Which E-Commerce Platform Is The Best

It is easier than ever to buy and sell products online. This is largely due to the prevalence of eCommerce tools available for business owners to use to sell their products.

However, this abundance of choice has also made it difficult for many business owners to determine which eCommerce platform is the best.

The truth is that different businesses may find that different tools work better for them. So, while there may be a most popular option, it is important to understand what you want from your eCommerce platform and what goals you have for your business in order to choose the best option for you.

To help with the decision, you can turn to a digital agency like WTBI, where we can help you identify your goals and build your digital footprint to achieve your goals.

For a quick guide on eCommerce platforms and the best options currently available, let’s go over the 10 best eCommerce platforms you can choose from.

10 best eCommerce platforms

Among the current options available on the web, we have identified the 10 best eCommerce platforms you can choose from. They are as follows:

1. WooCommerce
2. Shopify
3. Magento
4. OpenCart
5. Squarespace
6. PrestaShop
7. Wix
8. BigCommerce
9. Salesforce
10. Demandware

Now, let’s dive into why each one of these deserves a spot on the list.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is currently the biggest name in eCommerce, reportedly capturing over a quarter of the usage distribution for eCommerce platforms among the top 1 million sites. BuiltWith reports that approximately 3,575,395 live websites use WooCommerce.

WooCommerce was built on WordPress as a plugin to help expand the service from strictly blogging websites to offering more robust website-building tools. With the help of WooCommerce, you can now empower your WordPress sites to help you sell products.

WooCommerce is much more of a budget option, and a great feature is that it’s open source. You can implement tons of integrations that can help you accomplish your business and site goals, and the more technically capable you are, the more possibilities you’ll have.

It should be noted though, that the more plug-ins you add, the more likely you’ll need to purchase premium tools. This will increase the budget needed for your site.

This ranks on the top of our list due to the breadth of features available. It serves the most live websites on this list for a reason. If you’re looking for an eCommerce platform that can scale with you and endlessly serve your creative ideas, then WooCommerce would be a worthwhile choice.

Shopify

Shopify (together with Shopify Plus) follows close behind WooCommerce and represents around 22% of the usage distribution for eCommerce technologies among the top 1 million sites. While BuiltWith knows of more live websites using Shopify (3,924,979 to be exact), the list of total reported Shopify customers is less than that of WooCommerce.

Due to an abundance of free tools to help business owners build their sites and easily sell online (and even in person), Shopify is perhaps the most accessible eCommerce platform on the Web.

Shopify does not require intensive tech knowledge to create a store, and many tools are available to assist you with improving your shop’s capabilities. Not to mention, Shopify assures that your site is also functional with mobile devices, and there is an app available to help you manage your store away from home.

In addition to just shop design and buying and selling tools, Shopify also does a great deal to assist in marketing, analytics, and other backend responsibilities.

For small businesses looking to maximise their capabilities, Shopify is a great low-cost option that is simple to start. While there is not a free option like other platforms, Shopify offers a $5 per month basic plan to get you started with a basic site.

Magento

After WooCommerce and Shopify, other platforms in the market have much less presence comparatively. However, they all offer their own toolsets and advantages that make them viable considerations.

Magento comes in 3rd in usage distribution for eCommerce platforms among the top 1 million sites, with BuiltWith reporting that 164,899 live websites use the service.

A big draw for Magento, and many of the other most popular platforms, is the scalable and open-source nature of the service. Most shops will want to grow and adapt in order to better serve their customers and attract new ones, and you need the right tools to empower your actions.

You can start with a few products and even if you scale up to hundreds or thousands, Magento will ensure your site performs reliably. And with all these products, you’ll want to make sure they can reach the intended audience. Magento’s SEO-friendly platform helps your offers rank higher on search engines.

Features that help with product grouping and developing user-friendly interfaces also make sure that customers have an enjoyable experience shopping on your site.

OpenCart

OpenCart ranked 4th for eCommerce platforms represented among the top 1 million sites, with BuiltWith recording 400,831 live websites that currently use the service.

OpenCart is yet another open-source platform that offers a ton of integrations and extensions to help manage your online shop. While there are fewer themes for customization than WooCommerce, OpenCart still offers many leads in other technical areas.

When it comes to running multiple shops, OpenCart is well-equipped to handle the logistics. You can easily manage multiple stores from your admin account in OpenCart, whereas WooCommerce requires a paid plugin for the service.

Speaking of cost, OpenCart, like WooCommerce, offers free service, with additional premium features requiring purchase.

Squarespace

Squarespace is another popular eCommerce platform, ranking 6th in usage distribution for eCommerce platforms among the top 1 million websites. BuiltWith reports 1,600,990 live websites currently use Squarespace.

For those business owners who are passionate about not only the practicality of their website but the aesthetic appeal as well, Squarespace offers a lot of utility.

This is probably due in large part to Squarespace’s origin as a site builder (if you recognize the name, then that may be where you know it from). Strong templates make Squarespace much easier to navigate for small and medium businesses with little site-building experience.

That being said, while themes, templates, and tools are easy to grasp and use, plugins and extensions aren’t a big focus or offer from Squarespace. They are a strong tool for beginners and can create a more than capable site for many scenarios, however, more advanced developers and shops may want more eventually.

Over time, Squarespace has begun to include more eCommerce tools for interested businesses as they expand from their original purpose.

PrestaShop

PrestaShop ranks 7th for eCommerce technology usage distribution among the top 1 million websites. BuiltWith reports that 282,408 live websites use PrestaShop for their business.

PrestaShop is a free open-source eCommerce platform, but payment is required for more premium features, much like other platforms on this list.

PrestaShop offers thousands of features, extensions, and plugins, adding a lot of depth to the shop customization experience.

Compared to the more popular services on this list, PrestaShop offers fewer options in terms of plugins and extensions, but those available can still serve many users. Where PrestaShop sets itself apart is in its support features.

Many platforms will refer you to a forum or the greater community for help with technology issues. PrestaShop offers tons of free educational resources and a technical assistance program that allows you to talk with an expert over the phone.

This service can be costly, with prices ranging from $249 to $1399, depending on the severity of your problem, but for site owners who want peace of mind, this may be a worthy price to pay.

Wix

Wix comes in 8th for eCommerce platform usage distribution among the top 1 million websites. BuiltWith reports that 1,845,284 live websites are using the service.

Wix offers many options to manage the business backend and maximise the potential of an eCommerce platform. However, where they mostly stand out is in their site-building tools and design.

If you have great ideas for your shop design, but little technical know-how, then Wix may be a great option for you. Wix features a drag-and-drop site builder, along with 100s of site templates that can help you bring out the most of your ideas for your shop.

So where Wix lacks in terms of creative options, it makes up for in accessibility and ease of use.

Businesses in any industry can find a template among the 500+ offered by Wix. If you’re looking for a simple tool that can help launch your shop, Wix is a strong and not-too-pricey option.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce holds the 9th spot for eCommerce platform usage distribution among the top 1 million sites. BuiltWith reports that 49,718 live websites that they know of use the service.

BigCommerce is an apt name for the site, as it is incredibly well suited to medium and large businesses but can start to feel more daunting for smaller businesses.

For those businesses that need more resources to satisfy the particular needs of their large enterprise, BigCommerce can be a great fit. Also, if your company intends to scale, turning to BigCommerce could be a great way to lay the groundwork.

This is because BigCommerce is fairly simple to set up and get started. As you scale you can simply upgrade your plan with the service. This all-in-one solution will host your site, and manage backups and security, so you will have to handle very little on the logistical side.

Enabling international sales or multichannel selling is a big advantage of using BigCommerce. Support is also convenient with live service to assist your needs 24/7.

Along with more features, however, comes more costs. BigCommerce is certainly not a budget option, but if your business needs these tools, you most likely have the funds necessary. You will also be limited in themes and the number of integrations you can use, as you cannot use tools outside of BigCommerce.

Salesforce

Salesforce ranks 10th for eCommerce platform usage distribution among the top 1 million sites. BuiltWith reports that 5,803 live websites are currently using the service.

Browsing the list of websites using Salesforce may quickly make it clear who the target audience for this service is.

Multinational businesses using many different languages and offering an extensive product list are found among the many different sites using Salesforce.

Salesforce may report fewer live websites than other services. The sites that use this platform can depend on the eCommerce platform to be up and meet their vast needs.

An experienced developer may make the best use of the tools on this platform, so for businesses interested in scaling and providing reliable international service, Salesforce would be a good option to consider.

Demandware

Demandware represents the lowest eCommerce platform usage distribution among the top 1 million sites on this list. BuiltWith reports that 5,104 live websites are currently using this service.

Demandware works best as an enterprise solution, and its list of customers attests to this fact. Moncler, Asics, and more high-value sites use Demandware for their eCommerce solutions.

For an eCommerce solution that supports multisite and multi-language functionality, Demandware is an invaluable partner.

If you have the resources for developers, Demandware also provides toolkits and other resources to help personalise and add depth to the features of your site.

Enterprise solutions come with enterprise prices, so this platform is something that small and medium businesses should aspire to, not necessarily start with.

Turn to WTBI for your eCommerce solutions

No matter what eCommerce platform you choose, you still must put the effort in to make the most of it.

But some teams are better at focusing on other areas of the business, making managing an eCommerce presence difficult and even costly to the business.

With a digital agency like WTBI, you can find one place to effectively manage every aspect of your online presence. We will help choose and build your eCommerce profile and handle the growth and reach of your business endeavours.

You put a lot of work into the products and services you offer, let WTBI handle the rest.

If you enjoyed this article on which Ecommerce platform is the best, check out our articles on 5 ways to optimise your Ecommerce or our article on Yoast and Shopify team up to help Ecommerce store owners.