The Best Free eCommerce Platforms for Selling in 2025

Want to launch your dream online shop without draining your budget?

This guide will explore the top free e-commerce platforms and compare features such as:

• Ease of use
• Customization options
• SEO tools
• Payment processing
• Integrations with giants like Amazon and eBay.

We’ll help you navigate the world of free plans, from simple website builders with drag-and-drop functionality to robust e-commerce solutions that offer inventory management, marketing automation, and even abandoned cart recovery. Learn how to choose the platform that empowers your small business to thrive, maximizing your online presence and minimizing processing fees.

Get the best free e-commerce platform for your business and compare it to online store builders.

Let’s get started!

Top Free eCommerce Platforms for Selling

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a highly flexible e-commerce plugin that you can install on WordPress. Because it works with WordPress, you get all the familiar blog and website functionality and a large range of tools to sell things online.

One of the best things is that WooCommerce is open-source. This allows you to use extra features (called extensions) built by third-party developers. Some of these extensions are free, while some cost money, but you can use them to make your store do pretty much anything you need.

Want to sell subscriptions? There’s an extension for that.

Need to connect to a specific shipping company? Probably an extension of that, too.

You really get to customize it to fit your exact business.

The core features of WooCommerce handle all the essential stuff for running an online shop. You can easily create product pages (for physical items, downloads, or even products with different options), track your inventory, process orders, and let customers manage their accounts.

WooCommerce also figures out taxes and shipping zones for you, which is a big help if you sell to different countries. Because it’s part of WordPress, you can easily write blog posts and optimize your site for search engines, helping people find your store organically. It gives you the power to sell products and build your brand’s online presence in one place.

📖 Suggested read: WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org – The Differences & Which To Choose

Shopify (Free Trial)

Shopify is a paid eCommerce platform that allows you to build websites easily. However, it also includes a free trial, allowing you to try it out without commitment. No matter which Shopify plan you choose, you get some core features to make online selling easier. Every plan includes Shopify’s checkout, which they claim converts better than other platforms (about 15% better, on average). This means more people who start a purchase actually finish it.

You also get access to tools for selling in person. Shopify POS (Point of Sale) lets you sell at physical locations and automatically syncs your online and in-person inventory. You’re not just limited to your website, either. Every plan lets you promote and sell your products on different channels such as Instagram, TikTok, and Google. This helps you reach customers where they’re already spending their time.

To see how your store is doing, every plan provides in-depth analytics. You get reports to track your sales, see where your customers are coming from, and find ways to improve. Plus, every Shopify plan lets you use apps from their app store. These apps add a range of extra functionality, including apps to help you source products, customize your store’s design, and do pretty much anything else you might need.

📖 Suggested read: 11 Alternatives To reCAPTCHA to Protect Your Site from Spam

Magento Open Source

Magento is now part of Adobe Commerce, a business suite that helps you build online stores that are fast, engaging, and personalized. Adobe Commerce lets you build “headless” storefronts. This means the front end (the part customers see) and the back end (where you manage everything) are separate. This gives you a great deal of flexibility. You can use developer-friendly tools to create custom experiences, connect to different systems using APIs, and even use pre-built services from Adobe. It also helps your site rank higher in search engines. Making updates is easier, too, because you can change the front end without messing with the back end.

Adobe Commerce includes “Edge Delivery Services” that make your store load quickly. Faster sites rank better in search results, get more visitors, and convert more customers. They also use a “performance first” design that helps your site achieve good scores on Google’s tests. You can access ready-to-use components (such as product pages, shopping carts, and customer accounts) that you can simply drop into your site. Plus, you can build your own custom components if you need something specific.

Even without coding skills, it’s easy to create and publish content for your store. Familiar tools like Google Docs and Microsoft Word make it simple to build pages, add images, insert links, and include forms. Dynamic blocks let you tailor content for different customer groups, while scheduling tools allow you to plan updates in advance – no developer needed.

Adobe Commerce helps connect the commerce platform to Adobe Experience Manager Assets. This tool efficiently manages, approves, and edits digital content, allowing you to track progress. Finally, the tool can use A/B testing to test different content, designs, and layouts to see what works best.

OpenCart

OpenCart provides a comprehensive suite of tools designed to enable the administration of your online store to be as efficient as possible. It includes everything from product management to detailed reporting, with the centralized administrator dashboard offering an immediate overview of crucial business metrics, including order totals, customer activity, and real-time sales analytics – all presented through intuitive widgets for rapid assessment.

Additionally, OpenCart’s robust user management system allows you to create multiple user accounts with granular permission controls. This allows you to delegate responsibilities securely and maintain operational efficiency within your team. The platform also features multi-store functionality and allows centralized management.

OpenCart supports extensive product customization through options and attributes, accommodating variations in size, color, and other characteristics. An integrated affiliate system facilitates collaborative marketing efforts, allowing you to incentivize external partners to promote your products and track their performance.

To drive sales and enhance customer engagement, OpenCart provides versatile tools for creating discounts, coupons, and special promotions, allowing you to implement diverse pricing strategies. Finally, integrated backup and restore capabilities ensure data security and business continuity.

📖 Suggested read: How to Host Your Websites on Vultr with RunCloud

PrestaShop

PrestaShop Classic is available for free to download. It is a self-hosted e-commerce solution that gives merchants considerable control over their online stores. This option is particularly well-suited for those who already have a preferred hosting provider and possess the technical expertise to manage their server environment or are willing to learn.

The download includes a selection of pre-installed essential modules, streamlining the initial setup process and enabling you to begin selling products relatively quickly. Furthermore, direct integration with the PrestaShop Marketplace from within the back office gives access to a vast library of themes and additional modules, allowing for extensive customization and feature expansion.

A significant advantage of PrestaShop is its huge customizability, which comes from its open-source foundation. This flexibility also allows the platform to adapt and scale alongside your business. PrestaShop is renowned for its robust SEO capabilities, providing all the necessary tools to optimize your store’s visibility in search engine results, helping to drive organic traffic. With this self-hosted solution, you retain complete ownership of your store’s data, ensuring autonomy and control over your business information.

Square Online

Square provides an online e-commerce platform and a point of sale (POS) system with a comprehensive suite of tools designed to allow sales across various channels, with minimal setup and no formal training needed.

Square POS offers a solution to fit your needs, whether you’re selling in a physical store, online, over the phone, or even remotely in the field. The system is modular, allowing you to choose the specific features that align with your business operations. Many of these core features are available at no monthly cost, making it an accessible option for businesses of all sizes. This flexibility ensures you only pay for the processing and features you use.

A core component of Square POS is its integrated online store functionality. This feature lets you easily create a website to showcase your products or services, accept online orders, and manage bookings. You can also seamlessly integrate your online store with social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, helping to expand your reach and connect with customers where they already spend their time.

In addition to basic transaction processing, Square POS offers features to help you manage your business more effectively. The Customer Directory automatically creates profiles for each customer, simplifying communication and relationship management.

Additionally, Square offers business banking services, including a checking account with instant access to your sales revenue through a free debit card and a savings feature that automatically sets aside portions of your sales for designated purposes, such as taxes or future investments. This combination of sales tools and financial management features positions Square POS as a comprehensive solution for streamlining business operations.

📖 Suggested read: The Complete WordPress Speed Optimization Guide

Big Cartel

Big Cartel offers a free plan, called the Gold plan, specifically designed to help artists, creators, and independent business owners launch an online store quickly and without any upfront financial commitment. This plan requires no credit card information, allowing you to list up to five products and begin selling immediately.

It focuses on simplicity and ease of use, making it an ideal option for those new to e-commerce or those wanting to test the waters before investing in a paid plan. The Gold plan provides the essential tools to establish an online presence and generate revenue, with the option to upgrade to a paid plan later as your business expands and your needs evolve.

The free Gold plan includes various features to facilitate a smooth store setup and management experience. You get access to free, customizable store templates, allowing you to create a visually appealing online shop that reflects your brand’s aesthetic without needing any coding knowledge.

The plan also includes real-time sales and visitor statistics, giving insights into your store’s performance. The automatic sales tax feature simplifies the normally difficult part of the process.

Beyond the website, Big Cartel also provides easy-to-use iOS and Android apps, enabling you to manage your store on the go, from processing orders to updating product listings. While the Gold plan is limited to five product listings, it provides a fully functional e-commerce platform with core features like multiple product variants (size, color, etc.), sales tax calculation, and real-time sales data.

📖 Suggested read: The 19 Best & Most Reliable Transactional Email Services

Ecwid

Ecwid (E-Commerce Widget) is a flexible e-commerce platform suitable for businesses at any stage, from launching its first online store to scaling a large enterprise. It allows users to start without a credit card and use the basic features indefinitely, with no transaction fees. This risk-free approach enables entrepreneurs to validate their business ideas, add a store to existing websites, or create a new standalone store using customizable content blocks and themes.

The platform provides a comprehensive suite of tools to manage all aspects of e-commerce, from marketing and sales to store operations. Ecwid allows you to sell across multiple channels, including social media platforms including Instagram and Facebook, marketplaces such as Amazon, and your website – all managed from a central dashboard.

For store management, Ecwid offers automated solutions for domain name registration, SSL certificates, tax calculations, payment processing, and shipping, simplifying complex tasks and allowing business owners to focus on growth.

As businesses grow, Ecwid provides features to support scaling and long-term success. It provides advanced reporting tools to get insights into customer behavior and marketing effectiveness, enabling data-driven decision-making. Ecwid supports custom code modifications and integration with Next.js for those with more advanced technical needs, offering greater design flexibility. Throughout the entire journey, Ecwid emphasizes its commitment to customer support, offering assistance via live chat, email, and phone, ensuring users have access to help whenever needed. The platform is trusted worldwide.

📖 Suggested read: How To Install WordPress With RunCloud | Step-By-Step Guide

Zen Cart

Zen Cart is a free, open-source e-commerce platform prioritizing merchant freedom and control. It offers a comprehensive set of built-in features without restrictions on product quantity, sales volume, or the number of administrative users.

It has a product variant management system with specific pricing and inventory control. It also supports wholesale/B2B sales, discount coupons, gift vouchers, and various pricing options (sales, specials, percentage discounts). Zen Cart is designed for global commerce, supporting multiple languages and currencies, diverse payment gateways like PayPal, AuthorizeNet, and Square, and traditional methods.

Wrapping Up: Which Free eCommerce Platform is Right for You?

Choosing the right e-commerce platform is critical for any online business, whether you’re a startup, a creative entrepreneur, or an established company looking to expand your online presence.

In this post, we’ve explored various options, from website builders with integrated e-commerce, which offer ease of use with their drag-and-drop builders and free trials, to dedicated e-commerce solutions.

Each offers different strengths: some prioritize design flexibility, while others focus on scalability or specific features such as abandoned cart recovery, robust SEO tools, or extensive third-party integrations.

However, if your priority is ultimate control, customization options, and long-term scalability for potentially high-volume online sales, WooCommerce stands out. While other platforms provide website embed options and others allow you to set up a store, they usually have some limits.

Being open-source, WooCommerce offers unparalleled flexibility for product management, shipping options, inventory tracking, site analytics, and even integrating blogging tools for content marketing.

The trade-off is that WooCommerce, unlike a hosted SaaS solution, requires you to manage your own hosting. This is where a service like RunCloud becomes invaluable.

Instead of settling for basic, potentially restrictive hosting often associated with free plans, RunCloud allows you to host your free WooCommerce store on enterprise-grade server infrastructure at a surprisingly low cost. This combination gives you the best of both worlds: the freedom and power of WooCommerce without the limitations of typical free hosting, the escalating costs of many commercial platforms, or potentially restrictive custom-built solutions.

For businesses anticipating significant order volumes, RunCloud provides the robust, reliable performance needed to handle heavy traffic and ensure a smooth customer experience while leveraging the cost-effectiveness of the free, open-source WooCommerce platform.

You get performance without paying for a “free domain” or a lock-in to a potentially expensive, less functional e-commerce website builder. This makes the WooCommerce/RunCloud combination a powerfully scalable and cost-effective e-commerce solution.

Start using RunCloud today!

FAQs on Free eCommerce Platforms