Ecommerce sales are predicted to grow to $6.5 trillion by 2023.
The expansion means one thing—an influx of online sellers in the ecommerce space leading to fierce competition.
You need the best ecommerce platforms to build an impressive online store that stands out.
But here is the problem.
It’s hard to identify the best ecommerce platforms when all vendors claim to provide the best features.
We’ve made things easier for you by rounding up the top ecommerce platforms in the market.
Table of Contents
The 8 Best Ecommerce Platforms to Choose From
Whether you want to open a new online store or revamp an existing website, there’s an ecommerce platform for you.
We’ve broken down the main features, pros, cons, and prices of these best ecommerce platforms.
Take a look.
1. Magento
Image Source: Magento
If you’re looking for something powerful and truly customizable, Magento is the best ecommerce platform for you. This ecommerce platform is non-hosted and is trusted by brands like Cisco and Nike.
You’ll need advanced coding skills or an experienced developer to create a feature-rich online store that’s completely tailored to your needs.
If you want this high level of flexibility in an ecommerce solution but lack the manpower needed, no worries, Magento has a large community of skilled developers.
Key Features
- The ecommerce platform has advanced search engine optimization features for your online business.
- The user interface and shopping carts are highly responsive to mobile devices.
- It offers flexible integration with third-party modules and apps.
- The platform also has the ability to customize security permissions for a higher level of site security.
- It is an open-source ecommerce software where you can share custom extensions with other Magento users.
Pros
- Advanced customization options
- Good SEO features
- Allows one-click buying
Cons
- It requires a lot of space to perform optimally
Usability
- Moderately easy to use
Tool Level
- Intermediate
Pricing
- Magento’s basic plan is free. There’s an enterprise version that’s suitable for large ecommerce stores.You’ll need to book a meeting or make a call to get a custom price for your business.
2. TemplateMonster
Image Source: TemplateMonster
TemplateMonster is one of the best ecommerce platforms for templates and themes.
Having served over 5 million online stores, TemplateMonster provides practical website templates suitable for all forms of ecommerce businesses.
You can use these templates to create a high-converting and visually appealing online store in no time.
Key Features
- Numerous digital products with a variety of modern designs for all niches.
- Easy search functionality. You can filter products by CMS, style, color, etc.
- Live chat support with the option to submit a ticket for more complex issues.
- Flexibility to customize the theme.
- Supplementary add-ons to boost the performance of your website. These come at an extra cost.
Pros
- Super-friendly and reliable customer support.
- Hundreds of templates and themes to choose from.
- Integrations with most ecommerce platforms.
- Top-quality and mobile-responsive designs.
- Plenty of seller information is available for themes published by third-party vendors.
Cons
- The ecommerce platform lacks the option to filter the themes by price.
Usability
- Easy to use
Tool Level
- Beginner
Pricing
- All templates and themes come at a different price but there are plenty of deals in the form of coupons, discount codes, and promo codes.
3. BigCommerce
Image Source: BigCommerce
One of the world’s best ecommerce platforms that are cloud-based, BigCommerce is a solid choice for both B2B and B2C online stores.
This ecommerce website builder is rich in features and comes with comprehensive tools that integrate seamlessly with other ecommerce solutions.
In-depth guiding articles and videos, as well as a resourceful support team, make it easy to learn about this ecommerce platform.
You’ll also get access to a community of designers, developers, and other ecommerce experts. They can provide guidance on how to market and sell online.
There are customizable templates and themes as well.
For the more tech-savvy lot, BigCommerce is one of the best ecommerce platforms that provide adjustable HTML and CSS. You can adjust it to create a unique ecommerce solution that meets your needs.
Key Features
- This cloud-hosted ecommerce platform has inbuilt marketing tools and analytics.
- It has a fully functional CMS that allows you to run an entire website and not just an online store.
- Over 40 pre-integrated payment processors that allow you to accept online payments in multiple currencies.
- The ecommerce platform supports multiple channels for selling on third-party marketplaces and social channels.
- It offers automated order processing and flexible product management
Pros
- Robust ecommerce SEO tools
- Supports international selling
- Flexible and scalable
- Buyer-centric theme designs
Cons
- The entry-level plan does not support abandoned cart recovery
Usability
- Moderately easy to use
Tool Level
- Intermediate
Pricing
It offers a 15-day free trial period, post which you can select from one of these plans:
- Standard: $29.95 per month
- Plus: $79.95 per month or $71.95 per month if billed annually
- Pro: $299.95 per month or 269.96 per month if billed annually
You can also go with the BigCommerce Enterprise plan with customized pricing according to your specific requirements.
4. WooCommerce
Image Source: WooCommerce
If you have an existing website to which you’d like to add ecommerce functionality, WooCommerce is one of the best ecommerce platforms for the task.
You can use it to run an affiliate site and an online store under one roof. Unlike other best ecommerce platforms, WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin.
You’ll need to use the readily available extensions to add necessary selling features like 1-click selling, shipping, and gateways for online payments.
This ecommerce platform is ideal for small businesses with a WordPress website.
Key Features
- Integrations with Etsy, Google Shopping, eBay, etc.
- Integrated point of sale system
- Open-source ecommerce platform
- Regular updates to keep up with cybersecurity
- A huge number of plugins to add helpful tools and features to a store
Pros
- Highly customizable and flexible WordPress plugin
- Supports 1-click selling
- A large and interactive community of users, developers, and contributors
Cons
- Limited scalability
Usability
- Easy to use
Tool Level
- Beginner
Pricing
- The WooCommerce software solution is free. You only need to pay for the extensions and themes you use. It’s an affordable way to build an ecommerce store.
5. Squarespace
Image Source: Squarespace
You’ve got to admit, Squarespace’s homepage is good to look at. And you can expect the same for your store if you choose to use this ecommerce platform.
Famous for its sleek templates and award-winning designs, Squarespace is one of the best ecommerce platforms for designing a beautiful online store.
Squarespace does not provide an overwhelming number of features for your ecommerce site, but enough to run a versatile online store.
Key Features
- Inventory tracking tools
- Flexibility to sell gift cards and subscription-based products
- Point-of-sale functionality
- Supports physical goods, digital goods, and services
- Mobile store management functionality
- Drag-and-drop website builder
Pros
- Easy to set up your ecommerce store using the drag-and-drop builder
- Doesn’t require any coding skills to sell online
- Expressive and stunning designs
- The templates rely on photography, which makes customization easy
- Integrates with ShipStation
Cons
- The ecommerce platform lacks advanced marketing tools.
Usability
- Easy to use
Tool Level
- Beginner
Pricing
There is a 14-day free trial period. Here are the paid plans that it offers:
- Business: $26 per month or $18 per month if you pay annually. There’s also a 3% transaction fee for this plan.
- Basic Commerce: $35 per month or $26 per month if you pay annually
- Advanced Commerce: $54 per month or $40 per month if you pay annually
6. Yo!Kart
Image Source: Yo!Kart
Yo!Kart is one of the best ecommerce platforms for a multi-vendor store. It’s a powerful self-hosted platform for creating an online marketplace like Amazon and Etsy.
Yo!Kart simplifies fulfillment tasks and ensures complete data security. For instance, orders from multiple vendors on one shopping cart are split and consolidated for payment.
Yo!Kart is available as an Android mobile app. It means you can send push notifications and encourage social sharing.
The ecommerce platform facilitates cross-selling of related products, sellers can post adverts, buyers get smart product recommendations, and a lot more.
Key Features
- Real-time tracking of customer orders, sales, and inventory
- Ecommerce analytics and reporting capabilities
- Geolocation functionality
- Separate user panels for stakeholders (buyers, sellers, and affiliates)
- Comprehensive SEO tools that are mostly automated
Pros
- Easy integration with payment management systems
- Real-time shipping cost calculator
- Mobile app makes it possible to do things on-the-go
- Options to accept payments in multiple currencies and support multiple languages
Cons
- Limited templates
Usability
- Moderately easy to use
Tool Level
- Intermediate/Expert
Pricing
The ecommerce platform offers 4 payment packages with a lifetime license and no recurring charges.
- GoQuick: $999 (suitable for small scale start-ups)
- GoQuick Boost: $1999 (best for startups & existing businesses)
- GoCustom: for $7500 (designed for established business)
- GoCustom Prime: Customized pricing
7. Volusion
Image Source: Volusion
Volusion is among the best ecommerce platforms for store owners looking for hosted solutions that are easy to use.
This ecommerce platform provides unlimited bandwidth. You get everything you need to design your store, add your products, and run it.
Professional services are available to guide you on how the platform works, how to use the sales channels, and more.
It does not provide a product search feature. Therefore, it is best suited for small businesses or online stores with a finite number of products.
Its well-structured dashboard makes it super-easy to manage your inventory.
Key Features
- An easy user interface with enough options for large-scale ecommerce operations
- Strong built-in SEO and other marketing tools
- Integrated in-house payment gateways
- Report feature that provides insights about the store, such as abandoned carts
- Supports phone orders
Pros
- Excellent onboarding and customer support
- The online store is hosted on their servers which provides a high loading speed
- Free themes
- Drag and drop capabilities that make it easy to use the website builder
Cons
- The ecommerce platform does not support upselling or cross-selling
Usability
- Easy to use
Tool Level
- Beginner
Pricing
Volusion provides 4 payment plans:
- Personal: $29 per month or $26.10 per month if you pay annually
- Professional: $79 per month or $71.10 per month if you pay annually
- Business: $299 per month or $269.10 per month if you pay annually
You could also get a custom solution based on your gross merchandise volume.
8. Wix
Image Source: Wix
Wix is one of the best all-purpose drag-and-drop ecommerce website builders.
It provides web hosting and domain name registration, and is one of the best ecommerce platforms for small online stores.
Wix is also a beginner-friendly ecommerce solution. You don’t have to worry about maneuvering complex features that your ecommerce site doesn’t need.
But you’ll get vital functionalities like abandoned cart recovery and inventory management.
You don’t need any coding skills.
This ecommerce website builder has 500 plus customizable templates to create exactly the kind of ecommerce site you want. They also have a friendly customer support team to guide you.
Key Features
- Supports dropship and print-on-demand ecommerce functionalities
- The ecommerce platform has multi-channel selling
- It provides access to a wide range of online providers, including popular credit card companies
- The Wix editor lets you see how your edits are affecting the appearance of your store
- Provides a tool to calculate real-time shipping and has other advanced shipping solutions
Pros
- Plenty of great templates, with a generous number of free themes
- Remarkable on-page customer support
- Highly user-friendly with drag-and-drop functionality
- The website builder supports both digital and physical products
Cons
- This ecommerce solution lacks stock management alerts
Usability
- Easy to use
Tool Level
- Beginner
Pricing
Building a basic website using Wix is free, but to access the ecommerce features, you need a paid plan.
- Business Basic: $17 per month
- Business Unlimited: $25 per month
- Business VIP: $35 per month
FAQs
Q1. Which platform is best for an ecommerce website?
A. Depending on the type of ecommerce site you want to build, the best ecommerce platforms are:
- Magento – The best ecommerce platform for a large online store that needs customization
- Templemonster – The “Amazon” of templates and themes
- BigCommerce – Best for a purely ecommerce store
- WooCommerce – Best ecommerce platform for a WordPress site
- Squarespace – Great choice for an ecommerce business with subscription-based products
- Yo!Kart – One of the best ecommerce platforms for a multi-vendor store
- Volusion – The right ecommerce platform for store-owners looking for hosted solutions
- Wix – Best ecommerce platform with web hosting for small businesses
Q2. What are the 5 best ecommerce websites?
A. Looking for inspiration for your ecommerce store?
Here are 5 online businesses that have created buyer-centric ecommerce stores using the best ecommerce platforms:
- SkullCandy
- Bliss
- Bohemian Traders
- Alice + Whittles
- Hebe
Q3. What is the best ecommerce system?
A. The best ecommerce platforms for online selling have these features:
- Third-party plugins to improve essential ecommerce features
- Reports and analytics capabilities
- Strong built-in SEO, multi-channel selling, and other marketing features
- Inventory management
- Customer support
- Affordable transaction fees
- Mobile app support
- Reliable payment processing
Q4. Is Shopify still the best ecommerce platform?
A. Although it’s not listed in our list of best ecommerce platforms, Shopify remains one of the best ecommerce platforms.
It has everything you need to set up your ecommerce website and sell online. However, this ecommerce platform fails in a few crucial areas where other platforms excel, such as:
- Poor SEO
- Complicated customization of the online stores
- Overly reliant on costly apps
Other best ecommerce platforms you can use in place of Shopify are BigCommerce and Magento.
Q5. Is Shopify good for beginners?
A. Although it's one of the most popular ecommerce platforms, Shopify is not the best choice for beginners who want to start selling online.
The editor is not as intuitive as other platforms on our list of the best ecommerce platforms.
Ready to Sell Products Online with the Best ecommerce Platforms?
There you have it, the best ecommerce platforms compared.
There’s no perfect ecommerce platform, but we’ve narrowed down the 8 best ecommerce platforms that’ll help you create a stunning and powerful online store.
While at the top of our list of best ecommerce platforms is Magento, we recommend making a choice based on your ecommerce business needs.
Have you tried any other ecommerce platforms for your own online store?
Share your experiences in the comments below.
