Are you looking for an ecommerce platform to start developing your online store? We tested the top choices for 2025, and highlighted their main features to help you choose The good news is they don't require any expert knowledge.
What Is an Ecommerce Platform?
An ecommerce platform is a content management system (CMS) developed to offer the proper tools to create and manage an online store. They don't require you to create the whole infrastructure to develop a website, therefore don't need to know code or design the pages, most of them offer pre-built templates.
Ecommerce platforms count on several features to facilitate all the processes, such as website builder, web hosting, inventory management, marketing and SEO tools, payment processing, and so on. It enables you to have control over the multiple tasks of your ecommerce on a single platform, and also include your team in it.
Types of Ecommerce Platforms
Headless
To understand what a headless ecommerce platform is, first, it's necessary to know what the front-end and back-end are when it comes to a website. Basically, the front-end is the interface, the visual element, what you see on the website. On the other hand, the back-end is the behind-the-scenes, the infrastructure that enables the website to function.
A headless ecommerce platform, different from the usual, separates the front-end from the back-end to offer more freedom and flexibility to create and offer new shopping experiences. APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are used to publish content, product, and banners, for example.
One thing is important to keep in mind, though, to have a headless ecommerce you will need to count on a team of developers. In this case, it's essential to know how to code.
Open-Source
An open-source ecommerce platform is focused on companies that are looking for an online store solution that enables them to have full access to the source code, which means they can modify it, and adjust it to their needs. This type of ecommerce platform is often required by developers and IT-heavy organizations.
SaaS
SaaS (software as a service) ecommerce platforms are highly recommended for companies that don't want to deal with the IT infrastructure and coding part of having an online store. It's also a more affordable option because it doesn't require your enterprise to hire developers or designers, for instance.
You can focus on building the pages of your online store, with an intuitive editor, counting on an online inventory to upload products and control stock. Besides, many of these platforms are partnered with shipping companies to facilitate your logistics, and some also facilitate configuring payment methods.
Another advantage is that they will be in charge of your website security. On the other hand, a SaaS ecommerce platform doesn't give you as much flexibility as the other options since you don't have control over the coding.
Ecommerce Platform: Hosted X Self-Hosted
For your website to be available online, it needs to be hosted on a server. There are ecommerce platforms, usually open-source, that don't provide the service of hosting your website, which means you will need to take care of it, being self-hosted.
In this case, you may hire web hosting for ecommerce and choose the best hosting plan for your online store needs. The disadvantage is having to manage one more aspect of the website maintenance while there are ecommerce platforms that already take care of that part and include web hosting on all of their plans.
Aspects We Considered to Evaluate the Ecommerce Platforms
There are many ecommerce platforms for you to choose from, which may bring doubts about which is the best one. We highlighted the aspects that makes a good one, and used them to give our review.
Easy-to-Use Interface
A good ecommerce platform must be easy to use. This means being able to quickly learn how to navigate through it and enjoy all the tools offered. Use the free trial periods to test the platforms, and make sure you and your team won't have a hard time with the one you choose.
Customization Tools
Adding your brand's identity to your online store is fundamental to having successful pages that convey credibility to your company and attract buyers. The visitors must be able to associate your brand with the page they are accessing right away, for instance, by visualizing the logo, and other elements that represent your company. The ecommerce platform must provide tools that allow you to add those elements.
Hosting and Domain Services
To make it easier to create and manage your online store, it's recommended to look for an ecommerce platform where you can create or transfer your domain and host your website too. This way you don't need to use other platforms, and you can keep control of everything in a single place.
SEO Tools
Counting with SEO tools will help you get more organic traffic by increasing the chances of having your pages appear on Google's first search result pages. This means when someone looks for a keyword related to the topics you approach, one of your pages can be shown on the results, leading to more visitors to your website, and sales growth, as a consequence.
Third-Party App Integration
Pay attention if the ecommerce platform of your choice allows you to integrate your website with software that you want to use to manage your store. For example, it's interesting to have the option to integrate the website with SEO and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Services tools.
Scalability
Choose an ecommerce platform that can meet your needs as your company grows. For instance, imagine you intend to receive around 1,000 visitors a month at the beginning of your website.
Certainly you wish to grow this number. As your traffic increases, it will require more storage space and bandwidth, so you need to count on a platform that will adapt to your needs as they change.
Responsive Design
According to Statista, 60% of the internet population worldwide uses a mobile device to go online. They must be able to access your pages and have a good user experience, and this requires having an online store that works properly on smartphones and desktops, without having its interface misconfigured.
To do that, it's fundamental that the ecommerce platform provides a responsive design, which means the templates are mobile-friendly, and the interface is automatically adapted to mobile devices.
Customer Support
Unforeseen problems such as a slow loading time or broken links can affect your website performance considerably, therefore they need to be fixed as fast as possible. To do that, you must count on effective customer support from the ecommerce platform you will opt for. Pay attention if they offer 24/7 support, and read the customer reviews to check if they provide good assistance.
Ecommerce Management Tools
Another important aspect to consider in an ecommerce platform is the tools it offers that enable you to manage your online store in a quick and efficient way. This includes, for example, automatic and centralized inventory, easy solutions for payment and shipping options, and a feature to track orders.
12 Best Ecommerce Platforms
1. Wix
Wix's intuitive interface caught our attention from the moment we created our account and throughout the whole process of setting up an online store. It's one of its differentials and facilitates the journey for beginners.
You will be guided step by step, the instructions are direct and clear, and you can see your progress as you advance. The first step is to choose a website type, then create a domain or connect to an existing one. You can define the payment methods by connecting to the main options available in your country.
This is interesting because the options are already listed, so you don't need to leave the dashboard to search for third-party websites. You must select the type of product, define a category, and then insert images and a description to add the product. Another advantage is the possibility of managing the product catalog and inventory with all the features of your website in one place.
You also have the option to connect your online store with social media and sales media channels. We tested the drag-and-drop editor as well. Its pre-built templates can be fully personalized, and the drag-and-drop features allow you to do it with just a few clicks..
Highlighted features:
- Ecommerce website builder
- More than 500 pre-built templates
- Logo maker
- Business name generator
- Wix Payments
- Automate your taxes
- Sell in multiple channels
- SEO and marketing tools
2. SITE123
Ecommerce platform - SITE123
SITE123's process to create a website starts with three steps. First, we were asked to choose the type of website we want to develop. After selecting the ecommerce option, it's necessary to fill out a form with the website name and write a brief description explaining how you envision it.
Based on the information we have given, SITE123 will generate a layout automatically that can be edited using the drag-and-drop editor. The website editor is easy to use. All the options to manage and design the website can be found on the left and top menus.
There are several plugins to install to enhance page performance. In the main dashboard, it's possible to see the orders made and control the inventory.
Highlighted features:
- Website editor
- Mobile Friendly
- Free hosting
- SEO tools
- Custom Domains
- 24/7 customer support
3. WooCommerce
Ecommerce platform - WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an ecommerce plugin designed for use in WordPress. At first, it may seem that using two applications to create an online store will be complicated, but at the moment we started testing it, we realized it's actually very simple. WordPress and WooCommerce work together very well and provide a good user experience.
However, you can choose to use other web hosting services beyond WordPress; WooCommerce has a list of recommendations. We chose to use WordPress, and they guided us through all the steps. There is a single dashboard to design and manage the online store.
The website editor is powered by WordPress, while WooCommerce is used to sell the products. If you already sell your products somewhere else, you have the option to import your products from a CSV file.
The WooPayments solution enables you to connect with multiple payment gateways. WooCommerce also has analytics tools with an intuitive dashboard that shows how products are performing.
Highlighted features:
- Built on WordPress
- Customizable, open-source ecommerce platform
- 140 specific payment gateways
- Live shipping rates
- Marketing integrations
- Support forum
- Set prices in multiple currencies
- Create multilingual content
- Scalable platform
- Hundreds of extensions
- Manage the store from your mobile device
- Track your stats
- 30-day money-back guarantee
4. Bluehost
With Bluehost, you can choose a pre-built template and customize it according to your brand's identity, select the color palette, add images and other graphic elements, insert texts, choose the font types, and much more. You also can count on AI tools to simplify the whole process.
Besides, you have the option to install different types of plugins to include ads in the website, forms, and links to social media, for example. Explore the built-in SEO tools to optimize all the pages so you can rank better on search engines, which helps to increase website traffic.
Highlighted features:
- Free domain
- Free SSL
- Free CDN
- Pre-built templates
- Insightful analytics
- Automated security updates
- Backup data protection
- 24/7 support
- SEO tools
- Powerful plugins
5. Webnode
Ecommerce platform - Webnode
Webnode has a user-friendly interface that simplifies the whole process of creating an online store. To begin with, it's possible to choose a pre-built template, then use the drag and drop feature to design the pages.
There is a guided tour that helps us understand how to use the editor tools. The explanation was very useful to get quickly acquainted with the platform. You don't need any expert knowledge.
Use the plus button to add elements to the page and click on the text to edit it. In the pages tab, you can create new ones and reorganize them as it suits you. It's possible to add multiple pages with different layouts.
In the "products" section of the account dashboard, you can add products, create promotions, control the stock, and include product variants. In the settings menu, you will be able to define the payment and shipping methods, currencies, tax rates, and much more.
Highlighted features:
- Website builder
- Reliable hosting
- Unlimited number of pages
- SEO tools
- Responsive store templates
- Store statistics
- Simple checkout
- Import products in bulk
6. Shoplazza
Ecommerce platform - Shoplazza
Shoplazza dashboard enables you to quickly find the necessary tools to create an online store from scratch. Its website editor comes with pre-built templates to be customized, and it also has guided tutorials. We believe the tutorials are a valuable asset to ensure users can explore and make the most out of the features offered.
It's possible to manage your online store from a single platform. In the same menu, you can add products, update the inventory, keep track of orders, and set up the payment and shipping options. The marketing sections have tools to create pop-ups to promote products and sales.
The analytics dashboard gives you an online store performance with the number of sales, visitors, orders, and the conversion rate. You can also get full reports by SKU, location, and sales trends, for example.
Highlighted features:
- Pre-built templates
- Drag-and-drop online store button
- Inventory management system
- Marketing tools
- SEO tools
- Staff accounts
- Multiple payment options
- Shipping partners
7. BigCommerce
Ecommerce platform - BigCommerce
BigCommerce offers multiple solutions for you, depending on what your company needs. When accessing its Website, you are going to find two options: Enterprise and Essentials.
BigCommerce Enterprise offers you an open SaaS ecommerce platform. It allows you to design your online store with freedom, and create a unique experience for your customers. Besides, you have the opportunity to use headless ecommerce and count on powerful analytics.
BigCommerce Essentials is focused on companies that want an ecommerce platform that doesn't require design or coding skills. You will be able to use professional pre-built templates and customize the storefront to add your brand's visual identity.
Highlighted features:
- BigCommerce Essentials
- BigCommerce Enterprise
- Page builder
- Pre-built templates
- Check out customization
- SEO tools
- Management tools
- Headless commerce
8. WordPress Ecommerce
Ecommerce platform - WordPress
Powered by WooCommerce, a WordPress solution for ecommerce, allows you to sell online through your WordPress site. If you are acquainted with the platform as we are, you will see that setting up the selling features is similar to the rest.
New users won't have any problem either, as you can quickly find all the necessary tools to develop your pages, add products, create a catalog, and publish your site. We found it easy to explore all the tools as they are well-organized in categories and sub-categories. You can set up payment and shipping options and install multiple plugins as well.
It's visible that WordPress worries about usability and creates a user experience that facilitates the onboarding process. We value this because it saves time and helps to prevent errors.
Highlighted features:
- WordPress themes
- Different types of plugins
- Google apps
- Sell physical and digital products
- Enable subscriptions
- Customization tools
- Easy-to-use website editor
9.Jumpseller
Ecommerce platform - Jumpseller
The process of opening an account on Jumpseller began with us answering a few questions about the type of online store we want to create, which helps them provide a more personalized service. They made suggestions based on our answers.
It was interesting to notice that there was a guide showing the first steps to set up the store in the admin panel home page. The first step is to create a domain, then set up the brand identity by defining the color palette, adding a logo, choosing the brand's font, and so on. The next step is to add the products, followed by designing the website and setting up payment and shipping options.
We found the dashboard easy to navigate. The main tools are available on the left menu, where you can access the orders, product catalog, metrics, and integrations that include social media and sales channels to connect with.
Jumpseller provides a huge variety of templates that can be fully personalized. Two features that are worth mentioning are the visual and code editor. We find it interesting because you can choose to edit your website the way that suits you better, depending on your needs.
10. Strikingly
Ecommerce platform - Strikingly
We value ecommerce platforms that provide user-friendly interfaces and prioritize delivering an experience that enables everyone, with expert knowledge or not, to create an online store. That's one of the reasons Strikingly is on that list.
They have different templates for online stores, categorized by the types of products. For example, courses and coaching, beauty and wellness, digital products, and much more.
We chose a template to sell digital products to test the platform, and we found it very easy to learn how to use it. Mainly, because they have a quick tour showing each tool and for what they serve.
11. WiziShop
Ecommerce platform - WiziShop
When we created our test account on WiziShop, the first admin page was a checklist of what needed to be done to create the online store. We appreciate it because it prevents us from forgetting important details. They also have a playlist of videos explaining how to complete each step.
You have complete control over your online store in a single place. You can add products, divide them by categories and brands, manage the stock and pricing, control the orders, create promo codes, and loyalty programs.
The AI section also caught our attention, as you can use the artificial intelligence to remove background, generate product pages, and create content as well. WiziShop also offers SEO tools such as product page review, sitemap, and blog pagination.
Highlighted features:
- Customizable themes
- Marketing tools
- SEO tools
- Several apps to install
- Real-time shipping rates
- Bulk import
- Coupon builder
- Product search
- Automatic tax calculator
12. X-Cart
Ecommerce platform - X-Cart
Back in 2001, when X-Cart was founded, it was the world's first PHP-based eCommerce platform. Now, with over 20 years of experience, X-Cart provides a stable yet very flexible eCommerce solution along with a full range of complementary services, including web design, web development, hosting, and SEO consultancy.
It is a highly-customizable eCommerce platform with open code and API-driven modern technology, which means that if you lack a feature or need any unique functionality, you can code it yourself or hire X-Cart's team or a development agency to code it for you.
Highlighted features:
- Powerful default functionality
- Highly-customizable platform
- Unlimited SKUs
- Mobile-first customizable templates
- Flexible payment processors
- Hundreds of add-ons and API integrations
- Assisted migration
- Support for various business models
How to Choose the Best Ecommerce Platform
As you may have seen, there are several ecommerce platforms available, which leaves the doubt, which is the best one? This answer isn't a simple one because it depends on multiple factors.
The size and type of your business, for instance. A B2B (business to business) company has different needs than a B2C ( business to consumer), and that needs to be taken into consideration.
If your company is highly focused on IT, probably you will prefer an open-source or headless ecommerce platform. On the other hand, if you don't count on developers, an ecommerce platform that doesn't demand coding expertise may be more suitable for you.
As you navigate through the ecommerce platforms, you will see they offer a huge variety of plans and prices. It's also needed to analyze the budget available to pay for this service, and not only that to maintain your online store running, investing in marketing strategies, products, and other resources.
When you start looking for an ecommerce platform, pay attention to these aspects:
- Features you need
- Intuitive interface
- Budget
- Customers reviews
- Customer support
- Scalability
- Integrations
- Customization options
