How much does Ecwid cost?

Formed in 2009, Ecwid is a veteran ecommerce platform with almost a million users worldwide. 

Slightly different to all-in-one solutions like Shopify and ShopWired, Ecwid is an ecommerce plugin that lets you turn an existing website into an online store capable of accepting payments. 

But how much does Ecwid cost? What features do you get? Can you use it for free? Are there any hidden charges worth knowing about? 

In this guide we’ll answer these questions and more. So, keep reading to find out the true cost of using Ecwid. 

How does Ecwid work? 

If you didn’t know already, Ecwid is short for ‘Ecommerce Widget,’ that’s because it works by giving you a widget that  gets placed onto your website.

You’ll get a few lines of HTML code (the widget) to insert into your website or social media page, and a store will now display wherever you inserted the code. 

Ecwid is super useful for those looking to convert their existing website or social media page into an ecommerce platform without having to overhaul their entire digital presence. It provides a seamless solution for adding ecommerce functionality, allowing businesses to start selling their products online in a quick and straightforward manner.

But how much does it cost to use Ecwid? Let’s find out. 

Ecwid pricing plans

Ecwid is available on four different price plans:

Free: £0 per month
Venture: £19 per month
Business: £39 per month
Unlimited: £99 per month

Let’s take a look at each plan to explore what each one offers. 

Ecwid Free Plan

Ecwid has a free plan, which is great if you want to test the waters before parting with your cash. However, it’s important to note that the free version of Ecwid is very basic and lacks many of the features available on paid plans. You won’t be able to do things like offer discounts to customers or sell digital products. You also won’t be able to sell on social channels such as Facebook or Instagram. You’ll also be limited to 5 products, which means the free version of Ecwid won’t be a solution for most online merchants. 

The free plan is only recommended if you’re either a small merchant with only a handful of products, or someone looking to move on to a paid plan in the near future. 

Now let’s look at Ecwid’s paid plans. 

Ecwid paid plans 

As with most other ecommerce platforms, the more you pay per month with Ecwid, the more additional features, functionality and support you’ll get. 

Venture 

Ecwid’s Venture plan lets you sell up to 100 products, both physical and digital. You’ll also have access to all payment gateways and shipping companies. 

If you’re a small to medium sized business, the Venture plan could provide you with enough to start selling. However, there are still some drawbacks to the Venture plan, with several key features missing until you go up a level to the Business plan

For example, on the Venture plan, you can sell products via social channels such as Facebook and instagram, but you still won’t be able to list your products on Amazon or eBay. 

There are also limitations on how your products are displayed to users. For example, you can’t set up product variants to show users different variations of a product. You’ll also miss out on product filters. These let the customer filter products whilst browsing your website, so not having them could diminish the user experience. 

Business 

The Business plan gives you everything from the Venture plan but throws in some more key features and functionalities. 

For example, you can now sell up to 2,500 products, you can add products to Amazon and eBay, you can sell subscriptions and set up separate wholesale prices for trade customers. Not only this, the Business plan adds telephone support and also lets you take advantage of intelligent marketing features such as automated emails to cart abandoners. 

In all, Ecwid’s Business plan is a significant step up from the Venture plan and will probably be enough for most merchants looking to set up an online store. 

Unlimited 

Ecwid’s Unlimited plan unlocks everything Ecwid has to offer, including full access to Ecwid’s point-of-sale (POS) features. You’ll also be able to sell an unlimited number of products, sell via a branded mobile app, sell in person and have unlimited staff accounts. 

It’s worth noting that U.K. merchants pay 24% more than US merchants for each Ecwid plan. This is quite a significant difference, and we would recommend considering a cheaper alternative, such as Shopwired, which is U.K.-based and offers an all-in-one ecommerce solution. 

Ecwid free trial

Ecwid doesn’t currently offer free trials. This is disappointing, especially given that the free version of Ecwid is rather limited and doesn’t give users a chance to experience all of Ecwid’s features. Instead, users will have to commit to a paid version of the plugin to try out all the features and functionalities. 

Additional fees

We’ve seen how much each Ecwid plan costs per month, but what about the hidden additional fees that invariably come with using an ecommerce platform? 

Unfortunately, it’s likely you'll have to pay additional fees along the way when using Ecwid. 

Payment Processing Fees

Although Ecwid themselves don’t charge transaction fees when you make a sale, each different payment provider might. So, you’ll need to bear this in mind when deciding which payment gateways to use. 

Different payment providers charge different fees. You can check Ecwid’s list of payment providers and their respective processing fees here. On average, you can expect to pay around 2.5% + 25p on each transaction. The higher your Ecwid plan, the lower the processing fee is, so you’ll need to factor this in too. 

Themes

Ecwid has a range of free and paid themes for you to choose from. Ecwid has 70+ free themes that you can use, but these are pretty basic. 

Depending on the CMS you use, a paid Ecwid theme can set you back anything from £75 per year to £250 for lifetime access. 

If you’re integrating Ecwid into a WordPress website, then you’ll have access to plenty of free WordPress themes and probably won’t need to explore Ecwid’s options. 

Additional plugins

Ecwid’s API platform lets you integrate additional plugins into your website. However, these aren’t always going to be free, so you’ll need to factor in the costs of any additional plugins you want to use. And if your website is heavily customised, you can expect the costs of using Ecwid to rise considerably. 

Final Thoughts

Ecwid offers a flexible solution for businesses wanting to add ecommerce capabilities to existing websites or social media platforms. However, the cost, which ranges from £19 to £82.50 per month for paid plans, can add up, especially considering the limited capabilities of the free version and the lack of a free trial for the full-featured versions.

Moreover, UK-based merchants pay 24% more than US merchants for each Ecwid plan, which could be a significant factor for some businesses. While Ecwid deserves credit for its widget-based approach and scalability, the cost-effectiveness and all-in-one solution offered by UK-based ShopWired might make it a more attractive option for many businesses considering an ecommerce platform.