Best E-Commerce Platforms Of 2024

Editor's Take

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Wix is a leading all-in-one website builder that offers a highly customizable drag-and-drop site editor. It’s not only very intuitive and easy to use with tons of high-quality online store templates to choose from for free, but it also offers feature-rich plans that help make selling online easier.

E-Commerce Features

To test Wix’s e-commerce platform, I wanted to create the best real-world experience for me. I currently only have one product I’m selling on my website and I do so with a contact form. So, I scrolled through the elements Wix offers in the site editor and found a bunch of pre-built order forms. My opinion is two-pronged: I love that I don’t have to spend time designing this whole section, but I hate that I can’t easily resize anything. I managed to find an order form that I could resize and customize for my needs.

I want to talk about form settings, which is tangentially related to Wix’s e-commerce features. I set up my form so I could accept payments and send customers directly to a checkout. I also chose the fields I wanted to save for my built-in contact list (name, email, etc.), and then Wix applied labels to contacts who used my online order form. On top of that, I set up an automated email response to say thank you and another automation to create a task to remind me to follow up with them a week later. Individually, these are all common features, but together in one menu as I’m setting up an online order form, it’s kind of brilliant.

Adding a store to my site was as easy as selecting an online store from the left-hand menu. The checklist of what I needed to do to set up everything was helpful because I can get excited and try to do four things at once; Wix reeled me back in.

Adding products to my store was as easy as you’d think: Add photos, a title, description, pricing, variants and SKUs. Once again, Wix makes things even easier with everything you need in one spot. I adjusted SEO settings from a menu on the product page and an SEO assistant told me what’s most important (indexing products, for example, is high on the list). I also created a coupon through a pop-up that let me set conditions such as type of discount (dollars off, percentage, BOGO, etc.) and type of limitation (total number of uses, one per customer, dates valid, etc.).

I could go on and on about Wix’s e-commerce tools, but I tend to be a prolific writer and there are word count limits. I’ll put it like this: I’m considering switching from my current WordPress and plugin configuration, as well as my email marketing subscription, in favor of Wix because of how easy it is to manage everything in one place.

Teajai Kimsey, a marketing professional with over 20 years of experience and our e-commerce advisory board member, also likes Wix for its many features. “Wix also offers built-in email marketing, multichannel selling and easy import/export with a csv file. These are all important parts of a successful e-commerce business,” she said.

Site-Building Tools

Creating a website on Wix is easy enough. I’m difficult to please when it comes to site editors because I want boundaries to help me design a site that doesn’t look haphazard with no white space, but I also want the freedom to adjust elements as I see fit. I wouldn’t call Wix the Goldilocks of website builders, but it comes close. I’m grateful that Ctrl+Z works to undo all the wonky resizing I’ve tried with headers, images and forms.

What makes Wix great for site building is the pre-built elements. You don’t have to create animations for text or image gallery designs from scratch. Many elements come with multiple options and they’re all customizable, so it can work out of the box or you can change small bits. I liked that I still had the choice to create these elements myself (I won’t though because I’m not great at it).

The boundaries, about which I always have mixed feelings, are helpful. As I move elements around on a page, the dotted lines let me know when I’m out of alignment or centered. Does this mean I’ll have a great-looking site no matter what? No. So, I’d say Wix gives you enough freedom to mess up, but if you trust Wix’s templates and elements, you can have a clean and well-designed website.

Payment Processing and Accounting

Wix scores well in this category for a few different reasons. Transaction fees are on par with most payment processing options from similar businesses, like Square. I can find lower transaction fees through traditional merchant accounts, but if you run a small business with low-volume sales like me, you may have difficulty getting a merchant service provider that will give you low fees.

Also, Wix includes easy-to-manage inventory, a way to accept payments in person and built-in PCI compliance. It’s worth mentioning that Wix and QuickBooks integrate well. I think the connector is easy to set up, so the data I add in Wix automatically transfers to QuickBooks, eliminating manual product and sales entry in my accounting software.

Pricing

Wix isn’t the cheapest e-commerce platform around. You’re going to pay at least $36 per month at the regular rate to sell products online and in person with Wix. This is on par with Shopify but not nearly as affordable as Square. Here’s a closer look at pricing with Wix:

  Free Light Core Business Business Elite

Monthly Price (billed annually)

$0

$17

$29

$36

$159

Monthly Price

$0

$24

$36

$43

$172

Free Domain (first year)

–

✔

✔

✔

✔

Storage Space

500 MB

2 GB

50 GB

100 GB

Unlimited

Accept Payments

–

–

✔

✔

✔

Hotel, Restaurant and Event Management

–

–

✔

✔

✔

Dropshipping

–

–

25 products

250 products

Unlimited

Service and Support

Wix offers 24/7 support via phone and live chat, but talking to an agent took a while and a few hoops. Using a chatbot, I answered questions to help get me to the right agent (I asked about domain pricing and domain privacy). An agent joined soon after and was friendly and understood my question. In fact, he went beyond my one question and followed up with questions for me in order to provide a better answer. Also, it was his birthday (this is only relevant because I love that he shared that with me, which made the interaction feel more personal).

Who Should Use It?

Wix is the best e-commerce platform for businesses that want a very easy-to-use site builder that comes with everything you need to build and manage an online store.

Learn more: Read our Wix review.

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

In an age when you can purchase almost anything online and have it delivered right to your door at lightning speed, grocery delivery services are a convenient solution for those of us who are too busy to grocery shop and want to cut down on takeout. The best grocery delivery service takes care of all of the time, labor and price matching for you -- and it may be more cost-effective than you think.

To save yourself time and hassle, an easy grocery delivery service can take one of your big weekly tasks off your hands and allow you to carefully curate your grocery haul from the comfort of home. To help you pick the right one, we've set out to test all the top players to find the best grocery delivery service for 2024.

What's the best online grocery delivery service?

If you live in the Northeast, FreshDirect is the best grocery delivery service to try, but the brand has been slow to expand to other parts of the country. For most people, Amazon Fresh is the best way to get fresh produce, meat, pantry staples and other supermarket goods sent to their door. But there are other retail services that offer grocery discounts and deals, those that source and deliver from local supermarkets, and super speedy grocery delivery services that can get the goods to you within an hour -- sometimes less.

To curate this list, I tested a flurry of popular options such as Amazon Fresh, Gopuff and Instacart, as well as some smaller upstarts such as Misfits Market and Hungyroot to see which operations excelled with variety, quality brands, fair prices, and easy and timely delivery. All this to help you pick a perfect grocery delivery service and shave one weekly errand off your to-do list with just a few clicks. 

If it's just fruits and veggies you're after, these are the best places to get produce delivered. I also tested to find the best online butchers and seafood markets too. But to knock out the entire list -- or most of it -- in one place, these are the best online grocery delivery services for 2024.

Best grocery delivery services in 2024

See at Amazon Fresh See at Amazon Fresh

Best grocery delivery for most people

Amazon Fresh

See at Amazon Fresh

Amazon Fresh has a massive selection of groceries at low prices to choose from and speedy delivery for Prime Members. You'll find just about anything you'd see at your local supermarket. Because Amazon owns Whole Foods you'll also have access to that store's proprietary brand, 365, which has quality goods at below-average prices. The Amazon Fresh website is well-organized and the ordering platform is easy to use. You can schedule deliveries for the same day in most cases. 

A few food categories are somewhat limited: I couldn't find fresh chicken thighs, for instance, which are a staple on my weekly grocery list. For seafood, there was no option for fresh shrimp, so you'd have to choose frozen. The fresh produce selection is solid but mostly just the staples you'd expect and nothing more. All the food I ordered arrived looking fresh, with no spoiled or overripe fruits and vegetables. 

Amazon Fresh also offers a wealth of , so you can bang out most of your typical supermarket run in one delivery. In addition to delivery, Amazon Fresh offers in-store pickup for certain ZIP codes.

What we like:

• Good selection of fresh and shelf-stable groceries 
• Competitive prices
• Free delivery for Prime members

What we don't like:

• There were some grocery items we couldn't find
• Shipping fees for non-Prime members

Coverage area: Available in 42 cities across eight states and Washington, DC.

Fees and pricing: $15 per month or $139 per year. Delivery orders with two-hour delivery windows from Amazon Fresh include a service fee of $7 for deliveries $50 to $100 and $10 for deliveries under $50. Orders over $100 don't include a service fee.

Minimum order: None

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See at Thrive Market See at Thrive Market

Best grocery subscription for pantry staples

Thrive Market

See at Thrive Market

For a monthly or yearly membership fee, Thrive Market members can shop via the platform primarily for pantry and frozen staples, which come with a low-price guarantee. The platform also includes other household staples such as beauty, bath and body, vitamins and supplements and even wine. We found that the selection at Thrive was more than sufficient to provide a lot of great options for pantry staples, including its own proprietary brand of more than 700 items, snacks, and especially frozen proteins and meals. 

What we like:

• Good for ordering pantry and protein staples
• Wide selection of ethically responsible products
• Eco-friendly packaging and shipping

What we don't like:

• No fresh produce or dairy
• Must buy into a membership in order to browse

Coverage area: Available for all contiguous US addresses.

Fees and pricing: Annual membership for Thrive Market is $60, which you pay upfront. Memberships billed monthly are offered for $10. At half the cost, the annual membership is really worth it, especially since it works out to only $5 per month, which you will easily save in one order. Based on my experience, you may save $5 with just two items.

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See at Misfits Market See at Misfits Market

Best discount grocery delivery service

Misfits Market

See at Misfits Market

If you don't mind the occasional oddly shaped orange or citrus that's fully usable but has a bit of browning on the peel, Misfits Market offers low prices on produce. Misfits may have made a name by selling cheap, ugly produce that is deemed unfit for grocery store shelves, but it's evolved into a full-service grocery operation with meats, fish, baking supplies and pantry staples.

The convenient subscription service doesn't require you to pay any subscription fees and has cheap shipping. The one catch is that the inventory changes fairly drastically from week to week. That's how they keep prices low, but it also means you'll have to actively curate orders or you might receive items that you don't like. Here's our full review of Misfits Market.

What we like:

• Low prices and no membership fees
• Cheap shipping starts at $6 depending on your location
• Good selection of ethically responsible products
• Eco-friendly packaging and shipping

What we don't like:

• Inventory is inconsistent
• Some produce arrives a little past its prime
• Must actively curate your order each week

Coverage area: Available for all contiguous US addresses.

Fees and pricing: There are no membership fees, but you'll have a minimum order. There's also a $6 fee for shipping, which could be more depending on your ZIP code.

Minimum order: Varies by location.

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See at Pntrs See at Pntrs

Best grocery delivery for curated groceries and meal kits

Hungryroot

See at Pntrs

Hungryroot (full review here) is a grocery subscription service that makes weekly suggestions based on a quiz you'll take to gauge your eating habits and dietary preferences. One of this service's unique features is that it offers simple and flexible meal ideas with the necessary groceries to make them. It's somewhere between a meal kit and a grocery delivery service and is great for those looking for breakfast, lunch and dinner inspiration. 

The online grocery market stocks a good amount of quality, organic and specialty items including meat, seafood, produce, snacks and pantry items, but you won't find as many options as vendors such as Amazon Fresh or FreshDirect. 

Once the initial suggested list is formulated, you can remove any grocery items and add others based on a credit system. I priced out a full list from Hungryroot and compared it to an average grocery store. By my calculations, Hungryroot is about 8% to 10% more expensive. The interface and ordering platform are both intuitive and even fun to use. 

What we like:

• Creative and simple recipe suggestions
• Unique and interesting groceries
• Fun and easy interface

What we don't like:

• A bit more expensive than some other services
• Overall grocery selection is limited
• Requires a subscription and minimum weekly order

Coverage area: Most ZIP codes in the continental US and Washington, DC.

Fees and pricing: Hungryroot plans start at $69 a week for meals that net about six servings. The cost per serving gets significantly cheaper if you order more food. Plans under $70 are charged another $7 per delivery. Plans over $70 receive free shipping. You can pause or cancel without penalty at any time.

Minimum order: $69

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See at FreshDirect See at FreshDirect

Best grocery delivery for those in the Northeast

FreshDirect

See at FreshDirect

With competitive prices, great selection and timely deliveries, FreshDirect is actually my favorite grocery delivery service to use, but because it's currently only available in the Northeast, it's hard to tap as the No. 1 overall pick. 

FreshDirect has a wide-ranging selection of fresh produce, meats, fish, prepared foods, pantry items, home and paper products. While there are definitely fewer total items than in a brick-and-mortar supermarket, I found just about everything I would normally buy on a trip to the grocery store. FreshDirect stocks plenty of organic and specialty items at similar prices to Stop & Shop or Wegmans.

FreshDirect's website is easy to navigate and deliveries are almost always on time, in our experience. Customer service is also great and if anything is missing or damaged, they'll replace it in the next delivery or credit your account -- no questions asked. 

What we like:

• Great selection of groceries
• Quality meats and fresh produce
• Competitive prices on par with midrange grocery stores
• Timely delivery and good customer service

What we don't like:

• Only available in the Northeast
• The occasional missing item from an order

Coverage area: Most of the New York City metropolitan area, parts of northern New Jersey and southern Connecticut.

Fees and pricing: One-time delivery charges start at $6. Memberships for unlimited deliveries (DeliveryPass) start at $39 for six months or $6.50 per month.

Minimum order: $30

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See at Instacart See at Instacart

Best grocery delivery service to buy from local markets

Instacart

See at Instacart

Instacart is a local grocery delivery service and operates differently than the first two on our list. This third-party service hires shoppers to head to a local store of your choosing, buy the items and deliver them to your door. The good news is you'll get to order from your favorite local grocery store if you have one you like. Instacart is available for most grocery chains -- Publix, Aldi, Stop & Shop and Costco -- but the store options will vary depending on your location.

The downside is that you have to be at attention and check the app for messages from your shopper while they're shopping in case certain items are out of stock. The shopper will typically send photos of potential replacements in real time for you to approve or reject. It can be a little bit stressful and time-consuming but it's still a time-saver over going to the store yourself. You can also track the grocery delivery in real time via the mobile app to see when it will arrive. 

Instacart also marks prices up on most groceries, sometimes as much as 14%. And there's a delivery fee and suggested tipping associated with each order, making it one of the more expensive options on our list. In addition to delivery, Instacart offers in-store pickup for online orders at some stores.

What we like:

• Includes multiple stores from your local area
• A larger total selection of grocery items than most services

What we don't like:

• Real-time shoppers require your attention for replacements
• Generally more expensive than other services
• Fewer deals and sales

Coverage area: More than 1,000 cities in North America.

Fees and pricing: Instacart delivery fee starts at $4 but varies based on retailer and region. There is also a suggested driver/shopper tip. A membership for unlimited deliveries costs $10 per month or $99 per year.

Minimum order: $10

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See at Gopuff See at Gopuff

Best fast grocery service

Gopuff

See at Gopuff

Gopuff isn't the one-stop-shop for groceries that some of these other outfits are, but it has one big thing going for it and that's speed. Gopuff stocks mostly the essentials, including snacks, dry goods, household products, paper goods and pharmacy staples, and can have them to your door in as little as 30 minutes and almost always under an hour. 

Gopuff is a great option if you need staples and need them fast but it won't replace a run to the grocery store and has fewer options than say, FreshDirect or Instacart. You will find a scant selection of fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy products and what you do find, is stocked fairly inconsistently. Gopuff has a large delivery footprint, operating in over 650 US cities via 500 regional microfulfillment centers.

What we like:

• One of the speediest grocery delivery services around
• Good selection of paper goods, household products and pharmacy staples
• Some specialty items
• Fair prices and no extra charge for fast delivery
• Delivers booze in certain cities

What we don't like

• Limited options for most grocery items
• Very little fresh produce
• Limited meat and dairy options
• Inventory is inconsistent

Coverage area: More than 650 US cities.

Fees and pricing: Gopuff's delivery charge varies by region but starts at $4 and goes up from there. You may be charged a small order fee if you don't meet the minimum order requirements for your location. You can also join Gopuff's FAM Membership for $8 per month to get free delivery and no fees.

Minimum order: Varies by delivery area.

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See at Shipt See at Shipt

Best grocery delivery for weekly deals

Shipt

See at Shipt

Target-owned Shipt is similar to Instacart, offering personal shoppers who will secure your desired list from local supermarket chains and wholesale outlets -- Target included. Shipt focuses more on discount area retailers, including Costco, so you'll find plenty of deals and bulk savings. 

Besides the wealth of low prices, another big draw for using Shipt is having groceries delivered same-day, sometimes as quickly as an hour. Other services require you to schedule delivery times days in advance. This is great if you're not the best at planning your weekly routine and often need groceries in a hurry. 

You can also tack on far more than groceries, especially if your order is from Target. Need a pound of potatoes, a table lamp and a smartwatch? Shipt can bring it all to your door.

What we like:

• Tons of discounts and deals 
• Same-day delivery
• Delivery from pharmacies, pet stores and home supply stores available

What we don't like:

• Not as great of a selection of small, local grocery stores
• The website and app aren't the best 

Coverage area: More than 500 cities in North America.

Fees and pricing: A monthly membership for unlimited deliveries is $11 and a yearly membership costs $99. Non-members will have to pay a delivery fee.

Minimum order: None

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How we test grocery delivery services

To test each grocery delivery service, we placed an order from each with various, typical groceries including produce and meats (when available), dry goods, snacks and paper products. We noted how intuitive each ordering platform was and how good the selection was for various categories.

Here's everything I received in my Hungryroot delivery. 

David Watsky/CNET

We also took notice of delivery options since some grocery services allow for same-day and next-day delivery while others require you to schedule in advance. When the boxes of groceries arrived, we noted how well the items were packed, if everything was included and how fresh -- or not fresh -- the meats, produce, cheese and other perishable items looked. 

Is Costco Really Cheaper Than a Grocery Store? We Do the Math

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Fresh produce is the one thing you still may want to buy in person

While most of the fresh fruits and vegetables we received were fine, there was the occasional bruised tomato or apple. If you have a local market with a good selection of produce, you may want to pop in for those items and have the rest of your list delivered. 

Some of the produce I received from Misfits Market was bruised. But it turns out that one bad tomato doesn't spoil the whole bunch.

David Watsky/CNET

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Grocery delivery service FAQs

What are the advantages of buying groceries online?

The most obvious perks to buying your groceries online are the convenience of not driving to the store, wandering through aisles and waiting in checkout lines. 

Another bonus for shopping online is the ability to compare prices easily. If you see a box of Cheerios for $5, you can quickly compare that price to other stores and decide if it's a good price. And before placing your order, you can see the total tab, which is a luxury that in-person shopping doesn't afford. 

Shopping for groceries online also allows you to carefully read the nutritional information and search for any ingredients that may be unfamiliar or read reviews of a product you may not be familiar with. Online grocery services often have reviews of products to help you decide on the best stuff. 

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Are grocery delivery services cheaper than buying in the store?

This all depends on which grocery delivery service you purchase from. We did some calculations and buying groceries online is very similar in price to buying in person from a midpriced supermarket. If you shop using one of the discount or bulk retailers such as Boxed.com, you're probably getting a better deal than you would at the local grocery store. 

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Is grocery shopping online easy?

We found using nearly all of the grocery delivery services we've tested very easy and intuitive. Services such as FreshDirect, Amazon Fresh and Boxed.com are as simple as any other online shopping experience where you build a cart, select a delivery day, pay for it and that's it.

Other services with live shoppers such as Shipt and Instacart require a bit more attention and time since you have to respond to your shopper in real time when items are out of stock and confirm or deny replacements. Those services also typically require you to be home when the driver arrives, whereas other services don't.

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