13+ Best Ecommerce Platforms of 2022 (Free and Paid)

How do you choose the best ecomerce platform to launch your online store and sell products online?

According to Insider Intelligence, US retail eCommerce sales will grow 16.1%, reaching $1.06 trillion in 2022. So, how do you get in now?

Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix eCommerce, and WooCommerce are popular online store builders, but are they the most reliable?

I wrote this complete guide to the best ecommerce platforms of 2023 to help you choose the best online store platform.

This guide will show you:

• What the best ecommerce platforms are
• What an ecommerce platform really is
• What to look for in an ecommerce software platform
• How to avoid the next ‘fancy’ tool and use what works (don’t waste money)
• And lots more…

So if you want to sell products online (as a beginner or experienced seller), here are the best ecommerce platforms that will help you launch your online store this year.

What Are The Best Ecommerce Platforms?

Here are my top picks for the best ecommerce platforms for 2023:

• Shopify
• BigCommerce
• WooCommerce
• Wix eCommerce  
• Squarespace Commerce
• Sellfy
• Zyro
• Volusion
• Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento)
• Shift4Shop
• Ecwid
• Weebly Ecommerce
• Square Online
• Yo!Kart
• Selz
• Big Cartel
• PrestaShop

Alright, let’s dive right in. Let’s break down each of the 17 best ecommerce platforms to launch your online store in 2023:

1. Shopify

The best all-around ecommerce platform

Shopify is arguably one of the most powerful eommerce platforms. The drag-and-drop store builder on Shopify makes it easy for anyone to create a professional-looking online store.

It supports many popular payment methods, including PayPal and digital currencies such as Bitcoin. It also supports gift vouchers, reward points, and coupon codes.

The platform has a built-in calculator and can easily handle taxes for you.

And if you’re a non-coder or a complete beginner, Shopify has simplified the entire process of creating, marketing, and making money from your online store.

Key Features

• A collection of 70+ professional themes
• Customize your online store with a drag-and-drop editor
• A built-in mobile online store to reach mobile users
• Host your complete website on Shopify
• Full blogging platform: publish articles easily
• A rich analytics reporting

Pros

• Easily pick a template and customize it your way
• Visually customize your online store
• You can add unlimited products to your store
• Create a mobile storefront to reach buyers on the go
• It’s easy to recover customers who abandoned their carts
• Easy integrations with most apps

Cons

• Not all features are available in every country
• You’ll always need an add-on that increases the cost

Pricing

Here’s a summarized version of Shopify’s pricing:

• Basic ($29/month): If you’re new to eCommerce, start with the Basic plan and scale later.
• Shopify ($79/month): Growing businesses will benefit from the additional features in this plan. It’s a great plan for selling online or in-store.
• Advanced ($299/month): Ready to scale your eCommerce business and access advanced marketing tools with rich reporting? this is the ideal plan.

2. BigCommerce

The best ecommerce platform for large business

BigCommerce is a complete ecommerce software platform for startups and large organizations. It’s easy to set up and offers a wide range of ecommerce tools.

The platform provides both DIY and professional development options to help you build and maintain your store.

However, while some people prefer to learn how to code themselves, others prefer to hire a developer to create their online store.

Either way, you’ll have to invest time and money to get things done right. If you’re using the BigCommerce platform, you can simply spend your time running your store and not worrying about the technicalities.

Key Features

• Launch & Edit your site pages with a drag-and-drop solution.
• Fully-customization themes
• BigCommerce for WordPress: Build your site on WordPress
• Mobile storefront.
• The online store supports digital wallets (e..g, Apple Pay)
• Sell products on Instagram, Amazon, with one platform.

Pros

• A user-friendly online store builder
• Easy access to multiple currencies and payment options
• Excellent tech support
• It’s easy to add custom keywords to products
• The premade templates are easy to customize

Cons

• Additional payment options for local vendors
• No shipping options to aid package insurance
• More control over the homepage design will be appreciated

Pricing

How much does BigCommerce cost per month? Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Standard ($29.95/month): Start selling online with your one store, plus basic features.
• Plus ($79.95/month): Take advantage of marketing tools to grow and increase conversions.
• Pro ($299.95/month): This plan gives you the chance to scale your growing business with feature-rich tools.
• Enterprise: Contact sales for custom pricing.

Note: You can save 10% if you opt for the annual plan.

3. WooCommerce

The best online store option for WordPress users

WooCommerce is your #1 customizable and open source eCommerce platform for WordPress. WooCommerce managed hosting by Nexcess.

If you’re looking to set up a store on WordPress, you should use WooCommerce software. It enables you to sell products and services from your own WordPress blog or site.

It also allows you to collect payments and set shipping options. You can choose whether to allow in-store pickup or offer free shipping for purchases.

To set up payments, you should enable WooCommerce payment extensions. Once you’ve installed the plugin, you can activate it to begin accepting payments.

Key Features

• Set up your online store in minutes
• Offer secure and flexible payments on your site
• Manage orders on the go
• 100s of extensions to add extra features to your store
• Add Jetpack to secure your online store and get backups

Pros

• Quickly add an online store to your WordPress site
• Easily manage your product inventory
• Make decisions with rich sales reporting
• WooCommerce is open-source and free to use
• A user-friendly SEO tools to rank your store on Google

Cons

• WooCommerce isn’t very customizable out of the box
• You need to purchase additional extensions, which increase the cost
• The mobile UI can be improved

Pricing

WooCommerce is completely free if you want to host it with your WordPress site (you only need to pay for your web hosting service of choice).

For example, you can choose to use Nexcess to power it. Here’s the cost of Nexcess managed hosting:

• Starter ($13.30/month): 1 online store, 30 GB storage, 500 orders per hour.
• Creator ($55.30/month): 3 online stores, 60 GB storage, 1,000 orders per hour
• Merchant ($104.30/month): 5 online stores, 100 GB storage, 2,500 orders per hour.
• Standard ($209.30/month): Create 10 stores, 300 GB storage, 3,000 orders per hour.

4. Wix eCommerce

The best ecommerce platform for beginners and startups

Wix eCommerce makes it easy to set up your online shop. You can track your products automatically and keep track of their prices.

The software also allows you to manage inventory and add product videos.

Its built-in e-commerce features are more integrated than those of other platforms, and you can even use them for marketing your products.

Key Features

• Create a professional online store
• Scale your store with the Wix eCommerce builder
• Get access to 500+ professional templates
• Add up to 50,000 products to your store
• Set up online subscriptions to build recurring revenue
• Source & Dropship products

Pros

• Quickly add an online store to your WordPress site
• Wix eCommerce is easy to use, just as the website builder
• You can sell both physical & digital products
• Zero sales fees
• Wix eCommerce is cheap compared to the competitors
• Access to royalty-free images for your store
• Wix online stores are fast and intuitive

Cons

• You can’t transfer your online store to another platform
• Free plan displays Wix branding on your store
• You need a paid plan to use tracking & analytics

Pricing

• Connect Domain ($4.50/month): This is the most basic plan to get you started with creating a simple website. This plan will show Wix ads.
• Combo ($8.50/month): The Combo plan is perfect for personal use. It doesn’t display Wix ads.
• Unlimited ($12.50/month): A plan for entrepreneurs & freelancers. Get unlimited bandwidth, and more.
• VIP ($24.50/month): Enjoy all the features in ‘Unlimited’ and First Priority Support.

5. Squarespace Commerce

The best ecommerce platform for creatives

Squarespace Commerce is a trusted ecommerce platform with many features and a drag-and-drop website builder.

This flexible software allows businesses to scale as their business grows. This makes it a great choice for growing online sales.

It also lets you showcase your products in a visually appealing, artistic way, making it easy for potential customers to buy them.

You can also integrate your point-of-sale system with your website to provide a more comprehensive shopping experience.

Key Features

• Create online stores that stand out
• 100s of easy-to-customize templates
• Showcase your products beautifully
• Sell services on your website
• Sell digital content and subscriptions

Pros

• A simple and intuitive online store builder
• It allows flexible product variants to be added
• Add unlimited products to your store
• Access to a rich analytics reporting dashboard
• Sell anywhere with Point of Sale (POS)

Cons

• You can’t use Squarespace eCommerce extensions in the Personal plan
• You must upgrade to “Commerce” to access the analytics dashboard

Pricing

Here’s how much Squarespace Commerce costs each month to use:

• Personal ($16/month): With this basic plan, you get a free custom domain, SSSL security, 30 minutes video storage, etc.
• Business ($26/month): Get unlimited bandwidth, unlimited contributors, premium templates, etc.
• Basic Commerce ($35/month): Get SSL security, free domain, video storage, templates, etc.
• Advanced Commerce ($54/month): Everything included in ‘Basic Commerce’ and more.

Note: Save 30% (on Business Plan) of the monthly cost and 25% on every other plan when you pay annually.

6. Sellfy

The best ecommerce store builder for creatives

Selfy is an eCommerce platform that allows you to create a store online and sell your products hassle-free.

It allows you to sell both physical and digital products.

It lets you add videos and images to your products, and you can easily upsell your customers. It also offers comprehensive analytics, which can be useful for increasing sales.

However, there are some drawbacks to the Selfy eCommerce platform, such as limited integration with analytics tools. 

Key Features

• Build and launch an online store in minutes
• Sell digital goods, PoD products, or accept subscriptions
• Create a highly-customizable storefront
• Use your own domain name for your store
• Built-in marketing features (e.g., discount codes, tracking pixels)

Pros

• Zero transaction fees
• Sell products instantly on YouTube, Facebook, and other social networks
• Get up to 50,000 email credits each month
• Upsell products to generate additional revenue
• Free site migration

Cons

• The Starter plan displays Sellfy branding
• It offers limited email credits

Pricing

See the pricing breakdown of Sellfy:

• Free ($0/month): Add 10 products, Print on Demand products, and Physical products.
• Starter ($19/month): 2,000 email credits, subscription products, connect your domain, plus everything in the free plan.
• Business ($49/month): Remove ‘Sellfy’branding, cart abandonment recovery, 10,000 email credits, and more.
• Premium ($99/month): Every feature in Business, plus product migration, and more.

7. Zyro

A better online store builder for non-coders and beginners

Zyro (by Hostinger) is an intuitive website builder and an ecommerce platform, which lets you build and launch a mobile-friendly online store with a few clicks.

You can also integrate Google Maps into your website for a map-based shopping experience.

And because you can add as many products as you want to your store, it will automatically update the inventory on your site.

You don’t have to worry about web design or coding, either. It’s very easy to use the templates that are included in your Zyro plan.

Key Features

• An intuitive website builder. No coding experience is required.
• A wide collection of 100+ eCommerce templates to launch your start with
• Use the drag-and-drop editor to quickly build your website
• Get a free domain and web hosting for 12 months
• Create a professional-looking website in minutes

Pros

• Zyro is quite easy to use, especially for beginners.
• The drag and drop website editor has a clean UI
• Quickly use the AI website builder to get design inspirations

Cons

• No free forever plan like some online store builders (and no free trial)
• Limited products in the online store
• It can get more pricy when you opt for new add ons

Pricing

How much does Zyro cost? Let’s see:

• Website ($2.90/month): Get started with a professional website or blog. Free domain for 1 year, marketing integrations, etc.
• Business: ($4.90/month): Sell products and services online with eCommerce essentials, up to 100 products, free email for 3 months, etc.
• Online store ($8.90/month): Launch an online store with advanced eCommerce tools, marketing integrations, 24/7 support, 70+ payment gateways, etc.
• Advanced Store ($15.90/month): All the features you can imagine, including some powerful marketing tools so you can reach international buyers, recover abandoned carts, etc.

Zyro comes with 30-day money-back guarantee. And all plans include free hosting.

8. Volusion

The best ecommerce platform to create stunning online stores

Volusion is an ecommerce store builder for businesses.

If you want to create a stunning online store, Volusion is a good choice. Whether you’re selling electronics, apparel, or anything in between, Volusion is sure to meet your needs.

This multi-channel platform offers more than 35 payment gateways and is fully integrated with Amazon and eBay.

You can also easily translate your store into other languages. It is easy to customize the Volusion site to match your business’s style, but it’s not intuitive for beginners.

Key Features

• Create a stunning online store in half the time (no coding required)
• Grow your sales with built-in SEO tools
• Integrate with powerful apps to scale your business
• Abandoned cart recovery
• Bulk product upload & easy management

Pros

• Volusion is ideal for small businesses that want to launch their online stores quickly.
• Easy to take orders
• The storefront works great on smartphones and tablets
• Easily accept multiple payments
• Customer and tech supports are great

Cons

• It’s hard to create item-by-item discounts for certain customers
• The user interface requires a learning curve
• Not as many integration options as most competitors

Pricing

Here’s what Volusion will cost you each month to design a website:

• Personal ($29/month): Zero transaction fees, 1 staff admin, 100 products etc.
• Professional ($79/month): Unlimited bandwidth, online & phone support, plus all the features in ‘Personal.’
• Business ($299/month): 500,000 GMV Per Year, 15 staff accounts, and more.
• Prime: You should contact sales for custom quotes.

Note: These are monthly plans billed monthly. You can save 10% when you pay yearly.

9. Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento)

A beetter ecommerce software to build multi-channel experiences

Adobe Commerce is an online retail platform that offers unrivaled control and flexibility for managing and growing online stores.

Powered by the latest web technology, Adobe Commerce Admin allows you to create, manage, and sell products with ease.

Its advanced search engine optimization, marketing, and product management tools can help you create an online store that will appeal to the widest audience.

While it is important to choose the right edition for your business, there are different ways to set up and use the various features.

Key Features

• Use drag-and-drop tools to quickly create an online store
• Add content with the easy to use interface
• Easily personalize your store for specific customer segments
• Native integrations with Adobe range of products
• Manage your eCommerce business from a single platform

Pros

• It’s affordable compared to some eCommerce platforms
• Out-of-the-box integrations with Adobe products
• Easy to customize online store templates

Cons

• The analytics reporting can be improved
• It’s a bit hard to customize the email templates

Pricing

To get Adobe Commerce pricing, you need to fill out a form to demo the software, then you can get a custom quote from the sales.

10. Shift4Shop (formerly 3DCart)

The best Turnkey eCommerce solution for beginners

Shift4Shop is an ecommerce platform that provides a host of features and functionality. The software provides a fully customizable dashboard and an abundance of top-notch features.

The interface is straightforward and easy to use, and it offers features that make the shopping experience easier for users.

Whether you’re selling clothing, electronic gadgets, or services, the Shift4Shop eCommerce platform has the features and flexibility to meet your unique business needs.

With over 200 pre-built add-ons, it’s easy to find an app to suit your need.

Key Features

• Launch a website quickly with the Website Builder (no coding needed)
• Powerful shopping cart and checkout for your online store
• Customize your online store like a pro
• Take and manage orders on the go
• Marketing & SEO tools enabled

Pros

• It’s easy to customize our online store
• Easy to integrate with backend systems
• You can optimize your product pages to rank on Google
• Access real-time shipping and reduced fees

Cons

• The user interface could use some improvement
• It’s not a true WYSIWYG. Not ideal for non-coders

Pricing

Here’s a breakdown of Shift4Shop’s pricing and plans:

• Basic Store ($29/month): Get started with the basic features for your online store.
• Plus Store ($79/month): Everything in the Basic Store plan, and more.
• Pro Store ($229/month): All the advanced features and more.

Note: You save 10% when you yearly.

11. Ecwid

The best ecommerce platform to sell on Instagram and Facebook

Ecwid by Lightspeed lets you create an online store to sell on social media or through your website.

With an intuitive interface and easy-to-use tools, you can set up a shopping cart and start selling right away.

You can even combine your shopping cart with your existing website and sell on social media like Facebook.

Plus, you can easily run ads on your site from the Ecwid dashboard. If you’re interested in adding social media features, this platform has you covered.

Key Features

• Create your own storefront with visual customization
• Sell digital & physical products
• Automate your marketing with growth tools
• Create your own mobile app to sell more products
• Access to 50+ payment options

Pros

• A clean user interface
• Gain access to many customization options for your products
• It easily integrates with most apps and platforms
• Easily collect orders and process payments

Cons

• A basic custom styling
• More formatting options could be added
• The Free Forever plan has limited features

Pricing

Let’s breakdown the cost of using the Ecwid eCommerce platform:

• Venture plan ($12.50/month): It allows you to sell 100 physical or digital items in your store.
• Business ($29.17/month): You can sell 2,500 items.
• Unlimited plan ($82.50/month): Every feature included in the Business plan, plus all sales channels

Note: These monthly prices are billed annually. You’re saving 17% of the cost.

12. Weebly eCommerce

The best ecommerce website builder for easy of use

Weebly eCcommerce can make it easier to sell products online.

The platform includes tools that allow you to accept payments from PayPal and Google Checkout, as well as a shopping cart.

You can also add unlimited items to your store and use basic inventory management.

The platform also offers features for managing your online store globally. Other features include order management, shipment tracking, and real-time reporting.

Key Features

• A complete eCommerce website builder
• Modern eCommerce templates to pick from
• Fully integrated Shopping Cart
• Manage hundreds of products with ease
• Sell anything: digital, physical, or services

Pros

• Easy online store migration
• Weebly editor is easy to use
• Enhance online store speed with helpful tools
• Pick and customize a theme as you want to

Cons

• Limited eCommerce and blogging tools
• Customer support isn’t very responsive

Pricing

A summary of what Weebly Commerce costs:

• PRO ($12/month): For groups that need their own online store.  
• Business ($25/month): Kick off your online store with more features, suitable for small businesses. It’s an annual billing plan.
• Business Plus (38/month): For large sales volume, go with this plan. This is the plan for you. It’s billed annually.