Top All-In-One (Hosting-Included) eCommerce Builders Compared
Are you looking to build and start your own online e-store business?
We take a look at four of the best all-in-one ecommerce solutions. All four solutions offer a complete ecommerce system from hosting to shopping cart & checkout. There are many options to choose from when it comes to ecommerce software. But if you are looking for a complete solution that is easy to setup and use, CoreCommerce, BigCommerce, ProStores, and Yahoo! Merchant Solutions will make your life easier.
Each service provider features its own unique benefits. See the comparison chart below and see which one fits your vision. CoreCommerce, BigCommerce, ProStores and Yahoo! Merchant Solutions are all very easy to use and customize.
Many services offer free subdomains, but I strongly recommend that you use your own domain. Domains cost only $10-20 per year and it goes a long way to instill credibility in consumers' minds. Note: GoDaddy is propably the largest domain registrar, but I suggest you stay away from them as a lot of people, including myself, find their business practices and their CEO to be unethical.
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| Visit CoreCommerce | Visit BigCommerce | Visit ProStore | Visit Yahoo! Merchant Solutions | |||
| Plans | Starter, Basic, Standard, Pro, Platinum | Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum | Professional eCommerce, PLUS, PREMIUM | Starter, Standard, Professional | ||
| Pricing | ||||||
| Monthly Fee | $19.99-219.99 | $24.95-299.95 | $29.95-99.95 | $39.95-299.95 (35% off for 1st 3 mos.) | ||
| Setup Fee | Free - limited time ($50) | Currently Free ($49.95) | $0 | Currently Free ($50) | ||
| Transaction Fee | Free | Free | 0.5% | 1.5% | 1.0% | 0.75% |
| Special Promo | 15 Day Free Trial | 15 Day Free Trial | 1 Month Free Trial, Special Deals for eBay Sellers (see below) | $50 set up fee waived; 35% off for 3 months | ||
| Hosting & Domain | ||||||
| Storage | 100MB-2GB | 200MB-3GB | 5GB-Unlimited | Unlimited | ||
| Bandwidth / Month | 1GB-Unlimited | 2-45GB | 50GB-Unlimited | Unlimited | ||
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| Domain Name | Not included | $12.27/yr or free sub domain | $9.95/yr or $19.95 (private) | Free | ||
| Storefront Design and Customization | ||||||
| Max. Number of Products | 100 to Unlimited | 100 to Unlimited | 250 to 100,000 | 50,000 | ||
| Store Builder | |
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| No. of Free Design Templates | 100+ | 96 | 150+ | Hundreds | ||
| Use 3rd Party Editor / Full Access to HTML and CSS | |
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| Logo Generator / Editor |
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| Web-based Control Panel | |
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| Shopping Cart & Checkout | ||||||
| Credit, Debit, and Paypal | |
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Other Compatible Checkout Solutions |
Storecard |
AcceptPay® | ||||
| Support Multiple Currencies | |
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| Downloadable E-Goods | |
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| Shipping & Taxes | ||||||
| Auto Shipping & Tax Calculations | |
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| Compatible Shipping Carriers | UPS (Shipping Label Printing Supported) |
Australia Post Canada Post FedEx Flat Rate Per Item Flat Rate Per Order Intershipper Royal Mail Ship by Order Total Ship by Weight UPS UPS Online Tools USPS |
USPS UPS FedEx CanadaPost |
Use Any Carrier You Like (However, not as well integrated) |
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| Customizable Shipping Rates | |
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| Customizable Taxes | |
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| Security Features | ||||||
| SSL - Secure Socket Layer | |
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| Fraud Protection | |
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| Marketing Features | ||||||
| Can Offer Coupons | |
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Customizable Promotions |
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| Cross/Up-Selling (i.e. Related Products) |
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| Subscriptions (Accept Recurring Payments) | |
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| Multiple Buyer Groups | |
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| Affiliate Program | |
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| Search Engine Optimization | |
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| Product Syndication (Shopping Site Submission) | |
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| eBay Sync | |
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| eBay Integration | |
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| Reporting & Accounting | ||||||
| Real Time Integration (i.e. out-of-stock control) | |
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| Traffic | |
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| Sales | |
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| Inventory | |
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| QuickBooks Integration | |
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| Help & Support | ||||||
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| Email Support | |
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| Tutorials | |
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| Online Knowledge Base | |
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| Video Guides | Very Good |
Very Good |
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| Support Forum | |
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| Unique Offerings From Each eCommerce Software Provider | ||||||
| Unique Factors |
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| Plans | Starter, Basic, Standard, Pro, Platinum | Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum | Professional eCommecer, PLUS, PREMIUM | Starter, Standard, Professional | ||
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Screen-shots and Pros & Cons
There are advantages and disadvantages associated with each provider. Pros and cons are gathered from user comments and our own analyses. Example store screen-shots and pros / cons are summarized below.
Core Commerce
You can visit their website for sample stores and design templates. On their page, click 'Design' tab to see their offerings.
| Pros | Cons |
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Big Commerce
| BigCommerce Example Stores | ||||
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You can see these stores in action at BigCommerce.
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Pro Stores
| ProStores Example Stores | ||||
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You can see these stores in action at ProStores.
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Yahoo! Merchant Solutions
| Yahoo! Merchant Solutions Example Stores | ||||
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You can see these stores in action at Yahoo! Merchant Solutions.
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Another tip on domain names: Even though many eCommerce software companies offer you domain names, either free or paid, I strongly recommend that you register your domain names privately elsewhere.
That way, if you ever decide to change your provider or halt your online store business, you still have the full control of the domain name.
Transferring a domain name is a hassle and can be expensive. One exception is Yahoo!. Since Yahoo! provides its own domain registering service, you have the flexibility to manage your domain name afterwards.
I hope this comparison was helpful in making your decision. I wish you the best of luck with your business.
Thanks for visiting
- KVNPark
*Disclaimer: Although we try out best to present information that is as accurate as possible, mistakes (such as, but not limited to, typos) can happen. Scam Free Internet and its authors are not liable for any mistakes made on this review page. We will try out best to offer the most accurate and up to date information possible. Thank you.
**Disclosure: The reviewed service providers are affiliated with the reviewer. However, the best options were sought out first before entering into affiliation.