Shopify

Shopify is a hosted platform for running an online store. You pick a theme, add products, connect a payment method and a domain, and Shopify hosts the site and the checkout. A large app store adds features such as reviews, subscriptions, shipping tools and email marketing, so most stores grow by adding apps rather than switching platforms.

For a first shop, the useful parts are the guided setup, the checkout, and Shopify Magic, its set of AI features that draft product descriptions, store pages and email text from a few details you type. It also connects to marketplaces and social channels, so one product list can feed several places you sell.

Things to check before you start: the monthly plan, the transaction fees if you use an outside payment processor, which features need paid apps, and how theme changes affect your pages. Plans and fees change, so read the current pricing page.