Quick answer
The best website builder for artists depends on whether the site is mainly a portfolio or mainly a shop: Squarespace or Wix for a portfolio with a small shop, Big Cartel for a few pieces at no monthly cost, and Shopify when selling is the main job. Example: on a $40 print paid by card, fees come to $1.46 on Shopify, Wix and Big Cartel, $2.26 on Squarespace Basic and $3.06 on WordPress.com Premium. Big Cartel's free Gold plan lists up to 5 products with no monthly cost.
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. It is pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, so it is not in the list or the fee example. See where Nation fits.
How we compared
Every builder here was checked against the same four criteria, in the same order. The list is not ranked: which builder fits depends on how much of the site is portfolio and how much is shop.
- Portfolio and shop on one site Most artists need to show work that is not for sale next to work that is. The question is whether the builder's own pages describe portfolio pages and a shop on the same site.
- Fees on each sale Transaction and card fees on one order, read from each builder's own pricing or fee page for a US seller.
- Monthly cost What you pay in a month with no sales, on the plan used in the fee example.
- Limits Product caps, free plans that cannot take payments and fees that change by plan.
Website builders for artists at a glance
Each builder is shown on the cheapest plan with a website that can take payments, except WordPress.com, which is shown on Premium, the cheapest plan with the Payments block. None of the five is a marketplace, so on all of them the buyers come from you. The source and check date for every number are listed under each builder and at the end of the page.
Fees on a $40 print sale on each builder
Fees are easier to compare on one order than as percentages. Example: one $40 art print, paid by card, with free shipping and no sales tax. On Squarespace Basic that sale pays a 2% transaction fee and card processing of 2.9% + $0.30.
- Wix $1.46 plus Core $29 a month (billed yearly, paid in full upfront) Card 2.9% + $0.30 $1.46
- Shopify $1.46 plus $29 a month Card 2.9% + 30¢ $1.46
- Big Cartel $1.46 free for 5 products, or $15 a month Big Cartel 0% $0, Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 $1.46
- Squarespace baseline $2.26 plus $19 a month Transaction 2% $0.80, Card 2.9% + $0.30 $1.46
- WordPress.com $3.06 plus Premium US$8 a month, billed every 12 months Payments block 4% (Premium) $1.60, Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 $1.46
Assumes a $40 print, free shipping, no tax, a standard US card paid online and no currency conversion. Payments go through Squarespace Payments, Wix Payments and Shopify Payments, and through Stripe on Big Cartel and WordPress.com. WordPress.com is shown on Premium with the Payments block, which takes 4% of each sale on that plan.
A lower fee on each sale can make up for a higher plan price once you sell enough. The table compares each builder with Squarespace Basic at $19 a month billed annually: it divides the extra monthly plan price by the fee saved on each $40 sale. Big Cartel is not in the table: its free plan has no monthly cost, and Platinum costs less than Squarespace Basic per month and per sale. WordPress.com Premium has the lower plan price but the higher fee per sale, so it costs less only at low volume.
The count only compares fees and plan prices, and assumes the same sales on every builder. Templates, portfolio pages and the time each builder takes to run also matter.
Each website builder in detail
Every builder gets the same five lines: price, fees per sale, what it is strong at, who it is best for and its main limit.
The baseline. A website builder with flexible portfolio templates and a drag-and-drop editor, and a shop on the same site.
- Price
- Basic plan $19 a month billed annually, or $25 a month billed monthly. There is no free plan; every site starts with a free trial, and the pricing page says it is free for 14 days.
- Fees per sale
- A 2% transaction fee on Basic, plus card processing of 2.9% + $0.30 with Squarespace Payments.
- Strong at
- Portfolio and shop on one site: Squarespace lists an online store, invoicing, appointments and payments, all with one website, and there is no limit to the number of products and services you can sell.
- Best for
- Artists who want one site for portfolio, about page and a small shop.
- Limit
- Basic adds a 2% fee to every online sale. Core, at $29 a month billed annually, drops it to 0%.
A website builder with 100s of free portfolio templates and the drag-and-drop editor. A premium plan lets a portfolio site accept payments.
- Price
- Core, the cheapest plan that takes payments, is $29 a month (billed yearly, paid in full upfront). A site can be built on the free plan, but a paid plan is needed to accept payments.
- Fees per sale
- Wix Payments charges 2.9% + $0.30 for a US card other than American Express, 3.7% of the transaction amount + 0.30 USD for American Express and 3.49% of the transaction amount + 0.49 USD for PayPal.
- Strong at
- Portfolio and shop on one site, laid out with the drag-and-drop editor, which also works on the free plan while the site is being built.
- Best for
- Artists who want to arrange their own layouts and sell through the same site.
- Limit
- The cheaper Light plan, at $17 a month (billed yearly), does not list accepting payments on the Wix plans page, so selling starts at Core. Prices on the plans page are for yearly subscriptions paid upfront; other billing periods exist.
A store builder first: Shopify says the online store can be used to create webpages, publish a blog, and sell your products. Shopify for artists makes most sense when selling prints, originals or merch is the main job of the site.
- Price
- Basic plan $29 a month billed yearly, or $39 a month billed monthly. Selling with an online store needs the Basic plan or higher. New stores get 3 days free, then $1/month for 3 months.
- Fees per sale
- Card processing of 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic with Shopify Payments, and no transaction fee with Shopify Payments. Another payment provider adds 2%.
- Strong at
- Selling tools on Basic: you can sell on social and marketplaces, with unlimited products.
- Best for
- Artists who sell often and run the site mainly as a shop.
- Limit
- The plan costs $29 a month billed yearly even in months with no sales, and using a payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds 2% per sale.
Big Cartel describes itself as online stores for artists and small businesses. It is a store builder with no listing fees and a 0% transaction fee.
- Price
- A free Gold plan for 5 products. Platinum is $15 a month for up to 50 products.
- Fees per sale
- Big Cartel takes 0%. You pay the payment processor, for example 2.9% + $0.30 (Stripe).
- Strong at
- Low fixed cost for a small catalog, and print-on-demand providers that print, pack and ship your designs.
- Best for
- Artists with a few pieces for sale and their own audience.
- Limit
- Product caps by plan: 5 products on the free plan and up to 50 products on Platinum. Custom pages, for an about page or artist statement, are a paid feature on the Platinum and Diamond plans.
A website and blog builder. This page costs it with the Payments block, which works on Premium, Business, and Commerce plans.
- Price
- Premium US$8 a month, billed every 12 months, or US$18 a month billed monthly. There is a free plan at US$0, but the Payments block is on Premium, Business, and Commerce plans only.
- Fees per sale
- On Premium the Payments block takes 4% of each sale, and Stripe adds 2.9% + US$0.30. Plugins, including WooCommerce, can be installed on Personal, Premium, Business, and Commerce plans, but that route is not costed here.
- Strong at
- Writing next to the work: the WordPress.com support guide shows how to create and showcase projects on a portfolio site, on the same site as blog posts and payment buttons.
- Best for
- Artists who write about their work and sell a few pieces through payment buttons.
- Limit
- The Payments fee by plan is Free 10% / Personal 8% / Premium 4% / Business 2% / Commerce 0%, so it drops only on higher plans, and if the plan expires it rises to 10%.
Which one fits you
Your site is mainly a portfolio and you sell a few prints on the side.
Squarespace or Wix
Squarespace has flexible portfolio templates and a drag-and-drop editor, and Wix has 100s of free portfolio templates and the drag-and-drop editor. Squarespace Basic costs $19 a month billed annually plus a 2% transaction fee per sale; Wix Core costs $29 a month (billed yearly, paid in full upfront) with card fees only.
You have only a few pieces for sale and want no monthly cost.
Big Cartel
A free Gold plan for 5 products, and Big Cartel takes 0% of each sale. Custom pages are a paid feature on the Platinum and Diamond plans.
Selling prints, originals or merch is the main job of the site.
Shopify
Card fees of 2.9% + 30¢ and no transaction fee with Shopify Payments, against Squarespace Basic's extra 2%. From 13 sales of $40 a month, the fees saved cover the higher Shopify plan price.
You write about your work as much as you sell it.
WordPress.com
Premium (US$8 a month, billed every 12 months) has the lowest paid plan price in this comparison, but each sale pays 4% to WordPress.com on top of Stripe's 2.9% + US$0.30.
Where Nation fits
Nation
Category: an AI store builder
Nation says one description of what you make builds the store, then agents handle orders, customers and delivery and run ads, content and social posts, with you approving the work. Because pricing is not announced yet, it is not compared on fees here.
Limits today
- Status: pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai.
- Pricing and fees: not announced yet.
- Shopper marketplace: no shopper marketplace has been announced.
- Track record: no independent reviews or public stores yet.
Nation publishes this page. Nation is not ranked here and will not be added to the list or the fee example until signup is public and pricing is published.
Describe what you makeDisclosure and method
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. Nation is not ranked here and will not be added to the comparison until signup is public and pricing is published.
The list covers five website builders that a US artist can use to show work and sell it from one site. No builder paid to be included, and none of the links are affiliate links.
Every plan price and fee was read on the builder's own pricing or fee page on 2 Oct 2026, then re-read in a separate check. Each builder's section names its source, and the full list is below.
Questions about website builders for artists
What is the best website builder for artists?
The best website builder for artists depends on how much of the site is a shop. For a portfolio with a few prints, Squarespace and Wix both offer portfolio templates and a shop on the same site. For a small catalog at no monthly cost, Big Cartel is free for 5 products. For a site that is mainly a shop, Shopify Basic has no transaction fee with Shopify Payments.
Is Shopify good for artists?
Shopify is good for artists who sell often, because Basic charges 2.9% + 30¢ per card sale and no transaction fee with Shopify Payments. On an example $40 print that is $1.46. The plan costs $29 a month billed yearly even in months with no sales, so an artist who sells only a few pieces may pay less on Squarespace Basic or Big Cartel.
Which website builder for artists has the lowest fees?
Among these website builders for artists, Shopify, Wix and Big Cartel have the lowest fees on an example $40 card sale, at $1.46 each. Squarespace Basic comes to $2.26 because of its 2% transaction fee, and WordPress.com Premium to $3.06. The plan price matters too: Big Cartel is free for 5 products.
Is there a free website builder for artists that can sell art?
Big Cartel is the free website builder here that can sell art: its free Gold plan covers 5 products, and you pay only card fees. On Wix, a paid plan is needed to accept payments. The WordPress.com Payments block works on Premium, Business, and Commerce plans. Squarespace has no free plan; every site starts with a free trial. Shopify offers 3 days free, then $1/month for 3 months.
Should an artist choose Squarespace or Wix?
An artist choosing between Squarespace and Wix gets portfolio templates, a drag-and-drop editor and a shop on the same site with either one. On cost, Squarespace Basic is $19 a month billed annually plus a 2% transaction fee per sale, and Wix Core is $29 a month (billed yearly, paid in full upfront) with card fees only, so Wix costs less once you sell enough.
Is Nation a website builder for artists?
Nation is not a website builder for artists that you can compare today. It is an AI store builder, pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, and its pricing is not announced yet. Because no shopper marketplace has been announced, buyers would come from you, as on the builders here. Nation will be added to this comparison once signup is public and pricing is published.