Explore our favorite eCommerce platforms for your store. Discover top features, pricing, and tips.
There's arguably no better time than now to start an online store.
While it’s true that eCommerce sales are on the incline, 28% of small businesses are without websites.
Consequently, their customers have a tough time shopping with them, making them lose out on potential customers to eCommerce platforms devoted to facilitating a convenient shopping experience.
Whether you’re looking for ways to expand your reach in the online world or attempting to start a new eCommerce business from scratch, having an eCommerce platform is essential to achieving your goals.
An eCommerce platform is software that enables businesses to create and manage an online store, facilitating the buying and selling of goods or services over the internet.
It provides the tools needed to handle website design, product listings, shopping carts, payment processing, and overall store management.
Whether you're a freelancer, a small business, or a large enterprise, an eCommerce platform simplifies running an online store by integrating essential front-end and back-end operations.
Common eCommerce activities include selling digital products, offering subscriptions, crowdfunding, retail, wholesale, and service-based transactions.
These platforms aim to streamline processes, enhance customer experience, and drive business growth.
Now that you know how necessary eCommerce platforms are for online success, here is a comprehensive list of features that you should search for when you make your selection.
First, figure out your eCommerce business needs, and then identify your budget.
Afterwards, compare the relevant pricing plans and select the one that has the most business value for you.
Some eCommerce platforms don’t have monthly fees, but you’ll have to pay for a web hosting service.
Other platforms charge more but allow access to the eCommerce website software and your web hosting.
Without a trial, it’s markedly more difficult to ascertain which eCommerce platform best suits your online store.
Thankfully, most eCommerce software platforms offer free trials.
It’s wise to test the software before signing up for a pricing plan.
How involved in the setup and installation process?
Does it take days or minutes to set up?
Starting a business is very time consuming, so having access to essential tools that save you time is invaluable—and gives you the ability to focus on your business.
Are you in need of a customized site?
Does the platform have the capacity to do so?
You should be able to customize just about anything on your eCommerce website.
Typical platforms have limits concerning their customization features.
However, this is usually purposeful, as they want you to concentrate exclusively on selling products and services.
Does the platform integrate seamlessly with other services and products?
Extensions on a given eCommerce platform are essential because they allow for additional functionality.
Also, they can add too complex features to be available in standard plugins.
Shopify is an exemplary model from which many eCommerce sites take their cues—they have more than a million stores built. This platform is the most critically acclaimed platform for small businesses setting up an online store.
Shopify takes it a step further and provides you with an assistant to guide you through the basics of setting up your website, setting up payments, adding products, and customizing your store.
BigCommerce is a platform with a focus on large companies that are already in the midst of selling products on a considerable scale. This platform is known for leading the world as an open SaaS eCommerce platform. BigCommerce is famous for its highly flexible APIs and low total cost of ownership.
If you want the customizability and flexibility of open source platforms but also like the hassle-free nature of SaaS, then BigCommerce is the platform for you.
Weebly is a simplistic eCommerce website builder owned by Square—a company specializing in financial services and payment processing.
Weebly is an excellent option for online stores once it does not require much effort to set up. This eCommerce platform is also user-friendly, requiring no expertise to operate.
Of every platform that we reviewed, we found that the most advanced inventory management features came from Shopify. You need Shopify’s intuitive core platform and venture into whatever course is most advantageous to you. You can sell directly on eBay, Walmart, Facebook, Pinterest, and more.
Customers can easily view their stock levels and orders with just a glance and create detailed product pages with custom metadata, pricing rules, images, and more. Shopify streamlines the shipping process, including printing labels and sending tracking information to customers.
All Shopify plans come with unlimited bandwidth and storage and let you post products limitlessly, meaning that your business grows and your Shopify scales beautifully along with it.
Additionally, Shopify offers apps for Android and iOS that enable you to manage your store from virtually anywhere.
When the Shopify platform is fresh out of the box, it’s not as feature-heavy as a platform such as BigCommerce regarding managing a complex inventory. However, new users won’t notice, and Shopify’s rich plugin selection allows people to improve the platform as their company grows.
Customers can take advantage of the 14-day free trial that comes with every plan.
Shopify is a proficient website builder that offers monthly plans to accommodate any budget; this is an all-in-one platform that gives the user everything you need to launch an online store, even if you have zero design or coding experience.
BigCommerce is a well-known name in the eCommerce space and is utilized by businesses in more than 120 countries worldwide. This all-in-one eCommerce platform provider gives you everything for your online store’s success.
Additionally, it’s just as great with a marketplace of apps for accounting, customer relationship management (CRM), marketing, shipping, and more.
BigCommerce is first in its class regarding features such as page loading speed, security, and uptime. Also, there are a few more design customization capabilities than Shopify.
Although Spotify charges 0.5% to 2% per transaction for utilizing third-party payment processors, BigCommerce allows users to select from more than 65 processors, including Stripe, Square, and PayPal.
BigCommerce offers a 15-day free trial with all of their plans. Customers also have access to unlimited support during this time.
We recommend BigCommerce to any business with a large inventory of products; management is a breeze despite how many variants, warehouses, channels, and SKUs you have.
Regarding the front end, your customers will have no problem finding everything they need. While many eCommerce platforms struggle at the scale, BigCommerce does very well with it.
Weebly features an app center that allows you to add features to your website without coding. For instance, you can add an appointment scheduler or a live chat widget. Also, you can easily add blog posts to your website using the built-in blog feature.
If you want a simple drag-and-drop website builder with budget-friendly e-commerce features, Weebly is just for you.
Weebly is an excellent choice for those who want to create a website quickly and hassle-free without learning code—this is possible thanks to Weebly’s drag-and-drop interface.
While both Wix and Shopify have a drag-and-drop feature, Spotify has more customization options than its competitors.
Also, if you are someone who wants to use those domain names, Weebly is an excellent option because it offers a free domain with a Professional plan.
With Wix, you get a free domain name when you purchase an annual plan, but it only lasts for the first year. Lastly, Shopify doesn’t provide a free domain name at all.
Not only can you try Weebly for free, but they also have a free forever plan. With the free plan, you get a free SSL certificate, capture leads, add third-party embed codes, a chat, email support, and an Instagram feed.
Weebly is a user-friendly website builder that allows users to create a website without coding knowledge; this is a great option for people who want a professional website or an online store. Additionally, it is one of the most affordable eCommerce platforms on the market.
Each business plan with Squarespace gives you everything you need to run a successful eCommerce website.
You’ll appreciate the layout if you work in a creative industry, such as being a writer, artist, photographer, videographer, etc. The templates featured by Squarespace are innovative, captivating, modern, and perfect for owners that occupy this niche.
Wix is amongst the most intuitive eCommerce site builders. You don’t need coding experience or technical knowledge to get started.
They have a drag-and-drop builder to edit videos, images, text, and various forms of media in just a few minutes. The finished product is a high-quality website.
WooCommerce is a free plugin that allows users to create an eCommerce store from a WordPress website. Many people consider WooCommerce user-friendly, both for the customer and the business owner.
With WooCommerce, managing an online store is easy, as you have all the tools you need to make operations run smoothly. In addition, there are crucial features like shipping integration, tax management, inventory management, secure payments, and more.
WooCommerce is a free plugin that allows users to create an eCommerce store from a WordPress website. Many people consider WooCommerce user-friendly, both for the customer and the business owner.
With WooCommerce, managing an online store is easy, as you have all the tools you need to make operations run smoothly. In addition, there are crucial features like shipping integration, tax management, inventory management, secure payments, and more.
WooCommerce is an excellent option because you have everything you need at your disposal. There are memberships, subscriptions, product catalogs, and more that you can customize through WordPress. Additionally, there are extensions for email integration and printing shipping labels, all of which are pertinent features you’ll need.
WooCommerce didn’t quite make the cut because of how expensive the hosting is in conjunction with how many built-in features are available.
Also, it can be challenging to troubleshoot when you have a problem, and if you’re new to eCommerce, you need solid support on your side. You’ll also have to get multiple extensions for optimal functioning.
You can quickly and effectively display and sell your work on Squarespace. Additionally, digital content and subscriptions are eligible for sale, and the features are highly impressive.
Product display, automatic inventory management, shipping calculator tools, product videos, and more are easy to access. Selling tools are simple to integrate, with popular add-ons like Apple Pay, Stripe, FedEx, and PayPal being preferred choices.
Squarespace is a great platform, but unlike Wix and Shopify, there is no way for you to reach customer service representatives over the phone. The payment gateways also aren’t as extensive as you’ll find with other sites. Lastly, the eCommerce integrations are lacking with Squarespace.
*You can only access eCommerce functions with the Business and Commerce plans.
Each Squarespace plan qualifies for a free trial that lasts 14 days, 24/7 customer support, and a customized domain.
There are over 500 design themes, and you can easily customize your store with ease. Wix is an excellent platform for site visibility and has automatic features in place to optimize your online store for mobile devices and SEO.
The Wix platform provides users with all the web applications they can use for customization. There are more templates than Magento and Shopify, and you can edit images, logos, videos, and more.
One aspect of having a site and ranking high on the SERPs is SEO. You want excellent site visibility, but unfortunately, Wix doesn’t help in that department.
The upselling capabilities are lackluster, and it doesn’t integrate well with other extensions or sites like Amazon. For these reasons, we had to keep Wix lower on the list.
With Wix, you get a free trial for fourteen days, a custom domain link, and free hosting.
These eCommerce platforms are worth exploring if you’re looking for something different from what we have listed.
Hostinger lets you build an online store website in a sustainable and affordable way. The builder is excellent for small businesses that need web hosting. Equipped with AI tools, you can add images, customize the background, create logos, and write content. It’s easy to set up even without coding experience.
Hostinger provides eCommerce owners with free website themes and a drag-and-drop builder that works seamlessly on mobile devices and desktops. If you’re working with a tight budget but need to launch your store quickly, consider Hostinger. It’s a perfect solution for selling niche products on a site.
Hostinger has notable drawbacks that keep it from ranking higher. These include limited templates and scale-up options. Their plan is perfect for starting out but lacks enough features if eCommerce owners are looking to grow their businesses in the long run.
Their Online Store & Web Hosting plan costs $2.99/month. It is amongst the most affordable starter plans available.
There’s no free trial with Hostinger, nor do they have a free forever plan. However, each plan offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so that you can try them without commitment.
Need another easy-to-use eCommerce platform for small businesses on a tight budget? Try Big Cartel, which doesn’t have the same allure as the fancier platforms, but it’s still a solid choice. It’s cost-effective, gets the job done, and can improve your customers’ buying experience.
Not only is Big Cartel user-friendly, but you don’t have to follow many steps to configure the site or set up to get it up and running.
They have a free plan that functions well enough for entrepreneurs with only a few items to sell. There are no transaction fees, and the template collection is free and responsive.
Big Cartel isn’t suitable for an enterprise despite the positive attributes for smaller businesses. They only permit 500 products or less for their highest-paid plan.
Also, the themes are not highly customizable. They also don’t offer phone support or live chat; you can only sell your products through your site, Instagram, and Facebook.
There’s no need for a free trial with Big Cartel because they have a free forever plan that you can use, as long as you aren’t selling more than five items.
Unlike many other options on this list, OpenCart is not an eCommerce site builder. Instead, it’s more of an open-source, free platform, allowing you to add functionalities as an eCommerce merchant to existing websites. It’s simple to use and doesn’t require much tech experience.
OpenCart is an excellent option because of the marketplace aspect. You can access over 13,000 themes and modules and integrate your site with various shipping providers and payment gateways. You also receive support from over 550,000 discussions from 100K+ members.
You can install OpenCart for free, but those integrations and extensions can add up. Larger sites will feel the effects of a slower pace, which may diminish the buyer experience over time. Their free plan is restrictive, and this OpenCart might become more expensive because of self-hosting.
OpenCart has a cloud version with a 50 percent discount if you pay for one year upfront. You get better customer support, and you can host more than one store with all of these plans.
*Prices may fluctuate, as the site initially lists them in British pounds.
Anticipate the following costs, though the download is free:
Users receive a 14-day free trial, with unbridled access to themes, direct support, hosting, extensions, and more.
Bluehost is the ideal solution for many small businesses. By combining WooCommerce and WordPress features into an already established hosting platform like Bluehost, you now have a complete shopping experience tied into one bundle. It’s one of the most versatile and trusted builder combinations available.
Bluehost + WooCommerce is an excellent option because it’s easy enough to use that anyone can pick it up and start creating an online store. Owners have a seamless transition by providing users with everything they need in one location, including the functionalities they get from WooCommerce.
While Bluehost + WooCommerce is a one-stop shop, there are additional costs like checkout cart add-ons and other extensions.
Also, Bluehost storage is surprisingly low, especially with the Basic plan. The tools and backup features also aren’t promising. It also has the potential to slow your site down a bit.
Bluehost no longer offers a free trial, but there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee if the customer is dissatisfied with the services.
Here’s a brief overview of even more eCommerce platforms that you might want to check out:
3DCart is an advanced eCommerce platform with over 200 features, more than 100 payment processing choices, 50 themes, and an excellent blog feature. It also fully supports the various integrations you need to run a store successfully. You have the option of unlimited storage.
Additionally, there’s phone support and live chat for customers. Remember that there’s no drag-and-drop builder like you get with Wix, Shopify, and more. It’s harder to use if you have no development or coding services for proper customization.
Volusion is another all-in-one solution for your eCommerce needs. Multiple custom domains and navigation styles, intriguing theme designs, a content editor, and other functions help create a website. Overall, it provides a pleasant shopping experience for customers.
However, you can’t blog with this platform, there’s no specific niche, and the storefront is somewhat confusing concerning the arrangements. Also, customer support is lacking.
Prestashop is innovative, efficient, and another open-source option. Everything you need is in one location to take your brand and business to the next level. Furthermore, you can download and access all of these features for free. The only costs you’ll incur are for the SSL certificate, hosting, and other factors you deem essential.
Business owners need developer skills to use Prestashop, as the interface is highly technical and requires a certain level of expertise. Additionally, customer support is expensive. You only get a few hours of support, but it costs $250/month and goes up from there.
Instamojo facilitates online stores for very small companies. They have a variety of stores that are ready to go right away. They all come with features and marketing tools crucial to smooth operations. There are shopping services, an integrated payment system, and more. Within five minutes, you can have a fully operational business.
The drawbacks to Instamojo are that they will charge you five percent of all your sales as part of their service fees. They only process customer payments in Indian Rupees, and the overall features have limits regarding receiving payments.
When you sign up with CoreCommerce, you’re signing up for extensive customizations and flexibility for your business. You’ll be able to manage products, sales, promotions, pull reports, and more.
The primary disadvantage of using CoreCommerce is that it’s challenging to set up and customize this software. If you don’t have previous experience with web development, you’ll struggle to get up and running.
Sellfy is one of the better eCommerce platforms that allows you to create an online store with a unique theme that perfectly reflects your business. You can change the colors, layout, logo, and more to your liking. It’s easy to set up and use, and you have adequate customer support should you run into issues.
The downside is that there aren’t many integration options, so you will inevitably have to pay more to get the applications you want and need to run your business optimally. Also, the SEO capability is restrictive, and your site will run slower.
Storeplum stands out as a versatile and user-friendly ecommerce platform, built to propel your online business into new heights of success. It houses all the tools you would need under one roof, making it a one-stop solution for your ecommerce requirements.
What distinguishes Storeplum is its ease of use. Regardless of your technical acumen, the platform remains accessible and intuitive. Even business owners new to the digital landscape can navigate it effortlessly.
While the customizability of Storeplum offers a high degree of freedom, it might initially seem challenging to newcomers. However, the platform’s affordable and comprehensive customer support is there to help you at each step, ensuring you’re never left in the lurch.
In essence, Storeplum is a cost-effective, comprehensive ecommerce solution that empowers businesses to thrive in the digital space, regardless of their technical background.
We carefully selected the best eCommerce platforms based on these key criteria:
When choosing an eCommerce platform, think beyond initial costs.
Long-term pricing, transaction fees, and limitations on design or functionality can significantly impact your business.
Many platforms have built-in features, but some lack flexibility, making it harder to scale as your needs grow.
Migration between platforms can be time-consuming and costly, so make your choice carefully.
If you're unsure, consider keeping your blog and store separate.
Building a blog on a content-focused platform while maintaining an independent eCommerce store allows each to scale more efficiently without constraints.
This approach provides flexibility for future growth and diversification.