Frankly, it’s challenging to find the best eCommerce platform because there are so many options out there (477 as of this writing). So, we decided to come up with this article to help you decide which platform to choose by comparing the best eCommerce platforms so you can find the right solution for your online store.
Ecommerce is steadily changing the way people shop. Arguably the world’s largest eCommerce platform, Amazon has over 100 million Amazon Prime members, as stated by their head honcho, Jeff Bezos himself. For veteran shoppers, nothing is more convenient than shopping in the comfort of one’s home, without having to go through the stress of traveling and traffic, and still receive the products you bought (sometimes within the same day).
Unlike Amazon, though, you don’t have to shell out a tremendous amount of capital to ride the eCommerce boom. Instead, you can build an online shop, whether you have prior coding skills or not, and start selling the next big thing.
What are the Best eCommerce Platforms?
Before we go through the list, let us share that we formed this list based on specific criteria. The list is just a guide, and your choice should ultimately depend on your particular business needs. We included the names on this list based on the following criteria:
- User Friendliness
- Paymeny Systems
- Reports & Analytics
- Mobile-Friendly
- Support
Here are our picks for the best eCommerce platforms to try:
1. Wix
The Best eCommerce Platform for Small Business
A straightforward platform is essential when building a digital store, especially if you’re doing it for the first time. And Wix‘s user interface fits the bill.
You can create a beautiful, functioning website with Wix in no time, thanks to its wide selection of themes and customization options. On top of that, it does have some functionality built in to help you thrive online.
Wix was founded about 15 years ago, and it is listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange, where it has a market value of more than $10 billion. So, if there’s a reliable option where you can start your online store, Wix should easily be one of them.
Features:
- Offers a wide variety of secure payment options and SSL certificate
- On-page support to guide you
- Customizability
Pricing:
- Offers a 14-day free trial period
- Paid subscription starts at $28/month
2. BigCommerce
Best eCommerce Platform for Big Business
BigCommerce has a wide selection of themes to choose from, designed to be easy on the buyer’s eye. BigCommerce also provides many templates and themes to help stores look their best and get up and running quickly. On the other hand, users can design their store or use BigCommerce designers to do so. In addition, the platform incorporates a full-featured CMS that allows users to run an entire website rather than just a store.
BigCommerce has the most built-in features of any eCommerce platform, which means you don’t have to worry as much about adding extra features as you would with others.
Features:
- Allows business to sell on multiple platforms such as Amazon, Instagram, or Facebook
- Flexible and scalable design, perfect for growing businesses
- Abandoned cart recovery is available
Pricing:
- Offers a 15-day free trial period
- Paid subscription starts at $29.95/month
3. Shopify
Best eCommerce Platform for Dropshipping
We tried setting up a shop in Shopify, and they were not kidding when they said that even a beginner could build a shop in a few minutes.
Shopify’s most important advantages include its user-friendliness, availability of an impeccable customer service team, and the affordability of its plans.
If you’re seeking a versatile eCommerce platform capable of adapting to your business requirements, then you should go with Shopify. Known worldwide for platforms creating a simple yet effective selling experience, Shopify helps business owners sell their products online with relative ease.
Features:
- Dropshipping integrations
- Customizations offer a wide variety of designs and themes
- Allows social selling on multiple channels
- One-click selling
Pricing:
- Offers a 14-day free trial period
- Paid subscription starts at $29/month
4. Nexcess
Best eCommerce Web Hosting Service Provider for Magento and WordPress
Nexcess offers web hosting solutions, whether from dedicated servers to private servers or shared hosting, environment co-location, and server clusters. It is an incredibly convenient decision to use Nexcess for eCommerce. It offers the fastest web hosting service for Magento and WordPress in the market.
Features:
- 24/7 support available
- Cloud accelerator to speed up load times
- Store builder Tool makes it easy to set up a shop in no time
Pricing:
- Offers a 14-day free trial period
- Paid subscription starts at $19/month
5. Square Online
Best eCommerce Platform for Small Businesses Looking to Move Online
Square Online has a free online store service for businesses who want to “test the waters” and do not have many demands for selling online. In addition, this store syncs with your offline store, if you already have one, which is a nice touch.
With Square Online, you can build your website using their available templates, and edit the number of pages with page editors before adding your store details and products.
The best thing with Square Online is that you can launch your store for free (only pay 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction). They also offer a paid subscription service where you can try out other nifty features.
Features:
- Offers a completely free plan with functional features
- Mobile-friendly interface
- Plenty of available templates
Pricing:
- Completely available free of charge, but to unlock other features, subscription starts at $12/month
6. Ecwid
Best eCommerce Platform for Businesses with Existing Websites
Transitioning to online stores with Ecwid is super easy and convenient. If your current website already runs on platforms such as Joomla, Drupal, or WordPress Business, Ecwid’s built-in integrations with these platforms make the move even more effortless.
Ecwid is unique from most of the platforms on this list because rather than using it to build a distinct eCommerce platform, you use Ecwid to add an online store to your existing website. You can also use Ecwid to easily connect and sell across multiple channels apart from your website (social media, marketplaces like Amazon, and even live in-person).
Features:
- Integrates well with Google Analytics for powerful reporting tools
- Has an app market where you can find integrations to improve the functionality of your site
- Has an intuitive interface that even lets you create a page even while on their mobile app
Pricing:
- Free plan is available
- Paid services start at $15/month
7. 3dcart
Best eCommerce Platform for StartUps
Otherwise known as Shift4Shop, 3DCart has built a reputation of being a reliable supporter of the eCommerce market over the years, serving thousands of businesses globally. Therefore, the 3DCart experience ought to be as intuitive as possible, helping startups set up their stores quickly so they can make a profit and focus on growing their respective organizations.
Features:
- Functional SEO and content marketing options
- Available for CSS and HTML customizations
- Various payment providers to attract more customers
Pricing:
- US Merchants get to try out their services for free; otherwise, services are available starting at $29/month
8. WooCommerce
The Best eCommerce Platform for WordPress
As a huge chunk of today’s websites run on WordPress, it is no wonder that at least 25% of the world’s online stores run on WooCommerce. This open-source, customizable eCommerce platform for entrepreneurs is built on WordPress, and you access it behind your existing WordPress site. This means that as far as SEO capabilities are concerned, you can benefit from WordPress’s help.
To get WooCommerce up and running, you will need to deploy several extensions such as payment gateways (like Stripe, PayPal, Square, Amazon Pay, and Authorize.Net) as well as plugins for your shipping and email tracking.
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Features:
- Excellent for SEO and content marketing
- Extend your site’s functionality with lots of apps and widgets
- Tons of customizations and themes are available
- Has a substantial online community if you’re seeking best practices
Pricing:
- Free to use, but payment is required for a few extensions. Separate yearly charges may needed for payment channels and other plugin functionality.
9. Sellfy
Best eCommerce Software for Bloggers and Online Creators
Sellfy is a straightforward platform, but its powerful eCommerce platform allows you to sell digital products, physical goods, and subscriptions – all from one place.
Within a matter of minutes, bloggers, creators, and other small business owners can capitalize on their existing site and transform it into an online store (offering digital products, subscription services, and even physical goods) via buy buttons on the website or their social media profiles.
Features:
- Customization options make it easier for you to add your logo, change colors, etc.
- Allows you to add your custom domain
- Offers mobile-optimized interface for convenience
Pricing:
- 14-day free trial period
- Paid subscription starts at $19/month
10. PinnacleCart
Best Ecommerce Platform to Build a Simple Webstore
“Obsessively engineered to increase sales” is the phrase that will greet you when you visit PinnacleCart’s website, and while that’s a pretty tall order. PinnacleCart knows how to create ways to help you hit your sales targets.
If you are looking for a quick and easy way to create a simple, no-fuss webstore, you can never go wrong with PinnacleCart. PinnacleCart’s store builder is user-friendly, and yet it packs all the features you need to get your online store up and running.
Features:
- Robust SEO features (index your sites on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo)
- Increase your product visibility further by integrating with Facebook, Amazon, and more
- Connects with apps such as Quickbooks, Shipwire, and Avalara.
Pricing:
- 14-day free trial period
- Paid subscription starts at $44.99/month
11. Squarespace
Best Drag-and-Drop Online Store Builder
Squarespace is famous for its simple yet intuitive drag and drop functionality. In addition, they provide a wide variety of design options and templates that produce sleek and professional-looking online stores.
It’s effortless to navigate, and you have access to incredible, mobile-friendly templates, product management features, and various integration capabilities with shipping solutions such as ShipBob and ShipStation.
Features:
- Easy to set up and use, even for beginners
- Produces visually aesthetic but simple stores
- Lots of SEO tools to help you rank online
- Suitable for different kinds of selling, including print on demand
Pricing:
- 14-day free trial period
- Paid subscription starts at $12/month
12. Weebly
Best eCommerce Platform for Beginners
Weebly does not pack features as robust as other platforms like Shopify or 3DCart. However, what it lacks in features, it makes up somewhere else. That is, if you’re new to the eCommerce scene and want to ride on the trend as soon as possible, provided that you do not need a complex online store, then Weebly is the perfect choice for you!
One bonus you can expect with Weebly is its built-in marketing automation features. No wonder Weebly has a 12% market share in the website builder space, and the platform now boasts over 500,000 domains since its founding in 2006.
Features:
- Robust product tracking and management tool
- User-friendly interface
- Low price for marketing automation
- Helpful mobile app for tracking your store
Pricing:
- Limited free plan available
- Paid subscription starts at $12/month
eCommerce Platforms FAQ’s
eCommerce platforms are end-to-end software solutions where business owners have an avenue to manage their business. Usually, these platforms include tools that help business owners build an eCommerce website, robust accounting and inventory management systems, and channels to provide customer service and support.
Having an online store is no walk in the park. It requires a lot of work, most of which is in the background. Theoretically, you have to create a website, then figure out a way to embed a safe and secure payment system in the website. On the backend, you have to ensure that you also have a method to manage your inventory. And as if that’s not already taxing enough, you also have to convert spreadsheet after spreadsheet worth of data into actionable reports and analysis.
eCommerce platforms have all the components you need to operate and grow your online business without complicating your day-to-day operations. In addition, using an eCommerce platform is cheaper and more practical than creating software from scratch and more comfortable than using many plugins.
Elaborate eCommerce platforms make sure that your shop functions like a well-oiled machine and make your customer’s shopping experience frictionless. They also prevent system issues and glitches, and if it does occur, support is readily available to help you figure out what’s wrong. This way, you can spend your precious time on the more critical aspects of your business: growing your customer base and increasing your sales.
User Friendliness
Not everyone starts an online shop with prior coding experience. And let’s face it, you want to create an online shop not to have the best “shop,” but you want to sell something. Thus, you should factor in how much time you can allot to building your online shop when choosing your eCommerce platform. In addition, you want to pick a platform that’s simple and straightforward. One that can help you set up an online shop with relative ease and convenience.
Payment Systems
Your shop’s overall aesthetics and interface are just one side of the coin. Another equally important factor in choosing a platform is its payment processing systems. Why? You already made a lot of effort to encourage your customers to visit your shop and push them to buy. The last hurdle is the actual checkout process, and you want that to be as frictionless as possible so that they won’t have any room for hesitation.
Reports and Analytics
Any business must monitor its progress. A platform that can give you regular reports about your shop’s performance, including some key performance indices, will put you a step ahead of your competitors.
Mobile-friendly
A lot of people use their mobile phones more frequently rather than their laptops or desktops. If your platform is not mobile-friendly, you’re setting your shop up for failure. You’re already missing out on a massive chunk of potential customers.
Support
No matter how easy-to-use and straightforward an eCommerce platform is, you will still need the help of its technicians and developers at some point. Your online shop is the most critical aspect in this industry and making sure that it runs smoothly should be your prime focus. Therefore, a support team that is effective and readily available is indispensable in this line of business.
eCommerce Platforms Summary
Whichever platform you decide to choose to build your eCommerce shop on, keep in mind that you must pick one that allows you to update and manage your store easily.
Your priority is to ensure that your shop is always up and running, and a professional eCommerce platform makes sure that happens. Another thing is the availability of payment and shopping carts that are intuitive and efficient to use.
Remember, customer service is king these days. Businesses shouldn’t just think about making money while forgetting about the customer experience in the process.
Last but certainly not least, pick among the best eCommerce platforms that are perfect for your needs. Most of the names that made this list pack a lot of features. You might not even have the chance of utilizing 100% of the features offered, but always choose the one you’re most comfortable using.
Last updated on by Joshua Holdeman
