We all know that it takes technical know-how to code a website. And an expensive web designer or developer can be too much of a burden for a small business with a limited budget.
That’s why online store builders are the way to go. What do they offer?
- Provide a great solution for small businesses with the budget, skill, and time constraints
- Create an amazing customer experience at an affordable price
- Allow your business to grow with the money you would have otherwise spent on web development
We have compiled a handy list of six online store builders that are cheap and best for your business. But what makes them the best online store builder? Let’s have a look.
What Makes A Website Builder Your Top Choice – Features To Consider
You might think the pricing is the deal-breaker when it comes to choosing a platform to build an online store. But it isn’t. So many dirt-cheap eCommerce online store builders start on a high, deluding business owners into thinking it’s so easy to do eCommerce. But you know what happens? The ship sinks.
It’s because they lack the following features that make a website builder “complete”:
1. Easy to Use
Imagine if users complained about how difficult it is to navigate through your website. A single bad experience is enough to repel customers forever.
So, choose a platform that follows the barebone basics, communicates with everyone, and eases out complex operations.
2. Scalability
It’s always good to be prepared for the storm. Is your eCommerce platform prepared too?
It’s easy for early entrepreneurs to get caught up in the success spiral and forget to assess whether or not their platform can stand the test of time.
The basic website needs a landing page, service page, and contact page. But you might need a resources section for blogs and video content marketing in the future. It’s safe to check if your platform can evolve with customizations and complex features in the long run.
3. Customizable Templates
There’s no point wasting a lot of money on customizations and ending up stuck in a pile of debt. Instead, you should go for a platform with ready-made templates that can help you take the first steps and learn how things work. Templates set you up for the long haul!
4. Integrations
What’s better: Running 100 different systems separately or integrating all of them under one system?
Centralized control over all the business activities will not only help you slash down labor and administrative overheads but lend you enough time and money to work on improving customer experience. Integrations are the deal-breaker, every day!
5. Search Engine Friendly
What good is your product if it can’t reach the customers? And what makes your product reach customers? Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO not only gets you higher in the rankings. It is a ticket to your customer’s trust, advocacy, and all their buying decisions.
So, make sure your website builder is search engine friendly, so that your site appears in search results for your target keywords, and draws in the right kind of customer.
With these features in mind, here is our list of the best online store builders
6 Online Store Builders: The Best and the Cheapest
So, if you’re looking for a website builder for your online store, art gallery, fundraiser, or personal portfolio, whatever your needs are, one of these 6 website builders should do the job for you.
Rather than making it a 1-6 list, we know people have different needs. That’s why we categorized them into 6 different categories to make it easier for you to pick the right one.
1. WorksLeader – Scalable, Responsive Store Builder For Business of All Sizes
B2B businesses have a mapped-out plan. This is why they need a reliable online store builder that is both affordable and can take care of the most basic to the most complex of your needs.
And Worksleader figures right up there with the best. The Worksleader’s eCommerce Online store builder is packed with features and a stellar customer experience. Your eCommerce business gets everything from a B2B solution to a complete white label solution and punchout ready stores in one package. But there’s more:
Highlights
- Integration with catalog management, supply chain management, CRM, sales quoting, analytics, and government contract issuance.
- SEO functionalities to strengthen your marketing campaigns reach a wide range of audience
- Easily accessible customization options
- Complete authority over your domain. It’s up to you whether to use your domain or a subdomain.
- Using a centralized backend, you can manage different URLs in different locations.
- Drag and drop feature enables you to design your website without any coding knowledge.
- WorksLeader offers tons of eCommerce templates, all of which are highly customizable and responsive
- With WorksLeader you get an eCommerce application as well as a hosting platform. No need to search for a third-party hosting provider. No need to be concerned about server and development costs when starting your eCommerce store.
- You get 24/7 customer support that will address all your issues including onboarding, implementation and customization.
- This eCommerce platform supports third-party integrations with a wide range of software applications.
Pricing
You can access all these features on WorksLeader on a trial basis, but you’ll have to get a custom domain name. With Worksleader, there is no investment required in servers or IT infrastructure. You can access all its top features, and that is what makes it so special.
2. Wix – Flexible With Best Customization Features
Wix is always the winner when it comes to easy customization tools. Usage of Wix is as simple as dragging elements around the screen as if you’re making something like a PowerPoint.
With over 800 customizable, mobile-responsive templates to choose from, you can create a website exactly the way you imagine. A variety of fonts, images, colors, and design elements are available to help you create an appealing website. What’s more?
Highlights
- Wix’s Apps Market offers hundreds of integration features like form builder, event bookings, maps, videos, members-only areas, etc.
- With Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI), Wix will create a professional, responsive and stunning website once you answer a few questions about your business.
- Set marketing automation, create email campaigns, and more with Ascend Business Tools.
Pricing
Wix comes with a free plan for those who want to make a personal website. But if you want your domain name, you might have to upgrade to –
- Combo Plan for $10 a month
- Unlimited Plan for $14 per month
- eCommerce plan for $17 per month
- VIP plan for $25 per month
3. Square Online – Best For Physical Store Owners Starting eCommerce
If you own a physical store but also want to sell your product online, Square Online is a great tool to get started. And not just because it’s cheap. You also get hybrid payment or inventory level trackers all under one roof.
So, Square Online is great for those taking a shift into the eCommerce world. But it offers more:
Highlights
- The Square Point of Sale system, or Square as your merchant service provider, allows you to build a website for free.
- No matter how tight your budget is, Square allows you to get started with low overheads.
- Hundreds of themes, inventory management, SEO tools, and a variety of other features make it a great option for freelancers and store owners alike.
Pricing
The best thing about Square Online is, of course, it’s free. But paid options mean better customer experience:
- Professional for $12 per month (Custom Domain, No ads, 1-year free domain, etc.)
- Performance for $26 per month (Advanced reporting, Reviews, Gifting)
- The Premium for $72 per month (low processing rates, real-time shipping, etc)
4. Shopify – Value For Money With Tons of Integrations
Shopify is by far the most powerful and easy-to-use website builder out there with hundreds of software integrations. That’s what makes it so popular and a great tool for anyone setting up an online store.
Shopify feeds on the overriding demand of eCommerce integrations and provides an extensive range of features. So, what does the integration look like in Shopify?
Highlights
- You can get apps on there to send text updates to people who buy your products
- Any business, you name it, can get a responsive online store through Shopify
- With built-in MailChimp integration, you can send email campaigns, texted receipts to customers
- With Shopify, you can choose from one of 100 payment processors to set up your payment gateway
- You can choose from over 70+ templates in the Shopify App Store and add features and customizations as well.
Pricing
Shopify comes with three plans:
- The basic plan for $29 per month (up to 4 locations, 2 staff accounts, unlimited products, support, and sales channels)
- Full Shopify Plan for $79 per month (up to 5 store locations, 5 staff accounts, and professional reports)
- Advanced Shopify for $299 a month (excellent shipping rates, 15 staff accounts, 8 locations)
5. Webflow – Powerful and Eye Catchy Website Builder
Webflow is starting to grow quickly as more and more people are starting to adopt this new style of building websites. Webflow combines the technical aspects of website building with the ease of use of a website builder. This means you can both drag and drop items, as well as use HTML, CSS, or behind-the-scenes coding.
That’s intimidating for most developers but that’s what Webflow is all about – Complexity.
Highlights
- A collection in Webflow CMS contains fields that help you create visually scannable designs
- With its designer tool, you can code and design without knowing how to.
- Fully customizable SEO setting, easy to access and setup.
- Auto updates, so no extra load on maintenance, installing plugins, and fixing
Pricing
Webflow comes with three eCommerce plans:
- The standard for $29USD a month (Perfect for new businesses getting off the ground)
- $74USD Per month billed annually (Best for higher volume businesses that need additional features)
- $212USD Per month billed annually (Best for scalability)
6. Zyro – Best For Visual Appeal of Online Store
Zyro gives you a lot of flexibility in design with its true grid style. This means you can stagger your website elements however you like. Zyro is a very beginner-friendly tool provided by the most reliable hosting platform Hostinger at a highly affordable price with 24/7 support for all users.
Zyro enables you to edit in mobile mode as well. So, no need to worry about mobile responsiveness. But Zyro’s not just about easy usage and eye-catchy design:
Highlights
- Using the drag and drop tool, you can create your website as visualized by you
- Zyro has social media promotional tools to endorse your products across channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon
- You get AI-powered business tools like a custom content generator, heat map, business name generator, etc.
- Zyro’s new template library offers high-quality templates, which cover a range of industries.
Pricing
Zyro offers four pricing plans
- The basic plan for $8.90 per month (1 GB storage, 3 months free email, SEO, AI business branding, and domain integration)
- Unleashed Plan for $12.49 monthly (unlimited bandwidth and storage, live chat, Google Tag Manager, etc)
- Ecommerce Plan for $24.49 (up to 100 products, tax and shipping, inventory management, and gift cards)
- Ecommerce Plus for $29.99 monthly (up to 2500 products, abandoned cart retrieval, Instagram and Amazon store, etc.)
Which One’s The Best and Cheapest Online Store Builder For You?
Hopefully, this roundup gave you some direction to help you decide which one’s the best as per your needs.
To sum up, these are our 6 best picks for website builders based on:
1. Responsiveness Customization and Scalability – Worksleader
2. Flexibility and Customizations – Wix
3. Single House System For Hybrid Businesses – Square Online
4. Integrations and Marketing – Shopify
5. Best for Tech-savvy entrepreneurs – Webflow
6. Visual Appeal and Budget-Friendly – Zyro
Remember, the best eCommerce platform doesn’t have to be expensive and packed with features. Your business needs dictate which one’s the best for you. Figure out those needs.
So, what are you waiting for? Research your needs and make the call!
