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There is no single all-in price for an online store. In the US-dollar prices published by the platforms as of October 7, 2026, Shopify and BigCommerce start at $39 per month when billed monthly or $29 per month when billed annually, while WooCommerce lists a $0 platform fee but requires you to choose and pay for hosting. Squarespace charges a 2% online-store transaction fee on its listed Basic plan and 0% on Core, Plus and Advanced; payment processing is separate. To compare real costs, add the subscription or hosting, payment processing, platform transaction fees and any paid tools your store needs.
What counts as the cost of an e-commerce platform?
A plan price is only one part of the bill. Separate the costs into these lines before comparing platforms:
- Platform subscription: the recurring plan charge, if there is one. Monthly and annual billing can have different prices.
- Hosting: included with Shopify; chosen separately for WooCommerce. The listed plan prices for BigCommerce and Squarespace are subscription prices, but the cited pricing details do not establish a comparable separate hosting charge for those services.
- Payment processing: the processor’s charge for accepting card or other payments. It is distinct from a platform transaction fee.
- Platform transaction fee: an additional charge that may apply depending on the platform, plan or payment method.
- Store-specific extras: paid extensions, add-ons, implementation and ongoing maintenance. Their cost depends on the store and is not captured by a plan sticker price.
The figures below are vendor-published US-dollar prices and rates found on official pages on October 7, 2026. They are not independently audited all-in totals. Prices, payment eligibility and fees can vary by country, account and configuration; check the relevant local pricing page before choosing.
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How the listed prices and fees compare
| Platform and plan | Subscription price and billing | Hosting | Platform transaction fee | Payment processing | Thresholds or upgrade rules | Variable costs to account for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Basic | $39/month billed monthly; $29/month billed yearly | Included | 2% third-party transaction fee, according to Shopify’s pricing page | Separate from the platform fee; the cited pricing details do not establish a single rate applicable to every merchant | Not stated in the cited pricing details | Payment processing and any store-specific add-ons |
| Shopify Grow | $105/month billed monthly; $79/month billed yearly | Included | 1% third-party transaction fee, according to Shopify’s pricing page | Separate; rate depends on the merchant’s circumstances | Not stated in the cited pricing details | Payment processing and any store-specific add-ons |
| Shopify Advanced | $399/month billed monthly; $299/month billed yearly | Included | 0.6% third-party transaction fee, according to Shopify’s pricing page | Separate; rate depends on the merchant’s circumstances | Not stated in the cited pricing details | Payment processing and any store-specific add-ons |
| WooCommerce | $0 platform fee | Merchant chooses a host; hosting price is not stated by WooCommerce in the cited comparison | No additional WooCommerce fee for a third-party payment solution, according to its pricing comparison | WooPayments estimate: approximately 2.50–2.90% plus $0.30 per transaction | Not stated in the cited pricing details | Hosting, paid extensions, implementation, maintenance and any third-party provider charges |
| BigCommerce Core | $39/month billed monthly; $29/month billed annually | Not stated in the cited pricing details | Open-payment-provider fees are listed by plan; check the current plan page for the applicable fee | Card processing begins at 2.89% plus $0.29 per transaction, according to BigCommerce | Plan thresholds use trailing-12-month GMV and can trigger automatic upgrades | Payment-provider choice and store-specific add-ons |
| BigCommerce Growth | $105/month billed monthly; $79/month billed annually | Not stated in the cited pricing details | Open-payment-provider fees are listed by plan; check the current plan page for the applicable fee | Card processing begins at 2.89% plus $0.29 per transaction, according to BigCommerce | Plan thresholds use trailing-12-month GMV and can trigger automatic upgrades | Payment-provider choice and store-specific add-ons |
| BigCommerce Scale | $399/month billed monthly; $299/month billed annually | Not stated in the cited pricing details | Open-payment-provider fees are listed by plan; check the current plan page for the applicable fee | Card processing begins at 2.89% plus $0.29 per transaction, according to BigCommerce | Plan thresholds use trailing-12-month GMV and can trigger automatic upgrades | Payment-provider choice and store-specific add-ons |
| BigCommerce Performance | Custom priced; the page lists a starting price of $1,499/month billed annually | Not stated in the cited pricing details | Open-payment-provider fees are listed by plan; check the current plan page for the applicable fee | Card processing begins at 2.89% plus $0.29 per transaction; a particular negotiated rate is not universal | BigCommerce describes thresholds based on trailing-12-month GMV and automatic upgrades | Provider choice and custom-plan terms |
| Squarespace Basic | Price depends on country, billing cadence and applicable plan schedule; see Squarespace’s current pricing page | Not stated in the cited pricing details | 2% online-store sales transaction fee on the listed new-plan comparison | Separate; rate depends on country and applicable plan schedule | New plans are rolling out in waves; accounts may be on a legacy schedule | Processing charges, digital-product fee schedule if relevant, and store-specific add-ons |
| Squarespace Core, Plus and Advanced | Prices depend on country, billing cadence and applicable plan schedule; see Squarespace’s current pricing page | Not stated in the cited pricing details | 0% online-store sales transaction fee on the listed new-plan comparison | Separate; rate depends on country and applicable plan schedule | New plans are rolling out in waves; accounts may be on a legacy schedule | Processing charges, digital-product fee schedule if relevant, and store-specific add-ons |
Sources: Shopify pricing and Shopify hosting; WooCommerce pricing comparison; BigCommerce pricing; Squarespace pricing and Squarespace commerce transaction fees. These pages were accessed October 7, 2026.
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Shopify: subscription plus processing and possible third-party fees
Shopify’s listed US-dollar plans are Basic, Grow and Advanced. Annual billing lowers the monthly-equivalent price shown on the pricing page compared with paying month to month. Hosting is included, so Shopify says merchants do not need to buy separate hosting.
The listed third-party transaction fees are 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced. These are separate from payment-card processing. Because processing rates depend on location and payment arrangements, do not treat the plan prices as the whole cost or assume one processing rate applies to every store.
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WooCommerce: no platform fee, but hosting and operations remain
WooCommerce lists a $0 platform fee and lets the merchant choose a host. That makes the platform-fee line zero in its comparison, not the cost of operating a store. Hosting, paid extensions, implementation and maintenance are separate choices whose prices vary by store.
WooCommerce estimates WooPayments card processing at approximately 2.50–2.90% plus $0.30 per transaction. Its comparison says it does not add a WooCommerce fee when a merchant uses a third-party payment solution; the third-party provider may still charge its own processing fees.
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BigCommerce: compare provider fees and GMV rules, not just the plan
BigCommerce lists Core, Growth and Scale at the same monthly and annual price points as Shopify’s corresponding tiers in the cited US-dollar schedule. Performance is custom priced, with the page listing a starting price of $1,499 per month when billed annually.
BigCommerce also lists open-payment-provider fees by plan and describes plan thresholds based on trailing-12-month gross merchandise value (GMV), with automatic upgrades. Check the current page for the provider fee and threshold that apply to a specific plan. Its stated card-processing rate begins at 2.89% plus $0.29 per transaction. The page’s Braintree option has qualification and approval steps, so a negotiated processor rate should not be assumed to be available to every merchant.
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Squarespace: confirm whether the account uses new or legacy fees
On Squarespace’s listed new-plan comparison, online-store sales incur a 2% transaction fee on Basic and 0% on Core, Plus and Advanced. Payment processing is separate, and digital products have a separate fee schedule.
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Squarespace says its new plans are rolling out in waves and its help center also gives a schedule for legacy plans. The plan name, fee schedule and processing charges that apply can therefore depend on the account and market. Confirm the actual plan and fee schedule shown for the account rather than applying the new-plan comparison to every merchant.
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How to estimate your own monthly cost
A useful comparison holds the store assumptions constant. Record the following before calculating:
- Country and currency, since pricing and payment eligibility vary by market.
- Monthly billing or annual billing, matched across the platforms you compare.
- Monthly sales volume and number of orders, or the average order value needed to derive the order count.
- Payment provider and payment method, including whether a quoted processor rate is available to your business.
- Plan-specific platform transaction fees and any GMV-based threshold or upgrade rule.
- Hosting, paid extensions, add-ons, implementation and maintenance you actually expect to use.
Then calculate each cost line using that same scenario: recurring platform or hosting charges, processing charges on the relevant transactions, any platform transaction fee, and the selected extras. A precise total cannot be derived from plan prices alone: it changes with sales, order size, provider, country and configuration. Recheck vendor pages before committing because the figures are volatile.
Quick Recap
Which cost comparison is useful?
- For Shopify: compare the plan subscription, payment processing and the listed third-party transaction fee for your plan.
- For WooCommerce: include the separately selected host and store operations; do not equate the $0 platform fee with a free-to-run store.
- For BigCommerce: include the applicable open-provider fee and determine whether your trailing-12-month GMV could change the plan.
- For Squarespace: verify the account’s plan generation and distinguish online-store transaction fees from processing and digital-product charges.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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