We strongly believe that Shopify is the best ecommerce platform for launching a new online store in 2025—especially for most people looking for simplicity, power, and flexibility in one place.
And no, we’re not saying that because they pay us the most—they don’t. We say it because Shopify consistently outperforms the competition in features, scalability, usability, and integrations. It’s a complete ecommerce solution that fits both beginners and growing businesses alike.
Are there other platforms worth checking out? Definitely. Some are better suited for very specific needs. But we always recommend starting with a free trial of Shopify first. You’ll get a real feel for how intuitive it is—and you may not need to look any further. In our experience, when people switch, it’s usually for personal taste, not because Shopify is missing key features.
The Best Ecommerce Platforms in 2025
If you’ve taken Shopify for a spin and it’s not quite right for you, don’t worry—there are several other excellent platforms to explore, including:
- BigCommerce – Best for managing large product catalogs and B2B operations
- Wix – Best for small stores with fewer than 50 products
- Squarespace – Best for creative sellers and brands driven by strong visual design
Alternatively, if you prefer traditional web hosting with more hands-on control, platforms like Hostinger (our top budget-friendly recommendation), Bluehost, or HostGator are all solid choices.
These hosting providers offer budget-friendly plans that support ecommerce-ready platforms like WordPress + WooCommerce, PrestaShop, and AbanteCart. Plus, each one includes a drag-and-drop website builder with ecommerce features to help you get started quickly—even without technical skills.
Shopify – The Best Ecommerce Platform Overall
Shopify remains the most trusted and widely-used ecommerce platform for building an online store from scratch. Whether you’re a complete beginner or scaling a six-figure business, Shopify meets you where you are.
Shopify plans start at $29/month and include a complete toolkit for ecommerce success: inventory tracking, shipping integrations, secure payment processing, marketing tools, and a clean, intuitive dashboard that ties it all together. It’s truly an all-in-one system that minimizes the need for third-party tools or custom development.
The platform is incredibly easy to navigate—even for users who consider themselves “not tech-savvy.” We spoke with users who launched stores in a single weekend and others who run large operations across multiple locations. The common thread? Shopify made it all manageable.
One user with no previous experience told us she “hates computers” but still managed to publish her first store over the course of a weekend by “just clicking around.” Another user running a multi-location furniture business appreciated how Shopify kept him on track with proactive alerts for things like taxes and inventory—things he hadn’t even considered yet.
“Shopify helps you stay ahead,” he said. “It doesn’t do the work for you, but it tells you what to watch out for.” That peace of mind helped him avoid costly mistakes early on.
Whether you’re just starting out or want to future-proof your store, Shopify is ready to scale with you. It’s equally great for side hustles, mid-size brands, and multi-location businesses.
Some of the key features Shopify users rave about include:
- Over 8,000 apps and plugins: Shopify boasts the largest ecommerce app store. You can add tools for SEO, product bundling, fulfillment, sales channels, and more. Best of all, many apps are free or offer generous free tiers.
- Scalability built-in: Even Shopify’s entry-level plans support multiple staff accounts, inventory locations, and currencies. Features like bulk inventory editing make it ideal for stores with hundreds or thousands of SKUs.
- Extensive documentation: Shopify’s Help Center, tutorials, and community forums offer reliable support around the clock. One user told us, “I didn’t even need to contact support because everything I needed was already in the help docs.”
- Omnichannel selling: Expand beyond your website by selling on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Walmart, Amazon, and more—all from one dashboard.
- Free business tools: Shopify includes a logo maker, name generator, slogan tool, and even templates for invoices, privacy policies, and return forms. These are excellent for bootstrapping new businesses without hiring a designer or legal expert.
Now, Shopify isn’t perfect. One of the main drawbacks is the limited number of free themes—just 11. While you can tweak them, full design freedom may require purchasing a premium theme or hiring a developer for a custom look.
Additionally, while many apps are free, some essential features—like advanced reporting or upsells—may require paid plugins, which can increase the total monthly cost.
For a more detailed walkthrough, check out our complete guide on how Shopify works.
BigCommerce – Best for Enterprise-Level Businesses
BigCommerce is our go-to recommendation for enterprise-level businesses managing thousands of SKUs, warehouses, sales channels, or complex inventory needs. It’s built from the ground up to make massive ecommerce operations more manageable.
Where other platforms start to creak under heavy usage, BigCommerce thrives. It shines at scale, without compromising the shopping experience for customers or operational clarity for admins.
Top areas where BigCommerce outperforms competitors include:
- Advanced inventory management: Manage up to 600 product variants per SKU. Great for industries like apparel, furniture, or manufacturing where customers want to filter by color, size, finish, or configuration.
- Omnichannel tools: Sync listings and track performance across Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Wish, TikTok, and MercadoLibre. Additional channels are available through third-party extensions.
- B2B capabilities: Assign custom pricing per SKU, manage customer groups, generate quotes, and simplify bulk ordering for wholesale clients—all without needing separate apps.
- International reach: Accept payments in 100+ currencies, support localized pricing, and manage multiple regional storefronts under a single backend. Great for global expansion.
Users consistently praised BigCommerce’s flexibility on both the backend and frontend. One store owner loved that customers could select options using swatches, checkboxes, radio buttons, or text fields—not just dropdown menus. That kind of customization creates a smoother buying experience, especially with complex product lines.
On the admin side, merchants were able to set up discount tiers, volume pricing, and customer-specific catalogs without relying on third-party apps. In contrast, Shopify often requires extra plugins for similar functionality.
One user shared how they created a private storefront just for educators, complete with custom pricing and unique product visibility. “We didn’t need to patch anything together,” they said. “It was just built in.”
The downside? BigCommerce doesn’t focus on aesthetic freedom the way Wix or Squarespace do. Themes can feel templated, and to go beyond that look, you’ll probably need developer help.
Pricing starts at $29.99/month for businesses earning under $50k/year. As your annual sales climb, BigCommerce will automatically bump you to a higher pricing tier. This is great for growth, but it can be jarring if you’re not prepared.
Wix – Best for Stores with Fewer Than 50 Products
Wix is ideal for small-scale sellers—like local boutiques, artists, or hobby shops—with straightforward inventory and limited product lines. It technically supports unlimited products, but the sweet spot is stores with fewer than 50 items.
What makes Wix shine is its user experience. It’s a true drag-and-drop builder, giving non-technical users full visual control over their storefront without code. You get over 100 free ecommerce templates (more than any other platform here) to start from.
One user, a recording artist, appreciated how easy it was to adjust her site when selling limited-edition merch drops like t-shirts and CDs. “Editing my site was as simple as editing inventory,” she told us.
Another developer who had used both Wix and BigCommerce said Wix was “fantastic” for design freedom and perfect for businesses without complex backends. “You get something that looks sharp and doesn’t take a lot of heavy lifting to maintain.”
Key highlights include:
- Fast setup: Wix’s onboarding is beginner-friendly with step-by-step instructions and AI-powered site creation to get your store live quickly.
- Total visual control: Place any element wherever you want. Unlike Squarespace, Wix doesn’t restrict you to a rigid grid system.
- Built-in security: Wix handles HTTPS, payment security, and customer data protection by default—no extra configuration required.
- Simple shipping & orders: You can print labels, track orders, and integrate with shipping partners directly within the platform.
The major limitation of Wix is scalability. While it technically allows lots of variants and unlimited products, most users we spoke to said that things get complicated quickly if you try to scale beyond a few dozen items. It lacks the inventory management depth of BigCommerce or Shopify.
There are also fewer ecommerce plugins available. And some users found Wix pricing confusing due to unclear upsells, trials, and limited transparency around what’s included.
Wix’s ecommerce plans start at $27/month—just slightly less than Shopify’s base plan.
To dive deeper, check out our full tutorial on how to make a Wix website.
Squarespace – Best for Creatives and Visually-Driven Brands
Squarespace is best known as a premium website builder for creators, freelancers, and visually-focused businesses. But its ecommerce capabilities have quietly become very powerful, especially if you’re selling physical goods, digital downloads, or subscriptions.
What really sets Squarespace apart is its stunning design system. You get dozens of beautifully crafted templates—each with strong typography, responsive layouts, and brand-forward aesthetics.
For users who prioritize image quality, portfolio integration, or minimalist product displays, Squarespace is unmatched. Artists, photographers, and boutique brands often gravitate toward it because the storefront feels like a natural extension of their brand.
One user, a wedding photographer, told us she chose Squarespace because “it made [her] photos look more expensive.” She runs a digital download shop for presets and templates right inside her main site—no extra tools needed.
Other Squarespace highlights include:
- All-in-one simplicity: Hosting, security, site builder, ecommerce tools, and marketing features are all built in—no plugins or apps required.
- Memberships and subscriptions: Sell access to gated content, member-only areas, or recurring boxes without third-party software.
- Built-in booking system: Perfect for coaches, consultants, or service businesses who need to manage calendars and payments in one place.
- Email marketing tools: Send branded newsletters directly from Squarespace using your product catalog or blog content.
Like Wix, Squarespace isn’t ideal for large catalogs or inventory complexity. It lacks the warehouse management, SKU depth, and shipping logic found in Shopify or BigCommerce.
Squarespace ecommerce plans start at $27/month, with the ability to sell unlimited products on any plan beyond “Personal.”
Prefer WordPress? Use Hostinger or Bluehost for WooCommerce
If you want full ownership and flexibility, WordPress + WooCommerce is still a great route—especially when paired with reliable, ecommerce-optimized hosting like Hostinger or Bluehost.
Hostinger’s Business Web Hosting plan starts at just $3.99/month and includes a free domain, free CDN, automatic WordPress installation, and one-click WooCommerce setup. It’s budget-friendly without sacrificing performance.
Bluehost, officially recommended by WordPress.org, offers plans starting at $4.95/month that are tailored specifically for WooCommerce—with pre-installed store themes, payment gateway setup, and dedicated support.
Both hosts give you full backend access (cPanel, PHP, MySQL, etc.), so you can modify anything you want—but they also simplify the process enough that non-developers can succeed too. If you’re comfortable handling a bit more of the maintenance yourself, these options give you maximum freedom at the lowest cost.
How We Evaluated the Best Ecommerce Platforms
To create this list, we interviewed real store owners using each of the platforms. We ran test stores on each service to evaluate setup time, performance, design quality, and extensibility. We also analyzed third-party reviews, support tickets, and recent software updates to ensure our recommendations are up-to-date.
The most important evaluation factors we considered were:
- Ease of use: How quickly can a non-technical user get their store online and functional? Are the design tools intuitive?
- Scalability: Does the platform support growing catalogs, staff roles, shipping zones, and customer segments?
- Feature set: Are the ecommerce tools robust enough to handle real-world business needs without endless plugins?
- Customer feedback: What do long-time users say about support, bugs, or limitations? Are people still satisfied 6–12 months in?
- Value for money: Does the platform justify its cost at different stages of business growth?
There’s no one-size-fits-all platform, but the options above are the best across different needs and budgets. Take advantage of free trials before committing—and think long term when choosing your platform. The right decision now can save you time and money down the line.