Shopify
- Easy store setup
- Extensive app marketplace
- Mobile-friendly themes
- Offers Secure payment options
Bigcommerce
- Built-in SEO tools
- Multi-channel integration
- Scalable features
- Flexible payment gateways
Ecwid
- Simple integration process
- Social media selling
- Mobile app support
- Provides Affordable pricing plans
Finding the best e-commerce platform has been our current goal at e-commerce platforms since the site’s inception.
Every week, we invest real hours to test and validate each platform to determine its viability among the major e-commerce platforms in the marketplace.
The resource you are reading is a summary of our results. So, choose the ideal e-commerce solution for your individual needs!
It’s hard to believe that there are more than 120 different shopping cart software platforms on the market. We should know that our job is to test them all. And we did that very often.
So far, I’ve examined the key platforms in individual journals and created a comprehensive comparison chart that analyzes each platform’s key features.
What you are reading here is a full summary of the best e-commerce platforms, in addition to what distinguishes each competitor.
After reading this guide, you’ll know exactly how to choose the right e-commerce solution for your business.
Top 5 Best Ecommerce Platforms Review 2025:Â
1. Shopify
Shopify is an amazing online platform for all forms of e-commerce. You can set up your online store and sell what you want (products and services).
You can organize your products, customize the look of your store, accept payments (online and credit card), track and answer orders, and do everything in the Shopify interface.
Shopify is a fully integrated e-commerce solution that offers customizable, modified online stores. It offers a variety of out-of-the-box features but does not take the load and trick of a Shopify site.
Payment plans are based on monthly billing, but for businesses that are profitable, these costs should quickly become insignificant.
Using Shopify is very intuitive and easy to understand right from the start. All you have to do is register and go through the process.
To get started, you can choose from more than 100 optimized designs in online stores, so you do not need design skills or hire a designer.
Shopify’s designs are high-quality and optimized to drive strong conversion rates for your visitors.
Shopify Features
When choosing a Shopify plan, the features you get may vary slightly depending on the price you pay. All Shopify packages start at $29 (“Shopify Basic”) and offer the following features:
- Ability to sell physical or digital products in your chosen categories, with shipping prices and methods of your choice.
- A wide range of themes (free and paid).
- Credit card processing is done through Shopify Payments or a third-party payment gateway.
- Integration with PayPal.
- Blog feature.
- Abandoned cart recovery functionality.
- Import/export of customer data.
- Content Management System (CMS).
- Search engine optimization (SEO) functionality.
- Ability to edit CSS and HTML within your store.
- Buy now button to sell products on a different blog or site.
- Access to the app store.
- Ability to create multiple staff accounts.
The amount you can invest depends on the plan you choose. You can also integrate your shop with over 100 payment gateways, print shipping labels, and receive discounts on shipping costs (depending on the country).
If you choose the most expensive Shopify plan, you will also receive gift cards, professional reports, and complete point-of-sale functionality.
For those who choose the “Advanced Shopify” plan, the following additional features are available:
- Advanced Reporting
- Real-time shipping with freight forwarding
Finally, there’s Shopify Plus, a commercial version of Shopify that includes additional features such as guaranteed server availability, API support, a dedicated SSL/IP address, and advanced security.
2. Volusion
Volusion is one of the leading hosted e-commerce platforms. They focus on providing a complete set of tools for e-commerce owners who want hosted solutions.
Its functions apply to the operational side of an e-commerce store (e.g., inventory management, customer administration, etc.) for marketing-oriented functions.
There are many reviews of Volusion Online, usually user reviews based on anecdotes and personal experiences. That’s fine, but I’m different. As with all options, there are pros and cons, and you will need to weigh them to determine whether this is a good option for your business.
Volusion Features:
- Volusion provides a drag-and-drop website builder that makes it easy to create a customized and professional-looking online store without needing to know how to code.
- Users can easily add and manage products with options for pricing, photos, descriptions, and more. There’s also support for product variations, such as size and color.
- The platform enables efficient order processing, including order tracking, returns management, and updated inventory levels, ensuring accurate fulfillment.
- Volusion includes a built-in shopping cart that supports various payment gateways and methods, ensuring a smooth checkout experience for customers.
- The platform offers built-in SEO tools, including customizable URLs, meta tags, and sitemaps, to help improve your store’s visibility on search engines.
- Volusion provides detailed reports and analytics that give insights into sales trends, customer behavior, and website traffic, helping store owners make informed business decisions.
- Features include email marketing integration, discounts and coupon codes, and social media tools to help promote products and engage with customers.
- All Volusion templates are responsive, meaning they automatically adjust to look good on both desktops and mobile devices.
3. Bigcommerce
Bigcommerce is a paid “hosted” e-commerce solution that allows business owners to create an online store and sell their products online. This is Software as a Service (Saas), which means that you do not own the software but pay a monthly fee.
Bigcommerce comes with a set of customizable templates to help you design your store. You can use it to sell physical or digital products. Tools are also provided to help you market your store.
The product is aimed primarily at people who are not familiar with web design, but tech-savvy users and developers can also change the HTML and CSS of their online stores.
As with all website creation services and online stores (Shopify, Volusion, Squarespace, Jimdo, etc.), Bigcommerce may close or drastically change the feature set. You must migrate your store to another platform (Magento Go users can tell you more about it).
However, if you cannot develop your own online store (a costly and tedious affair), you will likely use a hosted solution like BigCommerce to run your shop’s most established products.
Of the existing genre, with a list of clients including Toyota, Gibson Guitars, and Travelpro.
Bigcommerce Features
- Offers a wide range of responsive and customizable templates that ensure your online store looks professional and works well on all devices.
- Easily add and manage products with options for photos, variations, and custom fields.
- Built-in SEO tools to help optimize your content, plus automatic image optimization and customizable URLs.
- Supports a variety of payment gateways without additional transaction fees, giving customers more flexibility at checkout.
- Comprehensive tools to manage orders, process returns, and view detailed reports on sales and customer activities.
- Advanced marketing features, including promotions, discounts, and coupon codes to help drive more sales.
- Integrated analytics tools provide insights into customer behavior, marketing effectiveness, and overall store performance.
- Sell not only through your website but also via Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, eBay, Amazon, and other online marketplaces.
- Offers integrated shipping with real-time quotes and label printing capabilities, making it easier to manage logistics.
- Features to support international sales, including multi-currency support and localized shopping experiences.
4. Ecwid
Ecwid is a hosted solution for building an online store.
Unlike competing products such as Shopify, Bigcommerce, and Volusion, which allow you to create a new website with e-commerce features, Ecwid is designed for users who already have a website and want to add an online store simply.
Like other e-commerce platforms, Ecwid lets you configure product catalogs and add photos, prices, weights, and more. for each. You can set shipping fees, accept credit card payments, etc., all you can do with an e-commerce solution.
However, it’s very different from competing products like Shopify, Volusion, Squarespace, and Bigcommerce, as it’s not really meant to be an independent e-commerce website with full functionality. Rather, it’s designed to allow you to add an online store to an existing online presence.
(Against this background, Ecwid has recently added a new feature called “Start Site” that allows you to create an independent quote for a page.) We will discuss this in more detail later in the journal.
The product works by providing a widget that is placed on other websites, hence the name Ecwid: it is the acronym for “e-commerce widget.”
You’ll receive a few lines of HTML code (the widget) that you can add to an existing social networking site or profile, and your business will appear where you’ve inserted that code.
Ecwid Features
- Ecwid can be added to any existing website, including platforms like WordPress, Wix, or custom sites, transforming it into a fully functional e-commerce store without rebuilding from the ground up.
- Supports selling across multiple channels, including websites, social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, and online marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon.
- All Ecwid stores are fully responsive, meaning they look great and work smoothly on any device, from desktops to smartphones.
- Unlike some other e-commerce platforms, Ecwid does not charge transaction fees on sales, allowing businesses to keep more of their profits.
- Offers the ability to manage inventory, add product variations (such as size and color), set up different shipping options, and track orders, all from a single central dashboard.
- As a hosted solution, Ecwid automatically updates all stores with the latest features and security enhancements, without user effort.
- Supports multi-currency sales and automatic tax calculations and is available in over 50 languages, making it suitable for international sales.
- Ecwid integrates with over 50 payment gateways, providing flexibility for businesses and convenience for customers.
5. Big Cartel
Targeting painters, photographers, artisans, bakers, and writers, Big Cartel helps the self-employed produce and sell products that they believe in. And in an easily accessible format.
Big Cartel was founded in 2005 by Matt Wigham, who was looking for a way to sell his group’s goods online.
Since then, the group has served nearly one million artists, including AR Ceramics and The Good Twin. Big Cartel is fully hosted web-based software with a simple design and ease of use without transaction fees.
The features are simple, and adding products, creating discounts, and managing orders and inventories are as easy as it is. Unfortunately, this ease of use comes with only a limited number of functions.
If you sell large quantities, Big Cartel is unlikely to meet your requirements. However, if you are beginning or do not need any advanced features, Big Cartel may be right for you.
Although Big Cartel is not the right choice for all dealers, it is one of the best options for independent artists. Continue reading for prices and features of Big Cartel.
Big Cartel Features
- Big Cartel is known for its straightforward, user-friendly interface, making it easy for creatives who might not be technically inclined to set up and manage their online store.
- The platform offers a selection of customizable themes designed to be clean and minimalist, allowing products to stand out. Users can also tweak the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript directly if they have web development skills.
- Merchants can list products with multiple images and variants, such as size and color. The platform enables a seamless presentation of products tailored to the needs of artists and crafters.
- Big Cartel provides tools for managing orders, including the ability to print packing slips, send automatic confirmation emails, and update inventory levels.
- Unlike many other e-commerce platforms, Big Cartel does not charge transaction fees on sales, although payment processors like PayPal or Stripe may still charge their standard fees.
- The platform includes basic SEO capabilities, such as customizable headlines, descriptions, and URLs, to improve the store’s visibility in search results.
- Big Cartel stores can integrate with Facebook and Instagram, enabling artists to sell directly on these platforms and expand their reach and accessibility.
- Big Cartel offers a free plan that lets sellers list up to 5 products, ideal for artists and makers just starting out who don’t want to invest much upfront.
FAQs
Which e-commerce platform is best for beginners?
Platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce are popular choices for beginners due to their user-friendly interfaces and comprehensive support systems.
How much does it cost to use an e-commerce platform?
Costs vary widely depending on the platform; some offer basic services for free, while others charge monthly fees and a percentage of sales.
Can I scale my business with an e-commerce platform?
Yes, most e-commerce platforms are designed to scale with your business, offering advanced features and integrations as your needs grow.
Do e-commerce platforms integrate with third-party tools?
Yes, many platforms offer extensive integration capabilities with third-party tools like email marketing services, payment gateways, and accounting software.
Is it easy to switch e-commerce platforms?
Switching platforms can be complex and may require migrating data and redesigning your site, but many platforms offer tools and support to make this process smoother.
Quick Links:
- Shopify vs Shopify Plus
- Shopify India: The Best Shopify Stores – Is Shopify legal in India?
- Best Converting Shopify Themes
- Niche Scraper Review
- Simvoly vs Shopify
- Web.com Vs Shopify
Conclusion: Best E-commerce Platform Review 2025
No matter how many comparative articles you read, there is only one person who knows which platform provides exactly what you need, and that person is you.
It all depends on the platform where you can best sell the products you offer, both for you as a shopkeeper and for your customers.
I recommend starting a free trial with at least two solutions so you can try them and see which one is easiest for you.
However, we have made our recommendation for the best e-commerce platform.Â
Any of the eCommerce platforms on this list offer free trials so you can try them out before deciding. Don’t miss your perfect platform – jump on one today and get started!
