Quick answer
- Cheapest full store with room to grow: Shopify Basic (yearly billing).
- Cheapest way to sell on social: Shopify Starter ($5/mo).
- Free for local businesses: Square Online free plan.
- Free if you're technical: WooCommerce (plus hosting).
- No monthly fee for one digital product: Gumroad (higher % per sale).
Cheapest ecommerce platforms compared
| Platform | Monthly cost | Per-sale cost | Hidden costs | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Starter | $5 | Higher per-sale fees | Few | Social sellers |
| Square Online (free) | $0 | Card processing | Square branding, limited features | Local businesses |
| WooCommerce | $0 + hosting | Card processing | Hosting, extensions, maintenance time | Technical users |
| Shopify Basic | $29 (yearly) | Card processing only | Optional apps | Most stores |
| Gumroad | $0 | Percentage + processing | Expensive at volume | Single digital products |
The real cost of "free" platforms
Free platforms make money in other ways: higher per-sale fees, required add-ons, branding you have to pay to remove, or your time spent on maintenance. A store doing $3,000/month on a platform that charges 5–10% per sale pays $150–$300 a month, far more than a flat Shopify plan.
Simple rule: if your per-sale fees on a "free" platform exceed about $29 a month, a flat-fee store like Shopify Basic is cheaper, and gives you a better store too.
See Shopify's current offer (opens in a new tab)
Free trial + $1/mo for 3 months · Offer varies by region
How to keep your ecommerce costs low
- Pay yearly once you're committed (about 25% off Shopify plans).
- Use free themes and free Shopify-made apps. See best Shopify apps.
- Use built-in payments to avoid extra fees. See transaction fees.
- Review subscriptions quarterly and cancel what you don't use.
Our verdict
The cheapest platform is the one that costs least at your sales volume. For anyone selling regularly, Shopify Basic offers the best value per dollar. For tiny or occasional sales, Starter or a free plan makes sense.
Try Shopify free (opens in a new tab)Frequently asked questions
Is there a completely free ecommerce platform?
WooCommerce (plugin) and Square Online's free plan cost nothing upfront, but you still pay payment processing, and WooCommerce needs hosting. No platform is free once you account for processing.
What is the cheapest Shopify plan?
Shopify Starter at $5/month for social selling, or Basic at $29/month billed yearly for a full store. See Shopify pricing.