Should I use Shopify or build a store on WordPress?

Choose Shopify (or another hosted platform) if you want to start selling quickly without managing hosting, security, or updates — it's the faster path for most new stores. Choose WordPress with a store plugin if you already run a content-heavy site, want full control over design and data, and are comfortable owning the maintenance. The honest trade-off is convenience versus control, not one being better than the other.

How much does it cost to run a small online store?

Budget for a few recurring pieces: the platform's monthly plan, payment processing on each sale, and any paid apps or email tools you add. Costs range widely by platform and volume, so compare the full picture rather than a single headline price. A lean starting stack of platform, processor, and a basic email tool is enough to launch.

Do I need a separate payment processor if my platform has checkout built in?

Not always. Hosted platforms include a checkout and often a preferred processor, and using it is usually the simplest option. On open or self-hosted setups you'll choose your own — Stripe and PayPal are common — and it's worth checking whether your platform charges an extra fee for using an outside processor before you decide.

When should I add email marketing to my store?

As early as possible, ideally before launch. Even a simple welcome sequence and an abandoned-cart flow capture buyers you'd otherwise lose, and repeat purchases are far cheaper to earn than new ones. Start with a basic tool if your list is small, and move to an e-commerce-focused platform like Klaviyo when segmentation and flows start driving real revenue.

Building an Online Store Software Stack (2026)

An online store is really two things stacked together: the storefront your customers see, and the machinery behind it that takes payment, sends emails, answers questions, and tells you what's working. Get the platform choice right and the rest of the stack falls into place around it. Get it wrong and you'll spend a year fighting plugins, fees, and migrations. This guide starts with the decision that anchors everything — which platform to build on — and then walks the handful of supporting tools most small stores actually need in 2026.

Start with the storefront platform

Almost every other choice depends on this one, so make it deliberately. The real fork is between a hosted all-in-one platform that runs the whole store for you, and an open setup like WordPress with a store plugin that you assemble and host yourself. Neither is objectively better — they trade convenience against control. Browse the full field on the website builders hub once you know which side of that fork you're on.

Hosted all-in-one platforms

These handle hosting, security, checkout, and updates so you can focus on products instead of infrastructure. Shopify is the default for stores built primarily to sell physical or digital goods, with a deep app ecosystem and strong inventory and shipping tools. BigCommerce targets stores that want more built-in features before reaching for apps. If your store is a smaller part of a content or brand site, Squarespace and Wix both fold commerce into a polished website builder, and Weebly is a lighter, budget-friendly option. The trade-off across all of them: you accept the platform's rules and monthly fee in exchange for not having to run anything yourself.

WordPress and self-hosted stores

If you already run a content-heavy site or want maximum control over design and data, a WordPress store with a commerce plugin gives you exactly that — at the cost of doing your own hosting, backups, and maintenance. WordPress.com can host a store on its higher tiers, or you can self-host on managed hosting built for it. Just budget for the upkeep: this route is more flexible and often cheaper on paper, but you own the plumbing. If you go this way, our guide to choosing web hosting for a small business covers what to look for so performance doesn't become the bottleneck.

Payments and checkout

Every platform above includes a checkout, but you still choose who processes the money. Hosted platforms usually push their own processor — Shopify has Shopify Payments, and steering you off it can add a surcharge — while open setups let you plug in whatever you like. Stripe is the common choice for card payments and flexible checkouts; PayPal is worth offering as a second option because some buyers simply trust it more; and Square is handy if you also sell in person and want online and register sales in one system. Compare processors on the payments hub, and if you're starting from zero, our walkthrough on accepting payments online explains fees and setup in plain terms.

Email and retention marketing

The first sale is expensive; repeat sales are where a store becomes a business. That makes email your highest-leverage marketing tool, because it reaches buyers you already earned. Klaviyo is built specifically for e-commerce, with abandoned-cart flows, purchase-based segmentation, and store integrations that feel native. Mailchimp is a gentler, cheaper on-ramp if your list is small and your automation needs are basic. The marketing and email hub lays out the rest, and building a marketing stack without overpaying is a good companion read before you commit to a monthly plan.

Customer support and post-purchase

Shoppers ask about sizing, shipping, and returns before and after they buy, and slow answers cost sales. A shared inbox or live chat keeps those conversations in one place instead of scattered across personal email. Gorgias is designed around e-commerce and connects order data directly to tickets, Tidio pairs live chat with lightweight automation for smaller stores, and Help Scout is a clean shared inbox if you'd rather start simple. See the customer support hub for the full range.

Recommended tools

Analytics and the long tail

You can't improve what you can't measure, so wire up analytics from day one. Google Analytics 4 is the free default and integrates with every platform here, giving you traffic sources, conversion rates, and where buyers drop off. Beyond that, most stores eventually add a few specialized tools — shipping and label printing, reviews, and an accounting connection so orders flow into your books instead of being retyped. Add them only when a real problem appears, not preemptively.

Common mistakes to avoid

Choosing the platform for a store you don't have yet. A flexible self-hosted setup is wasted effort if you're launching with 20 products; a hosted platform gets you selling faster.
Ignoring total transaction cost. Compare the monthly fee plus payment processing plus per-sale app costs, not just the sticker price of the plan.
Bolting on apps before you need them. Every extra app is another fee, another point of failure, and another thing to update. Start lean.
Forgetting migration cost. Moving a live store between platforms means products, URLs, and customer accounts — plan the platform you'll want in a year, not just today.
Skipping email until launch day. Set up your list and a basic abandoned-cart flow early so you're capturing buyers from the first sale, not the hundredth.

A working online store in 2026 needs surprisingly little: a platform, a payment processor, an email tool, and a way to answer customers. Everything else — advanced analytics, reviews, loyalty, complex automation — can wait until volume justifies it. If you want a broader view of every category an online seller eventually touches, our companion piece on the software stack every e-commerce store needs goes wider than this platform-first guide.

Not sure which platform fits your products and budget? Answer a few questions in build your stack and we'll suggest a storefront and the tools around it, or head to compare to weigh two options side by side.