The top eCommerce platforms enable online retailers to set up online stores, showcase their products, manage orders, provide secure transactions for their customers, and streamline overall operations. These platforms offer unique functionalities and benefits, customization options, and scalable solutions for growing businesses.
We’ve prepared a list of the six best eCommerce platforms tailored for online merchants, their pros and cons, and prices for subscription plans. We also outline the essential features to look for, how to choose the best option for your business, and these platforms’ limitations and challenges.
Table of Contents
- Shopify: Best for Global Expansion
- WooCommerce: Best for Customization
- BigCommerce: Best for Scalability
- Wix: Best for Small Businesses
- Square Online: Best for Food and Beverage Businesses
- Squarespace: Best for eCommerce Analytics
- Main Types of eCommerce Platforms Explained
- Essential Features To Look For in an eCommerce Platform
- How To Pick the Best eCommerce Platform
- What Is the Cost of an eCommerce Platform?
- Limitations and Challenges of eCommerce Platforms
- Top eCommerce Platforms: Takeaways
- Top eCommerce Platforms: FAQs
1. Shopify: Best for Global Expansion
Shopify has been the subject of countless reviews due to its popularity, showcasing its position as a major player in the eCommerce industry. What sets it apart is its robust integration capabilities that connect users to more than 8,000 apps for enhancing store functionality. This vast ecosystem enables merchants to tailor their online shops precisely to their needs.
Additionally, the platform’s global reach is notable, offering a streamlined Shopify payments experience for dozens of countries and supporting multiple payment methods. Overall, Shopify is an excellent choice for retailers, even though sellers may need some help to fully customize it.
Royson Rajan, CEO of Atlas SoftWeb Pvt Ltd, states that the right eCommerce platform depends on various factors, including size, needs, and budget, but his preferred choice is Shopify: “Businesses should choose Shopify because it provides a user-friendly interface and scalability. Moreover, it provides a range of customizable options and integrations, proving to be the best option for businesses."
Artem Semenko, CEO at DigitalSuits, agrees and adds that Shopify platform is developing quickly and has every chance to lead an eCommerce market: “Thanks to its Shopify Plus, Hydrogen/Oxygen, Commerce Components, and Markets Pro features, it is already the main competitor of Salesforce Commerce and Adobe Commerce in the enterprise market."
Features
- Huge app ecosystem: Shopify connects with over 8,000 applications, allowing merchants to customize their online stores extensively to fit unique business needs and enhance functionality.
- Global commerce support: Catering to businesses in 175 countries, Shopify provides diverse payment solutions to meet the needs of local markets, making it easier for stores to expand their international footprint.
- Advanced analytics and reporting: Shopify offers detailed analytics and reporting tools that give merchants insights into sales trends, customer behavior, and inventory management.
Pros
- 24/7 chat, email, and phone support
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- Customizable URLs
Cons
- Customization requires technical knowledge
- Charges 0.5% fee for third-party payments
- Only 12 free themes to choose from
Pricing
- Starter plan: $5/month — Ideal for social media and messaging sales.
- Basic plan: $25/month (billed monthly) or $19/month (billed once yearly) — Offers shipping discounts for solo entrepreneurs.
- Shopify plan: $65/month (billed monthly) or $49/month (billed once yearly) — Includes more discounts and support for small teams.
- Advanced plan: $399/month (billed monthly) or $299/month (billed once yearly) — Tailored for growing businesses with advanced reporting.
- Plus plan: Starts at $2,300/month on a 3-year term — Customizable checkout for large enterprises.
2. WooCommerce: Best for Customization
WooCommerce is a WordPress-specific plugin that offers extensive product variation options. It allows merchants to showcase a wide array of products with different attributes.
It also features customizable checkout processes that enable businesses to tailor the shopping experience to their customers’ needs. This adaptability helps in catering to a diverse customer base by providing various options and personalization at the point of sale.
While WooCommerce can’t be used with a CMS other than WordPress, the latter powers over 40% of all websites, so you’re sure to benefit from the expansive community support. If all else fails, however, you can always contact the top WordPress web design companies.
Features
- Product variations: WooCommerce lets users create multiple variations of a single product, enabling buyers to choose from different sizes, colors, and other attributes.
- Customizable checkout: The platform provides tools to customize the checkout experience, such as adding custom fields or modifying the steps to suit business needs.
- Built-in analytics: WooCommerce includes tools that offer insights into sales, customer behaviors, and trends directly within the dashboard.
Pros
- Strong community support with forums and tutorials available
- Integrates seamlessly with WordPress
- More than 800 extensions
Cons
- Setup and customization may require technical assistance
- Plugins can impact its performance
- Limited to WordPress sites
Pricing
WooCommerce itself does not have specific “plans” in the traditional sense like other eCommerce platforms. It is a free, open-source plugin for WordPress websites. Instead, costs associated with using WooCommerce can come from web hosting, themes, and plugins.
Below is a general estimate of the costs of using WooCommerce:
- Web hosting: Basic shared hosting plans start as low as $3.99 to as high as $5,000 per month, scaling up for higher traffic and performance needs.
- Themes: Premium eCommerce development themes can cost anywhere from $20 to $100 per year.
- Plugins: Many essential plugins are free, but specialized premium plugins can range from $25 to $200+ per year.
3. BigCommerce: Best for Scalability
BigCommerce sets itself apart by being the most scalable eCommerce platform. It offers multi-storefront options, headless commerce, and Commerce-as-a-Service solutions.
The platform also offers sophisticated omnichannel selling capabilities. Besides catering to traditional online storefronts, it also lets users connect to Instagram and Facebook, marketplaces like eBay and Amazon, and even physical store point-of-sale (POS) systems.
Features
- Scalable eCommerce platform: BigCommerce supports businesses in efficiently managing high volumes of transactions and extensive product catalogs.
- Omnichannel capabilities: BigCommerce enables seamless integrations with various platforms and tools like Instagram, eBay, and POS systems.
- Advanced security measures: BigCommerce prioritizes security by offering SSL encryption and PCI DSS customer data protection.
Pros
- Tier 1 certifications such as ISO, GDPR, and PCI
- Automatic image optimization via Cloudflare Polish
- 100% uptime guarantee
Cons
- Advanced customization requires familiarity with CSS and JavaScript
- Automatically upgrades businesses to a more costly plan
- Users only have 12 free themes to choose from
Pricing
- Standard plan: $39/month (billed monthly) or $29/month (billed annually) — Caters to new online stores with up to $50k in yearly sales, offering unlimited products and essential features.
- Plus plan: $105/month (billed monthly) or $79/month (billed annually) — Designed for businesses growing to $180k in yearly sales, with tools like abandoned cart recovery to boost customer retention.
- Pro plan: $399/month (billed monthly) or $299/month (billed annually) — Supports scaling businesses with up to $400k in yearly sales, adding advanced functionalities like Google customer reviews.
- Enterprise plan: Custom pricing for high-volume sales, exceeding the Pro plan’s threshold with tailored security, API support, and personalized account management.
4. Wix: Best for Small Businesses
Wix is a user-friendly platform that lets users create beautiful websites without coding. It provides many customization options and templates for building an online store. The platform is a solid eCommerce solution for small businesses thanks to its Artificial Design Intelligence (ADI) capability. The ADI feature uses sophisticated algorithms that automatically design custom sites based on user responses.
On the other hand, Wix Velo offers users serverless computing, allowing them to deploy web apps without managing the servers themselves. This feature also means that merchants will only pay for the time their apps are used rather than idle server time, helping save on costs.
Features
- Wix ADI: Utilizes artificial intelligence to design custom websites in minutes by analyzing user inputs and preferences, helping streamline the site creation process.
- Wix Velo: This feature offers a serverless computing environment that lets developers prioritize building web applications without worrying about backend infrastructure.
- Extensive app market: Features over 300 apps and services that can be integrated directly into Wix websites.
Pros
- Provides SEO features such as customizable metadata and URLs
- Automatic generation of mobile-optimized website
- Over 800 website templates available
Cons
- In-depth customization requires familiarity with Wix’s editor
- Unable to change a template once a site has been built
- Free plan displays Wix ads on your site
Pricing
- Light plan: $7/month — For small retailers with limited product offerings, provides 2GB storage.
- Core plan: $11/month — Targets smaller enterprises seeking growth, provides 20GB of storage, online booking, and accepts online payments.
- Business plan: $22/month — Aimed at mature companies needing more storage (100GB) and Google Analytics integration.
- Business Elite plan: $46/month — Provides extensive storage capabilities and bandwidth for large entities.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing — Serves multinational corporations seeking bespoke features and white-glove service.
5. Square Online: Best for Food and Beverage Businesses
Square Online offers real-time inventory synchronization across both physical and online stores thanks to its seamless integration with Square’s POS system. Sales made anywhere update inventory counts instantly, ensuring that both online shoppers and in-store customers have access to up-to-date product availability.
Following its acquisition of Weebly, Square Online has further enhanced its eCommerce capabilities, offering users a more intuitive interface and expanded website customization options. The platform provides an array of tools tailored for food and beverage businesses, such as integrated online ordering for pickup and delivery without requiring third-party apps. Such a direct approach streamlines operations while promoting repeat purchases.
Features
- Real-time inventory synchronization: Inventory is updated instantly after each sale, which ensures accurate stock levels across all sales channels.
- Built-in tools for food and beverage businesses: Restaurants can set up online ordering for pickup and delivery directly through their website, thus reducing dependency on third-party delivery platforms and enabling them to keep more profits.
- Facebook and Instagram integration: Merchants can connect their Square Online store with their social media profiles so they can sell products directly through Facebook and Instagram.
Pros
- Competitive transaction fees: With a 2.9% + 30¢ transaction fee per online sale, Square Online provides a competitive rate for processing payments.
- No startup fees: Square Online allows merchants to begin building their online store without any initial setup costs.
- Free SSL certificate: Every Square Online store comes with a free SSL certificate to ensure all transactions are encrypted and secure.
Cons
- High-volume sales transaction fees: For businesses processing a high volume of sales, the standard transaction fee of 2.9% + 30¢ can be costly.
- Only basic SEO tools on lower-tier plans: The SEO capabilities provided in the lower-tier plans lack advanced features like full control over URL structures or rich snippets, which are essential for maximizing online visibility in SERPs.
- Limited third-party app integration: Square Online’s platform only has about 30 third-party app integrations, which can limit functionality expansion for specialized business needs.
Pricing
- Free plan: This plan allows for unlimited items and basic site features but includes Square branding. Merchants are also charged processing fees.
- Plus plan: $29/month (billed annually)— Offers advanced site customization, customer accounts, and item badges.
- Premium plan: $79/month (billed annually) — Includes lower payment processing rates, real-time shipping rates, and waived in-house delivery fees.
6. Squarespace: Best for eCommerce Analytics
Squarespace is a standout website builder thanks to its integrated extensions and detailed analytics. Squarespace extensions provide a seamless way for merchants to connect with third-party services for finance management, inventory control, and marketing efforts, among others.
Squarespace’s analytics provide in-depth insights into product performance and the sales funnel. The Sales by Product panel delivers precise statistics on revenue, order volume, and conversion rates per item, enabling sellers to make informed decisions about their inventory.
Squarespace is one of the favorite platforms of Evan Polivy, Chief Strategy Officer & Director of Brand Development at Stateless Fashion Design & Consulting. He says, "Among the myriad options available, our web team at Stateless prefers two platforms when developing sites for our clients: Shopify and Squarespace. Choosing between Shopify and Squarespace ultimately depends on your apparel business's specific needs and long-term goals. Shopify may be better if you prioritize extensive customization, many eCommerce features, and scalability. On the other hand, if you prefer a visually stunning website and a more accessible option, Squarespace could be the ideal fit."
Features
- Detailed product performance analytics: Provides comprehensive analytics with data on revenue, order volume, and conversion rates for each product.
- Squarespace extensions: Offers a suite of extensions for integrating services like bookkeeping, inventory management, and marketing tools directly into your website.
- Advanced sales funnel insights: Delivers in-depth analysis at each stage of the sales funnel.
Pros
- High-quality templates: Over 100 professionally designed templates that automatically include mobile-responsive design.
- 24/7 customer support: Round-the-clock customer support with an extensive knowledge base and live chat options.
- Google Search Console integration: Verified sites can view what keywords their customers are using to find them.
Cons
- Only one free domain registration in the first year of an annual billing plan
- Custom Squarespace templates require design and coding skills
- Lacks multicurrency support
Pricing
- Personal plan: $25/month (billed monthly) or $16/month (billed annually) — 0% transaction fee on invoices, no custom domain included.
- Business plan: $36/month (billed monthly) or $23/month (billed annually) — Includes free custom domain, free invoices, and checkout on your domain.
- Basic Commerce plan: $40/month (billed monthly) or $28/month (billed annually) — Includes displaying related products, offering product waitlists, and promoting urgency via "low stock" alerts.
- Advanced Commerce plan: $72/month (billed monthly) or $52/month (billed annually) — Includes free shipping for orders that reach a specific threshold, automatic discounts, and selling subscriptions.
Main Types of eCommerce Platforms Explained
The top eCommerce platforms provide robust features for store setup, management, marketing, sales analytics, and more. There are two main types of eCommerce platforms: self-hosted and cloud-based.
- Self-hosted: Website owners have full control over design, functionality, features, customizations, integrations, server settings, configurations, and software updates. This requires a lot of technical knowledge to set up and maintain. Examples include Magento, PrestaShop, and WooCommerce.
- Cloud-based: The platform provider handles all the technical details and provides a user-friendly interface. Websites are easy to scale, and the right subscription plan ensures they can handle large amounts of traffic and sales. Website owners are fully reliant on providers for support. Examples of cloud-based eCommerce platforms are Shopify and BigCommerce.
The most popular eCommerce platforms available today are crucial for retailers to keep up with competitors and maintain long-term revenue and growth.
Essential Features To Look For in an eCommerce Platform
As we’ve established, picking the right eCommerce platform is a big decision for any online business. Here are the aspects you need to consider when looking for the best eCommerce platform for your needs:
- Website Personalization
- Omnichannel Support
- Robust Product Support
- Scalability
- Strong Customer Service Options
1. Website Personalization
Choosing an eCommerce platform with advanced personalization capabilities will enable merchants to deliver the best possible brand experience. It is important to have control over how your online store looks. Designing a one-of-a-kind eCommerce site with the brand’s logo, color palette, font, and overall visual identity increases recall and trust.
2. Omnichannel Support
Selecting a platform that excels in omnichannel sales & marketing support ensures that your business can provide a consistent experience across all customer touchpoints. This includes integrating social media, mobile apps, and physical stores for a unified shopping experience.
The ability to synchronize inventory and sales data in real-time across all channels helps maintain accurate stock levels and provide reliable customer service. Effective omnichannel strategies facilitate easier returns and exchanges, boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty.
3. Robust Product Support
The ideal eCommerce platform will offer robust tools for managing a diverse range of products, including those requiring complex inventory management. This encompasses support for multiple product variants, such as size, color, and material, and the capability to efficiently handle backorders and preorders.
Platforms that provide advanced categorization and filtering options make it easier for customers to navigate through extensive product listings. Moreover, integrating supply chain software aids in streamlining inventory management processes, ensuring that stock levels are kept optimal.
4. Scalability
Scalable eCommerce platforms are paramount for growing businesses. The right solution should effortlessly handle surges in traffic, particularly during peak shopping seasons, without affecting site speed or reliability.
Scalable platforms have cloud-based solutions, which automatically adjust resources based on traffic demands. They also support international expansion, including multi-language and multicurrency features, enabling businesses to reach global audiences without compromising performance.
5. Strong Customer Service Options
Platforms offering 24/7 support through multiple channels, including phone, email, and live chat, guarantee merchants that help is always available when needed. Troubleshooting emerging issues on eCommerce websites can be challenging for those who have limited tech knowledge.
Advanced platforms also feature AI-powered chatbots for instant assistance, efficiently guiding website owners through common issues and inquiries.
How To Pick the Best eCommerce Platform
Your choice of eCommerce platform will impact your current and future operations, revenue, growth, and efficiency. This is a crucial decision that must be closely considered. Here are the key factors to consider:
1. Your eCommerce Needs
To choose the best eCommerce platform, you must first have a clear idea of your eCommerce needs. How many products do you want to sell? Are you aiming for significant business growth and sales in the hundreds of thousands in the next few years? These details will help guide you in choosing a scalable solution that can support your future expansion plans into new markets and omnichannel selling.
2. Features
Essential eCommerce features include website creation, inventory management, secure payments, and marketing capabilities. Carefully consider the available options and choose one that has everything you need.
Built-in features may not be enough for your operations, so consider the variety of integrations on offer. Third-party tools for analytics, customer relationship management, social media marketing, and dozens of others will boost efficiency and help you maximize your resources. Your eCommerce platform must also integrate seamlessly with your existing tech stack.
3. User Friendliness
Your eCommerce platform should be easy to use so that all team members can navigate its features no matter their level of tech expertise. An intuitive interface makes it easy to create, manage, and scale your online storefront.
4. Budget
Be mindful of costs beyond the amount listed on the platform’s subscription plan. Most eCommerce platforms charge a certain amount per transaction and for some plugins and extensions. Choose the platform that provides the best value for money.
5. Security
Robust measures like SSL certificates, firewalls, security plugins, user authentication, and regular security updates will ensure that all business data and customer information will remain secure. Compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is mandatory for merchants that process card payments.
What Is the Cost of an eCommerce Platform?
The cost of eCommerce platforms depends on your business size, inventory, and the features you need. With domain registration and web hosting costs, a basic, no-frills eCommerce site for a startup or microbusiness can initially be as low as $1,000, with ongoing payments between $50 and $300 per month.
To help you estimate your budget, here are the factors that can affect your eCommerce platform expenses:
- Inventory: A product inventory in the hundreds or thousands will be significantly more expensive than one or two dozen.
- Payment methods: A platform that can accommodate many different payment methods (cryptocurrency, digital wallets, buy now pay later, etc.) will be more expensive.
- Transaction fees: eCommerce platforms charge fees for each transaction, which will cut into your revenue.
- Other features: Marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) tools can cost up to $500/month. Website maintenance can run up to $2,000/year.
Limitations and Challenges of eCommerce Platforms
eCommerce platforms provide robust solutions for merchants to set up their stores and sell their products online. However, they are not without their limitations. Here are some of them:
- Customization: Some platforms provide very limited scope for web design and personalization. Available templates may not suit your needs, thus compromising branding and user experience.
- Scalability: If you sign up for an entry-level or midrange plan, your eCommerce platform may not be able to manage high-traffic periods. This leads to downtime and website issues.
- Cost-efficiency: Ongoing fees for transactions, add-on features, plugins, extensions, and customizations can quickly add up.
- Compliance: Merchants are often left on their own when it comes to managing compliance with international and local regulations for eCommerce transactions.
- Security: Website owners are dependent on the platform’s security features. eCommerce sites are common targets for cyberattacks and data breaches, so they require constant vigilance.
Top eCommerce Platforms: Takeaways
Retail eCommerce sales worldwide are expected to reach over $8 trillion by 2027, providing untapped opportunities for businesses, entrepreneurs, drop shippers, and established brands alike.
Knowing where to set up your online shop could make or break your business in today’s digital gold rush. With eCommerce sales expected to climb significantly in the coming years, there’s a huge market out there, and everyone from startups to big brands wants a piece.
To help you cut through the noise, we’ve picked out the six best places to sell your merchandise online. Here’s a quick refresher of your six best options:
| Platform | Best For | Pricing | Unique Feature |
| Shopify | Global Expansion | Starts at $5/month | Caters to more than 170 countries |
| WooCommerce | Customization | Free but has associated costs | Product variations |
| BigCommerce | Scalability | Starts at $29/month | Omnichannel capabilities |
| Wix | Small Businesses | Starts at $7/month | AI can design custom websites |
| Square Online | Food and Beverage Businesses | Has a free plan; Paid plans start at $29/month | Real-time inventory synchronization |
| Squarespace | eCommerce Analytics | Starts at $16/month | Detailed product performance analytics |
Choosing the appropriate eCommerce platform for your online store comes down to figuring out what you need and matching it up with what these options offer. Whether you’re all about data and analytics to guide your decisions or you need something that can scale with you as you grow, there’s an option out there available.
Should you need any assistance setting up an online store, there are many specialized eCommerce development agencies that will do the heavy lifting for you.
Top eCommerce Platforms: FAQs
1. What is an eCommerce platform?
An eCommerce platform is an app or plugin that enables merchants to build online stores and manage their sales, products, and logistics through the Internet. It provides the infrastructure needed for executing transactions and managing customer interactions in a digital environment.
2. Which platform is best for eCommerce?
Shopify is the best platform for eCommerce because it offers a comprehensive, user-friendly solution that caters to businesses of all sizes. It has an extensive range of themes and customization options that allow merchants to easily create unique and engaging online stores. Additionally, Shopify provides robust tools for inventory management, payment processing, and analytics to simplify business operations and enhance scalability.
3. Which eCommerce platform is best for beginners?
Wix is a fantastic eCommerce for beginners. The platform manages domain hosting and security, so all merchants need to do is use the website builder (with a drag-and-drop interface) to launch their website. Wix plans start at $7/month.
4. What is the best eCommerce platform for B2B?
B2B on Shopify offers first-party features that are essential for B2B companies: wholesale profiles, customized purchasing and pricing, flexible payment options, B2B checkout, buyer authentication, custom themes, tax exemptions, and more.
5. How long will it take to launch an eCommerce site?
The time needed to set up and launch an eCommerce site depends on the platform you choose, the number of products you sell, and the complexity of your website design. For a basic website on a popular eCommerce platform like Shopify, you can register a domain, customize your chosen template, upload a few product listings, and set up payment methods within 2 to 3 days. Advanced integrations and plugins, along with marketing and analytics can take 1 to 2 weeks.
