7 platforms to build your website and sell online in Quebec in 2026

You have products to sell, orders to prepare and probably better things to do than compare twelve subscription plans just to get your store online.

Wix, Squarespace and Shopify are familiar names. Etsy can help you find buyers. WooCommerce often comes up when people talk about WordPress. But do you know about the option being built right here in Quebec?

Parle lets you create your website and online store for $15 CAD per month, taxes included, with support in English and French, directly from the founders.

A quick disclosure: I’m one of those founders. Obviously, I have a soft spot for Parle. But helping you choose also means giving the other platforms credit for what they do well and putting the costs on the table.

Of the seven options in this article, Parle is the only Quebec-based platform. Shopify is Canadian, and that deserves to be clear. Our difference also comes down to proximity: we build our tools around the day-to-day needs of small businesses here.

Before comparing subscriptions

A good-looking website matters. So does being able to change a price yourself, find an order and pull your tax reports without a headache.

I’d look at four things: the total cost, the time it takes to get running, the features you actually need and the person who helps when something gets stuck.

Does your store need inventory tracking by size? Gift certificates? Promotions? Are those included, or do you need extra apps? And when you attend a Christmas market, how will you take payments in person?

The prices and documents cited here were checked on October 26, 2026. Parle, Squarespace and Shopify amounts are in Canadian dollars. Wix and ThriveCart examples are in US dollars. We distinguish monthly billing from monthly equivalents paid annually. Parle module prices include taxes. For other platforms, check applicable taxes; payment processing and certain extras also need to be budgeted for.

Competitor visuals come from their public pages, rather than a hands-on test of every feature. Customer comments reported here are individual experiences, not a representative survey.

A first look

The sources and qualifications follow in each section. This table is a starting point, not a universal invoice.

1. Parle: your website, your store and people here to help

Our goal is straightforward: help you showcase products, accept orders and fulfil them without turning your business into an IT project.

With your copy, photos and products ready, and an approved Stripe account, a simple website and store can be operational in about one hour. That includes the essential pages, products and online ordering. Payment account verification and domain propagation can take longer.

We offer personalized onboarding with real people, directly with the founders. You can explain what you sell and ask questions in English or French. You don’t have to figure everything out before getting started.

$15 a month, including the store features

Parle’s pricing is à la carte: $5 for the website and $10 for the store, in Canadian dollars, per month, taxes included.

Together, these modules include:

• Physical and digital products, without per-listing fees.
• Coupons, sale prices and advanced promotions.
• Inventory management and variations with separate inventory.
• Gift certificates.
• Quebec and Canadian tax calculations based on your store’s configuration.
• Orders and tools to track and prepare them for fulfilment.
• Bookkeeping and tax reports with GST and QST separated.

We also explain how to manage taxes for a Quebec store . You don’t need to add a paid app for each of these features. Our free CRM also keeps your contacts in the same place.

Payments go through your own Stripe account, connected to Parle. We don’t take a platform commission on your sales. Stripe’s usual fees still apply. The $15 subscription already includes taxes. Domain registration is a separate expense.

Abandoned carts and in-person sales

Viewing pending shopping carts and accessing the email addresses customers have entered are included in the Store module. You do not need the Email module to access them. You can see unfinished purchases and identify opportunities to follow up without paying for an email subscription just to see those contacts.

When you want automated email sequences in Parle, add the Email module at $9 CAD per month, taxes included . You choose when to add automation, while cart visibility stays included with your store. Follow-ups depend on the contact details provided and applicable consent.

When comparing platforms, check cart visibility, access to collected addresses and automated recovery separately. They are not always packaged the same way. For example, Squarespace currently includes recovery emails in its Basic, Core, Plus and Advanced plans . Parle’s advantage is giving you access to pending carts and their collected emails without requiring the Email module.

Selling in a shop or at a market? The point-of-sale module costs an additional $10 CAD per month and lets you take payments with a compatible Stripe terminal. Hardware and processing fees are separate. Website, store and POS therefore come to $25 CAD per month, taxes included, before those costs.

A sales funnel, from first contact to follow-up

Parle also connects your landing pages, forms, CRM, store and email sequences. Creating a landing page is simple with the website editor. A contact form creates a CRM contact and can assign tags. Tags drive Parle’s automations, so you can segment contacts from their first expression of interest.

A purchase adds two tags: a global store tag and a tag for the purchased product. With the Email module enabled, those tags let you build targeted sequences for store customers or buyers of a particular product. For example, a form can tag someone interested in a workshop, and a purchase tag can trigger a sequence for workshop buyers.

This is a complete path from capturing interest to selling and following up, with modules you activate as you need them.

An editor you want to use

Customers moving from Wix or Squarespace have told us that our website editor is much simpler. That’s their experience, but it’s exactly what we’re aiming for: easy-to-assemble blocks and a professional result you can update yourself.

Teaching workshops as well? With the Courses module activated, a course and a store product can be purchased in the same order. We’ve also compared six online course platforms if that’s part of your business.

Parle is a young platform. If your store depends on a particular integration or a very specific workflow, show us your scenario first. That’s where access to the people building the product becomes useful.

2. Wix: plenty of possibilities, with a plan to examine

Captured October 26, 2026: Wix eCommerce .

Wix has real strengths: lots of templates, considerable design freedom and tools for many types of businesses. If you enjoy fine-tuning the way your site looks, it’s an option to consider.

The pricing guide published by Wix lists Core at $36 USD per month with monthly billing, or $29 USD per month paid annually, meaning $348 USD upfront. That’s the level to examine for a store; a free website or a basic web presence subscription isn’t automatically a way to accept orders.

Wix says on its plans page that prices and currency vary by location. Look at the final amount, the renewal and the included features, rather than just the large promotional number.

Does that package match your needs, or are you paying for a collection of tools you won’t use? Conversely, does the one feature you want require a higher tier or an app?

What we’re hearing from customers

We speak with entrepreneurs who want to leave Wix for a local option that’s easier to update. That doesn’t prove everyone finds Wix difficult. But if changing your homepage has become a chore, trying another editor makes sense.

In an October 2026 public discussion , a user reports a plan change accompanied by a substantial renewal increase. That’s one account, not everyone’s price. It mainly illustrates why you should check what happens after the first billing period.

Replacing Wix’s business phone service

Wix’s business phone offering is another consideration for entrepreneurs reviewing their tools. Its Business Phone Number documentation says it stopped selling the service on new sites on June 4, 2025. Existing subscribers can still use and renew it, so this is a withdrawal from new sites rather than a forced shutdown for every customer.

If you need a different provider for your business line, Parle’s phone system is an option at $15 CAD per month, taxes included, as a separate module. It includes a professional number, a voice menu, mobile forwarding and voicemail. For entrepreneurs already reconsidering Wix because of costs, editing difficulties or changes to its services, it gives them another reason to look at Parle.

3. Squarespace: a good editor, with important details around selling

Captured October 26, 2026: Squarespace Ecommerce .

Squarespace deserves credit for its templates and visual presentation. For a brand that wants to showcase its photography and products, the editor can be a good fit.

When we checked the Canadian-dollar pricing page , Basic displayed $30 CAD per month and Core $45 CAD per month, with monthly billing. Paid annually, the displayed equivalents were $21 and $32 CAD per month, respectively.

Basic adds a 2% online store transaction fee, on top of payment processing. Core removes that platform fee for store sales. Courses and content memberships have a separate fee schedule. Check your type of sale, your currency and the plan offered inside your account.

A July 2026 discussion about renewals includes customers unhappy with pricing and support, alongside comments arguing that the cost is reasonable. Your budget and usage matter more than any single review.

When sales come in, but payouts wait

Two entrepreneurs we’ve spoken with reported prolonged difficulties getting their bank accounts verified and their funds released through Squarespace. They were also frustrated with support communications. Those are two specific situations, not a measure of how often this happens.

Squarespace Payments documentation explains that funds can remain held until the bank account is verified, even while orders continue coming in. That’s something to understand before launching.

Stripe can also require verification and delay payouts. Using Parle doesn’t remove the processor’s rules. You do have your own Stripe account and a local team to help you understand the process, without promising to override a banking decision.

At Parle, I want you to know what you’re paying and who you can talk to. Add the ability to sell a course and a product in one order, with the required modules, and there’s a practical advantage for small businesses combining several activities.

4. ThriveCart: look at today’s offer, beyond “lifetime”

Captured October 26, 2026: ThriveCart .

ThriveCart serves creators who want checkout pages, sales funnels and upsells, among other things. Parle is also a serious option for building your sales funnel: simple landing pages, forms that capture CRM contacts, tags that drive automations and product purchases that segment buyers for email sequences. The comparison should cover how each platform handles your complete sales process.

One lingering impression needs updating: ThriveCart is no longer limited to a lifetime purchase. Its new pricing announcement lists Standard at $47 USD per month, or $37 USD per month paid annually. Pro+ is advertised at $87 USD monthly, or $67 USD per month paid annually.

The platform also lists ThrivePages and course and community features. Calling it just a payment button would be misleading. Instead, try the complete workflow you need: website pages, products, variations, orders and reports.

Does a lifetime purchase suit you?

A lifetime option is still offered on the website. The Pro+ documentation also distinguishes lifetime Standard accounts from annual upgrades. “Lifetime” doesn’t automatically mean every future feature without another payment.

An upfront purchase can be good value if you use the service for a long time. But if your project changes, you’ve already spent the money. Check what the licence covers, what renews and how long you realistically expect to use it.

Our preference at Parle is that you pay for the modules you need now. I’d rather keep you because the tool helps your business than because you’ve already paid for several years in one go.

5. Etsy: an audience to reach, and fees to calculate

Official illustration accessed October 26, 2026: Selling on Etsy .

Etsy can introduce your creations to people who don’t know you yet. That’s a real strength. An independent store doesn’t automatically bring you that audience: you need to attract visitors.

In return, Etsy’s fees stack up: $0.20 USD per listing, a 6.5% transaction fee, then payment processing. For domestic or US orders, the Etsy Payments policy lists 3% + $0.25 CAD for Canadian sellers. Different rates apply to international orders.

Canada’s Regulatory Operating fee is 0.50%. Offsite Ads can add 15% or 12% on attributed sales; participation becomes mandatory after the program’s $10,000 USD threshold. Currency conversion and shop setup fees may also apply, depending on your situation.

If you already bring customers through Instagram, your newsletter or local markets, do the math: how much of those fees actually helps you find new buyers?

With Parle, you build your own web presence and customer relationship, without listing fees or a platform commission. You also take responsibility for getting your store noticed. Our Quebec alternative to Etsy page goes into that distinction.

6. Shopify: Canadian, capable, with a different budget

Captured October 26, 2026: Shopify Canada .

Shopify is a Canadian company and a comprehensive commerce platform. Its ecosystem is valuable if your store needs specialized integrations or more extensive sales operations.

In our conversations with small business owners, the need to hire someone to set up Shopify comes up repeatedly. Nearly everyone we speak with about their Shopify setup tells us they needed outside help to get the result they wanted. That’s our experience with those entrepreneurs, rather than a survey of all Shopify users, but it matters when budgeting for a launch.

Shopify includes tools to build a store yourself. Having those tools available doesn’t mean every owner has the time or confidence to configure the theme, catalogue, payments, shipping and apps. If you expect to need help, get a setup quote before comparing the subscription alone. At Parle, personalized onboarding with the founders is part of how we help you get started.

The Basic plan in Canada costs $49 CAD per month, or $37 CAD per month paid annually, before taxes and any extras you choose. Apps can be useful, but each subscription adds to the bill. If you hire someone for your theme or integrations, include that work in your launch budget.

Reviews published on Capterra show both sides: some customers appreciate the ease of use and ecosystem, while others find extra apps expensive. That isn’t a mandatory bill for every store. Start with your own requirements.

Yes, payment rates deserve a comparison

Basic advertises online rates starting at 2.8% + $0.30 CAD for standard cards, compared with 2.9% + $0.30 CAD for domestic cards at Stripe’s standard pricing . Card types, currencies and account terms can change the calculation.

For example, on $5,000 in eligible sales, that 0.1 percentage-point difference represents $5, with an identical number of transactions. Compare that saving with the complete subscription and any extra tools. A lower processing rate doesn’t tell the whole story.

Shopify also advertises around-the-clock support through live chat. Our case rests on access to the founders and a $15 CAD website-and-store combination for the needs Parle covers. A small business doesn’t necessarily need the same environment as a large brand.

7. WooCommerce: freedom comes with maintenance

Captured October 26, 2026: WooCommerce .

WooCommerce is an open-source WordPress plugin. You can choose your host, customize your site and develop a particular workflow. If you have the skills or a reliable technical team, that freedom has value.

The core plugin is free. Running the store still requires a budget. WooCommerce’s pricing page separates out expenses such as hosting and paid extensions. Add the theme, backups and whoever handles problems if you won’t be doing that yourself.

One Parle customer told us they were paying hundreds of dollars per month for hosting and maintaining a WordPress site, to keep it secure and running at a decent speed. That is one customer’s bill, rather than a standard WooCommerce price, but it captures a real expense: keeping a store online, secure and responsive takes ongoing work.

Security is an ongoing responsibility, including urgent incidents

The October 21, 2026 critical PHP security notice was an urgent security event. WordPress called for immediate PHP updates and relayed advice to consider taking affected systems offline if they could not be secured promptly. PHP runs WordPress on the server: updating WordPress or its plugins alone does not fix these vulnerabilities. Other PHP applications are affected too.

This responsibility has a long history. WordPress was already issuing an urgent critical security release in 2015 . Its own plugin security training describes newly discovered and patched plugin vulnerabilities as an almost weekly occurrence. More than a decade of security notices makes ongoing monitoring and patching something to plan for throughout the life of a WordPress store.

Someone has to monitor PHP, WordPress, themes and plugins, apply urgent fixes, check compatibility and maintain working backups. A hosting or maintenance provider can take on that work, but you need to know exactly what they cover and who responds during an emergency. For a small shop, the consequences can include downtime, interrupted sales and an unexpected repair bill.

For a small business without the time, skills or budget for ongoing technical maintenance, I would not recommend WordPress and WooCommerce as the default choice. The free plugin does not remove that responsibility. The flexibility is useful when you genuinely need it and have someone accountable for maintaining the system.

With a hosted platform like Parle, the team handles platform maintenance. That doesn’t make any service invulnerable, but it gives you fewer technical components to manage yourself.

Choose a platform that works with you

Try your actual working day before choosing: add a product with two sizes, run a promotion, receive an order, find the taxes and update a page. Ask how you’ll retrieve your data if your needs change, too.

Etsy can help you find buyers. Shopify and WooCommerce offer depth. Wix and Squarespace have established website builders. ThriveCart and Parle both let you build sales funnels; Parle connects that journey to its CRM, tags and optional modules.

Parle is a serious, fully Quebec-based option for small businesses that want a manageable website and store, with help close to home. We’re independent, without venture capital dictating our growth. We want to build lasting relationships with the entrepreneurs who use our tools.

Your website and store cost $15 CAD per month, taxes included, with the features described above and no Parle commission. Add modules when they become useful. And when you want to talk about your project, you can talk to us.

Explore Parle’s store and our pricing , or create your account . We can help you get your first orders running on a platform built here.