Shopify Review and Ecommerce Platform Comparison
Only one ecommerce platform has the verified processing rates our scoring needs, so this page is a Shopify review with a comparison table rather than a ranking. Shopify is scored by our public checklist. BigCommerce, Squarespace and Wix are shown with what each publishes, checked on 2026-10-15, but not scored. It becomes a "best of" ranking once two or more platforms can be scored.
Who this is for
Small businesses starting or moving an online store. Total cost also includes payment processing, apps and themes, which these scores do not cover.
How we scored this
Scores come only from what each provider publishes, using the checklist below. Commission, affiliate status and our own use of a product never change a score. Full rules are on our methodology page. Read the methodology.
A score measures what a provider publishes against this checklist. A perfect score means every checklist item had published evidence, not that the provider is right for your business. It is not a rating of product quality or service, and it does not use customer reviews.
Ranked by our scoring
#1 Shopify · 7.8/10
Published pricing
- Billed monthly: Basic $39, Grow $105, Advanced $399; billed yearly: Basic $29, Grow $89, Advanced $359 per month (yearly prices as of 2026-10-15); Plus from $2,300/mo
- Shopify Payments: online 2.9% + 30¢ and in person 2.6% + 10¢ on Basic, falling to 2.25% + 30¢ and 2.3% + 10¢ on Plus; premium cards, international cards (+1%) and keyed sales cost more
- Third-party payment provider fee: 2% Basic, 1% Grow, 0.6% Advanced, 0.2% Plus
- Marketplace orders: 50 per month free, then 1% up to $99/mo
- Promotion: 3 days free, then $1/month for 3 months
Verified on the provider's page
- Plan prices are published. Plans listed monthly and yearly: "Pay monthly $39 USD/mo $105 USD/mo $399 USD/mo ... Pay yearly $29 USD/mo $89 USD/mo $359 USD/mo".
- Transaction or gateway fees are stated. "2% 3rd-party payment providers" on Basic through "0.2%" on Plus.
- Card processing rates are published. "Online standard card rates 2.9% + 30¢ 2.7% + 30¢ 2.5% + 30¢ 2.25% + 30¢ ... In-person card rates 2.6% + 10¢ 2.5% + 10¢ 2.4% + 10¢ 2.3% + 10¢" (Basic, Grow, Advanced, Plus).
- Sales caps, overage or usage-based fees are stated. "Over 50 synced marketplace orders 1% up to $99/mo".
- Online store with themes or templates. "ed Full-featured Full-featured Full-featured Themes and templates Sell unlimited products World's best-converting checkout Sell on social an"
- Hosting included. "f tokens Sidekick, AI assistant for commerce Hosting Unlimited web hosting Custom domain name Free SSL certificate Marketing Un"
- Custom domain. "t for commerce Hosting Unlimited web hosting Custom domain name Free SSL certificate Marketing Unlimited contacts Create customer seg"
- Abandoned cart or checkout recovery. "with customers Create marketing automations Abandoned checkout recovery Create and share discount codes Sell gift cards Marketplaces Impo"
- B2B or wholesale selling. "f Sale Shop App Social & Marketplaces Global B2B Across Markets MARKETING & ANALYTICS Advertising & Campaigns Email & Custo"
- In-person or POS selling. "ounts Sidekick SELL ANYWHERE Online AI Chats Point of Sale Shop App Social & Marketplaces Global B2B Across Markets MARKETING & ANALY"
- A free trial or trial offer is stated. A trial promotion is listed (3 days free, then $1/month for 3 months).
- A discount for annual billing is stated. Yearly billing is cheaper: Basic $29 yearly vs $39 monthly, Grow $89 vs $105, Advanced $359 vs $399.
- 24/7 support is stated. "ro locations Unlimited B2B catalogs Priority 24/7 phone support Always included World's best checkout Get the checkout that"
- Phone support is stated. "cations Unlimited B2B catalogs Priority 24/7 phone support Always included World's best checkout Get the checkout that converts 15% b"
Not found on the provider's page
No points are given for anything we could not find published. This does not mean the provider lacks it.
- No transaction fee is stated for at least one payment option. Not found on the page text we read.
Score breakdown: Overall score 7.8/10
Category Weight Score Evidence Pricing transparency 30% 10/10 4 of 4 checks Total cost for a typical small business 25% 3/10 $351.5 → 3 Features 20% 10/10 6 of 6 checks Contract and fee fairness 15% 6.7/10 2 of 3 checks Support and reputation signals 10% 10/10 2 of 2 checks Cost input: Modeled total monthly cost, averaged over two sample businesses: (A) $10,000/month in card sales at a $40 average sale, in person; (B) $10,000/month at a $60 average sale, online. For each: cheapest published plan or bundle fee + (percent × sales + fixed fee × number of sales), using verified rates only: $351.5
Side-by-side checklist
| Feature | Shopify |
|---|---|
| Overall score | 7.8/10 |
| Plan prices are published | Yes |
| Transaction or gateway fees are stated | Yes |
| Card processing rates are published | Yes |
| Sales caps, overage or usage-based fees are stated | Yes |
| Online store with themes or templates | Yes |
| Hosting included | Yes |
| Custom domain | Yes |
| Abandoned cart or checkout recovery | Yes |
| B2B or wholesale selling | Yes |
| In-person or POS selling | Yes |
| A free trial or trial offer is stated | Yes |
| A discount for annual billing is stated | Yes |
| No transaction fee is stated for at least one payment option | Not found |
| 24/7 support is stated | Yes |
| Phone support is stated | Yes |
Not scored
We could not verify enough of these providers' published pricing today, so we do not score or rank them.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce lists "zero fees with embedded payment providers" but no card processing rates, so we cannot model sample business B.
Published pricing
- Core $29/mo billed annually ($39 monthly); Growth $79 ($105); Scale $299 ($399)
- Core: up to $30K trailing-twelve-month sales; Growth up to $100K; plans auto-upgrade
- Scale: 0.9% on GMV above $33,333/month
- Zero fees with embedded payment providers
Squarespace
Squarespace's US pricing page lists card rates "from" 2.9% + $0.30 (Basic and Core), 2.7% (Plus) and 2.5% (Advanced) but no card-present (in-person) rate, so we cannot model sample business A.
Published pricing
- Billed monthly: Basic $25, Core $39, Plus $65, Advanced $139; billed annually: Basic $19, Core $29, Plus $49, Advanced $99
- Card rates from 2.9% + $0.30 (Basic, Core), 2.7% + $0.30 (Plus), 2.5% + $0.30 (Advanced)
- Online store transaction fee: 2% (Basic), none on Core, Plus and Advanced
- "Pay annually to save up to 36%"
Wix
Wix's pricing page returned no readable content when we checked on 2026-10-15.
Visit Wix
The checklist behind the scores
Pricing transparency · 30% of the score
- Plan prices are published
- Transaction or gateway fees are stated
- Card processing rates are published
- Sales caps, overage or usage-based fees are stated
Total cost for a typical small business · 25% of the score
Cost: Modeled total monthly cost, averaged over two sample businesses: (A) $10,000/month in card sales at a $40 average sale, in person; (B) $10,000/month at a $60 average sale, online. For each: cheapest published plan or bundle fee + (percent × sales + fixed fee × number of sales), using verified rates only. Each $50 subtracts one point from 10 (floor 0).
Features · 20% of the score
- Online store with themes or templates
- Hosting included
- Custom domain
- Abandoned cart or checkout recovery
- B2B or wholesale selling
- In-person or POS selling
Contract and fee fairness · 15% of the score
- A free trial or trial offer is stated
- A discount for annual billing is stated
- No transaction fee is stated for at least one payment option
Support and reputation signals · 10% of the score
- 24/7 support is stated
- Phone support is stated
Frequently asked questions
Why are only some platforms scored?
Our cost model needs verified card processing rates. Shopify Payments rates are published on Shopify's US pricing page, so Shopify is scored. BigCommerce lists no processing rates, and Squarespace and Wix lack a verified cost input, so we list their plans and limitations without a score.
What is the best ecommerce platform for a small business?
It depends on your products, volume and how you take payments. Compare the plan prices, caps and fees in the scores and limitations.
Why are Squarespace and Wix not scored?
Squarespace's US pricing page now lists monthly and annual prices and card rates "from" 2.9% + $0.30, but no in-person card rate, so we cannot model our in-person sample business. Wix's pricing page still returned no readable content, so we could not verify a cost input.
Do these platforms charge transaction fees?
Shopify charges a third-party fee if you do not use Shopify Payments; BigCommerce lists zero fees with embedded payment providers; Squarespace lists a 2% fee on Basic.
Do sales caps apply?
BigCommerce lists annual sales caps by plan with automatic upgrades and a percentage on sales above a cap on Scale.
How current is this?
We read each pricing page on 2026-10-15, Shopify's from a US connection. Shopify's monthly and yearly prices are both shown.
Related tools and guides
Sources
- Shopify: pricing (checked 2026-10-15)
- BigCommerce: pricing (checked 2026-10-15)
- Squarespace: pricing (checked 2026-10-15)
Last updated: · Prices verified: