The best free online store builders in 2026

• Best free store for selling through social media and WhatsApp, with cash on delivery: Whatsell.
• Best free plan for card payments, if you live where it is offered: Square Online.
• Best free ordering link for menus and small catalogs: Take App.
• Best free plan for artists and makers with a few products: Big Cartel.
• Best free software if you want full control and have technical help: WooCommerce.
• Best free website, if selling comes later: Wix, though taking payments needs a paid plan.

Full disclosure: this guide is written by Whatsell. Each entry says who it really suits, including when that is not us. Plans and limits change, so check each builder's own page before you commit.

• Can the free plan actually take orders, or only show a website?
• Is it free for good, or a trial that ends?
• What does a sale cost: a platform fee per order, card processing fees, or both?
• How many products can you list for free?
• Which payments work, including cash on delivery?
• Is it available in your country?
• Does it work well on a phone, for you and for your customers?

Free store builders make money in one of four ways, and the difference decides what you pay later:

1. 1

   A fee per order

   You pay nothing until you sell, then a small percentage of each order. Quiet months cost nothing. Whatsell works this way.

2. 2

   Card processing fees

   The plan is free, and the builder earns on every card payment through its own payment service. Square Online works this way.

3. 3

   Limits that push you to upgrade

   Free, but with a product cap, platform branding or no custom domain, so a growing store moves to a paid plan. Big Cartel and Take App use limits like these.

4. 4

   Free software, paid everything else

   The software costs nothing, but hosting, a domain, themes and plugins do. WooCommerce is the classic example.

Two more models call themselves free and are not, for a store: a free trial that ends in a monthly subscription, such as Shopify, and a free website plan that cannot accept payments, such as Wix.

A full store on one link, made to be shared in your bio, your WhatsApp Status and your ads. Customers browse and check out on the store, and every order arrives in your WhatsApp written out and ready to confirm.

• Free plan: free for good, with one store and unlimited products, and a small fee only on the orders you receive.
• Best for: sellers who find customers on social media, deliver locally and take cash on delivery, across North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and beyond.
• Strengths: a drag-and-drop builder, variants and stock, delivery zones and fees, WhatsApp orders, and an Android app. Whatsell+ ($4.99 a month) adds your own domain, removes the Whatsell logo, and adds ad pixels and cross-sell.
• Payment limitation: Whatsell takes orders, not customer payments. There is no online payment gateway or card processing. Arrange payment directly with your customer or courier, outside Whatsell.

Square's online store builder has a free plan connected to Square's payments, which suits shops that also sell in person with a Square card reader.

• Free plan: unlimited products on a Square address, with Square branding.
• Best for: sellers in the countries Square serves who take card payments, especially with a physical shop.
• Watch out for: it is only offered in a small set of countries, mainly in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region; card fees apply to every online sale; your own domain needs a paid plan.

A light store link that turns a catalog into orders sent to WhatsApp, available in a very wide range of countries and languages, with many local payment methods.

• Free plan: unlimited products, no commission, and a cap on how many orders a month are saved to your dashboard.
• Best for: food, groceries and menus, where customers order from a short list.
• Watch out for: lighter than a full storefront; busier stores move to a monthly plan. See the Take App comparison.

A store builder for artists, makers and bands, with a free plan for a very small shop.

• Free plan: deliberately limited in features, enough to test an idea or sell a small collection.
• Best for: creative sellers with a short product range who take card or PayPal payments.
• Watch out for: the free plan is kept basic on purpose, so a growing shop soon moves to a paid plan.

Free, open-source store software for WordPress, with thousands of plugins and full ownership of your data.

• Free plan: the software is free and has no product limit.
• Best for: sellers with a developer, or the skills to run a website, who want total control.
• Watch out for: you pay for hosting and a domain, often for themes and plugins, and you are responsible for updates, security and backups. See the WooCommerce comparison.

One of the most flexible website builders, with a large template library and real design freedom.

• Free plan: a website on a Wix address with Wix branding. It does not accept payments; selling needs a paid plan.
• Best for: building a website with pages and a blog first, and adding a shop once you pay.
• Watch out for: if your goal is to sell this week, the free plan will not get you there. See the Wix comparison.

• Shopify: the most complete platform, with a free trial and then a monthly subscription. Worth it for a brand ready to invest. See Shopify alternatives.
• Ecwid: its entry plan is now paid; it is a good way to add a store to a website you already have.
• YouCan and Storeino: strong cash on delivery platforms for MENA and Africa, on monthly subscriptions. Compare YouCan and Storeino.

• You sell from Instagram, TikTok or WhatsApp and get paid at the door: Whatsell.
• You take card payments in a country Square supports, maybe with a physical shop: Square Online.
• You run a kitchen, bakery or grocery taking short list orders: Take App.
• You are an artist with a few pieces to sell: Big Cartel.
• You have technical help and want to own everything: WooCommerce.
• You need a website more than a shop for now: Wix.

Once you have picked one, our step-by-step guide on how to create an online store for free takes you from nothing to your first order.