6 Best E-Commerce Platforms for Dropshipping in 2023

Dropshipping isn’t the golden ticket to e-commerce success many financial influencers will have you believe. Don’t get me wrong, it can be extremely lucrative, but without a great e-commerce platform to power your dropshipping website, you’re not likely to see much success.

That’s because not every e-commerce platform that claims to support dropshipping businesses has the features to do so. Many lack apps that automatically forward customer emails to your wholesaler, which are vital to keeping your business running smoothly. And even if they offer these apps, they may charge high monthly fees that eat into your profits margin.

After testing dozens of e-commerce platforms, I’ve narrowed the list down to six that offer fantastic features for dropshipping businesses. While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, all these platforms offer fair pricing, great automation capabilities, and plenty of branding support.

Whether you’re setting up a new dropshipping business, or you’re looking to migrate your existing one to an e-commerce platform with superior dropshipping support, you’re bound to find the perfect home for your business on my list.

What We Look For in the Best E-Commerce Platforms for Dropshipping

While you’d assume that most e-commerce platforms have the capability needed for dropshipping, that’s not always the case. I made sure to keep an eye out for these features when running my tests:

• Dropshipping integrations. Without dropshipping integrations to automatically update product data and forward orders to your wholesaler, you’ll have to update everything manually. These integrations are vital for time management and customer service.
• Adaptable marketing tools. Any successful dropshipping business needs a strong marketing strategy, and this is a lot easier to achieve with automated marketing tools that connect to your website. Every e-commerce platform on my list has built-in tools or fantastic third-party integrations available.
• Scalability. Your e-commerce platform should be able to support you as your business grows, whether that’s through providing unlimited bandwidth and storage or making plan upgrades seamless.
• Pricing. Dropshipping businesses don’t always have large margins on their products, and high monthly and per-sale fees can really eat into your profits. That’s why I made sure every e-commerce platform on this list has clear and budget-friendly pricing.
• Ease of use. Every e-commerce platform I’ve ranked below makes it easy to build your dropshipping website. Not only that, but they all have intuitive back-end features to help streamline your business management, as well as great support documentation to answer any questions along the way.

1. Wix: Most Flexible Dropshipping Store Builder With Exceptional Marketing Tools

Wix is a great choice for new and existing dropshipping businesses alike. With a vast library of 800+ designer-made templates and probably the most versatile drag-and-drop editor I’ve ever used, Wix gives you the flexibility to create exactly the site you want.

Wix’s app market contains over 100 third-party marketing integrations. These make it easy to connect your Google Business account, email marketing service, and social media platforms to your website. In addition, Wix’s built-in email marketing platform will help you keep in touch with your customers and encourage repeat business.

Most importantly, every Wix e-commerce store gets access to 35+ dropshipping and print-on-demand apps, including the popular Sprocket, Printful, and Modalyst apps. There are even specialty dropshipping apps, like Dripshipper for coffee products and BDroppy for fashion. No matter what kind of dropshipping store you want to build, you’ll be able to do it with Wix.

At just $16.00/mo, Wix’s Business Basic plan is a budget-friendly option that gives you unlimited bandwidth and unlimited products. You’ll even get $700 in ad vouchers to market your business and boost your exposure.

Features

• Tons of payment options. Wix supports 50+ payment gateways worldwide, including PayPal, Stripe, and Klarna. You can also use Wix’s own payment gateway, Wix Payments, to start accepting payments quickly.
• Built-in SEO tools. Wix’s SEO Wiz doesn’t just help you optimize each page for your specific keywords, it’ll also show you how to get your site indexed by search engines. If you’re new to SEO marketing, Wix’s extensive SEO guide explains this type of marketing in detail.
• Built-in marketing tools. Wix Ascend offers a ton of marketing tools like email marketing, social media posting, automation, and analytics. It’s available for an additional monthly fee, but it’s well worth the cost for the convenience of controlling everything from one dashboard.
• Wix ADI. If you want to save time on building a Wix website, you can use Wix’s AI-powered design tool to build a custom template within minutes. This is a great way to stand apart from competitors without needing design skills.

Read our expert Wix review to see more great e-commerce features.

2. Squarespace: Best for Branding and Stunning Store Designs

One of the biggest challenges with dropshipping is differentiating your store from competitors’. If you want to create a truly unique customer experience, take a look at Squarespace. While it doesn’t offer as many templates as some other builders, each one is highly customizable and mobile-friendly. You can also add custom CSS and JavaScript to any part of your website, giving you complete control over the look of your site.

You can also customize the checkout process. Squarespace lets you collect as much information as you need, and you can streamline the experience by allowing customers with an account to autofill their address and billing information. You’re even able to tailor your design of your order confirmation page to fit the rest of your branding.

It’s worth noting that Squarespace’s Business plan takes a 3% cut of every transaction. It’s not terrible, particularly because this plan is pretty good value for what you get. But when your business starts growing, make sure you upgrade to the Commerce Basic or Advanced plan to avoid these additional costs.

Features

• Unlimited essentials. Every Squarespace commerce plan comes with unlimited bandwidth, products, and contributors, so you’re not forced to upgrade your plan as your business grows.
• Great blogging tools. Blogging is a great way to improve your website’s SEO, attract new customers, and set yourself apart from the competition. Squarespace’s blog feature uses the same editor as your website pages, making it easy to publish engaging content.
• Free email marketing. You’ll get a free email marketing service that will let you send up to three campaigns. It’s pretty basic compared to some third-party services, but it’s a great way to kick-start your marketing without eating up your profits.
• Social media tools. Squarespace’s Unfold toolkit, which is included in every plan, helps you to design eye-catching social media posts and videos. With hundreds of templates, presets, and graphics, you’ll get everything you need to build a compelling social media feed.

Learn more about branding features in our in-depth Squarespace review.

3. Shopify: Greatest Variety of Dropshipping Apps

Shopify’s one of the best-known e-commerce platforms for dropshipping, and there’s a good reason for that. Shopify has 350+ dropshipping apps, so you’re bound to find a wholesale partner on Shopify that’s perfect for your business. It has popular apps like Sprocket, Printful, and DSers for AliExpress, as well as more niche options for private label cosmetics, candles, and even diamonds.

Most of these apps operate in a similar way – once you’ve selected the products you want, the details will be automatically imported to a new product page on your site. Incoming orders are collected into a single dashboard, so you can place an order with your suppliers with a single click. Some apps, like Sprocket, even offer real-time order tracking for your customers, helping you to build customer trust.

This comes at a price, though. Even on Shopify’s most expensive plan, you’ll have to pay a small fee on each sale that’s not processed through Shopify Payments. It’s not a large fee, but it’s worth bearing in mind so you can set your prices accordingly.

Features

• Generous plans. You’ll get unlimited products, bandwidth, and storage on your Shopify plan. You’ll have to upgrade when you need more staff accounts or want lower per-sale fees, but you don’t have to worry about running out of resources if your business takes off overnight.
• 24/7 support. If you need help outside of traditional office hours, Shopify’s got you covered with 24/7 live chat, ticket support, and a comprehensive knowledge base.
• Built-in marketing features. Every Shopify plan comes with built-in reporting, email marketing, and SEO tools. Shopify also runs free webinars and courses to help you learn the ins and outs of marketing.
• Shopify Experts. Whether you need help optimizing your sales funnels or setting up your website’s SEO, Shopify has a directory of trusted experts you can hire. Proper optimization can make or break your success with dropshipping, so hiring an expert is a good option if you’ve got a larger budget to work with.

Find out why Shopify is great for dropshipping in our comprehensive review.

4. Zyro: Best for Setting up Shop Quickly

One of the best things about dropshipping is that you can quickly capitalize on any products going viral. Go with Zyro if you need to set up a store quickly. Thanks to its simple templates and intuitive editor, you’ll be able to set up a new dropshipping store in less than an hour.

Zyro even has a refund policy, privacy policy, and terms and conditions generators to speed up making your store legally compliant. Combined with popular dropshipping integrations like Sprocket and Printful that allow you to easily import product information, Zyro enables you to start dropshipping trending products in only a few hours.

You’ll also get a bunch of AI-powered tools that, while not perfect, can give you a head start on your branding and marketing. Zyro’s AI slogan generator, for instance, is great for branding inspiration, while its AI writer will help you to come up with content ideas for your blog and SEO marketing.

Features

• Comprehensive support. Zyro’s team is on hand 24/7 via email and live chat to help you if you ever need it. There’s also a knowledge base with video tutorials for quick reference. And if you can’t afford to wait for help, you can always pay a few more dollars each month for Zyro’s priority support add-on.
• 70+ payment methods. Zyro supports over 70 payment methods across 200 countries, making it as convenient as possible for customers to shop at your store.
• Unlimited bandwidth. If you get a sudden spike in website traffic, don’t worry – Zyro offers unlimited bandwidth on all its plans. This is ideal if you’re looking to capitalize on a product trend that could attract a large number of shoppers.
• Social media integrations. You can track your Facebook ad performance in your Zyro dashboard and use Messenger to chat with customers. You’ll also be able to connect to WhatsApp to talk to customers in real time from your desktop or mobile device.

Read our expert review to see how Zyro can help you build an e-commerce store.

5. WordPress.com: Best for a Custom Dropshipping Site

If you need a completely custom set of features, look no further than WordPress.com. Not only do you get some powerful built-in analytics, security, and backup tools, but there are 54,000+ plugins to choose from. What’s more, most of these plugins are free, so you don’t have to worry about your website fees eating into your profit margin.

To use WordPress.com for dropshipping, you’ll have to integrate WooCommerce. This also means you’ll need to sign up for a WordPress.com Business plan (but you won’t have to pay any additional fees on top of this). Still, this is a pretty great deal when you consider the impressive feature set you get with WooCommerce, such as a live search bar, one-page checkouts, bulk order exporting, and more.

With such a wide range of plugins on offer, you can build a completely unique dropshipping store that provides a great shopping experience. Just be prepared to spend a bit more time setting up your website as WordPress.com has a somewhat steeper learning curve than most other Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) e-commerce platforms.

Features

• Advanced SEO tools. You can set page meta descriptions, customize your page titles, and even preview what your pages will look like on search engines and social media sites. You’ll also get WordPress.com’s powerful blogging feature, which is ideal for improving your store’s SEO.
• Priority support. WordPress.com’s live chat is available 24/7 to users on the eCommerce plan. You’ll also be at the top of the support queue, so you won’t have to wait long for help and advice.
• Custom theme uploads. On the eCommerce plan, you’ll be able to upload custom themes. Whether you use one of the thousands of third-party WordPress themes available, or hire a designer to create a custom theme for you, you’ll be able to build a unique dropshipping store.
• Automated backups. Having a backup of your dropshipping store means you can quickly get it back online if anything goes wrong. WordPress.com automatically creates backups of your site and allows you to rewind changes with one click.

Read our expert WordPress.com review to see more great features for dropshipping.

6. BigCommerce: Best for Scalability (If You Have the Budget)

BigCommerce is ideal for growth-focused stores. Every plan comes with unlimited products and staff accounts, and you won’t have to pay any additional transaction charges on top of payment processing fees. You’ll also get all the e-commerce features you’ll need, like reporting tools, gift cards and discounts, the ability to accept multi-currency payments, and more.

You’ll be able to make up to $50,000/year on BigCommerce’s Starter plan before having to upgrade, which is a generous limit for new dropshipping stores still establishing their customer base. When your business starts to grow, you’ll need to jump to the Plus plan, which triples your sales cap and offers additional marketing tools.

With that being said, BigCommerce isn’t the cheapest e-commerce platform on the market. At $29.00/mo, the cheapest plan costs roughly the same as mid-level plans from most other platforms, so it might not be the most cost-effective solution for brand new stores. Still, if you’re looking to grow your business, investing in BigCommerce now could pay big dividends further down the line.

Features

• Unlimited bandwidth. If you get a sudden spike in traffic, your store’s performance won’t suffer. You’ll get this on every BigCommerce plan, too, which will help you provide a great customer experience no matter how large your store becomes.
• BigCommerce University. BigCommerce offers multiple learning solutions to help you grow your dropshipping business. You can get training at one of BigCommerce’s locations, onsite at your business, or online.
• Multiple sales channels. You can connect your Amazon, eBay, Wish, and social media accounts to your BigCommerce store to grow your business across multiple platforms. You can also track your performance across these platforms through your BigCommerce dashboard.
• Real-time reporting. Keep an eye on your store’s performance in real time, thanks to BigCommerce’s built-in reporting and analytics tools.

See how BigCommerce can help your online business grow in our in-depth review.

What’s the Best E-Commerce Platform for Dropshipping?

Dropshipping can be a lucrative business, but you need a powerful e-commerce platform behind your website to give you the best chance of success. Without effective marketing tools to draw and retain customers, and without the right dropshipping integrations to automate product sourcing and order fulfillment, you’re not likely to turn a profit.

Wix is an ideal choice if you’re focused on building your customer base. With tons of built-in marketing tools and 100+ third-party marketing integrations, you’ll have everything you need to find new customers and keep them coming back.

Take a look at Squarespace if you want a dropshipping store that stands out from the crowd. Each one of its 140+ templates is unique, mobile-friendly, and fully customizable. You’ll also be able to customize your checkout and product pages, allowing you to build a fully optimized customer experience.

If your focus is creating a curated product list, then you’ll love Shopify. With over 350 dropshipping and print-on-demand apps – plus a huge range of wholesalers and product deals – you’ll be able to find products and wholesalers to fit your business.

Still unsure? Take a look at my quick comparison of the best e-commerce platforms for dropshipping:

FAQ

Which platform is best for dropshipping?

Our top pick for dropshipping is Wix. It has hundreds of elegant and modern templates and a ton of built-in marketing tools to help you attract and retain new customers. Plus, you’ll get access to over 130 dropshipping apps, giving you plenty of options for partnering with suppliers.

Is dropshipping worth it?

Dropshipping can be a lucrative business model, but it takes strategy, persistence, and a great e-commerce platform to be successful. You’ll need some key features to run your dropshipping business, but paying for these can significantly impact your profit margin. Fortunately, the best ecommerce platforms for dropshipping have all the tools you need already built in.

How can I start dropshipping for free?

There are some ways you can minimize your startup costs. Shopify offers a 14-day free trial, and while you won’t be able to start selling without a plan, you’ll be able to connect the Sprocket app for free to start sourcing products. This gives you two weeks to set up your store and evaluate Shopify’s features before you need to start paying.

Is Wix or Shopify better for dropshipping?

That depends on your business goals. Shopify’s range of dropshipping apps makes it easy to build a curated list of products, so it’s great if you want a completely unique catalog. On the other hand, Wix has a wider range of free templates and fantastic marketing tools.