We get asked all the time: what e-commerce platform should we use?
For most of our clients, the answer is Craft Commerce. Here is why.
What is Craft Commerce?
Craft Commerce is the official e-commerce plugin for Craft CMS. It lets you sell anything, from physical products to digital downloads to event tickets to memberships, all from within your existing Craft website. No separate platform. No clunky integrations. Everything lives in one place.
Why do we like it so much?
Honestly, it comes down to flexibility and fees.
Most e-commerce platforms charge you a percentage of every sale. Shopify takes 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction. WooCommerce plugins add up. Squarespace Commerce charges between 2% and 3% on top of payment processing fees.
Craft Commerce charges zero transaction fees. You pay for the license and your payment processor, and that is it. For organizations processing tens of thousands of dollars in donations, memberships, or product sales, that adds up fast.
What can you actually sell with Craft Commerce?
Pretty much anything:
Event tickets and registrations. Annual memberships with automatic renewals. Online courses with gated content. Physical merchandise with shipping calculations. Digital downloads like PDFs, videos, or audio files. Donation forms with suggested amounts. Subscription boxes with recurring billing.
We have built all of these for clients over the years.
Who is Craft Commerce best for?
Craft Commerce works especially well for nonprofits, higher education institutions, membership organizations, and content publishers. If you already have a Craft CMS website, or you are planning to build one, adding commerce is straightforward.
It is not the right fit for everyone. If you need a massive product catalog with thousands of SKUs and complex inventory management across multiple warehouses, you might need something more robust. But for most mission-driven organizations selling a handful of products or services alongside their content, Craft Commerce handles it beautifully.
What does a Craft Commerce project look like?
Every project is different, but here is a typical example.
A nonprofit client came to us juggling three separate platforms. They used one system for memberships, another for event registrations, and a third for their small merchandise shop. Staff had to log into three dashboards. Supporters had three different accounts. Reporting was a nightmare.
We consolidated everything into Craft Commerce. Now they manage memberships, events, and merchandise from one admin panel. Their supporters have one account. Their finance team pulls one report. And they stopped paying platform fees on three different services.
How much does Craft Commerce cost?
Craft Commerce licenses start at $999 for the Pro version, which includes most features organizations need. There is also a Lite version at $199 for simpler setups.
The real investment is in design and development. Building a custom Craft Commerce store typically runs anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 depending on complexity. That includes custom checkout flows, payment gateway integration, shipping rules, tax calculations, and whatever else your organization needs.
We are always happy to give you a realistic estimate based on your specific requirements.
Can you migrate from another platform?
Yes. We have migrated stores from Shopify, WooCommerce, Squarespace, and custom legacy systems. The process involves exporting your product data, customer records, and order history, then importing everything into Craft Commerce. It takes planning, but it is very doable.
What payment processors work with Craft Commerce?
Craft Commerce integrates with Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.net, and several others. Most of our clients use Stripe because it is reliable, well-documented, and handles both one-time payments and subscriptions without much fuss.
Is Craft Commerce secure?
Yes. Craft Commerce is PCI compliant when paired with a proper payment gateway. Customer credit card information never touches your server. It goes directly to your payment processor. We also recommend SSL certificates and regular security updates, which we handle for our maintenance clients.
How do we get started?
If you are curious whether Craft Commerce is right for your organization, we offer a free 20-minute commerce review. We will look at what you are selling, how you are selling it now, and whether Craft Commerce makes sense for your situation. No pressure, no obligation.
For a free 20-minute commerce review, contact us or call us at 646.403.4338
About Red Acorn Agency
Red Acorn Agency is a Verified Craft CMS Partner based in Dallas, Texas. We have been building and maintaining Craft CMS and ExpressionEngine websites for over 15 years, serving nonprofits, higher education, and mission-driven organizations. Our sister agency, ejaeDesign, provides pay-as-you-go support for teams that need expert help without long-term contracts.