{"id":3837,"date":"2026-10-11T11:45:53","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T05:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/easycommerce.dev\/blog\/?p=3837"},"modified":"2026-10-11T15:46:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T09:46:30","slug":"free-ecommerce-platform-vs-free-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/easycommerce.dev\/blog\/free-ecommerce-platform-vs-free-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Ecommerce Platform vs Free Trial: What Actually Costs Less After Month 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A trial gives you a few days or weeks on someone else’s hosted software, then bills you monthly and takes a cut of each sale. A free platform charges nothing for the software, but you still pay for hosting, a domain, and payment processing. Neither one is free. They are expensive in different places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guide puts real numbers on both routes, using published Shopify and BigCommerce pricing and current hosting ranges. You will see what a first year costs, where each option gets expensive, what switching later involves, and how to choose based on the sales you expect, not on which headline sounds better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prices checked on October 11, 2026. Platforms change pricing often, so confirm on the vendor page before you choose your platform.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Free Ecommerce Platform vs Free Trial: What’s the Difference?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A free trial gives you temporary access to a paid, hosted platform. A free ecommerce platform gives you software with no licence fee, usually self-hosted. The trial ends, and the billing starts. The free platform has no end date, but the hosting, domain, and processing bills start on day one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Free<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What a free trial really gives you<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You get a hosted store with no server work. Shopify’s free trial<\/strong><\/a> runs 3 days with no credit card required, and BigCommerce’s trial<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>runs 15 days, also without a card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The catch is the clock. You build products, pages, and settings in their system, and when the trial ends, you either pay or start over elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a free ecommerce platform really gives you<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You get software with no licence fee, and you choose where it runs. For example, EasyCommerce says its core plugin is free, with zero transaction fees<\/strong><\/a>, and it runs on WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The catch here is responsibility. You handle hosting, updates, backups, and security, or you pay someone who does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Do Free Trials Cost After They End?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once a trial ends, you pay the entry plan every month, plus fees on sales. The table below uses each vendor’s published prices, with the annual-billing rate shown beside the monthly one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Platform<\/strong><\/td>Trial \/ Free option<\/strong><\/td>Entry plan<\/strong><\/td>Watch for<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Shopify<\/td>3-day free trial, then $1\/month for 3 months<\/td>Basic: $39\/month or $29\/month billed annually<\/td>Card processing fees apply; additional transaction fees may apply when using third-party payment providers<\/td><\/tr>
BigCommerce<\/td>15-day free trial<\/td>Standard\/Core: from $39\/month or around $29\/month billed annually<\/td>Plan limits are tied to annual sales volume, which can trigger an automatic upgrade<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sources:<\/em><\/strong> Shopify pricing<\/a><\/strong>,<\/em> BigCommerce pricing<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shopify: 3 days free, then $1 for three months<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Shopify’s pricing page lists “3 days free, then $1\/month for 3 months<\/strong>” before standard pricing applies. The Basic plan is $39 a month on monthly billing and $29 a month on annual billing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what does year one cost? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three months at $1 plus nine months at $39 comes to $354. That is my own calculation from the published prices, and it excludes your domain, apps, and theme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Annual billing changes the picture in year two. Twelve months at $29 is $348, while twelve months at $39 is $468. The $1 introductory offer hides that gap in year one, so look at the second year before you decide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BigCommerce: 15 days, with a sales cap to plan around<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

BigCommerce gives you a longer trial and no card up front. The less obvious detail sits on the same pricing page: the Core plan covers up to $30K in trailing 12-month sales and then moves you to Growth, which lists at $105 a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is a good problem to have. Just budget for it before it happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How we calculated these numbers?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Every figure in this guide follows the same assumptions, so you can rerun them with your own inputs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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