Best tools · Ecommerce
Best dropshipping platforms
Sell without holding inventory. 4 tools in this list, 2 with a free plan.
How this list is ranked. Tools are ordered by how strongly they are built for this job (as tagged in VERILO’s catalogue), then by editorial score and editor rating. Affiliate relationships and featured status are never inputs.
- 01
Shopify
Good at itHosted ecommerce platform for building an online store and selling online, in person and on social channels.
4.7From $39/moFree trial- Well supported, though not the product's main focus.
- Includes AI assistant, API access, Webhooks
- 02
WooCommerce
Good at itFree, open-source ecommerce plugin that turns a self-hosted WordPress site into an online store.
4.3FreeFree plan- Well supported, though not the product's main focus.
- Includes API access, Webhooks, Import & export
- 03
Wix
Good at itDrag-and-drop website builder with a free plan, an AI site generator and online store features on paid tiers.
4.0From $17/moFree plan- Well supported, though not the product's main focus.
- Includes AI content generation, Templates, Mobile app
- 04
BigCommerce
Supports itHosted ecommerce platform with no platform transaction fees, built-in B2B features and headless options.
4.1From $29/moFree trial- Possible, but other tools on this list are more purpose-built.
- Includes API access, Webhooks, Templates
Who this list is for
For someone selling products they never handle: the storefront, the payments and the supplier integrations matter, stock control does not. It is the same platform decision as any online store, weighted towards apps and per-order fees rather than warehousing.
How to choose
Dropshipping runs on integrations. The supplier, order-routing and print-on-demand services you plan to use decide the platform more than the storefront does — Shopify has the largest app ecosystem of the four, which is why most dropshipping advice starts there.
Then price the fees rather than the plan. Shopify adds a fee per order when you use a third-party payment gateway; BigCommerce charges no platform transaction fees on any plan but moves you up a tier as annual sales grow. On thin margins that difference compounds faster than the subscription.
Decide how much of the stack you want to run yourself. WooCommerce is free and fully yours, with hosting, updates, backups and security as your job; Wix is the quickest to launch, with the caveat that a site built there cannot be exported or moved to another host.
What to compare
- Supplier and app integrations
- List the supplier or print-on-demand services you will use, then check each platform's marketplace for a maintained app. This is usually the constraint that decides the choice.
- Transaction fees and gateways
- Check the platform's own fee and what changes if you use an outside payment gateway. On low margins, per-order fees matter more than the monthly plan price.
- Catalogue size and variants
- Dropshipped catalogues grow quickly. Confirm product, variant and staff-account limits on the plan you would buy rather than on the top tier of the table.
- Who maintains the site
- Hosted platforms handle uptime, updates and security. A self-hosted store gives full control and hands you that work, so budget the time or the developer.
- Leaving later
- Check what exports: products, customers and orders. One tool here does not allow a site to be moved to another host, which turns a later migration into a rebuild.
Common questions
- Which dropshipping tools have a free plan?
- WooCommerce has a free plan, with limits on usage, users or features. Shopify (3 days) and BigCommerce (15 days) offer a free trial instead. Pricing for Wix has not been checked against the vendor in the last 90 days, so it is not included.
- How much does dropshipping software cost?
- The entry paid plans as each vendor lists them, checked against its pricing page: BigCommerce Core at $29 a month and Shopify Basic at $39 a month. Some vendors quote the annual-billing rate, and seat minimums, higher tiers and add-ons all change the real cost, so price the plan you actually need. Pricing for Wix has not been checked against the vendor in the last 90 days, so it is not included.
- Does the platform matter if suppliers do the shipping?
- It decides what you can automate. Orders, tracking updates and returns all pass through the store, so a maintained integration is the difference between a shop you run in an hour a day and one you run out of a spreadsheet.
- Hosted platform or self-hosted store?
- Self-hosting costs less in licence terms and more in attention: updates, backups, security and performance become yours. If nobody on the team wants that job, a hosted platform is the honest choice even at a higher monthly price.
Read next
Choosing between the top two?
See Shopify and WooCommerce side by side on pricing, free plans, ease of use and features.
Compare Shopify vs WooCommerce4 tools compared. Each listing shows when its information was last reviewed; prices can change, so check the vendor’s pricing page before you decide.