Pros & Cons
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- Integrates with third-party websites
- Useful website creation tools
- No transaction fees
- Supports Square POS systems
- Lets you create barcodes using the mobile app
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- Not all tiers let you list products in Amazon or eBay marketplaces
- Phone support is locked behind Business and Unlimited tiers
- Low number of themes and third-party integrations
- Extremely limited free tier
Ecwid Specs
| Free Version | |
| Live Chat | |
| Point of Sale Support | |
| REST API | |
| SSL Certificate Included |
Ecwid should be on your radar if you want to sell digital or physical goods online, particularly if you're a newcomer to the e-commerce space. The platform differentiates itself from the competition via several notable features, including excellent website design tools, rich tutorials that quickly get you started making money online, and the ability to embed your store on third-party websites like Amazon, eBay, and Google Shopping. However, two caveats prevent it from climbing into the category's upper echelon: an extremely limited free tier and a lack of 24/7 customer support across its four plans. For more feature robust services that have 24/7 customer support, check out our Editors' Choice winners for e-commerce platforms, Shopify and Wix Stores.
Price and Plans
Ecwid has four tiers: Free, Venture, Business, and Unlimited. Ecwid is one of the few e-commerce platforms with a free option, but the plan is quite limited. It restricts you to just five store items and email-based customer support. By comparison, Square Online offers a strong free tier that supports unlimited items and phone-based help (Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT). On the upside, you can advertise your Ecwid-powered site through Google, Meta, and Pinterest (TikTok advertising is locked behind the paid tiers), and get a free domain.
(Credit: Ecwid/PCMag)The Venture plan ($25 per month or $21 per month with an annual plan) lets you store up to 100 total products in your online store, leverage live chat support when you have a question, sell on Facebook and Instagram, track inventory, and access Ecwid's mobile companion apps.
The Business package ($45 per month or $39 per month with an annual plan) builds upon Venture with a 2,500-product inventory, the ability to sell via various online marketplaces (like Amazon, eBay, and Google Shopping), abandoned cart emails, wholesale pricing, and phone support.
The Unlimited hosting level ($105 per month or $89 per month with an annual plan) removes the inventory cap, which is great for businesses with large product catalogs. In addition, you can integrate your Ecwid account with POS systems (like Alice, Clover, and Square) and enjoy priority customer support. Ecwid has zero transaction fees. However, the paid plans lack free trials.
On the other hand, the Editors' Choice-winning Shopify (starting at $29 per month) offers unlimited products and 24/7 customer service across the board. You should check out that top pick, depending on your budget and the number of items you'd like to sell.
Building an Online Store
Ecwid's sign-up process is extremely fast and easy; you just create credentials and name your shop. If you're new to Ecwid or e-commerce, the dashboard sets you up for success with a six-step tutorial on launching a shop and a 10-minute video that walks you through critical features.
(Credit: Ecwid/PCMag)In the catalog tab, you add products, create product categories, and whip up gift cards (gift cards are limited to paid plans). Adding products is simple: You drag and drop product images directly into the window and optionally upload a product video. You feel the Free tier's limitations here, as inventory tracking and the ability to set stock numbers are locked behind the paid tiers. For example, if you only have five band shirts in stock, you cannot highlight to customers how many are available before they sell out. Likewise, uploading a product video is locked to the Business and Unlimited tiers.
The Ecwid dashboard lets you create your shop's skeleton before entering the full editor. There, you'll find editing options for image and video sizes, image aspect ratios, data displayed on your product cards, and how you want your customers to navigate your store. In a nice touch, Ecwid lets you preview the changes as you implement them.
Then, you choose a template from 73 premade ones. That's low compared with Wix Stores, which has nearly 1,000. Once a template is selected, you make changes using the full editor. The customization options are plentiful and, most importantly, intuitive. They let you update the site copy, swap images, and choose how products are displayed. Another welcome feature is the ability to switch templates even after going live. This isn't commonplace. For example, Wix Stores requires you to rebuild the site to switch to a new template.
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Although slightly bifurcated design tools risk confusion, Ecwid makes it seamless and easy to understand. It puts the right tools in the right sections and gives you many useful tutorials on tailoring your store.
Payment Systems
Afterpay, AmazonPay, Clover, PayPal, and Square are just five of the 61 payment gateways compatible with Ecwid. There's even a crypto.com option if that's your thing. If you use a supported payment gateway, follow the setup instructions to create an account and link your bank account. The knowledge base articles offer assistance when it comes time to get started with payments.
(Credit: Ecwid/PCMag)Ecwid partners with Square and the physical Square Reader for in-person sales. Square is one of the most common and reliable physical POS systems on the market, so it's good that your Ecwid account syncs with the company's hardware. Shopify also handles both in-person and online transactions. You can accept bank transfers, cash on delivery, phone orders (which Volusion also supports), and check and money orders.
Android and iOS Apps
Ecwid has a companion app for Android and iOS. The useful dashboard elements (ease of use, simple navigation) also apply to its mobile offering. The apps display your reports, lets you add products, and create barcodes for those products with your phone's camera. The ability to create barcodes is a unique feature and one we hope more e-commerce services integrate in the future.
With the Ecwid apps, your shop is truly in the palm of your hand. In addition to adding products, you can manage orders, create discounts, set up payments, and manage the settings on your various sales channels (like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok). Free-tier subscribers can test the app with a 28-day trial. Paid users have app access included with their subscriptions.
Limited Customer Service
Ecwid offers phone and chat-based customer support—if you're using the Business or Unlimited plan. The Free tier lacks live support (you must visit the aforementioned user forums and help pages), while the Venture tier supports web chat but not phone help. We're not fans of this tiered-based assistance.
In addition, you can only receive a call back after you place a request via chat. In short, Ecwid's customer service is needlessly limited. On the upside, phone support is available 24 hours per day (Monday to Friday).
Verdict: Easy Shop Building With Some Room for Improvement
Starting a business online can be stressful, and e-entrepreneurs want to hit the ground running with as few bumps as possible. On that note, Ecwid surprised us with its sleek interface, robust tutorials, and easy-to-use website editor. That said, the Free plan is far too limited, and the tiered customer support is a notable drawback of an otherwise positive experience. If you want more robust e-commerce options, check out our Editors' Choice winners Shopify and Wix Stores.
Mike Williams contributed to this review.
Final Thoughts
(unknown)
Ecwid
Ecwid makes it simple to create an online store and export it to other popular marketplaces, but it locks important features behind higher-end tiers.