eCommerce Platforms

eCommerce Platforms Overview

eCommerce software allows merchants to display a product catalog and conduct transactions online. Most eCommerce transactions are B2C (business-to-consumer). Some also support more complex B2B (business-to-business) transactions with contract negotiation features, for example.

There are two general types of eCommerce platforms: hosted and self-hosted open source:

  • Hosted eCommerce solutions, which are cloud-based and billed monthly, tend to be more stable and user-friendly.
  • Self-hosted eCommerce solutions are more advanced, customizable, and free.

Top Rated eCommerce Products

TrustRadius Top Rated for 2021

These products won a Top Rated award for having excellent customer satisfaction ratings. The list is based purely on reviews; there is no paid placement, and analyst opinions do not influence the rankings. Read more about the Top Rated criteria.

eCommerce Platforms TrustMap

TrustMaps are two-dimensional charts that compare products based on trScore and research frequency by prospective buyers. Products must have 10 or more ratings to appear on this TrustMap.

eCommerce Products

(1-25 of 238) Sorted by Most Reviews

The list of products below is based purely on reviews (sorted from most to least). There is no paid placement and analyst opinions do not influence their rankings. Here is our Promise to Buyers to ensure information on our site is reliable, useful, and worthy of your trust.
BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a SaaS platform that allows SMBs to develop eCommerce sites. Features include the capabilities to design the storefront, configure products, manage payments, generate traffic, and optimize conversion.

Key Features

  • Product catalog & listings (391)
    82%
    8.2
  • Product management (388)
    80%
    8.0
  • Visual customization (382)
    73%
    7.3
Shopify

Shopify

Customer Verified
Top Rated

Shopify is a commerce platform designed for both online stores and retail locations. Shopify offers a professional online storefront, a payment solution to accept credit cards, and the Shopify POS application to power retail sales.

Key Features

  • Product management (130)
    86%
    8.6
  • Product catalog & listings (132)
    84%
    8.4
  • Branding (131)
    82%
    8.2
Wix

Wix

Customer Verified
Top Rated

Wix is a free, hosted website builder, designed to be user-friendly and customizable without requiring coding from the user. It is well-known for its eCommerce solution, which allows users to build an online store.

Key Features

  • Mobile optimization / responsive design (89)
    76%
    7.6
  • Library of website themes (86)
    73%
    7.3
  • Page templates (89)
    72%
    7.2
Squarespace

Squarespace

Customer Verified
Top Rated

Squarespace is a CMS platform that allows users to create a DIY blog, eCommerce store, and/or portfolio (visual art or music). Some Squarespace website and shop templates are industry or use case-specific, such as menu builders for restaurant sites.

Key Features

  • Page templates (85)
    89%
    8.9
  • Admin section (84)
    85%
    8.5
  • Library of website themes (83)
    81%
    8.1
WooCommerce

WooCommerce

Customer Verified
Top Rated

WooCommerce is an eCommerce plugin for WordPress, developed by WooThemes (recently acquired by Automattic). Like WordPress, it is designed to be an extendable, adaptable, open-sourced platform. WooCommerce allows merchants to sell physical products, downloadables, or services.

Key Features

  • Website integration (85)
    91%
    9.1
  • Product management (85)
    84%
    8.4
  • Product catalog & listings (84)
    83%
    8.3
Spryker Cloud Commerce OS

Spryker Cloud Commerce OS

Customer Verified
Top Rated

Spryker Cloud Commerce OS is a modular Commerce System that enables B2B, B2C, and Marketplace business models through any customer interface, touchpoint, and device. Boasting extensibility, best-in-class performance, and fast time-to-market, the vendor states Spryker is trusted by…

Key Features

  • Custom functionality (56)
    85%
    8.5
  • Product variations (58)
    79%
    7.9
  • Product catalog & listings (55)
    77%
    7.7
Kentico Xperience

Kentico is a web content management system for building websites, online stores, intranets, and Web 2.0 community sites. Kentico CMS uses ASP.NET and Microsoft SQL Server for development via its Portal Engine, using Visual Studio, or through Microsoft MVC.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy Web Hosting provides users with storage, email addresses, and unlimited bandwith.

Weebly

Weebly, now from Square, is a basic content management system with blogging and eCommerce features. It can be utilized for building standard websites or specialized webpages for online stores.

Key Features

  • Mobile optimization / responsive design (40)
    92%
    9.2
  • Page templates (41)
    34%
    3.4
  • Library of website themes (41)
    34%
    3.4
Salesforce Commerce Cloud

Salesforce Commerce Cloud (formerly called Demandware) is a cloud-based eCommerce solution that touts flexibility and scalability for enterprises. It features merchandising tools, such as sorting, filtering, image zooming, and more.

Key Features

  • Product catalog & listings (29)
    78%
    7.8
  • Website integration (29)
    77%
    7.7
  • Product variations (29)
    76%
    7.6
Adobe Commerce (Magento Commerce)

Adobe Commerce (Magento Commerce) provides companies with a platform to manage, personalize, and optimize the commerce experience across every touch point and across the customer journey. ACC is built on Magento Commerce Pro and is integrated with Adobe Experience Manager. It was…

Key Features

  • Product catalog & listings (30)
    79%
    7.9
  • Product management (31)
    77%
    7.7
  • Visual customization (31)
    71%
    7.1
Shopify Plus

Shopify Plus

Customer Verified
Top Rated

Shopify Plus is an eCommerce solution built for enterprise-level companies that enables them to sell online and offline across social channels like Facebook , Pinterest, and marketplaces like Amazon and eBay.

Key Features

  • Product management (28)
    90%
    9.0
  • Mobile storefront (28)
    90%
    9.0
  • Visual customization (28)
    86%
    8.6
Magento Open Source

Magento Open Source is an ecommerce content management solution originally developed by Varien Inc and presently supported by Adobe. The Open Source product is for developers and merchants that is available as a free download, and supported with free upgrades from the Magento Community.…

Key Features

  • Product management (27)
    93%
    9.3
  • Product catalog & listings (27)
    92%
    9.2
  • Mobile storefront (27)
    86%
    8.6
SAP Commerce Cloud

SAP Commerce Cloud (formerly Hybris) is designed to help businesses sell more goods, services, and digital content through every touchpoint, channel, and device through their multichannel ecommerce and order management solution, available as a SaaS or on-premise.

Key Features

  • Website integration (23)
    87%
    8.7
  • Product management (22)
    86%
    8.6
  • Bulk product upload (22)
    85%
    8.5
Optimizely Commerce Cloud (formerly Episerver Commerce Cloud)

Optimizely Commerce Cloud (formerly Episerver Commerce Cloud) is an ecommerce solution that includes core features for digital commerce and content management, and users can add advanced tools for personalization, email recommendations and analytics.

Key Features

  • CMS (24)
    82%
    8.2
  • Product catalog & listings (24)
    66%
    6.6
  • Product management (24)
    60%
    6.0
Adobe Business Catalyst (Discontinued)

Adobe Business Catalyst is an all-in-one cloud-hosted system for building and managing web content and online stores. It has a built-in CRM framework in addition to sales, service, and marketing features including eCommerce and Email Marketing tools. It is scheduled to be shutdown…

Key Features

  • Dynamic content (15)
    90%
    9.0
  • Email deliverability reporting (26)
    81%
    8.1
  • Dashboards (15)
    80%
    8.0
Volusion

Volusion is a cloud-based ecommerce solution from the company of the same name in Austin, TX. It features an intuitive dashboard, built-in marketing and promos, SEO, templates, and tools to customize look and appearance.

Oracle CX Commerce (formerly Oracle Commerce Cloud)

Oracle Commerce Cloud is an eCommerce solution designed for both B2C and B2B business. It is packaged as modular SaaS platform with capabilities in support of A/B testing, drag and drop building, automatic updates, and more.

Key Features

  • Product management (19)
    87%
    8.7
  • Product catalog & listings (19)
    86%
    8.6
  • Product variations (19)
    85%
    8.5
Miva Merchant

Miva Merchant is a point-and-click, online store development and management system that allows merchants to build their online store through a web browser, and lets developers provide aftermarket enhancements for the online store.

Webgility

Webgility is a multichannel eCommerce software which provides automated accounting and inventory management. It is optimized for QuickBooks Desktop and NetSuite users who sell on multiple channels.

PrestaShop

PrestaShop is a free, open source e-commerce solution available under the Open Software License and officially launched in August 2007. The software is written in PHP and based on the Smarty template engine and is currently used by 165,000 shops worldwide. The PrestaShop group was…

Key Features

  • SEO (12)
    62%
    6.2
Ecwid by Lightspeed

Ecwid allows customers the ability to create an online store to any webpage or social media profile. Boasting hundreds of thousands of merchants in 175 countries as users, Ecwid aims to provide everything needed to reach customers wherever they are: in-person, through a website, Instagram,…

Key Features

  • Product catalog & listings (12)
    97%
    9.7
  • Product variations (12)
    92%
    9.2
  • Product management (12)
    89%
    8.9
Optimizely B2B Commerce Cloud (formerly Episerver B2B Commerce Cloud)

Optimizely B2B Commerce Cloud (Episerver B2B Commerce Cloud, based on InsiteCommerce from Insite Software, acquired by Episerver in Decemver 2019), is an eCommerce solution built for enterprise-level manufacturers and distributors.

Key Features

  • Bulk product upload (10)
    84%
    8.4
  • Product management (10)
    79%
    7.9
  • Product catalog & listings (10)
    77%
    7.7
CS-Cart Multi-Vendor Marketplace Platform

CS-Cart Multi-Vendor is an on-premise eCommerce marketplace software. It allows users to open an online marketplace, where the user is the admin, and all the others—invited sellers. Each seller has his or her own micro-store with a customizable storefront, categories, filters, and…

Key Features

  • Product catalog & listings (10)
    87%
    8.7
  • Product management (10)
    86%
    8.6
  • Branding (10)
    84%
    8.4
nopCommerce

nopCommerce is an open-source eCommerce solution that is iASP.NET (MVC) based with a MS SQL 2008 (or higher) backend database. The vendor says their shopping cart solution is uniquely suited for merchants that have outgrown existing systems.

Key Features

  • Product catalog & listings (10)
    93%
    9.3
  • Product management (10)
    93%
    9.3
  • Branding (10)
    92%
    9.2

Learn More About eCommerce Platforms

What are eCommerce Platforms?

eCommerce software allows merchants to display a product catalog and conduct transactions online. Most eCommerce transactions are B2C (business-to-consumer). Some also support more complex B2B (business-to-business) transactions with contract negotiation features, for example.

There are two general types of eCommerce platforms: hosted and self-hosted open source:

  • Hosted eCommerce solutions, which are cloud-based and billed monthly, tend to be more stable and user-friendly.
  • Self-hosted eCommerce solutions are more advanced, customizable, and free.

eCommerce Websites

eCommerce websites, usually referred to as online storefronts, allow shoppers to browse through the merchant's product catalog and purchase products online.

Hosted eCommerce platforms include a set of pre-made templates and themes for storefront design. The best eCommerce software for your online business depends on your use cases. There are many different aspects of an online storefront that different eCommerce products may focus on:

  • Managing larger inventories
  • Displaying multiple versions (e.g., colors and sizes) of the same item
  • Managing multiple stores
  • Representing digital versus physical products

Scalability is also a major consideration when evaluating product catalog options and features.

Online Shopping Cart

An online shopping cart allows eCommerce website visitors to accumulate a list of products in a virtual "shopping cart" before checkout. In addition to accumulating the list, shopping cart software also calculates the total cost, including shipping and taxes.

Some platforms offer other shopping cart-related features, like abandoned cart tools. These save unfinished orders and/or email customers to remind them that there are still items in their cart. Abandoned cart functionality often costs extra or is available only with higher-tier packages.

Another additional functionality some eCommerce products include is the ability to suggest products for customers to view. This is typically based on individual customer’s shopping behavior along with information about what products other customers have been viewing and buying.

Online Payment System

Some solutions include in-house payment processing. Others integrate to a third party payment gateway. Vendors that offer in-house payment processing often charge a transaction fee. Since payment systems need to handle sensitive customer information, most eCommerce platforms have standard security measures in place.

eCommerce Platforms Features & Capabilities

  • Online storefront
  • Product catalog
  • Online shopping cart
  • Online payment system or integration with a payment gateway
  • Order fulfillment and shipping management
  • Merchant interface/dashboard
  • eCommerce marketing tools
  • eCommerce business management
  • Customer behavior analytics and reporting
  • Integrations (e.g. CRM, ERP, email marketing, payment gateway, etc)

eCommerce Platforms Comparison

There are a few key things buyers should consider to help them more easily compare eCommerce products:

1. Technical expertise required: Will the person or team managing your eCommerce website have technical/coding knowledge? Some eCommerce platforms are especially user-friendly for individuals with little to no coding experience, while others offer advanced customization that can be achieved through coding. Consider whether you’ll have access to a developer or other administrator with coding experience to help customize your eCommerce platform. If not, platforms that include a wide range of eCommerce website themes, or a WYSIWYG editor, may be a better for your business.

2. Open source vs. paid software: Are you looking for a free eCommerce platform to start out with, or a more advanced software that has all the bells and whistles? Especially if you or your team have experience with web design, an open source platform can be a great way to start building your online store. Popular open source platforms include Magento Open Source, Drupal, and Joomla. On the other hand, if you’re looking for an eCommerce platform that comes with access to customer support and a wide variety of pre-built website themes and templates, a paid platform will likely be a better bet.

3. B2B vs. B2C (or both): Do you sell to primarily a B2B or B2C market? Or both? There are a few main differences between B2B and B2C selling that, in part, determine what your eCommerce platform needs to have. For example, eCommerce businesses selling primarily to other businesses will need the ability to segment customer groups and to set up customizable pricing and configuration options. Some must-have features for B2C companies include built-in store themes, abandoned cart recovery, and compatibility with multiple payment gateways. Some ecommerce platforms are better designed for B2B, or B2C.

Pricing Information

Monthly subscriptions for hosted products vary widely depending on features and scalability. Monthly charges range from zero to over $1,000 at the very high end.

It’s a good idea to clearly understand requirements and to choose an ecommerce platform based on current and anticipated needs, rather than just focusing on cost. In the long-term, picking the ecommerce platform that is the best for your eCommerce business's needs will present cost savings that may not be immediately apparent in the startup phase.

More Resources

eCommerce Platforms Best Of Awards

The following eCommerce platforms offer award-winning customer relationships, feature sets, and value for price. Learn more about our Best Of Awards methodology here.

Best eCommerce Platforms

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the differences between B2C and B2B eCommerce software?

There are a few main differences between businessto-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) selling that, in part, dictate what your next ecommerce software should include.

Key dimensions where B2B and B2C sales differ include:

  • buying motivations
  • what the market looks like
  • the importance of brand reputation
  • how much long-term value vs. immediate cost matters
  • what the buying process looks like

What are some key features B2B eCommerce software should have?

If your company primarily sells to other businesses (B2B), ensure that your ecommerce platform includes:

  • Customizable pricing, payment, and ordering options
  • Deep personalization capabilities for your online storefront (e.g. branding, site search and navigation)
  • Options for customers to easily reorder the same items and quantities > Discounted bulk ordering
  • The ability to set a minimum order quantity (MQO)
  • The ability to restrict access to certain groups (e.g. allowing only registered customers to view products)
  • The ability to segment customers into groups, or integrate with the user’s CRM or ERP software
  • A wide range of payment options and a highly secure checkout experience

What are some key features B2C eCommerce software should have?

If your business primarily sells to consumers (B2C), ensure that your ecommerce platform includes:

  • > Built-in online storefront themes or templates
  • The ability to customize product listings and have multiple product variants
  • Abandoned cart recovery capabilities
  • Promotion and discount code tools
  • Built-in SEO tools
  • Content management capabilities and a blog section
  • Built-in email marketing capabilities, or integration with email marketing platforms
  • Secure check-out experiences with multiple payment options