Best eCommerce Platforms for Beginners to Start an eCommerce Store

According to the latest reports by Forrester, the global eCommerce sales are forecast to reach over $8 Trillion by 2028. Yet, for the aspiring entrepreneurs, launching an eStore can quickly turn nightmare-ish, starting with the decision of choosing the top eCommerce platform.

The sheer number of available platforms means this choice won’t be easy. The top eCommerce development companies first go through a client’s requirements and then suggest the right one based on careful research.

Well, let us make this choice a little easier by listing 5 of the best eCommerce platforms for the beginners. We’ll cover their pros and cons and show how you can effectively choose between them. Let’s get straight into it.

Best eCommerce Platforms

When it comes to creating an eCommerce website, there are several platforms to choose from. But not all of them will be suitable for your technical and non-technical requirements. So, let’s check out the best eCommerce platforms along with their prominent pros and cons.

Shopify

Shopify is a hosted eCommerce platform that allows users to create and manage their online stores without any coding experience. It is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms in the world, and one of the best examples is the Gymshark store.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• No coding experience is required
• Wide range of features and functionality
• App store with over 6,000 apps and integrations
• 24/7 customer support

Cons:

• Transaction fees on lower-tier plans
• Limited customization options for lower-tier plans
• Expensive for high-volume merchants

Shopify has a user-friendly drag-and-drop store builder along with several professionally designed and developed templates. So, Shopify development companies can help you create a captivating and highly functional store quite quickly.

Price: Shopify paid plans start at $5 per month.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a free, open-source eCommerce plugin for WordPress. It is the most popular eCommerce platform for WordPress users, with over 5 million active installations. And being a part of the WordPress ecosystem, you can integrate other plugins and themes to ensure the best design and functionality.

Pros:

• Free and open-source
• Highly customizable
• A wide range of extensions and integrations are available
• Large community of users and developers

Cons:

• Requires some technical expertise to install and configure
• Not as easy to use as Shopify
• Security can be a concern if not properly configured

Additionally, WooCommerce development companies can help you create some outstanding WordPress-based eCommerce websites, and that too at relatively low costs.

Price: Free

Magento

Magento is a free, open-source eCommerce platform that is known for its flexibility and scalability. This platform gives you the freedom to customize your online store to a high degree. So, if you have unique and complex requirements, Magento would be an excellent choice. One of the best examples of stores made with Magento is the Coca Cola Store.

Pros:

• Highly customizable
• Scalable to handle high-volume traffic and transactions
• Wide range of features and functionality
• Large community of users and developers

Cons:

• Requires advanced technical expertise to install and configure
• Not as easy to use as Shopify or WooCommerce
• Can be expensive to host and maintain

To those seeking scalability and customizability above all else, consulting with the best Magento development companies would be the right choice.

Price: To get an estimate on the prices for Magento services, log in to the Magento website.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is one of the best Cloud-based eCommerce platforms with an arsenal of tools and features to create and expand the eStores effectively. Along with the responsive and customizable themes, this platform offers a built-in suite of marketing and SEO features to ensure the best visibility of your website. One of the best examples of a BigCommerce store is the BMW Shop (UK).

Pros:

• Powerful features and functionality
• Scalable to handle high-volume traffic and transactions
• App store with over 1,000 apps and integrations
• 24/7 customer support

Cons:

• Expensive, especially for small businesses
• Limited customization options for lower-tier plans
• Transaction fees on all plans

BigCommerce also offers fraud protection and secure payment gateways to ensure transactional safety.

Price: BigCommerce paid plans start at $29 per month (if billed annually).

Squarespace

Squarespace distinguishes itself with its award-winning templates and emphasis on visual appeal. It’s an excellent choice for creatives, artists, and businesses that prioritize aesthetics. The platform offers a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality, making it easy to create a polished online store without coding knowledge.

Pros

• Stunning, professional templates
• User-friendly interface
• All-in-one platform with built-in features

Cons

• Fewer app integrations compared to others
• Can be less flexible for highly customized stores
• Slightly higher pricing than some competitors

While it may not have the extensive app marketplace of some competitors, Squarespace provides a streamlined, all-in-one solution with built-in marketing tools and strong blogging capabilities.

Pricing: Starts from $16 per month.

The best eCommerce platform for you will depend on your specific needs and requirements. If you are a beginner, Shopify is a good option because it is easy to use and does not require any coding experience. If you are on a tight budget, WooCommerce is a good option because it is free and open-source.

However, if you need a highly customizable platform that can scale to handle high-volume traffic and transactions, Magento or BigCommerce are good options. We’ll see the differences between these 4 platforms in the next section.

Comparison of the Best eCommerce Platforms

When it comes to selecting an eCommerce platform, there are numerous possibilities, each with its own unique advantages. To guide you through the process, we’ve created a comparison table that outlines the main features of some popular eCommerce platforms.

Feature	Shopify	WooCommerce	Magento	BigCommerce	Squarespace
Customization	Moderate (Themes & Apps)	High (Themes, Plugins, Code)	Very High (Highly Customizable Code)	Moderate (Themes & Apps, some code)	Moderate (Templates, limited code)
Scalability	High (Shopify Plus for Enterprise)	Moderate to High (Requires optimization)	Very High (Enterprise-grade)	High (Built-in scalability)	Moderate (Suitable for smaller stores)
Security	High (Handles security for you)	Moderate (Relies on hosting & plugins)	High (Requires dedicated security)	High (Handles security for you)	High (Handles security for you)
Payment Gateways	Wide range (Shopify Payments preferred)	Wide range (through plugins)	Wide range	Wide range	Limited but sufficient (Stripe, PayPal)
Customer Support	Excellent (24/7 phone, email, chat)	Community support, some paid options	Primarily community, paid support available	Excellent (24/7 phone, email, chat)	Good (Email, chat, knowledge base)
Ease of Use	Very Easy	Moderate (Requires WordPress knowledge)	Complex (Requires developer expertise)	Easy to Moderate	Easy
Pricing	Monthly fees, transaction fees (unless using Shopify Payments)	Hosting, domain, plugins, themes costs	Hosting, domain, development costs	Monthly fees, no transaction fees	Monthly fees
Target Audience	Beginners to large businesses	Users comfortable with WordPress	Large businesses, developers	Growing businesses, larger stores	Creatives, small businesses, portfolios

How to Evaluate the Best eCommerce Platforms?

The right eCommerce development platform will help create the best website to showcase and sell the products and services effectively. However, the best eCommerce platforms have to be evaluated on a variety of factors to ensure the best development process and results.

• User-friendliness: The platform should be easy to use, both for you and your customers. It should have a clear and intuitive interface and be easy to add and manage products, process orders, and track inventory.
• Customization options: The eCommerce platform should let you customize the look and feel of your online store to match your brand. It should also offer a variety of features and functionality that you can add to your store, such as product reviews, abandoned cart recovery, and social media integration.
• Security features: The platform should have robust security features to protect your customer data and your website from cyberattacks. It should also be PCI-compliant to ensure that you can accept credit card payments securely.
• Payment gateways: The platform should integrate with several payment gateways so that you can offer your customers a variety of payment options. It should also be easy to set up and manage your payment gateway accounts.
• Customer support: The platform should offer responsive and helpful customer support in case you need help with anything.
• Mobile responsiveness: The platform should make it easy for your customers to purchase on their mobile devices. Your online store should look good and function well on all screen sizes.
• SEO capabilities: The platform should have built-in SEO features to help you improve your website’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). It will help you attract more organic search traffic to your store.
• Inventory management tools: The platform should have inventory management tools to help you track your product inventory levels and ensure that you never oversell a product.
• Integration with other software systems: The platform should integrate with other software systems that you use to run your business, such as your accounting software, CRM software, and shipping software. That will help you automate the tasks and streamline your operations.

By weighing these criteria, you can make informed decisions when selecting an eCommerce platform that meets your needs. Or you can consult with the experts at the best eCommerce development agencies to analyze and find the best platform.

Let’s Summarize the Best Platforms

There are 5 key platforms that might be the perfect starting point for those trying to start an eStore.

• Shopify: Best overall for ease of use and quick setup, suitable for most businesses.
• WooCommerce: Highly flexible and customizable but requires technical knowledge or hiring a developer. Great for those already using WordPress.
• Magento: Powerful and scalable but complex and expensive, best for large enterprises with development resources.
• BigCommerce: Strong built-in features and scalability, ideal for growing businesses.
• Squarespace: Focuses on design and ease of use, suitable for smaller online stores, creatives, and portfolio sites.

Ultimately, the “best” platform depends on your individual business needs, technical expertise, and budget. If you need the best expertise with making the perfect eStore, consider our recommendations on the leading eCommerce development agencies today!

FAQs on the Best eCommerce Platforms