems we’ve looked at, offers the fewest restrictions while still being totally free, with no hosting costs or commissions. This is why we suggest creating your free ecommerce website with Square Online. Click the button below to get started creating your own Square shop. There is no need to use a credit card.

Square may be found on the internet.

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