# Top website & E-commerce builder?



## speshoot (Apr 23, 2016)

trying to build a website to sell my shirts, fairly new to this & your opinions would be greatly appreciated..Thanx!


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## cherrus (Nov 2, 2007)

I'm in the midst of researching this myself 

Trying to decide if I should create a wordpress.net site so that I own it and connect with woo commerce - or use Shopify or Big Commerce.


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## barkone (Feb 5, 2007)

According to 2018 most used CMS platforms you should go either with Shopify or Wordpress + Woo commerce .


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## webtrekker (Jan 28, 2018)

I use Ecwid in my own website. I also have the same shop embedded in a forum.

REASONS TO USE ECWID OVER SHOPIFY. 

It’s a good option for users who already have a website that you they are happy with, but wish to add a fully-featured online store to it.

Ecwid’s multilingual functionality is considerably better than Shopify’s.

Ecwid is great for users on a budget or those who have basic selling requirements, because its free plan may actually meet many merchants’ needs.

It provides considerably more flexibility with regard to product options than Shopify.

It provides abandoned cart functionality at a considerably lower price point than Shopify.


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

cherrus said:


> I'm in the midst of researching this myself
> 
> Trying to decide if I should create a wordpress.net site so that I own it and connect with woo commerce - or use Shopify or Big Commerce.


i've never heard of wordpress.net
if you do decide on woocommerce, 
just make sure you get a good hosting company 
(all of them will have one-click wordpress install through softaculous nowadays)

as barkone mentioned, woo is by far the most used ecomm platform
(last i heard was around 35% of all online stores)

woo is nice because you can get full-functionality and pretty decent customization for free
stripe is free, as well as paypal
you can also have your site up and running as fast as you can input your pics and prices

as i mentioned before, you can have a local version of your website to test out new plugins/themes/etc,
and still have your store online and running

the main issue with wordpress/woo is too many/conflicting/un-needed plugins
this will cause page loads or errors

come boxing day - new years there will be many sales for web-hosting and securing your domain names
i personally would recommend namecheap,
they have 24/7/365 online chat support


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

cherrus said:


> Trying to decide if I should create a wordpress.net site so that I own it and connect with woo commerce - or use Shopify or Big Commerce.



There is no wordpress.net, only .com and .org. I don't think you can set up ecommerce on .org. It is basically used as a self-hosting blog site. 

You can use your own domain name on any of the 3 platforms you mentioned though.


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## cherrus (Nov 2, 2007)

Thank you everyone!

My error. I meant to say Wordpress.com. I currently have a site, unrelated to what I want to do now, using a free Wordpress theme. 

However, that site was created for the purpose of selling my health coaching and personal training services - I never finished it, because I couldn't decide whether or not to switch over to a paid theme and was deciding between Divi and Genesis.

Now that I have switched to ecommerce, I didn't know if it would be more beneficial to use Wordpress or Shopify, of something else

I know if I use Wordpress, then I own the site, I don't think that is the case with Wix. 

I heard Squarespace is good.


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## Tist (Jan 11, 2019)

I have used SQUARESPACE, WOOCOMMERCE and WIX in the past. I had so many problems with Woocommerce,,unless you know how to code or add plug ins. It's an e commerce nightmare. Squarespace and Wix have better looking templates but if you are in it to sell and make it easy to link to instagram/facebook, SHOPIFY is the best option. IT comes with Fraud protection, discounted shipping with USPS and many more benefits. You can link with amazon shop as well. Personally , I would not recommend any other platforms.


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

Tist said:


> I have used SQUARESPACE, WOOCOMMERCE and WIX in the past. I had so many problems with Woocommerce,,unless you know how to code or add plug ins. It's an e commerce nightmare. Squarespace and Wix have better looking templates but if you are in it to sell and make it easy to link to instagram/facebook, SHOPIFY is the best option. IT comes with Fraud protection, discounted shipping with USPS and many more benefits. You can link with amazon shop as well. Personally , I would not recommend any other platforms.


you don't need to know how to code with woo,
unless you go deep into customizing 
over and above the normal, but you can't do this with the others you listed without coding either, so....
installing plugins in woo is as simple as clicking one button, 'install plugin', in the backend

woo is such a nightmare that it is by far the most popular ecomm platform

woo - 2.4 million
shopify - 1.2 million
squarespace - 1 million
wix - 950K
opencart - 850k

now compare costs:
woo = free
shopify (basic) = $360/year
squarespace = $240/year
wix = $240/year

does that mean woo is for everyone? 
no, you actually have to put effort into it and listen to those that have gone before
but nor should you discount it based on false information


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## cherrus (Nov 2, 2007)

Into the T,

I didn't realize squarespace cost the same as Shopify, I thought Wix and Wordpress didn't have annual fees, unless purchasing a theme like Divi.


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## Tist (Jan 11, 2019)

Yes Woocommerce has the most users.
The reason why I left WOOCOMMERCE was that we had to hire a freelance web master/developer because we wanted the site to be super customized. 
One day our site was hacked during a busy season and the web master was no where to be reached. You can only imagine how much revenue we lost.

If you have the skills to do everything yourself like updates, connecting to a hosting company, credit card payment plug ins and etc. Woo-commerce would be okay but Shopify takes care of all of the backend stuff so you can focus on your business. I am not sure how easy it is to connect Instagram to Woocommerce but with shopify it was pretty simple.

Great article i found here to back up my opinion.
https://www.codeinwp.com/blog/best-ecommerce-platform/

I just do not want to see another person go thru the headache,,,you need to focus on marketing, design and sales...Ecommerce nightmare should be the least of your problem.


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

wix is free for limited bandwidth, no personal domain name, you cannot accept online payments,
and you have to have wix advertising on your site

cheapest ecomm site is $20/month (sorry, the above was not correct, it is $240/year)
cheapest site without advertising is $11/month
cheapst site with your own domain is $5/month


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

Tist said:


> Yes Woocommerce has the most users.
> The reason why I left WOOCOMMERCE was that we had to hire a freelance web master/developer because we wanted the site to be super customized.
> *like i said, if you want do this in shopify, wix, squarspace, opencart, etc.,
> you have to code it yourself/hire it out*
> ...


my comments above are in bold red

what if the op is on a tight budget?
what if the op has only a few designs to sell?
what if the op likes having his own house instead of a room in a highrise?
what if the op enjoys learning new things or tinkering under the hood?
what if the op enjoys the challenge of accomplishing something on their own?

nobody cares you use shopify and like it,
but the continual ignorant castigation of the competition makes you look suspicious


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## Infinitesoldier (Jan 27, 2019)

I use shopify for my T-shirt brand. I use Wordpress for other websites I own which are more info sites but shopify is great because it provides you with powerful and turnkey features that allow you to keep with technology.


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## Asgeira (Feb 4, 2019)

If you’re lacking in programming skills, your best chance to create a website, in general, is if you work with a SaaS platform such as Shopify, Wix, or Squarespace.

My newest find in creating multilingual websites with easiness is Smoolis which I think is perfect for small businesses, portfolios, photographers, online stores, as well as restaurants. The most amazing thing about this website builder is that it offers an advanced out-of-the-box feature that allows users to add multiple languages as well as multiple currencies to their site, or their online store.

On the other hand, sites that require a large database aren’t so easy to create with the specific platform, so if you’re aiming to create the next Airbnb project, your best bet is to work with an open source platform, such as WordPress.


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## Boston Jon (Feb 9, 2019)

cherrus said:


> Thank you everyone!
> 
> My error. I meant to say Wordpress.com. I currently have a site, unrelated to what I want to do now, using a free Wordpress theme.
> 
> ...


An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory.


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## astefanuk (Apr 1, 2019)

cherrus said:


> I'm in the midst of researching this myself
> 
> Trying to decide if I should create a wordpress.net site so that I own it and connect with woo commerce - or use Shopify or Big Commerce.


Let's check out my blog about eCommerce development! I this you would like to read about eCommerce process, about experience of devs, how to hire and choose them.
https://mobilunity.com/blog/how-to-hire-ecommerce-developers/
Enjoy!


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## HollyRMalin (Mar 21, 2019)

I think you have to try majento and woo-commerce for your business it will be easy and beneficial for you.


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## Kimsie (Oct 5, 2007)

Is There a Website that is specifically designed for clothing website? That is free or inexpensive.


I've looked at inksoft, but it very expensive.


Currently I'm using the website provided by SanMar but it so limited, ugh!


TIA!


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## Kimsie (Oct 5, 2007)

When using shopify and at checkout is there a fee? like 2.9% for most credit cards??


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Kimsie said:


> When using shopify and at checkout is there a fee? like 2.9% for most credit cards??



Yes. I know there are at least 2 options; Paypal or Shopify's own service. Both charge a fee.


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## LKucher (Jan 17, 2020)

Have you considered hiring a remove web developer? It's much cheaper and you can find a programmer that would build you a high-quality website for your t-shirts - https://talmatic.com/find-a-developer/. I personally prefer this way, don't really trust freelancers (

One moment though, keep in mind that you would also need to do SEO if you want your website to rank well.
Also, have you considered using social media channels? 

I mean it's a good way to promote or website or SM profile. You can sell your goods on Instagram or etc. Hope that's helpful.


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## cherrus (Nov 2, 2007)

Lkucher - I have thought of someone doing my website.....I have been burned twice with graphic designers that I hired to help me with my logo and brand identity, so I am wary of hiring someone else. 

Yes!!! I have thought of social media!! I have lots of ideas - just not exactly sure how to implement them


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## LKucher (Jan 17, 2020)

cherrus said:


> Lkucher - I have thought of someone doing my website.....I have been burned twice with graphic designers that I hired to help me with my logo and brand identity, so I am wary of hiring someone else.
> 
> Yes!!! I have thought of social media!! I have lots of ideas - just not exactly sure how to implement them



Have you hired designers on freelance platforms and never got a high-quality result? What do you mean got burned? Anyway, that's not the point.
I really think that you can hold on to that WP website you already have but you would have to change all the content as well as the design.
The main thing you need to keep in mind is gaining organic traffic - that's the hardest part. In the case of social media - you can always launch SMM campaigns.
If you really want a great website and you have time and money to make it work - hire a web developer and build a simple website - then host it and start doing the SEO.
I'm not sure if I'm answering your question but if you have any questions, I'm here to help.


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## LKucher (Jan 17, 2020)

LKucher said:


> Have you hired designers on freelance platforms and never got a high-quality result? What do you mean got burned? Anyway, that's not the point.
> I really think that you can hold on to that WP website you already have but you would have to change all the content as well as the design.
> The main thing you need to keep in mind is gaining organic traffic - that's the hardest part. In the case of social media - you can always launch SMM campaigns.
> If you really want a great website and you have time and money to make it work - hire a web developer and build a simple website - then host it and start doing the SEO.
> I'm not sure if I'm answering your question but if you have any questions, I'm here to help.



In my opinion social media channels would be more efficient. I see hundreds of add on a daily basis and lots of them are related to clothes.
Still, if you're going with a website anyway - let me know.


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## cherrus (Nov 2, 2007)

L.Kucher - Even using social media, don't I need a website to direct people to for purchases and capture email info?


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## davidjhn127 (Oct 15, 2019)

Go for WooCommerce, it is free


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## RupertGRint211 (Jan 27, 2020)

You cannot just ask for top e-commerce platforms. The requirements just varies from person to person and according to the needs of the your business. If you dont know how to code and want to build a simple website with the easiest admin panel, then Shopify can be best for you. 
If you know how to code and and have basic understanding of how backend and PHP works than Wordpress, Woocommerce and Magento will be great for you.
I had done a detailed comparison of all the best available e-commerce platforms according to ones need and requirements. 
https://www.thesynapses.com/10-best-e-commerce-platforms-in-2020
Best Ecommerce Platforms


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## WoodenUrecover (Nov 8, 2010)

While not the cheapest out there, we have been very pleased with 3dcart over the years. We have several sites hosted with 3dcart. 

Sites are very easy to set up. There is a very nice selection of templates. There is also a TON of horsepower under the hood! We have been with 3dcart since 2002 and couldn't be happier,


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## cherrus (Nov 2, 2007)

LKucher said:


> Have you hired designers on freelance platforms and never got a high-quality result? What do you mean got burned? Anyway, that's not the point.
> I really think that you can hold on to that WP website you already have but you would have to change all the content as well as the design.
> The main thing you need to keep in mind is gaining organic traffic - that's the hardest part. In the case of social media - you can always launch SMM campaigns.
> If you really want a great website and you have time and money to make it work - hire a web developer and build a simple website - then host it and start doing the SEO.
> I'm not sure if I'm answering your question but if you have any questions, I'm here to help.



I actually have lots of ideas of how to use social media. How to organically increase visibility. But I thought I needed to direct people to a website to:

1. Capture contact info
2. Show the products
3. Have the place for them to purchase the products. 

Still struggling with the website and integration of social media


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## cherrus (Nov 2, 2007)

Infinitesoldier said:


> I use shopify for my T-shirt brand. I use Wordpress for other websites I own which are more info sites but shopify is great because it provides you with powerful and turnkey features that allow you to keep with technology.


How long did it take you to get your website going on Shopify? Did you use one of the free themes?

Do the fees really add up to a lot of extra expense?

Thanks!


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## Uncle Chenzo (Mar 27, 2008)

I set up my woocommerce site after looking at a Tyler Moore video on Youtube. 

Search him yourself, he has loads, always current.

They will have 2+million views. He takes you by the hand and walks you through the entire process, from registering a domain to uploading a fully functional, payment accepting website. Videos are 2, sometimes 3 hours long - and well worth it.

Then after that, if you feel you need to, go to www.udemy.com and subscribe to a online course, they have an offer https://www.udemy.com/course/the-complete-wordpress-website-business-course/ , this course is 21.5 hours long, current and is €12.99, similar in $ + £, get stuck in, fill your head, and if you need help down the line (it would be pretty specific help after all the above), there are a gazillion forums on worpress to help you.


Best of luck


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## JennVDS (Aug 13, 2019)

I don't believe that Woo is free - I am also looking into e-commerce and have a Wordpress site. Woo is the add-on and Wordpress is telling me that I need to upgrade to the business plan in order to go ahead with Woo. 

I may just migrate the whole thing over to Shopify...


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

JennVDS said:


> I don't believe that Woo is free - I am also looking into e-commerce and have a Wordpress site. Woo is the add-on and Wordpress is telling me that I need to upgrade to the business plan in order to go ahead with Woo.
> 
> I may just migrate the whole thing over to Shopify...



Woo itself is free. That is probably your hosting company requiring an upgrade.


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## JennVDS (Aug 13, 2019)

splathead said:


> Woo itself is free. That is probably your hosting company requiring an upgrade.


I'm just hosting through Wordpress, so I'm guessing it's them who want more money! I'll have a look through. Thanks!!


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

JennVDS said:


> I'm just hosting through Wordpress, so I'm guessing it's them who want more money! I'll have a look through. Thanks!!



They are expensive for hosting. Check out siteground. They are always rated in the top 3 of wordpress hosting. Cost with Woo is $4 a month first year, then $12 thereafter.


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

most webhosts have quick install of wordpress via softaculous,
then woo is free to install

unless you have mountains of tee's shared hosting, should suffice for a simple woo site

crocweb has 20gb ssd storage, unlimited bandwidth, free cpanel migration and softaculous on sale for $35.64 for 3 years
they should be able to simply pull your whole site over

check this link for the coupon and reviews


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## JennVDS (Aug 13, 2019)

Thanks for the info guys! I'll check out some less expensive solutions!


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## into the T (Aug 22, 2015)

JennVDS said:


> Thanks for the info guys! I'll check out some less expensive solutions!


i did not see splathead's recommendation of siteground,
they too get excellent reviews


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## JohnDeco (Mar 2, 2020)

Shopify or Bigcommerce is the best to start an eCommerce store


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