Online Store Platform: How to Choose the Right One in 2026

An online store platform is a service that gives you a ready-made store on the internet, with hosting, a dashboard, a cart and checkout, without writing code. The best platform for you is the one that supports how you actually sell: if most of your customers are in Egypt and pay cash on delivery, a platform with COD, Egyptian couriers and pricing in pounds built in will save you more work and money than any global platform.

The short version: compare platforms on ten criteria, not on fame: currency, cash on delivery, local payment gateways, couriers, an Arabic checkout, commission, a free tier, paid add-ons, support, and ownership of your data. And do not trust any comparison, this one included, until you have placed a test order yourself on each platform.

The earlier version of this article contained prices and details that have since changed, so we rewrote it in October 2026. Every figure about any platform here comes from its official website, with the date, and prices change, so check them on the day you decide.

What is a store platform, and why it is not the "Business Platform"

A store platform (such as Baseet, Shopify, Zid or Salla) is a company that rents you a ready-made store for a subscription or a commission. That is entirely different from Saudi Arabia's "Business Platform": a government platform run by the Saudi Business Center, which the Saudi Ministry of Commerce describes as the only approved platform for e-commerce authentication. In Saudi Arabia you need both: a store platform to build on, and the Business Platform to authenticate the store.

Ten criteria for choosing an online store platform

1. Currency. Will you pay in pounds, dollars or riyals? It matters as exchange rates move.
2. Cash on delivery. A core checkout option, or a manual payment method that needs work afterwards?
3. Local payment gateways. Paymob, Fawry, mobile wallets?
4. Couriers. Connected to Egyptian couriers, with booking and waybill printing from the dashboard?
5. Arabic. Are the checkout and notifications in natural Arabic on a phone?
6. Commission. Does the platform take a cut of each sale? Are there extra fees if you use an outside gateway?
7. Free tier. Can you try before you pay?
8. Paid add-ons. Are basics such as order confirmation, loyalty and coupons built in, or a paid app each?
9. Support. Does it answer in your language and during your working hours?
10. Data ownership. Can you export products, customers and orders if you leave?

Store platforms compared with published prices (October 2026)

Platform	Currency	Free option	Subscription (as published)	Cash on delivery	Notes
Baseet	Egyptian pound	Free tier to start, no credit card	One plan: EGP 500 a month or EGP 4,999 a year, unlimited orders	A core checkout option	No per-order commission; Bosta, Mylerz and J&T shipping from the dashboard
Shopify	US dollar	Three-day trial, then USD 1 a month for three months	Basic USD 19 a month billed yearly or USD 27 monthly, with higher tiers	A manual payment method; orders stay unpaid until you mark them paid	2% on Basic if you use a third-party payment provider
Zid	Saudi riyal	Free "Starter" plan	SAR 99 and SAR 299 a month for paid plans	Listed among basic payment methods on the free plan	Saudi-first
Salla	—	Homepage invites you to "create your store for free"	We could not reach a published pricing page at the time of writing	Check on their site	Saudi-first
WooCommerce	—	Free, open-source software	Hosting, domain and extensions priced separately	Via extensions	Maintenance and security are on you

Other platforms such as Wuilt, YouCan and EasyOrders are also active in the Egyptian and Arab market; assess them on the same ten criteria using their official websites. As for online payment fees, Paymob lists on its pricing page a standard rate of 2.75% + EGP 3 per transaction, which applies on top of whichever platform you choose.

An Arabic platform or a global one?

A global platform such as Shopify is very capable and has the largest app store, and it suits a brand that sells mostly outside the region. For an Egyptian merchant, three things make a difference:

• Prices in dollars that move with the exchange rate, plus an extra percentage if you use an Egyptian gateway.
• Cash on delivery works as a manual method, and confirmation and local shipping often need extra apps.
• Arabic is available, but you should test the checkout and notifications yourself.

The full picture is in the Shopify alternative in Egypt for cash-on-delivery stores. If you are weighing Salla specifically, read Salla vs Baseet 2026. WooCommerce describes itself on its WordPress.org page as open source with a free core, which gives you full control, but hosting, updates and security are your job. The comparison of a hosted platform, WooCommerce and a custom build is in online store design in Egypt: 4 options compared.

A WhatsApp store: platform or channel?

Many people searching for a "WhatsApp store" mean either a WhatsApp Business catalogue or a store that takes orders over WhatsApp. A catalogue displays products, but ordering, payment and shipping stay manual. Once orders grow, the better setup is a store on a platform, with WhatsApp connected for order confirmation, shipping updates and abandoned-cart recovery. We cover the last of these in abandoned-cart recovery on WhatsApp.

Which platform fits your business?

Business type	Try first	Why
Egyptian social seller, mostly cash on delivery	A local platform priced in pounds, such as Baseet	Cash, local shipping and Arabic built in
Store focused on Saudi Arabia	Salla or Zid, or any platform supporting Saudi authentication and payments	Their ecosystem is built for that market
Brand selling mostly in Europe or the US	Shopify	International tooling and a large app store
Team with a developer wanting full control	WooCommerce	Full flexibility in exchange for more maintenance
Still testing a single product	A free tier on a local platform	Lowest cost and fewest technical decisions at the start

This table is a starting point, not a verdict. The verdict comes from the test below.

A 20-minute test before you choose

1. Sign up for the free tier or trial on each platform on your shortlist.
2. Add one product with two sizes.
3. Place a cash-on-delivery order from your phone.
4. See how the order appears in the dashboard, and where you confirm it and book its shipment.
5. Ask support a real question and time the reply.
6. Work out the true monthly cost: subscription, commission and add-ons. Every line is in online store cost in Egypt.

The platform that passes with the fewest manual steps is the right one for you, whatever its name.

Why Baseet makes sense for Egyptian merchants

Baseet is an Arabic-first platform with support in Arabic. Its website lists category themes with native right-to-left support, payments by cash, Fawry, Paymob and Tabby, shipping with Bosta, Mylerz and J&T with shipment booking and waybill printing from the dashboard, WhatsApp automation, coupons, loyalty points and referrals, Facebook, TikTok, Snap and Google pixels, and a built-in blog with an SEO-ready structure. Its published pricing: a free tier to start, then one plan at EGP 500 a month or EGP 4,999 a year for unlimited orders, with no per-order commission.

FAQ

What is the best online store platform in Egypt?

No platform is best for everyone. For a merchant whose customers are mostly in Egypt and pay on delivery, a platform with pounds, cash on delivery and local shipping built in is usually the best fit. Place a test order on several platforms and decide.

What is the difference between a store platform and the Saudi Business Platform?

A store platform is a company you build and run your store on. The Business Platform is a Saudi government service run by the Saudi Business Center, which the Ministry of Commerce describes as the only approved platform for e-commerce authentication. A merchant in Saudi Arabia needs both.

Should I choose a platform with commission or a flat subscription?

Commission looks cheaper at first because you only pay when you sell, but you pay more as sales grow. A flat subscription becomes cheaper as orders rise. Work it out on your expected order volume six months from now, not today.

Can I move my store from one platform to another?

Yes, as long as you can export your products, customers and orders. Plan URL redirects so you keep your Google visibility, and run the new store in parallel before switching the domain. Baseet's pages state that its migration team moves stores from Salla and Shopify for free.

Is a WhatsApp catalogue enough instead of a store platform?

At the very start, perhaps. But a catalogue has no cart, checkout, shipping or order management, so every order is handled by hand. Once you reach dozens of orders a week, a store connected to WhatsApp saves time and lost orders.

Written by Sara Mahmoud, E-commerce Strategist at Baseet. Last updated: 6 October 2026.

Compare for yourself: try Baseet for free and place your first test order.