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“Cheapest” means something different depending on whether you want to spend $0 upfront and accept some limitations, or you’re willing to spend a small amount monthly for a more complete setup. Below is a real breakdown of both paths, using current 2026 pricing, so you can pick based on your actual budget rather than a vague “it depends.” Find the cheapest way to start an online store by comparing the biggest store hosts available today!
Key Takeaways
- Genuinely free to start: Square Online’s free plan has no time limit, no product cap, and no monthly fee — you only pay standard payment processing (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction).
- Free if you already have a website: WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin — your only real cost is hosting and a domain, typically $100–300 for a full first year.
- Cheapest paid platform: Shopify offers a 3-day free trial followed by $1/month for the first 3 months, though full pricing kicks in after that promotional window.
- Free isn’t always free long-term: Free plans often carry branded domains, transaction fees, or feature caps that paid plans remove — budget for an eventual upgrade, not just the launch.
- Very small catalogs have their own free option: Big Cartel offers a free-forever plan for up to 5 products, a good fit for makers testing a small handmade or print-on-demand line.
Jump to a pick
The Cheapest Way to Start an Online Store: The Short Answer
If your goal is $0 spent before your first sale, Square Online’s free plan is the most genuinely unrestricted option available in 2026 — no time limit, no product cap, real payment processing built in. If you’re comfortable with a small monthly cost for a more complete setup, Shopify’s $1/month promotional pricing for the first three months is hard to beat, provided you plan around the full price that follows. If you already have a WordPress site, WooCommerce is effectively free beyond hosting you may already be paying for.
The Genuinely Free Options
Square Online: The Most Generous Free Plan
Square Online’s free plan includes unlimited product listings, a functional website, integrated payment processing, and pickup/delivery order options, with no time restriction — you can run a real store on it indefinitely. The tradeoffs: your store lives on a Square-branded domain (yourstore.square.site) unless you upgrade, and you’re limited on design customization and sales analytics. Standard payment processing (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) applies regardless of plan.
Check out Square Online’s free plan for more information.
WooCommerce: Free If You’re Already on WordPress
WooCommerce itself is a completely free, open-source plugin — there’s no license fee and no revenue cut taken by WooCommerce. Your real costs are hosting (typically $5–50/month) and a domain ($12–15/year), which most sellers need anyway even on other platforms. All-in, a lean first year typically runs $100–300, which can undercut every paid platform on this list once you account for their monthly subscription costs.
For a deeper cost breakdown, see our full Shopify vs. WooCommerce comparison.
Big Cartel: Free for Very Small Catalogs
Big Cartel’s free-forever plan covers up to 5 products with 1 image each — intentionally minimal, aimed at makers and independent creators testing a small handmade or print-on-demand line rather than running a full catalog store. Paid plans start at $9.99/month once you outgrow the 5-product limit.
The Cheapest Paid Options
Shopify: Best Promotional Pricing
Shopify offers a 3-day free trial, followed by a $1/month promotional rate for the first 3 months on qualifying plans — a genuinely low-cost way to build a full store and start taking real orders before committing to standard pricing. After the promotional window, regular pricing applies (Basic starts at $39/month), so this path works best if you’re using the discounted months to actively validate your product, not just delay a decision.
Shopify’s regular plan pricing offers more details about what they offer.
Ecwid: Best If You Already Have a Website
Ecwid doesn’t offer a free-forever plan, but its cheapest paid tier starts at just $5/month. Its main advantage is flexibility — Ecwid can be embedded into an existing WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or plain HTML site as a widget, rather than requiring you to rebuild your site on a new platform.
Real First-Year Cost Comparison
What “Free” Doesn’t Include
Transaction Fees Apply Even on Free Plans
Every option on this list charges standard payment processing (typically around 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) regardless of whether the platform subscription itself is free. “Free” refers to the platform fee, not the cost of accepting payments.
Branding and Domain Limitations
Most free plans keep the platform’s branding on your storefront and limit you to a subdomain (like yourstore.square.site) rather than your own custom domain, unless you upgrade. Factor this into your decision if a professional, branded storefront matters for your specific product or audience from day one.
Editor’s Note
“Free” always refers to the platform subscription, never the cost of accepting payments. Budget for standard processing fees (usually ~2.9% + $0.30/transaction) on every option here, paid or not.
Which Option Fits Your Situation
You’re not sure your product idea will work and want to test it with literally no financial risk beyond payment processing fees.
You or your business already pays for web hosting for any reason — adding WooCommerce costs nothing beyond setup time.
You want Shopify’s complete toolset without paying full price immediately — the $1/month window gives you three months to validate first.
Frequently Asked Questions About Starting an Online Store Cheaply
Can I Really Start an Online Store for Free in 2026?
Yes. Square Online offers a genuinely free plan with no time limit and no product cap, and WooCommerce is free if you already have web hosting. Both still charge standard payment processing fees on sales, since no platform processes payments for free.
What’s the Cheapest Ecommerce Platform With No Monthly Fee?
Square Online is the most fully-featured platform with no monthly fee — unlimited products, integrated payments, and no time restriction on the free plan, though your store uses a Square-branded subdomain unless you upgrade.
Is Shopify or WooCommerce Cheaper to Start?
WooCommerce is typically cheaper in the first year (roughly $100–300 total, mostly hosting) if you’re comfortable with basic setup. Shopify’s $1/month promotional pricing is cheaper for the first three months specifically, but reverts to standard pricing (starting at $39/month) afterward.
Do Free Ecommerce Platforms Charge Transaction Fees?
Yes, in almost all cases. Free platform plans typically still charge standard payment processing fees (commonly around 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) — the “free” refers to the platform subscription, not the cost of accepting a customer’s payment.
Bottom Line: Starting an Online Store on a Tight Budget
Bottom Line
If your priority is spending nothing before your first sale, Square Online is the most complete free option available right now. If you already have web hosting, WooCommerce is close to free and gives you more long-term control. And if you want Shopify’s full feature set without a big upfront commitment, its $1/month promotional pricing gives you a genuinely low-cost runway to validate your idea before paying full price.
Once you’re up and running, keeping inventory accurate without overspending is the next thing worth getting right.
Started your store on a platform not covered here? Reach out at contact@ecomfundingguide.com — we’re always updating this guide with real seller experiences.
How We Evaluated These Picks
We compare current, publicly listed pricing directly from each provider’s official site, and weigh the following:
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