Note: This article covers Ochanoko Net (おちゃのこネット), an e-commerce platform available only in Japan. This will not be relevant if you are not evaluating platforms for the Japanese market.
Ochanoko Net is an e-commerce cart platform whose main appeal is letting you run a store at low cost, with no setup fees or sales commissions.
Many of the free design templates available are stylish, so even beginners can easily build a high-quality online store. For this reason, many people are considering using Ochanoko Net.
This article explains in detail Ochanoko Net's features, pricing plans, and the pros and cons of using it. We also compare it with BASE and Shopify, two other well-known low-cost e-commerce carts, and introduce the types of stores for which Ochanoko Net is recommended, so please read to the end.
What Is Ochanoko Net?
Image source: Ochanoko Net
Ochanoko Net is an e-commerce cart that has provided online store-building services for more than 15 years. Its appeal lies in letting you easily create a stylish e-commerce site with no setup fees or sales commissions. It has been adopted by over 100,000 online stores across various industries, including fashion, handmade goods, and food.
Ochanoko Net's Support System
Ochanoko Net provides support by email. Support hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For inquiries made during support hours, you can generally expect a reply the same day.
Although it comes at a fee, using "Ochanoko Cafe" lets you receive face-to-face support from staff. It is located at "Mint Kobe 14F, 7-1 Kumoi-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo." For those farther away, online cafe support using the web conferencing tool Zoom is also available.
A "Web Manual" that summarizes how to operate Ochanoko Net with images, as well as an FAQ page, are also available, so even first-time users can proceed with setup without difficulty.
Ochanoko Net's Standard Features
The main features that come standard with Ochanoko Net are as follows.
Store Creation Features
- Free pages
- Email address creation
- Access analytics
- Shop design
- Shop manager's blog
- Bulletin board
- Business day calendar
Product Listing Features
- Product registration
- Product categories
- Variations
- Inventory management
- New/recommended products
- Related products
- Recommendations
- Review feature
- Social media integration
Product Sales Features
- Gift support
- Shipping fee settings
- Multiple shipping addresses
- Discount feature
- Points feature
- Coupon feature
- Subscriptions
Store Operation Features
- Restock notifications
- Shop close feature
- Order management
- Member/group management
- Browser notifications
No matter which plan you use, you can access the rich set of features listed above. In addition to the minimum features needed to build an e-commerce site, there are also features that help increase sales.
For other features, please check the Ochanoko Net official page.
Ochanoko Net's Pricing Plans
Ochanoko Net's pricing plans are as follows.
| Pricing Plan | Startup Plan | Basic Plan | Advanced Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | Free | ¥3,960 | ¥13,200 |
| Setup fee | Free | Free | Free |
| Sales commission | Free | Free | Free |
| Payment processing fee | 6.60% | 3.5%~ | 3.5%~ |
| Number of products | Up to 100 | Up to 5,000 | Up to 50,000 |
| Domain | Shared domain | Custom/shared domain | Custom domain |
| Total storage | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Source: Ochanoko Net | As of April 2025
The above are the basic fees by plan. Ochanoko Net also offers optional features such as "cart abandonment follow-up," "email newsletters," and "custom domain setup." An additional fee is required to use these.
| Optional Feature | Price |
|---|---|
| Custom domain setup | ¥7,920 |
| Domain acquisition | .jp: ¥6,600 .com/.net/.info/.biz: ¥3,960 .shop: ¥7,920 |
| Ochanoko Office | ¥660/month |
| Ochanoko Cart Abandonment Follow-up | ¥1,320/month |
| FTP option | ¥1,320/month |
| Additional product option | Up to 10,000: ¥1,320/month Up to 15,000: ¥2,640/month Up to 20,000: ¥3,960/month Up to 25,000: ¥5,280/month Up to 30,000: ¥6,600/month |
| Email newsletter option | Up to 200,000 emails: ¥1,320/month Up to 300,000 emails: ¥2,640/month Up to 400,000 emails: ¥3,960/month Up to 500,000 emails: ¥5,280/month |
Source: Ochanoko Net | As of April 2025
Ochanoko Net lets you try running a store for one month free of charge, under conditions equivalent to the regular plans. First-time users should take advantage of the free trial to check the usability and features.
Benefits of Using Ochanoko Net
Here, we'll explain the benefits of using Ochanoko Net.
You Can Easily Build a Stylish Site
Image source: Ochanoko Net
Ochanoko Net offers 24 templates. Because the templates themselves are stylishly designed, you can create an attractive site that showcases your products beautifully even if you use them as-is.
The Basic and Advanced plans include a design creation plan. Because Ochanoko Net's designers create the design for you, you can build an even more appealing site.
In addition to design creation, advice on operations and post-delivery support are also provided, so being able to consult about operational concerns is another appealing point.
Source: Ochanoko Net
Keep Costs Down With No Setup Fee or Sales Commission
Every Ochanoko Net plan has a setup fee and sales commission of ¥0. With the Startup Plan, even the monthly fee is free. Because the features needed for an e-commerce site are included in every plan, you can run your store while keeping costs low.
The monthly fee is also just ¥3,960 for the Basic plan and ¥13,200 for the Advanced plan. Since many online stores incur higher fees, being able to keep operating costs low is a welcome point.
Source: Ochanoko Net
A Web Manual and FAQ Make It Easy to Resolve Questions
Source: Ochanoko Net
Ochanoko Net provides a "Web Manual" that clearly summarizes operation and setup procedures with images, as well as an FAQ page. This creates an environment where you can easily resolve questions without having to make an email inquiry.
Even those setting up an e-commerce site for the first time should be able to run their store without difficulty.
An Intuitive Admin Dashboard That's Easy for Beginners to Use
Ochanoko Net's admin dashboard organizes seven main menus—such as product management, operations management, and marketing—by color.
Clicking each menu displays related items, making tasks like product registration and coupon setup easy. Because the screen design is easy for beginners to understand, you can operate it intuitively.
A Wide Range of Supported Payment Methods Means You Won't Miss Sales Opportunities
Ochanoko Net supports more than 14 payment methods. The following are the main payment methods.
- Credit card
- Bank transfer
- Online banking payment
- Postal transfer
- Cash on delivery
- Electronic money
- Convenience store payment
- Deferred (pay-later) payment
- Pay-easy
- PayPal
- Amazon Pay
- PayPay Online
- Rakuten Pay
- Mobile carrier payment
Because the range of supported payment methods is diverse, you're less likely to lose sales opportunities due to a lack of payment options.
Drawbacks of Ochanoko Net
While Ochanoko Net has many benefits, it also has drawbacks. Here, we'll explain the drawbacks of Ochanoko Net.
No Phone Support Available
Ochanoko Net does not offer phone support—only email support—so this requires caution.
Even if an urgent problem occurs, communication will be via email, so it may take time to reach a resolution. Especially for those running an e-commerce site for the first time, the lack of real-time support could be a source of anxiety.
There Is a Limit on the Number of Products You Can Register
Ochanoko Net's plans have limits on the number of products you can register.
| Plan Name | Number of Products |
|---|---|
| Startup Plan | Up to 100 |
| Basic Plan | Up to 5,000 |
| Advanced Plan | Up to 50,000 |
Source: Ochanoko Net
Even if you reach the product limit, you can pay an additional fee to increase the number of registered products to a maximum of 30,000. However, some e-commerce carts allow unlimited product registration.
If you plan to run a large-scale online store, it would be advisable to consider other e-commerce carts.
No Pre-Order Feature Available
Ochanoko Net does not offer a pre-order feature. For new or limited-time products, allowing orders to be reserved before release can maximize sales opportunities.
If you want to use a pre-order feature, it would be advisable to consider other e-commerce carts.
Comparing Ochanoko Net, BASE, and Shopify!
Here, we'll compare Ochanoko Net with BASE and Shopify, both well-known e-commerce carts that can also be run at low cost.
| Service Name | Ochanoko Net | BASE | Shopify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup fee | Free | Free | Free |
| Monthly fee | Startup Plan: Free Basic Plan: ¥3,960 Advanced Plan: ¥13,200 |
Standard Plan: Free Grow Plan: ¥16,580 |
Basic: ¥4,850 Grow: ¥13,500 Advanced: ¥58,500 Shopify Plus: $2,300 |
| Sales commission | Free | Standard Plan: 3% Grow Plan: Free |
Free |
| Payment processing fee | Startup Plan: 6.6% Basic Plan/Advanced Plan: 3.5% |
Standard Plan: 3.6%+¥40 / 4.6%+¥40 Grow Plan: 2.9–3.9% |
Basic: 3.55% Grow: 3.4% Advanced: 3.25% Shopify Plus: 2.9% |
| Number of products | Up to 50,000 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Number of design templates | 20 or more | 60 or more | 70 or more |
| Free pages | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Multiple shipping addresses | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| Product registration | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| Inventory management | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| Order management | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| Customer management | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| New/recommended products | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| Related products | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| Favorites feature | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| Coupon issuance | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| Review feature | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| Points feature | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| Discount feature | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| Gift support | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| Pre-orders | × | 〇 | 〇 |
| Subscription sales | 〇 *Requires application for subscription payment |
〇 | 〇 |
| Follow-up emails | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| Email newsletter | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| Access analytics | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| Number of supported languages besides Japanese | English only | English only | 50 or more |
| Number of supported currencies | 150 or more | 34 | 175 or more |
While a simple comparison isn't entirely fair, Ochanoko Net's fees are set relatively low. However, it falls behind Shopify and BASE in terms of features, the number of products you can register, and the number of supported currencies.
Between BASE and Shopify, there isn't a major difference in basic features, but Shopify supports more currencies and languages. Shopify's sales commission and payment processing fees are also lower than BASE's, so we recommend Shopify if your store is large in scale or if you want to pursue cross-border e-commerce.
The blog article below introduces Shopify's main features, benefits, and pricing plans in detail. If you're also interested in Shopify, please use it as a reference.
Stores Recommended for Ochanoko Net
Ochanoko Net is recommended for stores such as the following.
- Those who want to start an online store easily at low cost
- Those who are anxious about operational aspects when setting up an e-commerce site for the first time
With Ochanoko Net, you can run an online store with no setup fee or sales commission, paying only a monthly fee.
Because many stylish design templates are available, you can easily create a store by using them. For this reason, it's recommended for those who want to start a store easily at low cost.
A Web Manual that clearly summarizes how to operate and configure the service with images, as well as an FAQ page summarizing answers to common questions, are also available.
For this reason, it's a recommended e-commerce cart for those who are anxious about operational aspects when setting up an e-commerce site for the first time.
Ochanoko Net Is an E-Commerce Cart That Lets You Run a Stylish Store Easily and at Low Cost
Ochanoko Net's appeal is that it lets you run an online store at low cost. The setup fee and sales commission are free, and the monthly fee ranges from free to ¥13,200.
Many of the design templates are stylish, so even beginners can easily design a stylish e-commerce site.
Because the first month is free to use, if you want to run your store while keeping costs as low as possible, give Ochanoko Net a try.
