eCommerce Platform Audit 2026: Stop Overpaying for Your Online Store
Updated February 2026 · The complete platform comparison for online sellers
💸 Most Sellers Are on the Wrong Platform
A seller doing $100K/year on Etsy pays ~$10,000 in fees. The same seller on Shopify with Shopify Payments pays ~$3,500. On WooCommerce with Stripe: ~$3,200. The right platform for your volume can save you thousands every year.
Platform Comparison: True Costs
🛒 Shopify ($39-399/mo)
- Monthly fee: $39 (Basic), $105 (Shopify), $399 (Advanced)
- Transaction fees: 2.9% + $0.30 with Shopify Payments, +2% with external gateways
- Best for: Most online stores. Largest app ecosystem, easiest to scale
- True annual cost at $100K revenue: ~$3,500-4,500
📦 BigCommerce ($39-399/mo)
- Monthly fee: $39-399/mo with forced tier upgrades based on revenue
- Transaction fees: 2.59% + $0.49 with PayPal, varies by processor
- Best for: High-SKU catalogs, B2B commerce, multi-channel sellers
- Watch out for: Revenue-based forced upgrades ($50K → Plus, $180K → Pro). Full guide
🎨 Etsy ($0 + per-sale fees)
- Monthly fee: $0 (or $10/mo for Etsy Plus)
- Per-sale fees: 6.5% transaction + 3% + $0.25 processing + $0.20 listing + potential 12-15% offsite ads
- Total effective fee: 10-13% per sale
- Best for: Handmade, vintage, and unique items. Built-in audience of 90M+ buyers
- True annual cost at $100K revenue: ~$10,000-13,000. Full guide
🔧 WooCommerce (Free + hosting)
- Platform fee: $0 (open source)
- Hosting: $10-50/mo depending on traffic
- Transaction fees: Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 (no additional platform fee)
- Best for: Developers, WordPress users, maximum customization
- True annual cost at $100K revenue: ~$3,200-3,800
⬛ Square Online (Free-$79/mo)
- Monthly fee: Free, $29, $79/mo
- Transaction fees: 2.9% + $0.30
- Best for: Businesses with physical locations using Square POS
- True annual cost at $100K revenue: ~$3,200-4,200
The Decision Framework
- Under $10K/year in sales: Etsy (no monthly fee, built-in traffic) or Square Online Free
- $10K-$50K/year: Shopify Basic ($39/mo) — the app ecosystem and reliability justify the monthly fee
- $50K-$200K/year: Shopify or WooCommerce — at this volume, Etsy's 10%+ fees are costing you $5,000-20,000/year
- $200K+/year: Shopify Advanced or WooCommerce on managed hosting — every 0.1% in transaction fees matters at this scale
- Physical + online: Square Online — seamless POS integration
Hidden Costs Most Sellers Miss
- App/plugin subscriptions: Shopify stores average $100-300/mo in app fees (reviews, email, SEO, inventory)
- Theme costs: Premium themes are $150-350 one-time (Shopify) or $50-100/yr (others)
- Email marketing: Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or similar — $20-300/mo depending on list size
- Shipping software: ShipStation, Pirate Ship, or built-in — $0-50/mo
- Accounting: QuickBooks ($30-90/mo) or Wave (free)
- Domain renewal: $12-20/year (easy to forget)
💰 The Platform Switch Payoff
An Etsy seller doing $100K/year who switches to Shopify saves approximately $6,500/year in platform fees. The migration takes 1-2 weeks and requires rebuilding your audience/SEO — but the long-term savings are massive. Even at $50K/year, the switch saves ~$3,250/year.
🔍 Find all your eCommerce costs
Upload your bank statement to JustCancel and we'll identify every eCommerce-related charge — platform fees, apps, payment processing, shipping tools, email marketing, and the rest. Most sellers are surprised by the total.