Squarespace and Wix are nearly even for starting an easy-to-use small online store. Shopify is also framed for beginners seeking an all-in-one platform.
Wix : This builder uses a flexible drag-and-drop format. It works well if you want total control over where text and images sit on your page without touching code.[](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGWyTTe6lmA&t=330)
Squarespace : This platform relies on stunning, high-end templates. It fits artists, photographers, and boutique brands that value clean aesthetics over complex inventory rules.
If your priority is “I want the easiest way to get a small store online without knowing how to code,” I’d narrow it to three:
Platform
Best for
Ease
Starting cost*
Shopify
Best all-around store
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
$29/mo annually
Wix
Store + attractive website
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
~$29/mo annually
Big Cartel
Very small/simple shop
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
$0 to start; $15/mo paid
*Current U.S. pricing can change.
🥇 My pick: Shopify
For most first-time sellers, Shopify is the easiest choice I'd recommend. It gives you the store, checkout, payments, inventory, shipping, templates, marketing tools, and hosting in one place—without coding. Its current Basic plan is $29/month when billed annually ($39 month-to-month).
Choose Shopify if: you expect this to become a real business and might eventually have dozens/hundreds of products, sell on social media, or sell in person.
💰 If you're testing an idea: Big Cartel
If you're selling only a handful of products—for example art, crafts, clothing, jewelry, or digital products—Big Cartel is worth considering. Its paid Platinum plan is currently $15/month, and it doesn't charge its own transaction fee (payment processors such as Stripe/PayPal still charge processing fees).
Wix is particularly easy if you want a beautiful general-purpose website with a store attached. Its ecommerce plans include hosting, a drag-and-drop editor, and business/marketing tools.
“I have 5–20 products and want to keep it simple/cheap” → Big Cartel
“I care a lot about the website design/content” → Wix
If you tell me what you want to sell, roughly how many products you’ll have, and your monthly budget, I can recommend the best one for your store and lay out exactly what it would cost to get started.
If your priority is launching a small online shop quickly, with minimal technical hassle, I’d start by comparing Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace. All three let you build a storefront without coding, but they differ in how easy they are to set up, manage products, and grow your business.
The best choice depends on whether you want a dedicated online store or a simple website with a shop attached.
Best beginner-friendly platforms
1. Shopify
(Best overall for selling)
Ideal if you want a real online shop with straightforward product management, checkout, payments, shipping, and room to grow.
Ease: Beginner-friendly, guided setup
Cost: Basic plan listed at $29/month billed annually in the US
Trade-off: Monthly subscription and payment processing fees
I'd choose Shopify if selling products is the main purpose of your website. Choose Wix if building the website itself feels like the bigger challenge, or Squarespace if visual presentation is your top priority.
For a beginner-friendly all-in-one e-commerce platform, I’d look first at Wix and Shopify.
Wix — especially easy if you want to build the website yourself. It combines drag-and-drop/AI site building with products, payments, shipping, inventory, marketing, analytics, and customer management.
Shopify — a strong choice if the store itself is the main focus and you expect to grow a larger product catalog or sell across multiple channels.
Squarespace — worth considering if beautiful branding and a content-heavy website are particularly important.
My practical recommendation
If you're starting from scratch and neither of you is technical: start with Wix. You can build for free, then upgrade when you're ready to accept payments; its current e-commerce plans include hosting and built-in selling tools.
If you're primarily building a serious retail business rather than a website that happens to sell products, I'd lean toward Shopify.
If you tell me what you're selling, roughly how many products you'll have, and whether you'll sell only online or also in person, I can compare Wix vs. Shopify vs. Squarespace specifically for your situation.
Squarespace: Best if your priority is high-end, stunning visual design right out of the box. Squarespace combines award-winning templates with a straightforward, clean e-commerce backend. It's ideal for smaller product catalogs, artists, and boutique brands who want their site to look professionally designed with minimal effort.
Square Online: The most practical option if you already use Square for in-person sales (like a local market stall or pop-up shop). It lets you sync your physical inventory straight to a simple, functional online storefront with very little learning curve.[](https://ecomm.design/best-free-ecommerce-platforms/)
To help narrow down which one fits your exact situation, tell me:
What kind of products are you selling (physical goods, digital downloads, services)?
How large is your initial product catalog?
I can give you a more tailored recommendation and an idea of what setup will look like.
Square Online is a smart choice if you plan to sell both in-person (using a card reader) and online, as it syncs physical and digital inventory smoothly and offers a low-cost or free entry tier. Details are available at Square Online.[](https://www.guideflow.com/blog/best-ecommerce-platform-for-small-business)
To help narrow down which one fits your specific needs, tell me:
What kind of products are you selling (physical goods, digital downloads, services)?
Do you plan on selling in-person as well as online?
Do you have an estimated budget for monthly software costs?
