The best multi-store ecommerce platform for an agency is one that keeps every client's store separate (its own catalog, team and payment account) while you manage them all from one login at a price per store that falls as you add clients. LotsCommerce covers 10 separate client stores for $79 a month. Shopify Plus, BigCommerce, Square Online, Squarespace, Wix and WooCommerce handle multiple stores in very different ways, compared below.
"Multi-store" means different things on different platforms. On some it's several storefronts for one business: the same brand in another language, a wholesale store, a second region. On others it's one login with a separate subscription per site. An agency needs a third thing: unrelated client stores, each with its own money and its own people, under one roof. I opened every vendor's own pricing page and help center on 20 October 2026 to see which kind each one offers. Prices are in US dollars before tax, monthly first, then the per-month price when billed yearly.
Multi-store ecommerce platforms at a glance
Checked on 20 October 2026.
| Platform | How several stores work | What more stores cost | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| LotsCommerce | Separate stores in one account, each with its own catalog, domain, team and payment account | Pro 3 stores $29, Business 10 stores $79; extra stores at your plan's rate | Agencies running unrelated client stores |
| Shopify | Plus: 1 main store and 9 expansion stores on one contract, which must be extensions of the main brand; Partners build client stores and transfer them | Plus from $2,300 a month; other stores each have their own plan | One brand in several markets; agencies handing stores to clients |
| BigCommerce | Multi-Storefront: extra storefronts on one store, with user permissions shared across them | $30 a month per storefront on Core (up to 3), $50 on Growth (up to 5), $100 on Scale (up to 8) | One business with several brands or regions |
| Square Online | Multiple website management on every plan | Free plan, or $49 and $149 a month per location | Sellers already on Square |
| Squarespace | Several sites under one login, each paid separately | Each site on its own plan, from $25 a month ($19 yearly); no multi-site discounts | A few design-led sites |
| Wix | Several sites under one account, each needing its own site plan | Each site on its own plan (see Wix's plans page) | Clients who also need a full website |
| WooCommerce | Each store is its own WordPress site | Hosting is separate: $25 to $350 a month for most stores, per WooCommerce | Agencies with developers who want full code control |
1. LotsCommerce: separate client stores in one account
LotsCommerce treats the store as the unit you pay for, and every store stands on its own. That's the model I built for agencies.
- Stores per plan: Starter covers 1 store for $12 a month ($10 billed yearly), Pro 3 stores for $29 ($24.17) and Business 10 stores for $79 ($65.83). Extra stores are paid from credits at your plan's rate, so you never have to jump a plan for one more client.
- Each store is separate: its own catalog and stock, its own address (a free yourstore.lotscommerce.com address or the client's own domain, with HTTPS), its own currency and its own team. Nothing is shared between clients.
- Each store pays its own client: the client connects their own Stripe account (in the countries Stripe supports) or Razorpay account (for businesses registered in India), or takes UPI and WhatsApp orders. LotsCommerce never holds the money and takes 0% of every store's sales.
- A role per client, per store: invite each client and their people as admin, manager, staff or viewer on their own store. They see that store and nothing else in your account.
- Every feature on every plan: unlimited products with variants, categories and collections, stock per variant, orders the seller accepts before they go ahead, discount codes, shipping zones and rates, shopper accounts and reviews, analytics with a visit-to-order funnel, CSV import and export.
- When a client leaves: as owner, you can archive their store. The storefront goes offline, billing for it stops, nothing is deleted, and you can restore it within 30 days.
New accounts get 15,000 free credits, valid 90 days, no card: about a month of one store. The full setup is in LotsCommerce for agencies, and prices are on the pricing page.
2. Shopify
Shopify has two different multi-store answers, and only one is for unrelated clients.
- Shopify Plus expansion stores: a Plus organization can have up to ten stores on its contract at no additional cost, one main store and nine expansion stores. Shopify's help center says expansion stores must be extensions of the main brand, identical in store name and branding, and carry the same types of goods. Apps are billed per store and each store needs its own theme license. Plus starts from $2,300 a month.
- Organizations on other plans: if you have several stores, you can group them into an organization to manage the stores, users and billing in one place. Each store is on its own Shopify plan: Basic $39 a month ($29 yearly), Grow $105 ($79), Advanced $399 ($299).
- For agencies: Shopify Partners build client transfer stores and transfer ownership to the client when the store is ready to go live; after that the merchant owns it. Partners can also work in a client's existing store as a collaborator.
- Fees: 0% with Shopify Payments; with another provider, 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced.
- Where it's strong: the biggest app and theme ecosystem, and a well-worn route for building a store and handing it to the client.
3. BigCommerce
- How it works: Multi-Storefront adds storefronts to one BigCommerce store. One storefront comes with the plan; each extra one needs a storefront seat at $30 a month on Core (up to 3), $50 on Growth (up to 5) and $100 on Scale (up to 8). On Performance, storefronts are arranged with BigCommerce's sales team.
- Shared by design: BigCommerce's help center says user permissions are global and shared across all storefronts, and the storefront limit depends on the primary store's plan. It's built for one business selling several brands, regions or customer groups from one store's back office.
- Plans: Core $39 a month ($29 yearly) up to $30K in yearly sales, Growth $105 ($79) up to $100K, Scale $399 ($299), Performance from $1,499 a month billed yearly.
- Fees: none with embedded payment providers such as Stripe and PayPal; 2.0%, 1.0% or 0.6% with others, by plan.
- Where it's strong: large catalogs, B2B features and headless storefronts.
4. Square Online
- How it works: Square lists multiple website management on all three plans: toggle between sites and assign products from your Square item library to each location.
- Plans: Square Free $0 a month, Plus $49 and Premium $149 a month per location.
- Fees: online card processing 3.3% + 30¢ on Free and 2.9% + 30¢ on Plus and Premium, through Square.
- Where it's strong: sellers who already take payments in person with Square keep one item library for shop and sites.
5. Squarespace
- How it works: you can manage several sites with one login, but Squarespace's help center says each site is paid for separately, sites can be on different plans and billing cycles, and it doesn't currently offer discounts or plans for multiple sites.
- Plans: Basic $25 a month ($19 yearly) with a 2% online store transaction fee; Core $39 ($29), Plus $65 ($49) and Advanced $139 ($99) at 0%.
- Where it's strong: design templates, and a full website around the store.
6. Wix
- How it works: Wix's help center says sites in one account are completely separate, and a site plan can't be used for multiple sites: each site you upgrade needs its own plan. There's no limit on how many sites or plans one account holds, and a plan can be transferred from one site to another.
- Plans: Wix shows prices by location; check its plans page in your own region.
- Where it's strong: one builder for a client's whole website, with the store inside it.
7. WooCommerce
- How it works: WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress, so each client store is a WordPress site you host, update and secure. WooCommerce's update guide suggests checking WooCommerce, WordPress, extensions, themes and payment gateways for updates monthly, with a backup and staging test first.
- Costs: 0% revenue share. WooCommerce's pricing page puts hosting at $25 to $350 a month for most stores and extensions at $29 to $299 a year each.
- Where it's strong: full control of the code and server, open source, and a huge extension marketplace. If your agency has developers to look after each site, it's the most flexible option here.
Not built for many separate stores
Two platforms come up in store-platform lists but don't aim at several separate stores, so I've kept them out of the ranking:
- Ecwid adds one store to existing websites and can show the same store on several sites from one account. Plans run from $5 a month (10 products) to $149, with 0% transaction fees on all plans.
- Big Cartel is one shop per login: its help center says you log out of one shop to sign in to another. Plans are free (Gold, limited), $15 and $30 a month, and it never takes a cut.
Both are good single-store choices; for a fee-by-fee look at them, see ecommerce platforms with no transaction fees.
How to choose a multi-store platform for client work
Ask four questions before you move your first client:
- Are the stores one business or many? Shopify Plus expansion stores and BigCommerce Multi-Storefront are built for one business with several storefronts. Unrelated client stores need separate stores.
- Whose payment account does each store use? Each client should get paid into their own account, with nothing passing through you. On LotsCommerce every store connects its own client's account.
- What does store number eleven cost? Per-site plans grow in a straight line. A plan that covers many stores, with extra stores at a lower rate, keeps your cost per client falling.
- Can each client see only their store? Look for roles per store, so a client's manager never sees another client's orders.
Manage every client store from ChatGPT or Claude
Everything above works in the LotsCommerce dashboard. If you use ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant, you can connect it and check all your client stores in one go. It works with the AI agent you already use. For example:
Go through each of my LotsCommerce stores and list the orders waiting for me to accept and the products running low. Then invite manager@example.com to the Fernhill Candle Co. store as a manager.
The assistant works through one store at a time, within your role on each, and every change shows in the dashboard. Here's how to connect your assistant.
FAQ
What is a multi-store ecommerce platform?
It's a platform that lets you run more than one online store from one login. Some, like Shopify Plus expansion stores and BigCommerce Multi-Storefront, give one business several storefronts. Others, like LotsCommerce, let you run fully separate stores, each with its own catalog, team and payment account, which is what agencies need for client work.
What is the best multi-store ecommerce platform for agencies?
For agencies running unrelated client stores, look for separate stores in one account, each paying its own client, with roles per store. LotsCommerce covers 10 such stores for $79 a month and takes 0% of sales. Shopify suits agencies that build stores and transfer them to clients.
Can I run multiple stores on one Shopify plan?
On Shopify Plus, a contract includes up to ten stores (one main and nine expansion stores) at no extra cost, but expansion stores must be extensions of the main brand, with the same name, branding and types of goods. On other plans, each store has its own plan (checked on 20 October 2026).
How much does BigCommerce charge for extra storefronts?
BigCommerce's pricing page lists extra storefronts at $30 a month on Core (up to 3), $50 on Growth (up to 5) and $100 on Scale (up to 8), checked on 20 October 2026. User permissions are shared across all storefronts of a store.
Do Squarespace and Wix offer multi-site plans?
No. Squarespace says each site is paid for separately and it doesn't offer discounts or plans for multiple sites. Wix says a site plan can't be used for multiple sites, so each site needs its own plan (checked on 20 October 2026).
How much does LotsCommerce cost for several stores?
Starter covers 1 store for $12 a month, Pro 3 stores for $29 and Business 10 stores for $79. Extra stores are paid from credits at your plan's rate. Every feature is on every plan, and LotsCommerce takes 0% of every store's sales.