What's the best ecommerce platform for artisans in 2026?

Shopify takes first place because it ties your online store to your booth better than anything else here. The basic POS ("casual in-person selling" on Shopify's pricing page) is included on every plan. You take payment on your phone at the fair, and the piece you just sold drops out of your online stock. That fixes the exact problem makers describe on forums: a sale on social media empties the stock set aside for a show, or a booth sale gets bought again online an hour later.

The numbers: Basic is $29 a month billed yearly or $39 monthly. Online card payments cost 2.9% + 30¢, and in-person payments 2.6% + 10¢ on Basic. On a $40 piece sold online, that's about $1.46 in card fees. The card reader's price isn't shown on the POS pricing page, so check it at checkout. The basic POS is enough for a booth. POS Pro ($89 a month per location, billed yearly) adds advanced inventory and staff permissions, which you only need with a real shop and employees.

For one-of-a-kind pieces, set inventory to 1. The piece shows as sold out after the sale. To hide it automatically you'll need an automation (Shopify Flow, check that your plan includes it) or an app. Coming from Etsy, third-party apps import your listings so you don't retype them. One thing to watch: extra features often mean paid apps. For email, our Shopify email marketing comparison keeps you from paying twice for the same job.

In our view Squarespace has the most polished templates here, which matters when the photo is the sale. It also includes a POS on every plan, so you can take payments at a US show from the same account. Note the limit: its payment processor covers the US and the UK, and the mobile POS app works in the US only.

Watch the Basic plan. At $19 a month billed yearly, it takes 2% on every online sale on top of card fees (2.9% + $0.30). On a $40 piece, that's about $2.26 in fees instead of $1.46 on Core. Our math: Core costs $10 more a month and saves $0.80 per $40 piece, so it pays for itself from about 13 sales a month, or $500 in sales.

Squarespace is weaker than Shopify on add-ons and on stock management across channels. For a portfolio with a shop attached, it's a great fit.

Big Cartel is the one platform here that speaks directly to artists and makers: jewelers, printmakers, potters, painters, illustrators. Gold is free, Platinum is $15 a month after 7 free days, Diamond $30, with no contract. It also sells in person through its app, handy for a fair table.

The limits show up as you grow. User reports say stores run in one currency, and product caps per plan aren't listed on the official page, so check them before choosing. Analytics and stock tools are thinner than Shopify's.

Big Cartel earns its spot for a small collection, a print drop or an artist who wants an address of their own next to Etsy without a monthly bill.

Wix fits the maker who wants a full studio site first: a gallery, an about-the-workshop page, a commission request form, and a store for what's available. Its drag-and-drop editor is the easiest here if you've never built a site. Merchants report no Wix commission on sales; you pay the plan and your payment provider's fees.

Watch the entry price: Light can't sell. You need at least Core, at $29.77 a month billed yearly. Wix also offers a POS tied to Wix Payments; check hardware and rates for your country before you count on it at fairs.

The real limit is leaving: users describe a hard migration because the site doesn't export cleanly. If selling will become most of your work, start on Shopify.

Etsy isn't a store you own. It's a marketplace. It still makes this list because, for most makers, that's where the first customers come from. Its strength is the audience: people who type "handmade silver ring" and find you before you've spent a cent on ads.

The fees stack up, though. Our math for a $40 piece, shipping included, sold by a US seller: $0.20 listing fee, $2.60 transaction fee (6.5%), $1.45 payment processing (3% + $0.25). Total: about $4.25, or 10.6% of the price. If that sale came through Offsite Ads, add 15%, or $6: the piece now costs you about $10.25, over 25% of the price. If your bank account is in another currency, Etsy adds 2.5% for conversion.

One-of-a-kind work costs extra admin. Every new piece needs a new listing at $0.20, and a custom order goes through a private listing, also $0.20. Sellers mostly complain about two things: search results crowded with ads and resellers, and buyers who remember "I bought it on Etsy" instead of your name. Hence the rule experienced makers follow: keep Etsy to get found, and drop a card with your own store's address into every package.

Amazon Handmade brings Amazon's buyers to approved artisans. You apply, and your work is reviewed before you can list. The fee is 15% per unit sold, or $0.30 if that's higher. The Professional selling plan ($39.99 a month) is charged the first month, then waived once you're accepted.

On a $40 piece, that's $6 in referral fees, more than Etsy's total before Offsite Ads. In exchange there are no listing fees, and Amazon's search reaches people who never browse Etsy.

It suits repeatable work (a mug line, a candle range) better than true one-offs or heavy custom work. Treat it as a second storefront, never your only one: the buyer belongs to Amazon even more than to Etsy.