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Square Online is the best web builder for building an ecommerce site on a budget. It offers affordable prices and several advanced features to help manage your inventory across multiple omnichannels.
Squarespace is the most affordable option for entrepreneurs, offering additional services beyond product sales. Meanwhile, Wix is a beginner-friendly web builder for easy setup at a low price point.
Learn more about our experience testing the cheapest web builders for online businesses.
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| Best for | Best for omnichannel | Best for multiple revenue streams | Best for beginners |
| Star rating | |||
| Starting price | Free or $29.00/mo (billed annually) | $25.00/mo | Free or $17.00/mo |
| Free trial | Yes — 14 days | Yes — 14 days | No |
| Money-back guarantee | No | No | Yes — 14 days |
| Number of collaborators | Unlimited | Unlimited | 5-100 |
| Storage space | Unlimited | No limit | 50 GB to Unlimited |
| Custom domain | Free for one year with Plus and Premium plans | Free for one year with all plans | Free for one year with all plans |
| Site analytics | Starting at Plus plan | Yes, for all plans | Yes, for all plans |
| Ecommerce tools | Yes, for all plans | Yes, for all plans | Starting at Core plan |
| AI tools | Yes, for all plans | Yes, for all plans | Yes, for all plans |
| Learn more | Get Square Online | Get Squarespace | Get Wix |
We use our proprietary grading rubric in all of our testing, which considers ease-of-use, design, price, compatibility, and features (among other metrics).
Our testing process is designed to ensure that the product isn't too confusing, delivers on its claims, and offers you a lot for a reasonable price. We sign up for each option ourselves, just like you would. Our ratings reflect the real-world performance of the product, which allows us to give our best advice on whether or not it's worthwhile.
To learn more about how we test, check out our full testing methodology here.
Seamless integration with the Square POS
Robust ecommerce features
Square Online is a great option for businesses that run in-person and online stores. The seamless integration with the Square point-of-sale (POS) system makes it easy to manage inventory and fulfillment. The cherry on top is that you don't need a lot of technical expertise to use Square Online.
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Multiple sales channels: Square Online presents a comprehensive commerce solution. It combines the power of an online storefront with Square POS. People can easily sell their products online while managing an in-person store simultaneously.
Ease of use: The web builder is easy to use. You can choose from numerous templates that are both beautiful and functional. The drag-and-drop builder is clearly labeled, so no tech skills are needed to customize the template.
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Ecommerce tools: The web builder can also handle unlimited items in the store catalog. You can also modify items to include multiple color options, show alerts for low stock, or schedule a sale in advance. With the automatic tax calculator, you can relax knowing that your website is collecting the right amount of sales tax.
Marketing features: Square Online has a ton of features to help promote your products. Some of these features include:
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No third-party POS: You can't use a third-party POS with Square Online. While the all-in-one solution is convenient, some may prefer other POS options, which would make Square Online unusable with them.
Lackluster blogging: Square Online also lacks a robust blogging platform. If search engine optimization (SEO) and blogging are an important part of your marketing strategy, then this might not be the best platform for you.
Limited free plan: While Square Online does have a free website builder plan, it has extremely limited features. You’ll want to invest in a paid plan to get the most out of the platform tools.
Easy to use drag-and-drop platform like Wix
Offers ecommerce tools for sales, payment, and fulfillment
Squarespace has tools to sell a variety of products, including physical and digital products, and memberships; it also has appointment scheduling, and you can even make restaurant reservations. It has several features that can accommodate practically any business need. With visually appealing templates and AI features, any entrepreneur can create a functional website.
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Includes AI web builder: Squarespace offers beautiful templates for your website. You can also opt to utilize AI guidance to create a website tailored to your preferences. It makes setting up a website that much easier.
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In-depth tutorials: Another bonus is that Squarespace offers an extensive and detailed Help Center. It seems like any question you could think of is already answered. Helpful resources can help ensure that you are getting the most out of your website. We think Squarespace is one of the easiest web builders to use due to its in-depth tutorials.
AI marketing assistance: All plans include Squarespace AI. Billed as your "personal creative agency," it can help with defining your brand identity and writing email campaigns.
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Ecommerce tools: Additional tools that can help your ecommerce business include:
Static web design: Squarespace templates aren't very customizable. Once you choose a template, you're essentially stuck with that overall design, as it's challenging to make significant changes.
Not as scalable: Another issue is that Squarespace is a generalist website that isn't dedicated solely to ecommerce. You may find other platforms like Square Online or Shopify are more scalable in the long run, especially if you sell physical products.
Free plan includes comprehensive AI and editing tools
Easy-to-use platform with intuitive design elements
Wix is ideal for small businesses that want a website without hiring a developer. The Wix website builder can create a website within minutes. However, you might find it difficult to justify the cost as you scale.
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Robust AI web builder: Wix stands out for having a user-friendly website builder. You can manually create the site by selecting a template and customizing it to your preferences. Alternatively, you could use AI assistance to generate a website. You just answer a few questions, and AI will build a functional and aesthetically pleasing website. In fact, Wix has one of the best AI web builders we’ve tested.
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Ecommerce tools: Wix combines ecommerce, marketing, and CMS solutions into one platform. Built-in tools include:
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With all these tools at your disposal, Wix is a great jumping-off point to open your first online marketplace at an affordable price.
Not as scalable: Wix might not provide enough value as you scale. The premium plan, Business Elite, is significantly more expensive compared to Square Online and Squarespace. If your goal is to expand, Wix may not be able to keep up.
Limited storage: Another downfall is the storage space. Unlike Square Online or Squarespace, Wix doesn't offer unlimited storage on all plans. It's available only for the Business Elite plan. Other ecommerce plans range from 50 to 100 GB in storage. While this might be enough storage for your business, it's something to consider if you have a large inventory with several high-quality images and videos.
The most affordable website builder for ecommerce sites is Squarespace. However, Square Online and Wix aren't too far behind. Square Online may even be the more affordable choice if you require advanced features such as real-time shipping displays, premium customer support, and lower processing rates.
The most affordable website builder will depend on your commerce inventory and what tools you want to use to create and manage your site.
Some website builders are offered completely free of charge. For example, Square Online offers a free plan. There are usually limited features available for free plans, though. Advanced features, such as ecommerce tools, site customization, and additional storage, will increase the price of your website.
If you're looking to create a dedicated ecommerce website to make money, the cheapest website builders include Squarespace, Wix, and Square Online. They offer affordable plans with strong commerce tools. You may also want to consider selling on platforms like Etsy, eBay, or Facebook Marketplace.
In terms of affordability and features, Square Online is the best website builder for ecommerce. It has robust tools to handle the demands of an online store without breaking the bank.
Squarespace is an excellent choice for businesses that have multiple revenue streams. The platform can manage booking appointments, selling products, and managing membership programs. It has various built-in tools that can help with virtually any business need.
Wix is best for small business owners who need a user-friendly platform. It's one of the easiest website builders for setting up an e-commerce website. If you need more heavy lifting with ecommerce tools, then you may be better off with Square Online or Shopify.
| Starting price | Best for | Learn more | |
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Free or $29.00/mo (billed annually) | Best for omnichannel | View Plans |
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$25.00/mo | Best for multiple revenue streams | View Plans |
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Free or $17.00/mo | Best for beginners | View Plans |
All-in-one compliance solution
Free plan available
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