Nowadays, choosing the right eCommerce platform can be difficult, especially since there are 470+ options available in the market.
On the bright side, though, starting an eCommerce store is also the best decision you can make right now.
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the majority of people have already moved to the online shopping sphere. And experts have also forecasted that the majority of people will continue to shop online even after the Pandemic is over.
So, now is the perfect time to execute your eCommerce business idea and launch an online store.
But, given the number of eCommerce platforms available, it’s practically impossible for a single person to find the right solution.
So, we decided to make it easier for you to pick the right eCommerce platform.
In this post, we’ve compiled a list of the 10 best eCommerce platforms to consider in the year 2021.
10 Best eCommerce Platforms for 2021
Being a prominent Magento commerce agency, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to review all eCommerce platforms in the market. And based on our research, we’ve created a list of the top 10 eCommerce platforms to easily pick the right eCommerce platform.
With that being said, let’s dive right in!
1 – Magento
Magento is one of the most powerful eCommerce platforms in the market. It is mainly popular among eCommerce businesses due to its flexibility, scalability, and open-source nature.
In other words, Magento is a perfect eCommerce platform to launch any size of eCommerce store, from startup to enterprise-level.
The community edition of the Magento platform is completely free of cost, while the enterprise edition’s cost starts from $20,000 USD.
But, since you’re just starting out, you can opt for the Magento community edition.
Although, if you’re going to use Magento, you will need to avail professional Magento Development Service as it requires programming and development skills.
But the good news is, there are thousands of Magento development agencies across the world to choose from. So, you can easily find an agency that can fulfill your requirements in a given budget.
2 – Shopify
Started in 2004 as a snowboarding online store, today, Shopify is a leading eCommerce platform in the market.
Shopify is best for beginners and mid-size eCommerce businesses who need their hands held when setting up their first eCommerce store.
In simple words, unlike Magento, Shopify does not require programming or development skills to deploy and launch an online store.
Everything you may ever need is already integrated into the Shopify platform, from front-end design to content management.
The pricing of the Shopify platform starts from $29 USD per month for the basic version, $79 USD for the intermediate version, and $299 USD for the advanced version.
Apart from this pricing, you will also compulsorily have to pay extra for integrating additional features and functionalities via third-party extensions.
3 – Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus is the upgraded version of the Shopify platform. It is built for enterprise-level eCommerce businesses.
In addition to the eCommerce platform, Shopify Plus provides additional benefits and services that are suitable for large, multinational businesses.
Shopify Plus also provides a great level of onboarding and technical support while also allowing merchants to handle product lineups of up to 100 different variants.
However, if you want to customize your Shopify Plus store, you’ll have to learn their front-end customization language or hire a third-party Shopify development agency.
The pricing of the Shopify Plus starts at $2,000 USD per month and it can go high depending on the options you select.
4 – BigCommerce
BigCommerce was founded in 2009 by two Australians and is known as a leading open SaaS eCommerce platform today. It offers sophisticated & enterprise-level performance, functionality, and customization with ease-of-use.
Simply put, BigCommerce is one of the best eCommerce platforms for SMBs as well as MM that requires large or complex catalogs.
And just like other eCommerce platforms, BigCommerce also offers lots of out-of-the-box features and allows extending in-built functionalities with third-party applications.
As for the cost, BigCommerce has a different pricing structure compared to other eCommerce platforms.
BigCommerce’s Pricing is divided into 4 tiers:
- Standard – $29.95 USD per month
- Plus – $79.95 USD per month
- Pro – $299.95 USD per month
- Enterprise – the price depends on your specific requirements.
5 – WooCommerce
Developed and owned by WordPress, WooCommerce is basically a free and open-source WordPress shopping cart plugin.
Nowadays, it is a highly popular eCommerce shopping cart WordPress plugin that runs on 30% of all WordPress-based eCommerce stores on the internet.
WooCommerce is best for anyone who has an existing WordPress website and wants to start selling products within a tight budget.
The plugin is also extremely flexible to accommodate almost every need of a small or mid-sized eCommerce business.
6 – Wix.com
Wix.com is a cloud-based online website builder that also allows users to create eCommerce stores through its drag-and-drop tools.
It comes with a wide range of designs and templates which make it really easy for startups and small business owners to build an eCommerce store.
And if you need additional features and functionalities, you can easily do it through third-party plugins.
The best part is, Wix.com offers 6 different plans. – eCommerce – $17 USD per month, VIP – $25 USD per month, Business Basic – $23 USD per month, Business Unlimited – $27 USD per month, Business VIP – $35 USD per month, Enterprise – $500 USD per month.
The first two plans, eCommerce & VIP, will allow you to create an eCommerce store.
The Business plans will allow you to set up, collect, and process payments in addition to letting you create an eCommerce store.
The Enterprise plan offers a great level of professional consultation and support along with all Business VIP plan features.
However, the Enterprise plan doesn’t have the scalability as other dedicated eCommerce platforms as Magento have.
7 – Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Formerly known as DemandWare, Salesforce Commerce Cloud is an extraordinary, enterprise-level eCommerce platform that comes with a full range of features, functionalities, and capabilities.
It is a perfect eCommerce platform for any multinational eCommerce business that processes millions of dollars in online orders.
Although, the platform is highly complicated to use. But it is definitely worth it for the customization it provides that covers almost any business application.
And as far as the pricing is concerned, Salesforce Commerce Cloud comes in two different editions. – Salesforce B2C Commerce & Salesforce B2B Commerce.
The pricing of both editions depends on your requirements. So, you’ll need to contact the vendor for a quotation.
8 – Squarespace
Based in New York, Squarespace is a SaaS company that offers website and eCommerce store building and hosting services.
Just like Wix.com, Squarespace provides its users with drag-and-drop tools and pre-built website templates to create their websites and eCommerce stores.
If you have basic eCommerce needs, you can certainly consider Squarespace as your eCommerce platform. However, if you handle a large amount of inventory, you would be better off using a dedicated eCommerce platform like Magento.
The pricing of Squarespace starts from $16 USD per month for the Personal plan. $26 USD per month for the Business plan. $30 USD per month for the Basic Commerce plan. And $46 USD per month for the Advanced Commerce plan.
Apart from this, Squarespace also charges a 3% transaction fee for each purchase made in your Squarespace-based eCommerce store.
If you’re planning to use Squarespace as your eCommerce platform, it is recommended to get a Business tier plan or higher plan for the eCommerce store building functionality.
9 – 3D Cart
3D Cart is one of the fastest-growing all-in-one software that has everything for building robust online stores.
It comes with over 50 free themes, supports 100+ payment processors, and is extremely SEO-friendly.
If you’re looking for a platform with strong SEO tools and eCommerce functionalities without unnecessary enterprise features, 3D Cart can be a solid choice for you.
The pricing of 3D Cart starts from $19.99 USD per month and goes all the way up to $229 USD per month.
10 – Prestashop
Prestashop is a freemium eCommerce platform and over 300,000 eCommerce merchants across the world are using it today.
Using Prestashop is simple too. All you have to do is download their software, install it on your server, and start developing your eCommerce store.
Although the software is free to use, you’ll have to pay for web hosting just like Magento.
Plus, if you want to integrate additional features and functionalities, you’ll have to do so by purchasing third-party modules. Compared to third-party Magento 2 Extensions, Prestashop Extensions are quite expensive.
There is also a large community with over 1 million members, 1000 contributors, and 250+ agencies that consistently work towards making Prestashop ecosystem better.
Overall, Prestashop is definitely a good eCommerce platform that gives full control over building a personalized and unique online store.
Conclusion
There you have it! – The list of 10 best eCommerce platforms.
Now, depending on your unique requirements, budget, and resources, pick the one that is right for your eCommerce business.
Examine all the eCommerce platforms mentioned in this post closely and run a few trials if needed. Doing so will definitely help to discover an ideal eCommerce platform for you.
And in case you need a professional’s opinion, we’re always here to help you. All you need to do is Contact Us and our Magento Expert Consultant will get in touch with you very soon.
