ChatGPT answers, unedited

If the priority is tight monthly spend + solid core ecommerce functionality, I’d shortlist these:

My recommendation: WooCommerce

woocommerce.com is probably the best fit if someone on your team is comfortable managing WordPress. The ecommerce software itself has no monthly subscription or revenue share; you mainly pay for hosting, payment processing, and any extensions you actually need. WooCommerce currently estimates typical hosting at $25–$350/month, although a small store can potentially operate below that with appropriate hosting. WooCommerce WooCommerce

You get the fundamentals—product catalog, cart/checkout, payments, orders, inventory, shipping, coupons, SEO integrations, analytics, etc.—without paying for a large SaaS platform from day one.

The catch: your real cost is less predictable. Premium plugins, security, backups, hosting, and maintenance can gradually eat into the savings.

If you want less technical overhead: Shopify

shopify.com is my "pay a little more, worry a lot less" choice.

The Basic plan is currently $39/month month-to-month or $29/month when billed annually, with unlimited products, checkout, inventory, social/marketplace selling, abandoned-checkout recovery, discounts, gift cards, shipping tools, analytics, and support. Shopify Shopify

For a budget-conscious business, I'd start with Basic rather than paying for a higher tier. Move up only when you have a concrete feature or operational reason.

Where I'd put BigCommerce

bigcommerce.com is worth considering if you already know you'll need more sophisticated ecommerce functionality without wanting to assemble it from plugins. Its entry-level offering is around $29/month depending on billing, with unlimited products and built-in tools for things like SEO and multichannel selling. Shopify

However, I'd generally choose Shopify for simplicity or WooCommerce for maximum budget flexibility unless BigCommerce has a specific feature you need.

Bottom line

• Absolute budget priority: WooCommerce
• Best balance of cost + simplicity: Shopify Basic
• More built-in ecommerce sophistication: BigCommerce
• Mostly a website with a modest store attached: Wix

One important point: don't compare only monthly subscription prices. Payment processing, apps/plugins, hosting, maintenance, and transaction fees can make the "cheapest" platform considerably more expensive in practice. WooCommerce help.shopify.com

If you tell me roughly your monthly budget (e.g. $30, $50, $100), number of products, expected monthly orders, and whether you need subscriptions/B2B/multichannel selling, I can narrow this to one or two options.

The catch: your real cost is less predictable. Premium plugins, security, backups, hosting, and maintenance can gradually eat into the savings.

If you want less technical overhead: Shopify

shopify.com is my "pay a little more, worry a lot less" choice.

The Basic plan is currently $39/month month-to-month or $29/month when billed annually, with unlimited products, checkout, inventory, social/marketplace selling, abandoned-checkout recovery, discounts, gift cards, shipping tools, analytics, and support. Shopify Shopify

For a budget-conscious business, I'd start with Basic rather than paying for a higher tier. Move up only when you have a concrete feature or operational reason.

Where I'd put BigCommerce

bigcommerce.com is worth considering if you already know you'll need more sophisticated ecommerce functionality without wanting to assemble it from plugins. Its entry-level offering is around $29/month depending on billing, with unlimited products and built-in tools for things like SEO and multichannel selling.

If the priority is tight monthly cost + solid core ecommerce, I’d narrow it to WooCommerce vs. Shopify.

My recommendation: WooCommerce

If you already have—or are comfortable using—WordPress, WooCommerce is the strongest budget choice. The core software is free, has no platform revenue share, and includes unlimited products, orders, and APIs. You pay for hosting and only add extensions when you actually need them. WooCommerce estimates hosting for most stores at roughly $25–$350/month, although a small store can often operate below that range with appropriate hosting. woocommerce.com

WooCommerce pricing

I'd start with just:

• Product catalog/variants
• Cart and checkout
• Stripe/PayPal or WooPayments
• Inventory
• Shipping/tax
• Coupons
• Basic analytics
• SEO
• Email/order notifications

Don't buy a bunch of extensions upfront. That's where WooCommerce's apparent low price can disappear.

When I'd choose Shopify instead

Choose Shopify Basic if you value simplicity and low maintenance more than absolute minimum cost. It's currently $29/month when billed annually ($39 month-to-month), with hosting, storefront, checkout, inventory, payments, shipping tools, analytics, and other core functionality bundled together. www.shopify.com

Shopify pricing

The big advantage is that you don't have to manage WordPress, hosting, updates, security, or plugin compatibility yourself.

What I'd avoid initially

BigCommerce is capable, but for a genuinely tight budget I'd only choose it if you have requirements that justify it—particularly a more complex catalog or operational setup. Otherwise you're paying for capabilities you may not need.

Bottom line:

• Absolute lowest cost / maximum control → WooCommerce
• Lowest hassle / predictable monthly expense → Shopify Basic
• Complex catalog or more sophisticated ecommerce operations → BigCommerce

If you tell me roughly your monthly budget (e.g. <$30, $30–$75, $75–$150) and whether you already have a website/WordPress site, I can give you a much more specific recommendation.

If the constraint is a tight monthly budget but you still need a solid core ecommerce stack, I’d shortlist these:

What I'd choose

1. Square Online if cash flow is the #1 constraint.
Square has a free tier with no monthly subscription; you pay processing fees when you take payments. It gives you the fundamental store functionality without committing to a recurring platform bill. squareup.com

2. Shopify Basic if you can spend ~$30/month.
This would be my default recommendation for a serious ecommerce operation. The Basic plan is currently $29/month when billed annually ($39 month-to-month) and includes unlimited products, a full online store, checkout, inventory management, multiple sales channels, shipping tools, marketing features, and 24/7 support. www.shopify.com

3. WooCommerce if you already have WordPress and technical capability.
The software itself doesn't require a platform subscription, but you'll need to budget for hosting, payment processing, extensions, maintenance, and potentially development. For someone technically capable, that can be cheaper; for a nontechnical team, the "free" software can become more expensive in labor.

One important budgeting point

Don't compare subscription price alone. For ecommerce, your real monthly cost is roughly:

platform + hosting + paid apps/plugins + payment processing + domain + development/maintenance

At very low sales volume, a $0/month platform can win. Once you're doing meaningful revenue, transaction fees can outweigh the subscription savings, so Shopify's higher fixed cost may actually be cheaper overall. Shopify itself makes this point in its 2026 comparison. www.shopify.comwww.shopify.com

My practical recommendation: start with Square Online if you genuinely need to keep fixed costs near zero; otherwise, choose Shopify Basic and avoid adding paid apps until you have proven you need them.

If the priority is tight monthly spend + solid core ecommerce, I’d shortlist these:

1. woocommerce.com — best for minimizing platform costs

• Core software is free, with no platform revenue share.
• You can get a full store with products, cart/checkout, payments, shipping, coupons, inventory, and SEO.
• The tradeoff is that hosting, maintenance, and some extensions cost extra; WooCommerce estimates hosting at roughly $25–$350/month depending on the store. WooCommerce WooCommerce
• My pick if you already use WordPress or have someone comfortable managing it.
• shopify.com — best for simplicity

• Basic is currently $29/month when billed annually ($39 monthly).
• It includes a full online store, unlimited products, checkout, inventory, multiple sales channels, and support. Shopify Shopify
• You generally spend less time worrying about hosting, security, updates, and technical maintenance.
• My pick if your team is small and you value predictable operations over squeezing every dollar out of the stack.
• bigcommerce.com — worth considering for more complex stores

• It starts around the same $29–$39/month range depending on billing.
• It's stronger than Shopify in some areas of built-in functionality, particularly more complex catalog/B2B requirements, but it can be overkill for a very small operation. Shopify Wise

What I'd choose

One important caveat: don't compare just the monthly subscription. A $0 platform can become more expensive once you add hosting, premium plugins, maintenance, and developer time. Conversely, Shopify's higher subscription can be cheaper overall if it saves substantial technical work. WooCommerce itself explicitly describes its model as paying for hosting and extensions à la carte. WooCommerce

If you tell me roughly (a) your monthly budget, (b) number of products, (c) expected monthly sales, and (d) whether you already have WordPress/a website, I can narrow this to the cheapest sensible setup and estimate the true monthly cost.

If the priority is tight monthly spend + solid core ecommerce, I’d shortlist these:

1. Shopify — my default recommendation

Shopify pricing

For a business that wants to keep things simple and avoid paying developers, I'd lean Shopify Basic. It includes a full online store, unlimited products, checkout, inventory, and selling channels; the current annual price is $29 USD/month (or $39 month-to-month). www.shopify.com

The important advantage on a tight budget isn't just the subscription—it is that hosting, security, and much of the infrastructure are handled for you. That reduces the risk of accumulating a pile of separate plugins/services.

Choose it if: you want to launch quickly and spend your limited budget on the business rather than maintaining the website.

2. WooCommerce — potentially cheapest

WooCommerce pricing

WooCommerce itself is free and has no platform revenue share. You pay for hosting and any extensions you actually need. WooCommerce currently estimates hosting at roughly $25–$350/month for stores, although a small store can potentially operate below the high end of that range. woocommerce.com

This can be excellent if you already have WordPress, know your way around websites, or have someone technical available. The catch is that extensions, hosting, updates, security and maintenance can gradually turn a "free" platform into a more expensive stack. woocommerce.com

Choose it if: minimizing software licensing costs matters more than minimizing technical work.

3. BigCommerce — strong, but I'd probably skip it initially

BigCommerce

BigCommerce starts around $29/month when billed annually and has particularly strong built-in ecommerce capabilities. It's attractive when you have a larger/complex catalog, B2B requirements, or want more functionality natively rather than through apps. www.shopify.com

For a very budget-constrained business with straightforward products, though, I don't think its additional capabilities justify choosing it over Shopify.

My recommendation

If you're starting from scratch: Shopify Basic.

If you already have WordPress and technical help: WooCommerce.

I'd avoid building a highly customized ecommerce stack at this stage. With a tight budget, I'd prioritize:

• Product/catalog management
• Reliable checkout and payments
• Inventory
• Shipping/tax basics
• Discount codes
• Order management
• Customer accounts
• Mobile-friendly storefront
• Basic SEO/analytics
• Email capture

Then add subscriptions, loyalty, advanced search, personalization, etc. only when the business actually needs them.

One caveat: the figures above are largely USD and payment-processing costs can matter more than the monthly subscription once sales volume increases. Shopify, for example, currently lists Basic card rates starting at 2.9% + 30¢ USD online. www.shopify.com

If you tell me your rough monthly budget (e.g. $30, $50, $100), number of products, expected monthly sales, and whether you need B2B/wholesale, I can narrow this down to the cheapest sensible stack.

For a tight monthly budget with a need for solid core ecommerce features (products, cart, checkout, payments, inventory, shipping, basic analytics, coupons), I’d usually narrow it to these options:

My recommendations by situation:

If your budget is under ~$30/month

Pick WooCommerce if you’re comfortable with WordPress.
A realistic stack:

• WordPress hosting
• WooCommerce core
• Free theme
• Stripe/PayPal payments
• Free shipping/tax tools where possible

The downside is your time: updates, backups, plugin conflicts, and security become your responsibility. woocommerce.com

If you want to spend money to save time

Pick Shopify.
It gives you:

• Hosted checkout
• Inventory management
• Order management
• Payment integrations
• Large app ecosystem
• Less technical maintenance

It’s often the better value when your own time is limited. www.shopify.com

If you already have a website and just need a store

Pick Ecwid.
Good for:

• 10–500 product catalogs
• Adding shopping features to an existing site
• Keeping monthly costs predictable deployhyre.com

What I would avoid on a tight budget

• Custom-built ecommerce sites
• Enterprise platforms like Adobe Commerce
• Heavy paid app stacks early on

A practical low-cost launch stack would be:

Option A (cheapest):

• WordPress + WooCommerce
• Managed hosting
• Stripe
• Free theme

Option B (simplest):

• Shopify Basic
• Minimal paid apps
• Upgrade only when revenue justifies it

If you tell me:

1. your monthly software budget (e.g., $20, $50, $100),
2. number of products,
3. whether you need subscriptions/wholesale/inventory syncing, and
4. whether you already have a website,

I can narrow it to one or two choices.

If the priority is tight monthly cost + solid core ecommerce, I’d shortlist these:

My recommendation

1. WooCommerce — if minimizing recurring software cost is the priority.
The core platform is free, with unlimited products/orders and no revenue share. You pay separately for hosting and any extensions you actually need. WooCommerce estimates hosting at roughly $25–$350/month for most stores, although a small, well-optimized store can potentially operate below that range. woocommerce.com

2. Square Online — if you want to spend essentially $0/month initially.
Square's Canadian Free plan has no monthly fee and includes a website builder, SEO tools, inventory, shipping/pickup/local delivery, customer accounts, social selling and multiple payment methods. Online payments are currently 2.8% + $0.30 per transaction. squareup.com

3. Shopify Basic — if simplicity and reliability are worth ~$50/month.
Shopify's Canadian Basic plan is $49 CAD/month when paid monthly or $37 CAD/month annually. It includes a full online store, unlimited products, checkout, social/marketplace selling and a large app ecosystem. www.shopify.com

What I'd choose

• Under ~$20/month: Square Online or a very lean WooCommerce setup
• ~$20–50/month: WooCommerce becomes attractive if you're comfortable managing WordPress
• ~$50/month and want minimal hassle: Shopify Basic
• Already use Square for in-person sales: Square Online is particularly compelling because inventory/POS can stay integrated. squareup.com

If you tell me your approximate monthly budget, number of products, whether you sell physical/digital goods, and whether you need subscriptions or POS, I can narrow this to the one I'd actually pick for you.

If the priority is tight monthly spend + solid core ecommerce, I’d shortlist these:

My recommendation: Shopify Basic

At $29/month when billed annually, Shopify Basic includes the essentials: a full online store, unlimited products, checkout, inventory management, discounts, abandoned-checkout recovery, shipping-label tools, analytics, multiple sales channels, and 24/7 chat support. www.shopify.com

For a budget-constrained business, that's attractive because you aren't assembling a stack of plugins just to get basic functionality.

I'd choose Shopify if:

• You want to launch quickly.
• Nobody on the team wants to maintain WordPress/server infrastructure.
• Your catalog and checkout requirements are fairly conventional.
• Predictable operating costs matter more than maximum customization.

WooCommerce if minimizing recurring software costs is the #1 goal

WooCommerce itself is free and has no platform subscription or revenue share. You pay for hosting and add extensions as needed; WooCommerce currently estimates hosting for most stores at roughly $25–$350/month, although a small store can potentially operate toward the low end. woocommerce.com

The catch is that "free WooCommerce" doesn't mean "free ecommerce." Hosting, premium plugins, security, backups, development, and maintenance can eat up the savings.

I'd choose WooCommerce if you already have WordPress expertise or someone technical who can maintain it.

BigCommerce is worth considering, but I'd rank it third

BigCommerce Core is $39/month month-to-month or $29/month annually, with unlimited products and core ecommerce functionality. However, its plans have trailing-12-month GMV thresholds, and its 2026 pricing introduces additional fees for orders processed through certain open payment providers. www.bigcommerce.com

So for a very cost-sensitive small store, I don't see enough advantage over Shopify to make it my first pick.

Bottom line

If you told me "we have very little budget and just need a dependable store that sells products", I'd start with Shopify Basic.

If you told me "every $20/month matters and we have technical resources", I'd investigate WooCommerce.

If you give me your approximate monthly budget (e.g. $30, $50, $100), number of products, expected monthly sales, and whether you need subscriptions/B2B/multiple currencies, I can narrow this to the cheapest sensible stack rather than just the cheapest platform.

If the priority is tight monthly spend + solid core ecommerce, I’d narrow it to three:

1. WooCommerce — my budget pick

WooCommerce itself is free and has no monthly platform subscription or revenue share. Its core includes unlimited products, orders, and APIs. You pay separately for hosting, payment processing, and any extensions you choose. WooCommerce estimates hosting at roughly $25–$350/month, though a small store can potentially run considerably leaner depending on its host and requirements. woocommerce.com

Choose it if: you already use WordPress, have someone comfortable maintaining the site, or want maximum control over costs.

Watch out for: the "free" platform can become expensive if you pile on premium plugins, managed hosting, themes, developers, etc.

2. Shopify — my easiest recommendation

Shopify Basic is currently $39/month month-to-month or $29/month when billed annually. It includes a full online store, unlimited products, checkout, social/marketplace selling, and thousands of app integrations. www.shopify.com

Choose it if: you want to get selling quickly and don't want to manage hosting, security, WordPress updates, or technical infrastructure.

For a lean ecommerce operation, I'd start with Basic and resist adding apps until you actually need them.

3. BigCommerce — strongest built-in feature set

BigCommerce Core is $39/month monthly or $29/month annually, with features such as responsive storefronts, marketplace/social selling, POS, up to four inventory locations, and 24/7 chat/email support. However, there are sales-volume thresholds and potentially additional fees for certain payment providers. www.bigcommerce.com

Choose it if: you need more ecommerce functionality built into the platform and want to minimize reliance on paid apps.

My ranking for your situation

If every dollar matters: WooCommerce
If you want the best balance of cost + simplicity: Shopify Basic
If you need lots of built-in ecommerce functionality: BigCommerce Core

I wouldn't pay for a higher-tier Shopify/BigCommerce plan initially unless you can identify a specific feature you need. The biggest budget trap in ecommerce is paying for capabilities before the business actually needs them.

If you tell me roughly monthly budget, number of products, expected monthly sales, and whether you already have WordPress/a website, I can narrow this to one choice and estimate the real monthly cost including hosting, payments, and essential apps.

If the priority is tight monthly spend + solid core ecommerce, I’d narrow it to WooCommerce vs. Shopify.

My recommendation: WooCommerce

For a genuinely tight budget, WooCommerce is probably the strongest value. The core platform is free, has no revenue share, and supports unlimited products/orders; you pay for hosting and only the extensions you actually need. WooCommerce currently estimates hosting for most stores at roughly $25–$350/month, though a small store can often be run toward the lower end. woocommerce.com

You can cover the essentials—product catalog, variations, cart/checkout, payments, shipping, coupons, inventory, orders, customer accounts and SEO—without buying an expensive enterprise platform.

If you don't want to manage WordPress: Shopify Basic

Shopify Basic is the safer choice if your team values simplicity over absolute lowest cost. It includes a full online store, unlimited products, inventory management, social/marketplace selling, checkout, themes and 24/7 chat support. It's $29/month when billed annually ($39 month-to-month), before payment processing and optional apps. www.shopify.com

I wouldn't pick BigCommerce first

BigCommerce Core is also $29/month billed annually, but its 2026 structure includes sales/GMV thresholds and potentially an additional fee for orders processed through certain payment providers. That makes it less attractive when cost predictability is your primary constraint. www.bigcommerce.com

Bottom line:

• <$30/month and technically comfortable: WooCommerce
• ~$30/month and want minimal technical work: Shopify Basic
• More complex catalog/multichannel requirements: BigCommerce

If you tell me your rough monthly budget, number of products, expected monthly sales, and whether you need subscriptions/B2B/POS, I can recommend the cheapest stack that still covers your requirements.

If the priority is tight monthly spend + solid core ecommerce, I’d shortlist these:

1. My budget pick: WooCommerce

WooCommerce is free/open-source, with no monthly platform subscription or revenue share. You pay for hosting and any extensions you actually need. WooCommerce says typical hosting is roughly $25–$350/month, though a small store can often operate toward the low end. Its core includes unlimited products, orders, and APIs. woocommerce.com

Choose it if: you have someone comfortable with WordPress/hosting and want maximum control over costs.

2. Best "just make it work": Shopify Basic

Shopify Basic is currently $39/month month-to-month or $29/month billed annually. It includes a full online store, unlimited products, checkout, inventory management, social/marketplace selling, discounts, abandoned-checkout recovery, shipping labels, and 24/7 chat support. www.shopify.com

Choose it if: your team is small and you'd rather pay a predictable fee than manage hosting, updates, plugins, and technical maintenance.

3. BigCommerce

BigCommerce Core is $39/month monthly or $29/month annually, with a $30K trailing-12-month GMV threshold. It has strong built-in catalog, inventory, marketplace, POS, and multichannel functionality. However, BigCommerce's 2026 plans can add fees for orders using certain "Open Payment Providers," so I'd examine payment costs carefully before choosing it on a tight budget. www.bigcommerce.com

My recommendation:

• Under ~$30/month and technically capable: WooCommerce
• Around $30–50/month and want simplicity: Shopify Basic
• Need lots of functionality without buying many apps: BigCommerce, provided its payment/GMV economics work for you.

For a genuinely tight budget, I'd start with WooCommerce or Shopify Basic and avoid paid apps/extensions until a business requirement forces you to add one. That keeps the software stack lean instead of turning a $30 platform into a $150/month collection of add-ons.

If the priority is tight monthly cost + solid core ecommerce, I’d shortlist these:

My pick: WooCommerce

If you have some technical capability (or someone who can handle WordPress), I'd choose WooCommerce. The core platform is free, has no monthly subscription or revenue share, and includes unlimited products, orders, and APIs. You pay primarily for hosting and any premium extensions you actually need. woocommerce.com

That's particularly attractive when you're budget-constrained because you can start lean rather than paying for a bunch of bundled features you don't need.

If you want minimal hassle: Big Cartel

Big Cartel is compelling for a small product catalog. It has a $0 starting option, with a $15/month plan and a $30/month plan currently listed, and it doesn't add its own transaction fee—payment processing is handled by Stripe/PayPal. www.bigcartel.com

If you already have a website: Ecwid

Ecwid is good when you don't want to rebuild your site. Its store can be added to an existing WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or other site. The current Venture plan is $35/month month-to-month ($29/month when paid annually), while Business is $65/month ($49/month annually). www.ecwid.com

Bottom line:

• <$30/month and willing to manage some tech: WooCommerce
• Tiny/simple catalog: Big Cartel
• Existing website you want to add a store to: Ecwid
• Willing to spend more for simplicity and scalability: Shopify

If you tell me your approximate monthly budget, number of products, and whether you're selling physical or digital goods, I can narrow this to the best 1–2 choices.

If the priority is tight monthly spend + solid core ecommerce, I’d shortlist these:

My recommendation: WooCommerce

WooCommerce is my first choice if you're genuinely constrained on monthly budget. The core software is free, with no platform subscription or revenue share. You pay for hosting and only add extensions when you actually need them. WooCommerce currently estimates hosting at roughly $25–$350/month, although a small store can often operate toward the lower end. woocommerce.com

You get the essentials: products, unlimited orders, inventory, checkout, payments, coupons, shipping, APIs, and a huge WordPress ecosystem. woocommerce.com

The catch: you're trading money for some technical responsibility. Hosting, updates, security, backups, and plugin compatibility become your problem.

Best "just make it work": Shopify Basic

Shopify is probably the better choice if you have a little more budget and want to minimize technical work. The Basic plan is currently $29/month when billed annually ($39 month-to-month), and includes a full online store, unlimited products, checkout, inventory management, multiple sales channels, and 24/7 support. www.shopify.com

For a small team, I'd generally choose Shopify over WooCommerce if staff time is more expensive than the extra ~$29/month.

Cheapest/simple alternative: Square Online

Square Online is particularly attractive if you already use Square for payments or physical sales. Its Free plan has no monthly subscription cost; you primarily pay payment-processing fees when you make sales. It includes a website builder, SEO tools, custom-domain support, and ecommerce functionality. squareup.com

Its tradeoff is that you get less ecommerce depth and customization than Shopify/WooCommerce.

Bottom line:

• <$30/month and comfortable with WordPress: WooCommerce
• Want the least hassle: Shopify Basic
• $0 monthly platform fee / simple operation: Square Online
• Complex catalog/B2B: BigCommerce

For a tight-budget startup selling ordinary physical products, I'd start with WooCommerce unless you don't have anyone who can handle basic WordPress maintenance.

If the priority is tight monthly spend + solid core ecommerce, I’d shortlist these:

My recommendation:

• Choose WooCommerce if someone on your team can manage WordPress/hosting. The core software is free, with no platform revenue share; you mainly pay for hosting, payments, and any extensions you actually need. WooCommerce currently estimates hosting for most stores at roughly $25–$350/month, though a small store can potentially run cheaper. woocommerce.com
• Choose Shopify Basic if you want the lowest management overhead. It includes the core storefront, unlimited products, inventory, checkout, social/marketplace selling, and payments in one system. It's $29/month when billed annually ($39 month-to-month). www.shopify.com
• I'd put BigCommerce third for a very tight budget. Its Core plan is $29/month annually, but it has a $30K trailing-12-month GMV threshold and a 2% fee on eligible orders using open payment providers. www.bigcommerce.com

For a lean ecommerce stack, I'd avoid paying for lots of apps initially. Make sure the platform covers just these essentials: product/catalog management, checkout, payments, shipping/tax, inventory, order management, discounts, basic SEO, analytics, and mobile storefront.

If you tell me your approximate monthly budget (e.g. <$50, $50–100, $100–200) and whether you already have WordPress/hosting, I can narrow this to the cheapest setup that still covers your requirements.

If the priority is tight monthly spend + solid core ecommerce, I’d shortlist these:

1. 🥇 WooCommerce — best if minimizing recurring costs is paramount

WooCommerce is free/open-source, with no platform subscription or revenue share. You pay for hosting and only add extensions when you actually need them. WooCommerce estimates hosting for most stores at roughly $25–$350/month, with extensions generally $29–$299/year. woocommerce.com

You get the fundamentals—unlimited products, orders and APIs—without having to move to a higher-priced platform tier. woocommerce.com

Choose it if: you already use WordPress, have technical resources, or want to squeeze maximum functionality out of every dollar.

Watch out: you're responsible for hosting, updates, security and plugin compatibility, so the apparent $0 platform cost isn't necessarily $0 operational cost.

2. 🥈 Shopify Basic — best balance of cost and simplicity

Shopify Basic is currently $29/month when billed annually ($39 monthly), and includes a full online store, unlimited products, checkout, inventory management, social/marketplace selling and other core capabilities. www.shopify.com

The big advantage is that hosting, security and much of the operational complexity are bundled in. For a small team, that can make the slightly higher subscription cost worthwhile.

Choose it if: you want to launch quickly and don't want ecommerce infrastructure becoming someone's part-time job.

3. BigCommerce — powerful, but I'd put it third for your constraint

BigCommerce Core is $29/month billed annually ($39 monthly), with unlimited products and several useful built-in sales channels. However, BigCommerce's current plans have GMV thresholds and can impose additional fees when using certain payment providers. www.bigcommerce.com

Choose it if: you specifically need functionality that would otherwise require several Shopify apps.

My recommendation

For a tight budget, I'd make the decision this way:

• <$50/month and have technical support: WooCommerce
• <$50/month and want simplicity: Shopify Basic
• Need lots of ecommerce functionality built in: BigCommerce
• Avoid initially: enterprise platforms, custom development, and large collections of paid apps/plugins.

One important point: don't compare only the monthly subscription. Compare total cost of ownership: hosting, payment processing, transaction fees, premium plugins/apps, themes, maintenance, and the staff time required to operate the platform. WooCommerce's lack of a platform fee can be especially attractive, while Shopify's higher fixed cost can be justified by reduced maintenance. woocommerce.com

If you tell me your approximate monthly budget, expected monthly sales, number of products, and whether you need subscriptions/B2B/POS, I can narrow this to one platform and a lean recommended stack.