Best E-Commerce Platforms for Small Business in 2025

Building Four Identical Stores

We created a test store selling handmade candles on Shopify, WooCommerce, Squarespace, and BigCommerce. Same products, same branding, same payment processor (Stripe). We timed setup, tested mobile checkout, and calculated total fees on $10,000 in simulated monthly revenue.

Platform Breakdown

Shopify — Best Overall for Growth

Setup took 4 hours including theme customization. The app ecosystem (8,000+ apps) solved every problem we encountered — email marketing, inventory sync, reviews. Transaction fees drop to 2.4% + 30¢ on the $105/mo plan.

Setup time: 4 hours | Monthly cost at scale: $105 + 2.4% transactions Best for: Brands planning to scale past $50K/year

WooCommerce — Best for WordPress Users

Free plugin, but factor in hosting ($25/mo), SSL, and maintenance time. Total flexibility — if you can dream it, a plugin exists. Our test store took 8 hours but cost only $25/month in hosting.

Setup time: 8 hours | Monthly cost at scale: $25 hosting + Stripe fees Best for: Existing WordPress sites, developers

Squarespace — Best for Design-First Brands

The most beautiful templates out of the box. Our candle store looked professional in 90 minutes. Commerce features are simpler — no multi-currency, limited shipping rules — but sufficient for catalogs under 100 SKUs.

Setup time: 1.5 hours | Monthly cost at scale: $40 + 3% transactions Best for: Creatives, portfolios with a shop attached

BigCommerce — Best for B2B and Multi-Channel

Built-in wholesale pricing, Amazon/eBay sync, and zero transaction fees on all plans. The learning curve is steeper, but $10K/month sellers save $300+/month in fees vs. Shopify.

Setup time: 6 hours | Monthly cost at scale: $79, no transaction fees Best for: Multi-channel sellers, B2B operations

Fee Comparison at $10K Monthly Revenue

Our Verdict

Start with Shopify if you are serious about e-commerce as your primary business. Squarespace if design matters most and you have under 50 products. WooCommerce if you already live in WordPress. BigCommerce when transaction fee savings justify the learning curve.