Unlimited storefront ecommerce software

Ecommerce solutions like Shopify , BigCommerce and Volusion take care of the essentials of building and running an online store. Hosted ecommerce software will also make sure your site loads quickly. Load time is how long it takes for your store to appear when a customer tries to visit. Online shoppers are impatient. The slower your site loads, the more chance your customers bail before buying.

In our experience, ecommerce software that is self-hosted will load slower. Any work needed to speed up the site is up to you. On the other hand, the best hosted ecommerce solutions will take care of all the technical upkeep for you. Basically, hosted ecommerce software is dedicated to selling online. This enables you to focus on your business instead. These ecommerce solutions give you great flexibility to customize your store, but are much more hands-on when it comes to technical maintenance.

This can get very expensive very quickly. With the best ecommerce solutions, you know what your bill will be each month, and any extra apps are clearly priced. Developers cost money— often hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. Furthermore, with self-hosted ecommerce software, you need to keep paying for plugins to add more functionality. This makes costing your online store with self-hosted ecommerce solutions a lot more difficult. Worry not — some hosted ecommerce platforms offer discounts on their premium plans which make them far more affordable.

Hosted and self-hosted ecommerce solutions require different amounts of technical skill to help you create the store you want.

Self-hosted ecommerce software is terrific for customization. WordPress, for example, is an open source platform, meaning anyone can use its codes and create personalized templates, themes and plugins. On the flip side, if you want to build your store using more accessible technology that requires no coding skills, hosted ecommerce solutions are the answer.

At the click of a button, you can insert your content such as images and galleries , upload your products, and connect your website to a payment processor.

All the tools you need to run an online store, including product management and payment processors, are already built-in to hosted ecommerce solutions. If you do get stuck, dedicated support teams are on hand to help. Good support is like having a full-time business partner. They can answer your questions and point you in the right direction when things go wrong.

Generally, self-hosted ecommerce solutions leave you on your own a bit more. There are communities, resources and tutorials to help, but you may find it hard to sift through the information to find the answer to your specific problem. In our research, we found that hosted ecommerce software like Shopify and BigCommerce provided an excellent level of support.

Agents are typically available over the phone, email and LiveChat. The first step is to think about how technically confident you are. What if you are a beginner or intermediate user, not comfortable with code, or want to quickly and easily set up an online store and start selling? Hosted ecommerce solutions like Shopify are your best option. If not, they can be overwhelming and expensive for you to run. See our Ecommerce Comparison Chart for a full list of hosted ecommerce options.

Or, check out our WordPress Review to find out more about self-hosted platforms. How much do ecommerce solutions cost? The good news is there are tons of options, so you can find a price to suit your budget. Self-hosted solutions are a lot harder to calculate because hosting plans vary so much. It really depends on the size and needs of your store. Remember to include the cost of add-ons in your budget too. Which ecommerce solution is best for small businesses? We recommend Shopify!

It has something for everyone and is our top choice for running your online store. Want to find out more? Read our Shopify Review for a full look at this leading ecommerce solution. What should I look for in an ecommerce solution? There are tons of things that go into making an online store successful, but, there are some important features which benefit all businesses and which you should look out for when choosing your ecommerce solution. The main one is getting an SSL certificate.

This stands for Secure Sockets Layer and makes your site a safe place for customers to enter their payment details and information. Can I actually make money through ecommerce solutions like Shopify? Yes, definitely! These are dedicated ecommerce solutions, which means they have all the tools and features you need to create a successful online store and get selling. From printing shipping labels to creating discounts, you have the tools to build your store and make money right at your fingertips.

If you want to find out more about getting started, why not check out our guide on How to Build an Online Store. Website Builder Expert aims to provide you with honest data. Analyses and graphics in this article are based on authentic sources cross-validated by our in-house experts. We take great care to ensure the information we publish is reliable and accurate.

However, WBE takes no responsibility for any inaccuracy in information supplied to us by users, research participants, or other entities. Please note the insight contained within this article is for general information purposes only. For further information, please contact Website Builder Expert directly via email at info websitebuilderexpert. Found this article helpful? Share this article or comment below! Written and researched by. Natasha Willett Researcher. Lucy Carney Author.

Updated: Aug 04, Comments: On this page Best 3 Hosted Solutions 1. Shopify 2. BigCommerce 3. Volusion Best 3 Self-Hosted Solutions 1. WooCommerce 2. Magento 3. Compare the 6 Best Ecommerce Software Below you can compare the best ecommerce software side by side — use the arrows to scroll through the different software.

Hosted or self-hosted. Best In Test. Best Value. Visit Site. To grab a piece of that pie, you need an ecommerce solution. Best Hosted Ecommerce Software Shopify — best hosted ecommerce software for larger businesses. BigCommerce — best ecommerce software for purely online businesses. Volusion — best ecommerce software for analytics. Ease Of Use. Try Shopify Free. Read Our Full Review. Try BigCommerce Free. Try Volusion Free. Magento powered by SiteGround — best self-hosted ecommerce software for large businesses.

OpenCart — easiest to use self-hosted software. Start the Quiz Now. Our top three choices of ecommerce software for building an online store are: Shopify: best ecommerce solution for larger businesses Try For Free BigCommerce: best ecommerce solution for purely online businesses Try For Free Volusion: best for analytics features Try For Free These are all-in-one ecommerce solutions dedicated to helping you build an online store.

Chart features explained:. Premium Support Getting premium support from your ecommerce software is like employing a full-time business mentor. Abandoned Cart Recovery This feature can have a huge impact on your bottom line. Further Reading Comparison Chart of Online Store Builders — see our side-by-side comparison of all the different ecommerce builder tools.

Professional, Free Ecommerce Templates — browse beautiful storefront designs you can use to build your store. Read Review. Shopify Pros Shopify Cons Easy to create a powerful online store — no coding needed!

Shopify Gallery Click the image below to expand. Shopify is the best hosted ecommerce software for large stores, with strong sales tools and dedicated ecommerce designs and features.

Most new stores will find the cheapest plan provides more than enough features to start fueling growth. Not only are we an Amazon Consultancy, we offer a selection of digital marketing services with other online marketplaces including eBay and Google.

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This website uses cookies to improve your experience. See our WooCommerce Review. Visit Magento. See our Magento Review. Our overall ratings are based on the average score of all ratings combined. Big Cartel — free plan — Best for independent artists. Wix — free to build, not sell — Best for small online stores. Shopify — free trial — Best for larger businesses. Squarespace — free trial — Best value for money. BigCommerce — free trial — Best for a purely online business.

Constant Contact — free trial — Best for selling on the side. WooCommerce — free to install — Best WordPress ecommerce plugin. Magento — free to install — Best for enterprise-level businesses. Square Online Most generous free ecommerce plan.

Very Good. Quick setup Easy to use Not very scalable. Pros Easy to track sales and abandoned carts Responsive help and support Seamless payments system. Cons Limited design freedom Few payment processing options Not great for large volume selling. Visit Site. Ease of Use Setting up a Square Online store is very quick and easy. Square Gallery Click the image below to expand. I Want to Check Out Square. Big Cartel Best for independent artists.

Good for artistic items Useful onboarding process Very limited free plan. Pros No platform transaction fees Helpful tips throughout design process Individual products get the spotlight.

Cons Five product limit on free plan Features and designs lack quality Difficult to customize your store. Overview of Big Cartel Big Cartel is harder to use than Square, and its templates are still not very flexible. It has plenty of strengths, but getting online quickly and simply is just not one. Big Cartel Gallery Click the image below to expand. Big Cartel offers chat advice while you edit your site.

Show Me Big Cartel. More Information Read our Big Cartel review. Wix Best for small online stores. Plenty of design freedom Powerful features Easy to use.

Pros Can sell Wix products on Instagram Product videos add credibility Mobile editor for on-the-go changes. Ease of Use Wix is an easy-to-use builder with a true drag-and-drop template editor.

In other words, Wix expertly combines beginner-friendliness with flexible design. Wix Gallery Click the image below to expand. Managing products with Wix is simple. I Want to See Wix. Wix vs Shopify — A deep dive into the key differences between these two platforms, and which will be better for who.

Shopify Best for larger businesses. Built for large stores Great inventory tools Recommended by real users. Pros Sell across many social media channels Abandoned cart recovery on all plans Easily track stock levels and orders. Cons Some features come separately as apps Transaction fees for most payment tools Switching themes is a hassle. Overview of Shopify Shopify is a builder with powerful features and a wide range of themes.

Many dedicated ecommerce platforms sacrifice ease of use for powerful tools, but Shopify strikes a really nice balance. Shopify Gallery Click the image below to expand. Take Me to Shopify. More Information Like to know more? Squarespace Best value for money. Great management features Best designs Great built-in tools. Pros Powerful features included with plans Industry-leading ecommerce templates Insightful analytics tools.

Squarespace Gallery Click the image below to expand. Squarespace has a clean, section-based editor that lets you make changes directly to your site. Start With Squarespace. More Information Interested in Squarespace for your online store? Heads Up: Savings Alert! Scalable features Not reliant on apps Helps businesses grow. Cons Not the easiest to use Uses complex terminology No mobile app. Overview of BigCommerce BigCommerce is extremely scalable, with tons of built-in apps to help you reach your full potential.

It excels in other areas, like sales features. BigCommerce Gallery Click the image below to expand. More Information Check out our full BigCommerce review. Constant Contact Best for selling on the side. Beginner-friendly Limited features Least user-recommended. Pros Plenty of help with website design Great in-house email marketing tools Easy-to-understand analytics. Overview of Constant Contact Constant Contact is a pretty limited platform, but the features it does offer are high quality. Tweaking the resulting design is also a simple, step-by-step process.

Constant Contact Gallery Click the image below to expand. Constant Contact has a convenient, automated design option that builds your site for you, based on a few questions. Show Me More of Constant Contact. More Information Take a closer look with our Constant Contact website builder review. WooCommerce Best WordPress ecommerce plugin. Very WordPress-compatible Extremely scalable Helpful setup wizard. Pros Huge variety of plugins Lots of payment options Tools for selling internationally.

Cons Have to install most features yourself Cost of plugins and tools can add up Only works with WordPress. WooCommerce Gallery Click the image below to expand. WooCommerce offers plugins that cover most ecommerce functionalities.

Check Out WooCommerce. Magento Best for enterprise-level businesses. Very customizable Very scalable Not very easy to use.