ChatGPT answers, unedited

Yes. If you already have WordPress and just need a simple, inexpensive store, I’d look at these three:

1. woocommerce.com — best if you want a traditional store

• The core plugin is free with no monthly subscription and no WooCommerce revenue share. WooCommerce
• Works directly inside WordPress.
• Handles physical products, inventory, shipping, coupons, taxes, etc.
• You can start with just the free plugin and add paid extensions only if you actually need them.
• Your main ongoing costs are your existing hosting plus payment-processing fees.

For a small store selling physical products, this is probably where I'd start.

2. surecart.com — potentially simpler

SureCart is particularly interesting if you don't need a huge, complicated catalog. Its Launch plan is currently $0/month, but charges a 2.9% transaction fee in addition to your payment processor's fees. SureCart SureCart

It supports physical products, digital products, subscriptions, payments, coupons, order management, and shipping. SureCart

The tradeoff is basically:

WooCommerce: more control, potentially lower costs as sales grow
SureCart: simpler managed setup, but the transaction fee matters if you sell a lot

3. ecwid.com — good if you want the store separate from WordPress

Ecwid can be embedded into an existing WordPress site rather than making WordPress itself the ecommerce system. Its plans support adding a store to an existing website, and Ecwid says it charges no transaction fees. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart

It's attractive if you want something relatively hands-off, although the ongoing subscription can make it less economical than WooCommerce for a very small store.

What I'd choose

If you told me "I have a normal WordPress site, maybe 5–50 products, and I just want people to buy things without spending much", I'd probably use:

WordPress + WooCommerce + Stripe/PayPal + your existing hosting.

You can get surprisingly far without buying any WooCommerce extensions. WooCommerce

If you tell me what you're selling (physical products, digital downloads, services, memberships, etc.) and roughly how many products, I can suggest the cheapest setup and exactly which plugins you'd need, including what you can avoid paying for.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and just want a simple, inexpensive store, I’d look at these three:

1. woocommerce.com — best if you want flexibility

WooCommerce's core plugin is free, with no monthly platform fee or revenue share. You mainly pay your payment processor and only add paid extensions if you need them. WooCommerce

Good for: physical products, shipping, inventory, coupons, lots of products.

Downside: it can become complicated/expensive if you start adding lots of extensions.

2. surecart.com — probably my pick for a simple store

SureCart is particularly attractive if you don't need a giant traditional shopping-cart system. Its Launch plan is $0/month, but charges a 2.9% transaction fee in addition to your payment processor's fees. SureCart SureCart

It handles things like products, checkout, orders, coupons, shipping, taxes, subscriptions, and payments without requiring you to assemble lots of separate WordPress plugins. SureCart

Good for: a small catalog, digital products, services, subscriptions, or a straightforward checkout.

3. ecwid.com — good if you want the store managed separately

Ecwid can be embedded into an existing WordPress site. Its plans support adding a store to an existing website, and it doesn't charge its own transaction fee. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart

The tradeoff is that you're paying for an external ecommerce service rather than keeping everything inside WordPress.

What I'd choose

For a small WordPress site with perhaps 5–50 products, I'd start with SureCart if you want the least hassle, or WooCommerce if you want maximum control and expect the store to grow.

If you tell me what you're selling (physical products, digital downloads, services, memberships, etc.), roughly how many products, and whether you need shipping, I can narrow it down to the cheapest practical setup—including the payment fees.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and only need a simple, inexpensive store, I would avoid moving to Shopify unless you need its broader ecosystem.

My top choices

• woocommerce.com — best if you want maximum flexibility

• The core plugin is free with no monthly platform fee or revenue share. WooCommerce
• Excellent for physical products, inventory, shipping, coupons, etc.
• The downside is that costs can creep up when you start adding premium extensions.
• My choice if: you expect the store to grow or want lots of control.
• surecart.com — probably the easiest low-cost option

• It works directly with WordPress and has a free plan.
• The current free Launch plan charges 2.9% per transaction in addition to your payment processor's fees. Its Pro plan is currently listed at $199/year and removes SureCart's transaction fee. SureCart SureCart
• It handles products, checkout, payments, inventory, subscriptions, and digital products without requiring a bunch of separate extensions.
• My choice if: you want a small store that's easy to set up and don't want to become a WooCommerce administrator.
• Stripe Payment Links — cheapest/simplest if you barely need a store

• If you only have a handful of products, you can create payment links and put "Buy" buttons/links on your existing WordPress pages.
• Stripe currently lists standard Payment Links pricing starting at 2.9% + 30¢ per successful charge. Stripe
• No shopping-cart system is necessary.
• My choice if: you have 1–10 products and don't really need a traditional ecommerce catalog.

What I'd do in your situation

If by "simple store" you mean something like:

5–30 products → product page → add to cart → checkout → you receive the order → you ship it

I'd start with SureCart if keeping setup and maintenance simple is the priority, or WooCommerce if you want the store to have room to grow.

If you tell me what you're selling (physical products, digital downloads, services, subscriptions, etc.) and roughly how many products, I can recommend the cheapest setup—including payment fees and any plugins you'll actually need.

For a simple, low-cost store on an existing WordPress site, I’d usually recommend staying inside WordPress rather than moving to Shopify. The best choice depends on what you’re selling.

Best low-cost options

1. WooCommerce — best all-around choice

woocommerce.com

Cost: Free to start (you pay only for payment processing and any optional extensions). WooCommerce

Good for:

• Physical products (shirts, crafts, products you ship)
• A small catalog (5–100 products)
• Coupons, inventory, shipping, taxes
• Growing later without rebuilding

Pros:

• Huge ecosystem
• Works directly inside WordPress
• Lots of free themes/plugins

Cons:

• Can become complicated if you add many extensions
• You may spend time configuring shipping, taxes, emails, etc.

My pick if: you want a “real store” that may grow.

2. SureCart — simplest setup

surecart.com

Cost: Free plan available; paid plans add features. The free option includes core selling features but may include transaction fees. SureCart WordPress.org

Good for:

• A few products
• Digital downloads
• Services
• Memberships
• Simple physical products

Pros:

• Cleaner, easier setup than WooCommerce
• Less plugin maintenance
• Nice checkout experience

Cons:

• Less flexible than WooCommerce for complex stores

My pick if: you just want “add products → accept payments → fulfill orders.”

3. Ecwid — easiest if you don’t want WordPress complexity

ecwid.com

Good for:

• A small shop embedded into your existing site
• Selling on social channels too

Pros:

• Hosted store system (less WordPress maintenance)
• Quick setup

Cons:

• Monthly costs can become higher as you need more features

What I would choose by scenario

• Selling 1–20 simple products: SureCart
• Selling physical goods with shipping/inventory: WooCommerce
• Selling downloads, PDFs, courses, memberships: SureCart or Easy Digital Downloads
• You want the absolute cheapest test store: WooCommerce + Stripe/PayPal

A very common inexpensive setup is:

• WordPress (already have it)
• WooCommerce (free)
• Stripe payment gateway (no monthly fee, just payment processing)
• Free WooCommerce theme
• Only add paid plugins when you actually need them

If you tell me:

1. what you’re selling (physical products, downloads, services, memberships),
2. roughly how many products, and
3. whether you need shipping,

I can narrow it down to the cheapest setup that fits.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and want a simple, inexpensive store, I’d narrow it down to these:

1. woocommerce.com — best overall value

This would be my default recommendation if you're selling physical products.

• The core WooCommerce plugin is free.
• There is no monthly platform fee or revenue share.
• You pay your normal payment-processor fees (Stripe, PayPal, etc.).
• It integrates directly into WordPress, so your products, orders, pages, and customers are managed from your site. WooCommerce
• You can start very simply and add features only when you actually need them.

Downside: WooCommerce can become complicated if you start adding lots of paid extensions.

2. surecart.com — best if you want really simple

SureCart is particularly attractive if you don't need a giant traditional ecommerce system.

Its Launch plan is $0/month, with a 2.9% transaction fee, and it includes products, checkout, order management, payments, and other basic store functionality. SureCart

I'd consider this if you're selling things like:

• A small number of physical products
• Digital downloads
• Services
• Subscriptions
• Donations

The interface is generally more streamlined than building a full WooCommerce setup.

3. ecwid.com — good if you want a store embedded into your existing site

Ecwid is designed specifically to let you add ecommerce to an existing website, including WordPress. Its current Starter plan supports up to 10 products, and Ecwid doesn't charge an additional transaction fee on sales. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart

However, Ecwid's paid plans get considerably more expensive as you grow: Venture is currently $35/month, Business $65/month, and Unlimited $149/month when paid monthly. Ecwid Help Center

What I'd choose

For your situation, I'd probably start with WooCommerce. You can literally install the free plugin, add your products, connect Stripe/PayPal, and avoid paying for a monthly ecommerce platform.

If you tell me what you're selling, roughly how many products you have, and whether you need shipping, I can recommend the cheapest specific setup (including which plugins you actually need and which ones you can skip).

For a simple, low-cost store on an existing WordPress site, I’d usually start with a WordPress plugin rather than moving to a separate platform. The best choice depends on what you’re selling.

My top low-cost recommendations

1. WooCommerce — best overall for most small stores

woocommerce.com

Cost: Free to start
Best for: Physical products, a few dozen products, basic shipping, inventory, coupons, etc.

Pros:

• Free core plugin
• Works directly inside WordPress
• Huge ecosystem of themes and add-ons
• Supports Stripe, PayPal, shipping tools, taxes, inventory, and more

Cons:

• Can become complicated if you add lots of extensions
• Some useful add-ons cost extra

For a small shop selling things like crafts, merchandise, books, or simple products, this is probably the safest long-term choice. Shopify WPBeginner

2. Ecwid — easiest if you want something lightweight

ecwid.com

Cost: Free plan available; paid plans add features
Best for: A very small catalog and minimal setup

Pros:

• Quick to add to an existing WordPress site
• Less WordPress maintenance than WooCommerce
• Good if you only have a handful of products

Cons:

• Advanced features generally require a paid plan
• Less customizable than WooCommerce

Ecwid is a good fit if your goal is “add a buy button/store section and don’t spend weekends configuring plugins.” Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart

3. Easy Digital Downloads — best for downloads

easydigitaldownloads.com

Best for:

• PDFs
• Templates
• Music
• Photos
• Software
• Online files

Not ideal for physical products because it is designed around digital delivery. WordPress.org

4. Simple payment buttons (cheapest if you barely need a store)

If you only have 1–5 items, you may not need a full shopping cart. A payment form plugin connected to Stripe or PayPal can be much simpler.

What I’d pick by situation

• Selling physical products: WooCommerce
• Selling 1–10 simple items and want minimal hassle: Ecwid
• Selling downloads: Easy Digital Downloads
• Taking payments for services/donations: Stripe payment forms

For a typical small WordPress site, I’d install WooCommerce + Stripe payments and avoid paid extensions until you actually need them. The main costs will usually be your payment processor fees and possibly shipping/tax tools, not the store plugin itself. Shopify

If you tell me what you’re selling (physical products, downloads, memberships, services), how many items, and whether you need shipping, I can narrow it down to the cheapest setup.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and only need a simple store, I would avoid paying for a completely separate platform unless you need something more sophisticated.

My top choices

• woocommerce.com — best overall for lowest long-term cost

• The core plugin is free with no monthly subscription or revenue share. WooCommerce
• Excellent if you're selling physical products and need basic things like products, inventory, shipping, coupons, and payments.
• The downside is that WooCommerce can become complicated if you start adding lots of extensions.
• My choice if you want a conventional online store.
• surecart.com — best if you want something simpler

• Its free Launch plan is $0 + 2.9% transaction fee. Paid plans remove that additional transaction fee. SureCart
• Particularly nice for a small number of products, services, digital products, subscriptions, or a relatively simple checkout.
• It handles much of the commerce infrastructure for you, so there's less WordPress/WooCommerce maintenance.
• I'd seriously consider this if "simple and inexpensive" is your priority.
• ecwid.com — good if you don't really want an ecommerce system inside WordPress

• It can be added to an existing WordPress site rather than replacing your site. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart
• The Venture plan currently starts at $29/month when billed annually, supporting up to 100 products. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart
• Very easy to manage, but for a truly small store I'd generally choose WooCommerce or SureCart instead.

What I'd choose

If you tell me what you're selling and roughly how many products—for example, "10 physical products," "a few services," "digital downloads," etc.—I can tell you which one I'd use and give you the cheapest setup, including payment processing and any plugins you'd actually need.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and want a simple, inexpensive store, I’d look at these three:

1. woocommerce.com — best overall value

This would be my first choice for most WordPress sites.

• The core WooCommerce plugin is free.
• No monthly WooCommerce subscription.
• No WooCommerce percentage-of-sales fee.
• You can add Stripe/PayPal or another payment processor.
• Works directly inside WordPress.
• Good if you might eventually grow from 5 products to hundreds.
• The downside: WooCommerce can become complicated if you start adding lots of paid extensions. WooCommerce

For a small store: you can often get away with WooCommerce + a free payment gateway + your existing WordPress hosting.

2. surecart.com — easiest/simple alternative

I would seriously consider this if you don't need a traditional Amazon-like shopping cart.

SureCart has a free Launch plan, with a 2.9% transaction fee, and paid plans if you want to eliminate that fee and get additional features. SureCart

It's particularly attractive for:

• A handful of products
• Digital products
• Services
• Donations
• Subscriptions
• Simple checkout pages

The interface is generally less "big ecommerce system" than WooCommerce.

3. ecwid.com — good if you want the store separated from WordPress

Ecwid can be embedded into an existing WordPress site, so you don't have to turn WordPress itself into a full ecommerce system. It currently supports adding a store to an existing website and has plans based on product count. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart Ecwid Help Center

However, I'd generally choose WooCommerce or SureCart first if keeping costs down is the priority. Ecwid's paid plans became more expensive in 2026; for example, its Venture plan is currently $35/month monthly or $29/month when paid annually in the U.S. Ecwid Help Center

What I'd choose

My recommendation: If you tell me what you're selling, roughly how many products you have, and whether they're physical or digital, I can give you a specific setup (including the cheapest payment processor/plugin combination) and estimate what you'd actually pay per month/year.

Yes. If you already have a WordPress site and just want a simple, inexpensive store, I’d narrow it down to these three:

1. woocommerce.com — best overall value

This is my first choice if you want the store to live completely inside WordPress.

• The core plugin is free.
• No monthly WooCommerce platform fee and no revenue share.
• Unlimited products and orders.
• Huge ecosystem of payment, shipping, tax, and design plugins.
• You can start very cheaply and add features only when you actually need them. WooCommerce

Downside: WooCommerce can become complicated if you start installing lots of extensions. For a very small store, you may be paying for functionality you don't need.

2. surecart.com — best for a really simple store

I'd seriously consider this if you're selling things like:

• A handful of physical products
• Digital downloads
• Services
• Courses
• Subscriptions
• A small number of products with straightforward checkout

SureCart has a free Launch plan, although it charges a 2.9% transaction fee. Its paid Pro plan removes that transaction fee and currently starts at $199/year according to its pricing page. SureCart

The big advantage is that it handles a lot of the ecommerce infrastructure for you, so you don't have to assemble a bunch of WordPress plugins.

3. ecwid.com — easiest if you don't want to deal with WooCommerce

Ecwid has a WordPress plugin that lets you add a store to your existing site. It's cloud-based, so updates, backups, and much of the store infrastructure are handled for you. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart

However, it's not as cheap as it used to be. As of March 2026, Ecwid's paid plans include Starter, Venture ($35/month monthly or $29/month annually), Business ($65/$49), and Unlimited ($149/$119). Ecwid Help Center Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart

So I wouldn't choose Ecwid if your primary goal is lowest possible cost.

What I'd choose

My recommendation: Start with WooCommerce if you're comfortable managing a WordPress plugin. It's hard to beat the price: the core store is free, and you can keep the setup extremely minimal.

If you tell me what you're selling (physical products, digital products, services, subscriptions, etc.), roughly how many products, and whether you need shipping, I can recommend the cheapest specific setup, including which plugins you actually need and which ones you can skip.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and only need a simple, inexpensive store, I’d narrow it down to two options:

1. woocommerce.com — my default recommendation

WooCommerce is free and open-source, and the core plugin has no monthly subscription or revenue share. You pay your normal payment-processing fees and only add paid extensions if you actually need them. WooCommerce

It’s a particularly good fit if you want:

• A small catalog of physical products
• Your store to look like the rest of your WordPress site
• Stripe/PayPal or another payment processor
• Shipping and tax options
• Room to grow later
• No additional monthly ecommerce platform fee

For a basic store, you can realistically start with WooCommerce + a payment gateway and spend $0 on ecommerce software.

2. surecart.com — worth considering for very simple selling

SureCart is another WordPress-focused option. Its Launch plan is $0/month, but it charges a 2.9% transaction fee on that plan, in addition to your payment processor's fees. SureCart

I'd consider it if you're selling things like:

• A handful of products
• Digital downloads
• Services
• Donations
• Subscriptions
• Products where you want a particularly simple checkout

What about Ecwid?

ecwid.com can be embedded into an existing WordPress site and is quite easy to set up. Its Starter plan supports up to 10 products, but Ecwid's current paid plans have changed and start making more sense if you need features beyond a tiny catalog. Ecwid Help Center Ecwid Help Center

What I'd choose

For most WordPress sites, I'd start with WooCommerce. You don't need to buy a bunch of WooCommerce extensions just because they're available—the free core can handle a surprisingly basic store.

If you tell me what you're selling (physical/digital), roughly how many products, and whether you need shipping, I can give you a specific lowest-cost setup—including exactly which free plugins to install and what you'll actually pay per sale.

For a simple, inexpensive store on an existing WordPress site, I’d usually recommend staying inside WordPress rather than adding a separate platform. The best choice depends mostly on what you’re selling.

Best low-cost options

1. woocommerce.com — best overall for most stores

Cost: Free to start (you pay only for payment processing and any optional add-ons). WooCommerce

Good for:

• Physical products (shirts, crafts, books, products you ship)
• A small catalog (even just 1–20 products)
• Coupons, inventory, shipping, taxes
• Growing later without rebuilding

A basic inexpensive setup:

• WooCommerce plugin: $0
• Stripe/PayPal payments: transaction fees only
• Free theme + free WooCommerce extensions where possible

Downside: WooCommerce can become complex if you install too many extensions.

My recommendation: This is the safest choice if you might eventually sell more than a handful of products.

2. wordpress.org — best for digital products

Cost: Free core plugin; paid upgrades are optional. WordPress.org

Good for:

• PDFs
• Ebooks
• Templates
• Photos
• Music
• Software downloads
• Online resources

It is simpler than WooCommerce if you don’t need shipping. WordPress.org

3. A lightweight "buy button" approach — cheapest if you only have a few items

If you only need:

• 1–5 products
• A checkout button
• Simple payments

You could use:

• Stripe payment links
• PayPal buttons
• A form plugin with payment integration

This avoids adding a full ecommerce system, but you lose inventory/cart features.

4. Hosted platforms (Shopify, etc.) — usually not cheapest for your case

Platforms like Shopify are easy, but you’ll generally pay a monthly subscription even if sales are slow. Since you already have WordPress, adding WooCommerce is usually more economical.

My suggested setup for a small WordPress store

For a typical small business:

1. Install WooCommerce
2. Use a lightweight WooCommerce-compatible theme
3. Connect Stripe
4. Add only the extensions you actually need
5. Avoid paid plugins until sales justify them

You can often launch a basic store for close to $0/month beyond your existing hosting. WooCommerce

If you tell me:

• what you’re selling (physical products, downloads, memberships, services)
• how many products
• whether you need shipping/taxes/inventory

…I can suggest the cheapest setup that fits.

Yes. If you already have a WordPress site and just want a small, simple store, I’d avoid building a complicated WooCommerce setup unless you expect the store to grow substantially.

My picks

• 🥇 WooCommerce — best if you want the lowest ongoing software cost

• The core plugin is free/open-source with no monthly platform fee or revenue share. WooCommerce
• You can add products, shopping cart, checkout, shipping, coupons, etc.
• The downside is that extensions can add costs, and WooCommerce requires more setup/maintenance.
• woocommerce.com
• 🥈 Ecwid — probably the easiest for a very small store

• It has a WordPress plugin specifically designed to add a store to an existing WordPress site. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart
• Ecwid's current Starter plan supports up to 10 products, and Ecwid says it charges no transaction fees of its own. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart
• It's cloud-hosted, so you don't have to worry as much about plugin updates, backups, or store maintenance.
• ecwid.com
• 🥉 SureCart — worth considering if you sell digital products/services

• It has a $0 Launch plan, with a 2.9% transaction fee, and paid plans if you want more features. SureCart
• Particularly attractive if you're selling downloads, subscriptions, memberships, or services rather than a traditional inventory-heavy store.
• surecart.com

What I'd choose

If you told me "I have a WordPress site, maybe 5–20 products, and I just want people to be able to buy them without turning my website into a giant ecommerce project," I'd lean toward Ecwid for simplicity.

If you're comfortable with WordPress and want to minimize monthly costs and retain maximum control, I'd use WooCommerce.

If you tell me what you're selling (physical products, digital downloads, services, memberships, etc.), roughly how many products, and whether you need shipping, I can tell you which one I'd use and what the actual yearly cost would likely be.

Yes. If you already have a WordPress site and only need a simple, inexpensive store, I’d avoid building a big Shopify-style setup unless you need it.

My top choices

• woocommerce.com — best overall for lowest long-term cost.

The core plugin is free, and it runs directly inside WordPress. You can sell physical products, digital products, services, etc. WooCommerce
Best if: you want 5–100 products and want everything integrated into your existing WordPress site.

• surecart.com — best if you want something simpler.

It has a free Launch plan with a 2.9% transaction fee and handles a lot of the ecommerce infrastructure for you. SureCart
Best if: you don't want to deal with WooCommerce's ecosystem of extensions and settings, especially for digital products, services, subscriptions, or a relatively small catalog.

• ecwid.com — good if you want a store bolted onto your existing site.

Ecwid specifically supports adding a store to an existing WordPress site. Its Starter plan supports up to 10 products, while higher plans go to 100 or 2,500 products. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart Ecwid Help Center
Best if: you want the store functionality largely managed outside WordPress.

What I'd choose

For a small WordPress business site, I'd probably go:

1. WooCommerce → if you want maximum flexibility and minimal recurring software costs.
2. SureCart → if you value simplicity more than having every possible ecommerce feature.
3. Ecwid → if you want the store to be somewhat separate from WordPress.

If you tell me what you're selling (physical products, digital downloads, services, memberships, etc.), approximately how many products, and whether you need shipping, I can tell you which one I'd use and what the actual lowest-cost setup would be.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and want a simple, inexpensive store, I’d start with WooCommerce.

My recommendation: WooCommerce

WooCommerce is free, open-source, and installs directly into WordPress. The core plugin has no monthly subscription and no WooCommerce revenue share; you generally just pay your payment processor (such as Stripe/PayPal) and any optional extensions you choose. WooCommerce WooCommerce

woocommerce.com

For a small store, you can potentially keep the software cost at $0/month:

• WooCommerce — free
• Product catalog — included
• Shopping cart/checkout — included
• Basic shipping — included
• Stripe/PayPal payments — processor fees
• Hosting — you're already paying for your WordPress site
• Optional plugins — only if you actually need them

I'd choose this if: you're selling physical products, have perhaps 5–100 products, and want the store to feel like a natural part of your existing website.

Another option: SureCart

SureCart is worth considering if your store is very simple, particularly if you're selling digital products, services, subscriptions, or taking payments rather than running a traditional inventory-heavy shop.

It currently has a free Launch plan, although it charges a 2.9% transaction fee on that plan. Its paid Pro plan eliminates that transaction fee but starts at $199/year according to its current pricing page. SureCart

surecart.com

What about Ecwid?

Ecwid is nice because you can bolt a store onto an existing WordPress site without making WordPress itself responsible for all the ecommerce functionality. However, its current Starter plan is limited to 10 products, and the paid plans get considerably more expensive as you need additional features. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart Ecwid Help Center

ecwid.com

What I'd do in your situation

Existing WordPress + inexpensive + simple store → WooCommerce.

I'd avoid paying for a separate Shopify-style platform unless you specifically want the convenience of having somebody else manage the ecommerce infrastructure.

If you tell me (1) what you're selling, (2) roughly how many products, and (3) whether you need shipping or just online payment, I can recommend the cheapest specific setup/plugins and estimate what it would cost you per month.

Yes. If you already have a WordPress site and just need a simple, inexpensive store, I’d look at these two options:

1. WooCommerce — my first choice

woocommerce.com is free and runs directly inside WordPress. There’s no monthly WooCommerce platform fee and no WooCommerce revenue share; you mainly pay your payment processor (such as Stripe/PayPal) and only add paid extensions if you need them. WooCommerce WooCommerce

For a small store, you can keep it very lean:

• Install WooCommerce
• Add your products
• Connect Stripe/PayPal
• Set shipping/tax settings
• Use your existing WordPress theme
• Skip the paid extensions initially

Best if: you want the store to feel like a natural part of your existing website and want maximum control without another monthly platform subscription.

2. Ecwid — easiest if you don't want to deal with WooCommerce

ecwid.com can be added to an existing WordPress site with a plugin. It's cloud-based, so Ecwid handles things like updates and backups rather than putting all of that on WordPress. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart

Ecwid's current Starter plan supports up to 10 products, and its paid plans start higher if you need more products/features. Ecwid says it doesn't charge its own transaction fees, although your payment processor still does. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart

Best if: you have a handful of products and want something extremely simple with minimal maintenance.

What I'd choose

One other possibility: if you're literally selling just a few things and don't need a shopping cart, you may not need an ecommerce platform at all. A simple payment plugin can put a Buy Now / Pay button directly on your WordPress pages. There are lightweight plugins specifically designed for this. wordpress.org

If you tell me roughly how many products you have, whether they're physical or digital, and whether you need shipping, I can recommend the cheapest setup (including the specific plugins I'd install) and estimate what you'd actually pay per year.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and just need a simple, inexpensive store, I’d narrow it down to these:

My top choices

• woocommerce.com — best overall for a traditional store

• The core plugin is free with no monthly subscription or revenue share. WooCommerce
• Good for physical products, inventory, shipping, coupons, etc.
• The downside is that costs can creep up if you start adding paid extensions.
• My choice if: you expect the store to grow beyond just a few products.
• surecart.com — probably the easiest low-cost option

• It integrates directly with WordPress.
• Its Launch plan is currently $0/month, with a 2.9% transaction fee. SureCart
• It includes checkout, products, order management, shipping, taxes, coupons, and payment processing features without requiring lots of separate plugins. SureCart
• My choice if: you want a small store and don't want to spend time configuring WooCommerce.
• ecwid.com — good if you want the store to be mostly separate from WordPress

• You can embed an Ecwid store into an existing WordPress site. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart
• The current Starter plan supports up to 10 products. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart
• Paid plans get considerably more expensive as you need more products/features; Ecwid changed its pricing in March 2026. Ecwid Help Center
• My choice if: you want something very simple and don't care about having the store deeply integrated into WordPress.

What I'd do in your situation

If you're talking about something like 5–50 products, basic checkout, Stripe/PayPal, and perhaps shipping, I'd start with SureCart.

If you want a more conventional ecommerce site with product categories, inventory, shipping rules, variations, lots of plugins, and room to grow, I'd use WooCommerce.

If you tell me (1) what you're selling, (2) roughly how many products, and (3) whether they're physical or digital, I can tell you which one I'd pick and what your realistic yearly cost would be.

Yes. If you already have a WordPress site and only need a simple, inexpensive store, I’d narrow it down to two main choices:

1. WooCommerce — my default recommendation

woocommerce.com is free and open-source, and the core plugin doesn't have a monthly platform fee. WooCommerce WooCommerce

It's a good fit if you want:

• A handful or hundreds of physical products
• Stripe/PayPal payments
• Shipping and taxes
• Product variations (size, color, etc.)
• Coupons and basic inventory
• The store to look like a native part of your existing WordPress site

The downside is that WooCommerce can become complicated if you start adding lots of paid extensions. But for a basic store, you can keep the cost very low.

Typical setup: WordPress + WooCommerce + Stripe = potentially just your existing hosting costs plus payment-processing fees.

2. Ecwid — easiest if you want minimal hassle

ecwid.com is particularly attractive if you don't want to maintain a complicated WooCommerce installation. Ecwid is cloud-based, handles updates/backups, and embeds a store into your existing WordPress site. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart

Ecwid currently has a Starter plan for up to 10 products, while its Venture plan supports up to 100 products. The current Venture price is $35/month monthly or $29/month when paid annually. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart

So I'd choose Ecwid if simplicity is more important than keeping the monthly cost as close to zero as possible.

What I'd choose

My recommendation for you: start with WooCommerce unless you specifically want something extremely hands-off. You can install the free plugin, create your products, connect Stripe, and have a perfectly functional small store without buying a bunch of extensions.

If you tell me what you're selling (physical products, digital downloads, services, memberships, etc.) and roughly how many products, I can recommend the cheapest specific setup, including which plugins to install and what you can avoid paying for.

For a simple, low-cost store on an existing WordPress site, I’d usually recommend starting with one of these options:

1. WooCommerce — best overall if you sell physical products

woocommerce.com

Cost: Free plugin; you pay only for hosting, payment processing, and optional extensions. WooCommerce

Good for:

• A handful to hundreds of physical products
• Inventory tracking
• Shipping
• Coupons
• Product variations (sizes/colors)
• Growing later without changing platforms

Pros:

• Biggest WordPress ecommerce ecosystem
• Tons of free themes and plugins
• You own the store data

Cons:

• Can become expensive if you add many premium extensions
• More setup/maintenance than simpler options

My pick: If you’re selling shirts, crafts, physical goods, or anything that needs shipping, this is probably where I’d start.

2. SureCart — easiest low-cost option for a small catalog

surecart.com

Cost: Has a free plan; paid plans add features. SureCart

Good for:

• A few products
• Digital downloads
• Services
• Memberships
• Simple checkout pages

Pros:

• Faster setup than WooCommerce
• Less plugin clutter
• Nice checkout experience

Cons:

• Smaller ecosystem than WooCommerce
• May not fit complex shipping/inventory needs

My pick: If you only have 1–20 products and want something simple, I’d seriously consider this.

3. Ecwid — good if you want a store embedded into WordPress

ecwid.com

Good for:

• Small shops
• Selling on multiple channels (website + social marketplaces)
• Keeping ecommerce separate from WordPress

Pros:

• Easy setup
• Less strain on your WordPress hosting

Cons:

• Monthly costs can grow as your store grows

My recommendation by situation

• 5–50 physical products: WooCommerce
• A few products, services, or digital downloads: SureCart
• You want the easiest setup and don’t care about deep WordPress integration: Ecwid
• You want maximum control long-term: WooCommerce

A very inexpensive setup could be:

• Existing WordPress hosting ✅
• Free WooCommerce plugin ✅
• Free payment setup (Stripe/PayPal extensions depending on needs) ✅
• Free shipping/basic tax tools initially ✅

You could often launch a basic store for just the cost of your current hosting plus payment processing fees.

If you tell me:

1. what you’re selling (physical, digital, services),
2. roughly how many products, and
3. whether you need shipping, subscriptions, or inventory,

I can narrow it down to the cheapest setup that fits.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and only need a simple, inexpensive store, I would avoid Shopify unless you specifically want a separate ecommerce platform.

My top choices

• WooCommerce — best overall value

• The core plugin is free.
• You can sell physical or digital products, take payments, manage orders, and add shipping.
• There are no WooCommerce platform/revenue-share fees; you mainly pay your payment processor and only add paid extensions if you need them. WooCommerce
• My recommendation if: you expect the store to grow or want maximum flexibility.
• woocommerce.com
• SureCart — best if you want something simpler

• It integrates directly with WordPress and has a $0 Launch plan, with a 2.9% transaction fee according to its current pricing.
• It handles checkout, payments, products, orders, subscriptions, etc., without requiring you to assemble as many separate plugins. SureCart SureCart
• My recommendation if: you only have a handful of products and want the least complicated setup.
• surecart.com
• Ecwid — good if you want the store separated from WordPress

• It can be embedded into an existing WordPress site.
• Its current Starter offering supports up to 10 products, and Ecwid says it charges no transaction fee. Ecwid Help Center Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart
• Paid plans become considerably more expensive as you need more products/features; for example, Venture is currently $35/month or $29/month when paid annually. Ecwid Help Center
• ecwid.com

What I'd choose

If you told me "I have a WordPress site, 5–20 products, and just want people to buy things without spending much", I'd probably choose:

1. SureCart → simplest
2. WooCommerce → cheapest long-term / most flexible
3. Ecwid → easiest if you don't want the ecommerce functionality living inside WordPress

If you tell me what you're selling (physical products, digital downloads, services, memberships, etc.), roughly how many products, and whether you need shipping, I can tell you which one I'd use and what your actual monthly/yearly cost would likely be.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and just need a simple, inexpensive store, I’d narrow it down to these:

My top picks

• woocommerce.com — best overall for a traditional store

• The core plugin is free.
• No WooCommerce percentage-of-sales fee; you just pay your payment processor.
• Great for physical products, shipping, inventory, coupons, etc.
• The downside is that optional extensions can add up. WooCommerce WooCommerce
• My choice if: you expect the store to grow or want maximum control.
• surecart.com — probably the simplest/cheapest for a small store

• Has a $0 Launch plan with no monthly subscription.
• Currently charges 2.9% per transaction on that plan, in addition to the payment processor's fees.
• It handles checkout, products, taxes, orders, subscriptions, etc., without requiring a pile of WordPress add-ons. SureCart SureCart
• My choice if: you have a small number of products and want something that is easy to maintain.
• ecwid.com — good if you want the store to feel separate from WordPress

• It has a WordPress plugin and a cloud-based store backend.
• You can add the store to an existing WordPress site without having to build the whole ecommerce infrastructure yourself.
• Its entry-level plans limit the number of products, so it's worth checking the current limits before choosing it. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart

What I'd do in your situation

If you tell me what you're selling and roughly how many products you have, I can tell you which one I'd use.

For example:

• 1–10 simple physical products: SureCart or WooCommerce
• 10–100 physical products: WooCommerce
• Digital downloads: SureCart
• Subscriptions/memberships: SureCart
• You want the absolute lowest ongoing cost: WooCommerce, assuming you don't need paid extensions
• You want the least technical setup/maintenance: SureCart

If you give me a little more detail about your store (physical vs. digital, number of products, whether you need shipping, and approximate monthly sales), I can map out the cheapest setup including payment fees and tell you exactly what I'd install.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and want a simple, inexpensive store, I’d narrow it down to these:

1. woocommerce.com — best overall value

WooCommerce itself is free and open source, so there’s no monthly platform fee just to run the store. WooCommerce WooCommerce

It’s a good choice if you want:

• Physical products
• A normal shopping cart and checkout
• Shipping/tax options
• Coupons
• Lots of payment gateways
• Room to expand later

Downside: WooCommerce can become expensive if you start adding lots of premium extensions. For a very basic store, though, you can keep the cost quite low.

2. surecart.com — my pick for really simple

SureCart is particularly attractive if you don't want to deal with the complexity of WooCommerce. Its Launch plan is currently $0/month + 2.9% transaction fee, and it works directly with WordPress. SureCart

I'd consider this if you're selling:

• A handful of physical products
• Digital products
• Services
• Subscriptions
• Donations

It's more of a hosted e-commerce system integrated into WordPress, so there's less store infrastructure for you to manage.

3. ecwid.com — easiest if you want to bolt a store onto an existing site

Ecwid is designed specifically to add a store to an existing website, including WordPress. Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart Ecwid Help Center

The catch is that its pricing has changed: the current paid plans start at $35/month ($29/month when paid annually) for Venture, while the entry-level Starter plan supports up to 10 products. Ecwid Help Center Ecwid | E-Commerce Shopping Cart

So I wouldn't choose Ecwid primarily to save money anymore.

What I'd choose

For your situation, I'd probably start with WooCommerce unless you specifically want something extremely simple. You can install it for free and initially avoid paid extensions.

If you tell me what you're selling (physical products, digital downloads, services, etc.), roughly how many products, and whether you need shipping, I can tell you the cheapest setup I'd use—including the payment processor and the specific WordPress plugins I'd install.

For a simple store on an existing WordPress site, I’d usually avoid jumping straight to an expensive ecommerce platform. The best low-cost option depends on what you’re selling:

Best low-cost choices

1. WooCommerce — Best all-around free option

Best if: You sell physical products (shirts, crafts, parts, inventory, etc.)

• Plugin itself is free.
• Works directly inside WordPress.
• Supports products, coupons, shipping, taxes, Stripe/PayPal payments.
• Huge ecosystem of themes and extensions. Shopify

Downside: It can become complicated if you add lots of paid extensions (subscriptions, advanced shipping, memberships, etc.). Shopify

Typical cost:

• Plugin: $0
• Payment processing: normal Stripe/PayPal fees
• Optional add-ons: $0–$200+/year depending on needs

For a small store with 5–50 products, this is probably my first recommendation.

2. SureCart — Best lightweight WordPress option

Best if: You sell a few products, services, downloads, memberships, or subscriptions.

Pros:

• Simpler setup than WooCommerce.
• Cleaner checkout experience.
• Good for small catalogs.
• Has a free tier with transaction fees and paid plans for more features. Shopify

This is a good choice if you don’t want to manage a full inventory system.

3. Ecwid — Best if you just want to "bolt on" a store

Best if: Your WordPress site is mostly a brochure/blog site and you just need a store page.

Pros:

• Embeds into WordPress.
• Less maintenance than a full ecommerce plugin.
• Can work across multiple website platforms. Hostinger

The free/cheap plans are limited, but it can be a very easy starting point. Hostinger

4. Easy Digital Downloads — If you sell downloads only

Best if: PDFs, templates, music, courses, software, ebooks.

It is purpose-built for digital products rather than physical inventory. Easy Digital Downloads

My recommendation by scenario

• Selling physical products: → WooCommerce
• Selling 1–20 simple products/services: → SureCart
• Selling digital files: → Easy Digital Downloads
• Already have a WordPress site and want the least disruption: → Ecwid

A common inexpensive setup would be:

• WordPress (already have)
• Free theme
• WooCommerce or SureCart
• Stripe payments
• Free shipping plugin (if needed)

You can often get a basic store running for under $50/year beyond your existing hosting, unless you need premium features.

If you tell me:

1. what you’re selling (physical, digital, services, memberships),
2. roughly how many products, and
3. whether you need shipping,

I can narrow it down to the cheapest fit.

For a simple, low-cost store on an existing WordPress site, I’d usually start with a plugin rather than moving to Shopify or another platform. The best choice depends mostly on what you’re selling.

Best low-cost options

1. WooCommerce — best general choice

woocommerce.com

Cost: Free plugin; you mainly pay payment processing fees (Stripe/PayPal, etc.). GigaPress

Good for:

• Physical products
• A small catalog
• Shipping and inventory
• Coupons and basic promotions

Pros:

• Huge ecosystem
• Works directly inside WordPress
• Easy to expand later

Cons:

• Can become complicated if you add many extensions
• Some useful features (subscriptions, advanced shipping, memberships) cost extra SureCart

For a small store selling a handful of products, WooCommerce is usually the safest long-term choice.

2. SureCart — best if you want simple setup

surecart.com

Cost: Has a free option; paid plans add features. WordPress.org

Good for:

• Digital products
• Services
• Simple physical products
• Memberships/subscriptions

Pros:

• Cleaner setup than WooCommerce
• Less plugin maintenance
• Modern checkout experience

Cons:

• Less customizable than WooCommerce for complex stores

This is attractive if you want “add a store and sell” without managing lots of WordPress store components. SureCart

3. Easy Digital Downloads — best for downloads

easydigitaldownloads.com

Good for:

• PDFs
• Ebooks
• Templates
• Software
• Digital files

I would not pick it for physical products because it is designed primarily around digital sales. Odd Jar

My recommendation by scenario

• Selling a few physical items: WooCommerce
• Selling 1–20 simple products and want minimal hassle: SureCart
• Selling only downloads: Easy Digital Downloads
• Selling only one item (like a service, booking deposit, or payment): a simple Stripe payment plugin may be enough

For most small business WordPress sites, I’d install WooCommerce first, use a free theme-compatible setup, connect Stripe or PayPal, and avoid paid extensions until there is a real need.

If you tell me:

1. what you’re selling (physical, digital, services, memberships),
2. roughly how many products, and
3. whether you need shipping, taxes, or subscriptions,

I can narrow it down to the cheapest setup.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and just need a simple, inexpensive store, I’d look at these two first:

1. WooCommerce — my default recommendation

woocommerce.com is free at its core, with no monthly subscription and no percentage of your sales going to WooCommerce. You pay your payment processor's transaction fees instead. WooCommerce WooCommerce

For a small store, you can start with:

• WooCommerce — free
• WooPayments or Stripe — no monthly fee; transaction fees apply
• Your existing WordPress hosting
• A free WooCommerce-compatible theme
• No paid extensions unless you actually need them

WooPayments currently starts at 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for U.S.-issued cards, although the exact rate can vary by transaction. WooCommerce

I'd choose WooCommerce if: you're selling physical products, want a normal shopping cart, need shipping/inventory, or think the store might grow.

2. SureCart — potentially simpler

surecart.com is particularly interesting if you want to keep things lightweight. Its free Launch plan currently supports physical and digital products, checkout, subscriptions, inventory, shipping calculations, etc., with a 2.9% transaction fee on the free plan. SureCart WordPress.org

The big difference is that SureCart handles much of the ecommerce processing on its own cloud infrastructure rather than putting everything inside your WordPress database. WordPress.org

I'd choose SureCart if: you want a very simple store and don't want to deal with the larger WooCommerce ecosystem.

What I'd do in your situation

If you're talking about something like 5–50 products and a basic "add to cart → checkout → pay" store, I'd start with WooCommerce. You can get the whole thing running without buying a bunch of add-ons.

If you tell me what you're selling (physical products, digital downloads, services, memberships, etc.), roughly how many products, and whether you need shipping, I can tell you which option would be cheapest and simplest for your particular site.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and want a simple, inexpensive store, I’d narrow it down to two choices:

1. woocommerce.com — best if you want maximum flexibility

WooCommerce itself is free, with no monthly platform fee or revenue share. You mainly pay your payment processor (such as Stripe/PayPal) and only add paid extensions if you need them. WooCommerce

Good for:

• Physical products
• A normal shopping cart + checkout
• Inventory and shipping
• Growing into a larger store
• Keeping everything inside WordPress

Downside: WooCommerce can become complicated if you start adding lots of extensions.

My take: If you're selling physical products and expect the store to grow, this is probably the safest long-term choice.

2. surecart.com — best if you want really simple

SureCart is particularly attractive for a small/simple store. Its Launch plan is $0, although it charges a 2.9% transaction fee on that plan. Its paid Pro plan currently starts at $199/year for one store, with no SureCart transaction fee. SureCart

It handles things like checkout, orders, payments, taxes, invoices, and even digital products without requiring you to assemble a bunch of WordPress extensions. SureCart

Good for:

• A handful of products
• Digital products
• Services
• Simple physical-product sales
• Subscriptions
• Someone who doesn't want to maintain a complicated WooCommerce setup

What I'd choose

One important consideration: don't automatically assume WooCommerce will be cheaper just because the plugin is free. Once you need subscriptions, advanced shipping, tax automation, invoices, etc., paid extensions can add up. WooCommerce SureCart

If you tell me what you're selling (physical/digital/service), roughly how many products, and whether you need shipping, I can tell you which option I'd pick and what the cheapest setup would cost you per year.

For a simple, low-cost store on an existing WordPress site, I’d usually recommend staying inside WordPress rather than adding a separate platform. The best choice depends on what you’re selling:

1. Best overall budget choice: WooCommerce

WooCommerce official site

Best for: physical products, a mix of physical + digital products, small catalogs.

• Plugin: free
• Handles products, carts, checkout, coupons, inventory, shipping
• Huge ecosystem of free and paid extensions
• Works with Stripe and PayPal
• You can start with almost no upfront cost

Downside: it can become complex if you only need a very small store. Many useful add-ons (subscriptions, advanced shipping, etc.) cost extra. gigapress.netwptakes.com

My pick if you sell:

• 5–100 physical products
• handmade goods
• merchandise
• simple services with payments

2. Cheapest/simple checkout option: SureCart

SureCart official site

Best for: a few products, digital goods, subscriptions, services.

Pros:

• Very simple setup
• Cleaner checkout than many full ecommerce systems
• Less strain on your WordPress hosting
• Good for selling things like PDFs, memberships, courses, or a handful of products

Some features are paid, but it can be a lower-maintenance option than building a full WooCommerce store. gigapress.netwptakes.com

3. If you only sell digital downloads: Easy Digital Downloads

Easy Digital Downloads official site

Best for: ebooks, templates, photos, music, software, PDFs.

It avoids all the shipping/inventory features you don’t need and focuses on digital delivery. The core plugin is free, with paid upgrades for advanced features. wordpress.org

4. If you only need a "buy now" button

If you have just a few items (for example, one service package or a couple of products), you may not need a full store:

• WP Simple Pay — simple Stripe payment forms
• WP Simple Pay official site

This avoids managing a shopping cart entirely. easydigitaldownloads.com

My recommendation by situation

For a small business WordPress site with a simple store, I’d probably start with WooCommerce + Stripe, using only free extensions at first. It gives you room to grow without paying monthly platform fees.

If you tell me what you’re selling (physical products, downloads, services, subscriptions), number of items, and whether you need shipping, I can narrow it down further.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and only need a simple, inexpensive store, I’d narrow it down to these:

🥇 My first choice: WooCommerce

WooCommerce is probably the best choice if you want a conventional store with products, cart, checkout, shipping, coupons, etc.

• Free core plugin
• No monthly WooCommerce platform fee
• No WooCommerce revenue share
• You pay your payment processor's normal transaction fee
• Huge ecosystem of free plugins/themes
• Can start very small and expand later woocommerce.com

For example, you could start with WooCommerce + WooPayments and avoid paying for additional software initially. WooPayments has no setup or monthly fee; U.S. card processing starts around 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. woocommerce.com

I'd choose this if: you're selling physical products and expect the store to eventually become a meaningful part of the site.

🥈 Easiest/cleanest: SureCart

SureCart is particularly attractive if you want something simpler than WooCommerce.

Its free plan currently supports unlimited products and core checkout/store functionality, but charges a 2.9% transaction fee. The Pro plan is currently $179/year and removes that transaction fee. surecart.com

I'd choose this if: you have a relatively small catalog and want to avoid the typical WooCommerce collection of plugins, extensions and configuration.

🥉 Ecwid

Ecwid is another good option if you basically want to drop a store into an existing WordPress site without making WordPress itself responsible for all the ecommerce functionality.

Ecwid specifically supports adding a store to an existing WordPress site and doesn't charge its own transaction fees. Its paid plans currently start above the very-low-cost range, though, and pricing changed in March 2026. support.ecwid.com

I'd choose this if: you want the store to be somewhat independent from WordPress.

What I'd do in your situation

If you're saying "I have a WordPress site, I just need a small store and I don't want to spend much", I'd start with:

WordPress → WooCommerce → WooPayments

You can get a basic store running for essentially $0/month beyond your existing WordPress hosting, with payment processing only when you make a sale. woocommerce.com

If your store is really simple—say 5–20 products, no complicated shipping, maybe just a few physical or digital products—I'd seriously consider SureCart instead because the setup can be considerably less involved.

If you tell me what you're selling, roughly how many products, and whether they're physical or digital, I can tell you which one I'd pick and what the cheapest setup (including payment processing) would look like.

Yes. If you already have a WordPress site and want a simple, inexpensive store, I’d narrow it down to two choices:

🥇 My first choice: WooCommerce

WooCommerce is probably the best fit if you want to keep everything inside WordPress.

• Free plugin
• No monthly WooCommerce fee
• No WooCommerce percentage of your sales
• Handles physical products, digital products, inventory, coupons, shipping, etc.
• You can start with just the free core plugin and add things later if needed. woocommerce.com
• WooPayments has no setup or monthly fee; you pay the normal payment-processing fees. woocommerce.com

For a small store, you could realistically get away with:

WordPress + WooCommerce + free theme + payment processor = very little additional cost.

The downside is that WooCommerce can become complicated if you start adding lots of extensions.

🥈 Consider SureCart if you want something simpler

SureCart is particularly interesting if you don't want WooCommerce's larger ecosystem and configuration overhead.

Its free plan currently supports unlimited products and includes core checkout functionality, subscriptions, etc., but the free plan charges a 2.9% transaction fee. wordpress.org

So I'd think of it this way:

What I'd do in your situation

If you're selling a relatively small number of products, I'd start with WooCommerce. There's no reason to pay Shopify $29+/month just to add a basic store to a WordPress site. WooCommerce's core is free and you retain control of the site and store data. woocommerce.com

If you tell me what you're selling (physical products, digital downloads, services, memberships, etc.), roughly how many products, and whether you need shipping, I can recommend the cheapest specific setup and tell you exactly which plugins I'd install—and which ones I'd avoid paying for.

Yes. If you already have WordPress, I’d avoid moving to a separate store platform unless you have a reason to. There are a couple of inexpensive ways to add a store directly to your existing site.

My top picks

1. WooCommerce — best overall for a traditional store

WooCommerce is free and open-source, with no monthly subscription and no WooCommerce revenue share. You pay your payment processor (such as Stripe/PayPal) and only add paid extensions if you actually need them. woocommerce.com

I'd choose this if: you're selling physical products and want a normal shopping cart, product pages, inventory, shipping, coupons, etc.

2. SureCart — best if you want something simpler

SureCart is particularly attractive if you only need a small/simple store, digital products, services, subscriptions, or straightforward checkout. Its Launch plan is currently $0/month, but charges a 2.9% transaction fee in addition to your payment processor's fees. surecart.com

I'd choose this if: you don't want to deal with the complexity of WooCommerce.

3. Ecwid — good if you want the store largely managed for you

Ecwid can be embedded into an existing WordPress site. It has a small Starter option and doesn't charge a percentage-of-sale transaction fee, although its paid plans can become considerably more expensive as you need additional features. www.ecwid.com

What I'd do in your situation

If you mean "I have a WordPress site, maybe 5–50 products, and just want customers to buy them", I'd narrow it down to:

My recommendation: WooCommerce if you're selling physical products. It's probably the lowest-cost option over the long run because the core software is free and doesn't take a percentage of your sales. woocommerce.com

If you tell me what you're selling (physical products, digital downloads, services, subscriptions, etc.) and roughly how many products, I can tell you which option I'd use and what the actual yearly cost would likely be.

For a simple, low-cost store on an existing WordPress site, I’d usually look at these options:

woocommerce.com

My recommendations by situation

1. You sell a handful of products (5–50 items):
I’d lean toward SureCart. It’s designed to keep setup simple and avoid a pile of WordPress add-ons. It has a free starting option (with transaction fees on that tier) and paid plans if you need more features. surecart.com

2. You sell physical products with shipping, inventory, variations, coupons, etc.:
Use WooCommerce. The core plugin is free, and you can start very cheaply with just payment processing. Costs rise only when you add premium extensions. woocommerce.com

3. You want the least WordPress maintenance:
Consider Ecwid. It can embed into WordPress and handles more of the ecommerce infrastructure externally. woocommerce.comwww.ecwid.com

A very inexpensive setup I’d use for a small business:

• Existing WordPress hosting: keep it
• Store plugin: SureCart or WooCommerce
• Payments: Stripe + PayPal (only pay processing fees)
• Free WordPress theme/store styling
• Avoid paid add-ons until you actually need them

A few questions would change the recommendation:

1. Are you selling physical products, digital downloads, or services/bookings?
2. Roughly how many products do you expect (5, 50, 500+)?
3. Do you need shipping/inventory, or just a “buy now” checkout?

For a simple, low-cost store on WordPress, I’d usually recommend staying inside WordPress rather than adding a separate platform. The best choice depends mostly on what you’re selling:

1. Best all-around: WooCommerce (free)

WooCommerce official site

Best for: physical products, a few products, shipping, inventory, coupons, basic online store.

Cost:

• Plugin: free
• Payment processing: usually just Stripe/PayPal transaction fees
• Optional extras: only if you need advanced features

Pros

• Largest WordPress ecommerce ecosystem
• Works with almost any WordPress theme
• Lots of free extensions
• Easy to expand later

Cons

• Can become complex if you add many extensions
• Some premium add-ons are expensive

For a small shop (5–50 products), WooCommerce is often the safest long-term choice. woocommerce.com

2. Simplest for digital products: Easy Digital Downloads

Easy Digital Downloads official site

Best for: PDFs, ebooks, templates, courses, downloads, software, memberships.

Cost:

• Free core plugin
• Paid upgrades only for advanced features

It is designed specifically around digital sales, so it avoids much of the shipping/inventory complexity of a physical store. wordpress.org

3. Cheapest "just sell a few things" option: payment buttons/checkout links

If you only have a handful of items, you may not need a full store.

Examples:

• Stripe Payment Links
• PayPal buttons
• Lemon Squeezy for digital products

This keeps your WordPress site simple and avoids maintaining a full ecommerce system. wordpress.org

4. A newer lightweight WordPress option: EasyCommerce

EasyCommerce official site

It offers a free WordPress ecommerce plugin for physical goods, digital products, and subscriptions. It may be worth considering if you want something lighter than WooCommerce, although WooCommerce has a much larger ecosystem and longer track record. wordpress.org

My recommendation by scenario

A typical inexpensive setup would be:

• WordPress + your existing theme
• WooCommerce (free)
• Stripe payment gateway (free plugin)
• A free shipping/tax setup initially
• Avoid paid extensions until you actually need them

If you tell me what you’re selling (physical products, downloads, services, subscriptions) and roughly how many products, I can suggest the cheapest setup that fits.

Yes. If you already have WordPress, I’d start with a WordPress plugin rather than moving the store to Shopify. For a simple, low-cost store, my first choice is WooCommerce.

My picks

1. WooCommerce — my recommendation

WooCommerce is free, has no monthly platform fee and no WooCommerce revenue share. You can add products, a cart, checkout, shipping, coupons, inventory, etc. woocommerce.com

For a small store, you can keep costs surprisingly low:

• WooCommerce: $0
• Payment processing: roughly 2.9% + $0.30 per U.S. card transaction with WooPayments
• No monthly fee for WooPayments
• You don't need to buy a bunch of extensions initially. woocommerce.com

The downside is that WooCommerce can become complicated if you start adding lots of paid extensions.

2. SureCart — worth considering if simplicity is more important

SureCart is a more modern, streamlined alternative. It can be attractive if you only need a handful of products and don't want the administrative overhead of a full WooCommerce installation. Current comparisons list a free tier with a transaction fee and paid plans starting around $179/year. wpmayor.com

3. Easy Digital Downloads — if you're selling files

If you're selling ebooks, PDFs, software, templates, music, courses, etc., Easy Digital Downloads is specifically designed for that and has a free core plugin. wordpress.org

What I'd do in your situation

If you mean something like "I have an existing WordPress site and want to sell 5–50 physical products without spending much money," I'd do:

WordPress + WooCommerce + WooPayments

and initially avoid paid WooCommerce extensions.

You can have a basic store for essentially $0/month beyond your existing WordPress hosting and payment-processing fees. woocommerce.com

If you tell me what you're selling (physical products, digital products, services, memberships, etc.) and roughly how many products, I can recommend the cheapest setup and tell you exactly which plugins I'd install.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and just need a simple, inexpensive store, I’d look at these three:

1. WooCommerce — best overall value

• Free core plugin
• No monthly platform fee and no WooCommerce revenue share. woocommerce.com
• Handles physical products, shipping, inventory, coupons, payments, etc.
• Huge ecosystem of extensions.
• The downside: it can become expensive/complicated if you start adding lots of paid extensions.

My choice if: you expect the store to grow beyond just a handful of products.

2. SureCart — best for keeping things simple

SureCart is particularly attractive for a small WordPress store. Its Launch plan is currently $0/month, with a 2.9% transaction fee, and includes products, checkout, order management, payments, taxes, etc. surecart.com

My choice if: you have perhaps 5–50 products and want a clean checkout without building a whole WooCommerce ecosystem.

3. Ecwid — easiest if you don't really need a WordPress-native store

Ecwid can be embedded into an existing WordPress site. Its current Starter tier supports up to 10 products; higher tiers increase the product limit and features. Ecwid says it doesn't charge its own transaction fee. www.ecwid.com

The downside is that the paid plans get considerably more expensive as you need additional features—for example, Venture is currently $35/month monthly or $29/month when paid annually. www.ecwid.com

What I'd do in your situation

If you tell me what you're selling and roughly how many products (e.g. "10 physical products," "digital downloads," "services," etc.), I can tell you which one I'd pick and give you the cheapest setup, including payment processing and what plugins you actually need.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and just want a simple, inexpensive store, I’d avoid moving to Shopify unless you have a reason to.

My top choices

1. WooCommerce — best all-around choice

• Free WordPress plugin
• No monthly WooCommerce fee
• No WooCommerce transaction fee beyond your payment processor
• Excellent for physical products, shipping, inventory, coupons, etc.
• Huge ecosystem, so it's easy to find integrations later
• The downside: WooCommerce can become expensive/complicated if you start adding lots of paid extensions. woocommerce.com

2. SureCart — my pick for a really simple store

This is worth a serious look if you only need a handful of products and don't want to turn your WordPress site into a giant ecommerce system.

• Free to start
• Handles checkout, payments, products, orders, subscriptions, etc.
• The free plan currently charges 2.9% per transaction
• Paid plans remove SureCart's transaction fee, starting at an introductory $179/year for one store. surecart.comwordpress.org
• It handles much of the ecommerce processing on its own platform rather than putting everything into your WordPress database, which can make it attractive for a small existing site. surecart.comwordpress.org

3. Easy Digital Downloads — if you're selling digital products

If you're selling PDFs, ebooks, downloads, software, courses, etc., I'd consider EDD rather than WooCommerce. For physical products, I wouldn't choose it over WooCommerce/SureCart.

What I'd do in your situation

If you mean something like:

"I have a normal WordPress website and want to add 5–20 products with a basic cart and credit-card checkout."

I'd start with SureCart if keeping things simple is the priority, or WooCommerce if you expect the store to eventually become more substantial.

The interesting cost comparison is:

SureCart's free plan can therefore be cheapest when you're doing very few sales, while WooCommerce can become more economical as sales volume grows because it doesn't add its own percentage fee. surecart.com

If you tell me what you're selling (physical vs. digital), roughly how many products, and whether you need shipping, I can tell you which one I'd use and what the cheapest setup—including payment processing—would be.

Yes. If you already have WordPress and just need a simple, inexpensive store, I’d narrow it down to two good choices:

1. WooCommerce — best for lowest long-term cost

WooCommerce is free and open-source. There’s no monthly WooCommerce subscription and no percentage of your sales going to WooCommerce itself. You mainly pay your payment processor (such as Stripe/PayPal), plus anything you choose to add later. woocommerce.com

I'd choose this if:

• You sell physical products.
• You want full control over the store.
• You might expand the store later.
• You don't mind spending a little time configuring it.

The downside is that WooCommerce can become expensive if you start adding lots of paid extensions. Its official extensions are commonly $29–$299/year each. woocommerce.com

2. SureCart — best for a really simple store

SureCart is particularly interesting if you only have a handful of products and don't want to deal with the complexity of WooCommerce.

It has a free plan, supports physical and digital products, checkout, inventory, shipping, subscriptions, etc. The free plan currently charges a 2.9% platform transaction fee, on top of your payment processor's fees. surecart.com

The nice thing is that much of the ecommerce functionality is built in, so you don't necessarily need to assemble a bunch of WordPress plugins.

What I'd pick

For a small business WordPress site, I'd probably start with WooCommerce unless you specifically want the simplest possible setup. The core plugin is genuinely free, and you can start with just WooCommerce + a payment gateway rather than buying a bunch of extras. woocommerce.com

If you tell me what you're selling (physical products, services, digital products, etc.), roughly how many products, and whether you need shipping, I can recommend the cheapest setup—including which plugins you actually need and which ones you can skip.

For a simple, low-cost store on an existing WordPress site, I’d usually avoid jumping straight to Shopify unless you need a full retail operation. A few good options:

1. WooCommerce — best general-purpose choice (free to start)

WooCommerce official site

Best for: physical products, shipping, inventory, multiple products.

Cost:

• Plugin: free
• Payment processing: usually just Stripe/PayPal transaction fees
• Optional add-ons can add cost later

Pros

• Most widely supported WordPress ecommerce option
• Tons of themes and extensions
• Good if you may grow later

Cons

• Can become complicated if you add lots of extensions
• You may spend time configuring shipping, taxes, emails, etc.

For a small store with 5–50 products, WooCommerce is often the safest long-term choice. zapier.com

2. SureCart — easiest lightweight option

SureCart official site

Best for: simple stores, services, digital products, subscriptions.

Cost:

• Free plan available
• Paid features if you need advanced options

Pros

• Cleaner setup than WooCommerce
• Checkout/payment handling is more streamlined
• Good if you only need a few products

Cons

• Less of an ecosystem than WooCommerce

SureCart is designed to handle much of the ecommerce infrastructure outside your WordPress database, which can make it simpler for smaller sites. wordpress.org

3. Easy Digital Downloads — best for downloads

Easy Digital Downloads official site

Best for:

• PDFs
• ebooks
• courses
• templates
• software
• photography downloads

It has a free core plugin and is built specifically around digital products rather than physical inventory. wordpress.org

4. Payment buttons instead of a full store (cheapest)

If you only have 1–5 things to sell, consider:

• WP Simple Pay official site
• Stripe payment links
• PayPal buttons

You avoid building a whole shopping cart system.

My recommendation by situation:

If you tell me what you’re selling (physical products vs downloads/services), how many products, and whether you need shipping, I can narrow it down to the cheapest setup.

For a simple, low-cost store on an existing WordPress site, I’d usually look at these options:

woocommerce.com

My recommendations by situation

1. You sell a few physical products (10–100 items):
Go with WooCommerce. The core plugin is free, and you can start with just:

• WooCommerce
• Stripe or PayPal payments
• A shipping plugin only if you need more than basic shipping

It’s the most widely supported WordPress store option. woocommerce.com

2. You want the simplest setup and don't want to manage a lot of plugins:
Try SureCart. It’s designed around simpler selling flows and has a free starting option with transaction fees; paid plans remove some fees and add features. woocommerce.comsurecart.com

3. You only need a small catalog and want minimal WordPress changes:
Ecwid can be attractive because it runs more like a hosted store that you embed into your site. woocommerce.comwww.ecwid.com

What I would avoid for a small store

• Shopify (excellent, but you’ll pay a monthly fee even for a tiny catalog)
• WooCommerce with lots of premium add-ons right away (costs can creep up)
• Marketplace plugins (overkill unless you need multiple sellers)

A low-cost setup I’d choose for most small businesses:

• WordPress + WooCommerce
• Free Stripe payment gateway
• Free theme with WooCommerce support
• Basic shipping rules
• Product photos optimized for speed

You could realistically launch for close to $0 in software costs beyond your existing hosting/domain, then add paid features only when sales justify them. woocommerce.com

If you tell me what you’re selling (physical products, downloads, appointments, memberships, etc.) and roughly how many products, I can narrow it down.

Yes. If you already have a WordPress site and just need a simple, inexpensive store, I’d narrow it down to these:

1. WooCommerce — best overall value

This would be my default recommendation.

• The core plugin is free
• No WooCommerce monthly fee or percentage of sales
• You pay the normal Stripe/PayPal/etc. payment-processing fees
• Works directly inside WordPress
• Good for physical products, digital products, shipping, coupons, inventory, etc.
• You can start very simply and add features later

WooCommerce itself says there is no revenue share and no monthly subscription for the core platform. woocommerce.com

Downside: WooCommerce can become complicated if you start adding lots of extensions.

2. SureCart — easiest if you want a very simple store

I'd seriously consider this if you don't need a traditional, elaborate ecommerce setup.

Its Launch plan is $0/month, although it charges a 2.9% transaction fee on that plan. The paid Pro plan removes that SureCart transaction fee. surecart.com

It's particularly attractive for:

• A small number of products
• Digital products
• Services
• Simple physical-product sales
• Subscriptions
• A clean checkout without configuring a bunch of WordPress plugins

3. Ecwid — good if you want the store separated from WordPress

Ecwid can be embedded into an existing WordPress site rather than making WordPress itself the ecommerce engine. Its Starter plan currently supports up to 10 products, while Venture supports up to 100. www.ecwid.com

I'd choose this if you want "I don't want to mess with WooCommerce; just give me a store I can drop into my site."

What I'd pick

For most small WordPress sites, I'd start with WooCommerce. You can literally install the free plugin, connect Stripe, add your products, and have a basic store without buying anything else. woocommerce.com

If you tell me what you're selling (physical products, digital downloads, services, memberships, etc.) and roughly how many products, I can tell you which of these would be cheapest for your particular setup and what plugins you'd actually need.