Best Free Ecommerce Platforms 2026: 6 Options Compared

Free ecommerce platforms split into two kinds, and it helps to know which one you are shopping for. Self-hosted software such as WooCommerce, PrestaShop and OpenCart costs nothing to download, but you pay for hosting, a payment gateway, security updates and usually a few paid extensions, so the real bill is a hosting plan plus your own time. Headless engines like Medusa and Saleor are also free to run yourself, but they give you an API and expect a developer to build the storefront. Hosted options such as Square charge nothing monthly and take a cut of each sale instead, which suits a shop that sells little and wants to be live this week. If you sell a few dozen products and already run a WordPress site, WooCommerce is the shortest path. If you need multiple languages and country-specific tax rules out of the box, PrestaShop has long been strong there. If your team writes TypeScript or Python and wants a custom storefront, a headless engine saves you from fighting a theme system. Before you commit, add up payment fees, because a free platform with 3 percent processing is not cheaper than a $29 plan with lower rates once volume grows. Also check how easy it is to export products and orders, since migrating a live store is the part nobody enjoys.

WooCommerce

GPL-2.0 plugin for WordPress. The core is free with no monthly subscription; you pay for hosting and any paid extensions. A good fit if your site already runs on WordPress, but you manage updates and security yourself.

Price: Free (Core is free with no monthly subscription; you pay for hosting and extensions) (WooCommerce pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. GPL-2.0 (open source).

Project activity: 10.6k GitHub stars · latest release 11.2.1 (Oct 9, 2026) · last commit Oct 28, 2026

Best for: Shops already built on WordPress.

PrestaShop

OSL-3.0 platform you download and install on your own hosting at no cost. Built as a standalone store rather than a plugin, so you manage hosting, modules and upgrades, but you avoid a monthly platform fee.

Price: Free (Source code is free to download and install on your own hosting) (PrestaShop pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. OSL-3.0 (modules AFL-3.0) (open source).

Project activity: 9.2k GitHub stars · latest release 9.2.0 (Sep 30, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Standalone self-hosted stores.

OpenCart

GPL-3.0 PHP shopping cart you host yourself, with no license fee. A smaller, simpler system than the biggest platforms, which suits modest catalogs, though you assemble extras from extensions and handle upkeep.

Price: Free (Free open-source software) (OpenCart pricing, checked 2026-10-23).

Platforms and license: Self-hosted (PHP). GPL-3.0 (open source).

Project activity: 8.2k GitHub stars · latest release 4.1.0.4 (Aug 11, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Small catalogs on cheap PHP hosting.

Worth knowing: Licence read from LICENSE.md in the repo.

Medusa

MIT-licensed headless commerce core you host yourself; enterprise features need a commercial agreement. You get an API-first backend, but you must build or buy the storefront, so it needs developers.

Price: Free (MIT-licensed core you host yourself); paid from $29 per month, billed monthly (Medusa Cloud Develop) (Medusa pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. MIT (Enterprise Edition features need a commercial agreement) (open source).

Project activity: 37k GitHub stars · latest release v2.22.1 (Oct 23, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Developer teams building a custom storefront.

Worth knowing: Cloud tiers: Develop $29, Launch $99, Scale $299 per month. Headless, so you build the storefront yourself.

Saleor

BSD-3-Clause headless platform. The open-source version is self-hosted, and a Cloud Sandboxes plan is labeled forever free. Managed Cloud Select starts at $1,599 a month, so plan on self-hosting.

Price: Free (Open source version is self-hosted; Cloud Sandboxes plan is labeled Forever Free); paid from $1599 per month (Cloud Select) (Saleor pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, Self-hosted. BSD-3-Clause (open source).

Project activity: 23.5k GitHub stars · latest release 3.23.44 (Oct 20, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026

Best for: Teams that want GraphQL and run their own servers.

Worth knowing: Cloud Volume is $3999 per month; Enterprise pricing is negotiated. Headless, so you build the storefront yourself.

Square

Hosted option with a free plan and no monthly fee. You pay per sale, 3.3% + 30 cents online, so the cost grows with revenue. Fastest to launch, but less customizable than self-hosted software.

Price: Free (Free plan with no monthly fee; in-person 2.6% + 15¢, online 3.3% + 30¢, keyed-in 3.5% + 15¢) (Square pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Proprietary.

Best for: Small sellers who want to launch quickly.

Compare: Square alternatives

Which one to pick

• You already run WordPress: WooCommerce
• You want a standalone store you control without a monthly platform fee: PrestaShop
• You have developers and want a custom front end: Medusa
• You sell a few items and want to start this week: Square