Platform Selector

• Entry / Beginner

Big Cartel

Intentionally simple ecommerce for artists, makers, and tiny catalogues.

• Entry / Beginner

Ecwid (by Lightspeed)

A shopping widget that plugs into any existing site. Useful if you already have a website and want to add a store without rebuilding.

• Entry / Beginner

Square Online (formerly Weebly)

Square's website builder, best used alongside Square POS for omnichannel retail. Weak as a standalone ecommerce platform.

• Entry / Beginner

Squarespace

Design-first website builder for creative businesses that also sell things. Not primarily an ecommerce platform.

• Entry / Beginner

Wix

A website builder with a shop bolted on. Fine for a side project, not for a real ecommerce operation.

• SMB

Acquired by Cyber_Folks (February 2026) and announced formal layoffs in April 2026. Evaluate vendor stability and long-term support commitment before committing to a new build.

PrestaShop

Open-source platform with a large European user base and a module ecosystem that charges for features Shopify or WooCommerce include by default.

• SMB
• US market only for free tier

Shift4Shop

A US-centric platform with a compelling free tier that evaporates the moment you are outside North America or want a different payment processor.

• SMB

Shopify (Standard)

The dominant D2C platform. Exceptional checkout, massive app ecosystem, and a hard ceiling the moment your business gets genuinely complex.

• SMB

WooCommerce

The world's most installed ecommerce plugin. Built on WordPress, which tells you everything about its strengths and its ceiling.

• Mid-market

Adobe Commerce (Magento)

The most capable catalogue and pricing engine in the mid-market. Also the most expensive to run and the most demanding of internal resource.

• Mid-market

BigCommerce

Technically strong mid-market platform with no variant cap, native B2B features, and a brand problem that causes it to lose deals it should win.

• Mid-market

NetSuite SuiteCommerce

The ecommerce module for businesses already running NetSuite ERP. The right choice for that specific situation and almost nobody else.

• Mid-market

Shopify Plus

The enterprise tier of Shopify. Removes several SMB constraints, adds automation and multi-storefront, but keeps the D2C DNA and the platform's structural limits intact.

• Mid-market

Shopware

German-origin open-source platform, strong in Europe, increasingly API-first. Good product with a thin ANZ ecosystem.

• Mid-market

Swell

API-first headless commerce with native subscription billing and unlimited variants. The platform that sits where Shopify Plus runs out and Commercetools starts becoming expensive.

• Mid-market

Sylius

Open-source PHP/Symfony ecommerce framework with genuine B2B capability via Sylius Plus. Developer-first, European-concentrated, and a legitimate alternative to Magento for technical teams who want ownership without Adobe's price tag.

• Enterprise B2C

HCL Commerce

IBM WebSphere Commerce under new ownership. A significant enterprise installed base, a lower profile than SAP or Salesforce, and a cost structure that only makes sense above $50M revenue.

• Enterprise B2C

Optimizely Commerce Cloud

Episerver's rebranded platform, combining DXP content management with mid-to-enterprise ecommerce. Strong for content-led commerce. Weaker as a standalone ecommerce evaluation.

• Enterprise B2C

Oracle Commerce did not appear in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Commerce. Evaluate roadmap viability and long-term vendor commitment independently before any commercial engagement.

Oracle Commerce

Enterprise-grade legacy platform with deep Oracle ERP integration. Absent from the 2025 Gartner Digital Commerce Magic Quadrant and a sales motion that predates the cloud-first era.

• Enterprise B2C

Salesforce Commerce Cloud (SFCC)

The dominant enterprise retail platform. GMV-based pricing, deep Salesforce ecosystem integration, and an implementation cost that rules out most mid-market businesses.

• Enterprise B2C

SAP Hybris on-premise: end of mainstream maintenance July 31, 2026. Cloud version unaffected.

SAP Commerce Cloud

Enterprise commerce with deep SAP ecosystem integration. The on-premise Hybris version reaches end of mainstream maintenance July 31, 2026.

• Enterprise B2C

Sitecore OrderCloud

API-first headless commerce engine inside the Sitecore DXP. Strong if you are already in Sitecore. Worth evaluating on its own merits for complex B2C and B2B use cases.

• Enterprise B2C

VTEX

NYSE-listed platform with native B2B and B2C on a single commerce engine. Strong in LATAM, growing into North America and Europe, thin in ANZ.

• Composable / Headless

commercetools

The MACH architecture reference implementation. A set of commerce APIs you build a platform around, not a platform you configure.

• Composable / Headless

Elastic Path

Composable commerce API platform for businesses with genuinely unique models - subscriptions, non-standard checkout flows, complex digital-physical hybrids.

• Composable / Headless

KIBO

Composable ecommerce platform with a unified OMS built in. Eliminates one of the most common integration headaches in mid-market commerce.

• Composable / Headless

Medusa

Open-source composable commerce in Node.js and TypeScript. No GMV fees, MIT licence, and a real managed cloud option. The most accessible path to Commercetools-level flexibility without Commercetools-level cost.

• Composable / Headless

Saleor

GraphQL-native open-source composable commerce. Python/Django backend, headless by design, and the only platform in this tier that made GraphQL the architecture rather than an afterthought.

• Composable / Headless
• Fashion, apparel, and D2C retail

SCAYLE

Enterprise headless D2C commerce engine built inside and proven by About You, one of Europe's largest fashion platforms. Fashion and retail heritage shows in everything it does.

• Composable / Headless

Spryker

Modular composable architecture for complex B2B and marketplace operations. No public pricing. First-year cost is typically in the seven figures.

• B2B Native

Commerce Vision

ANZ-built B2B ecommerce platform with deep ERP integration and local implementation support. Purpose-built for the Australian and New Zealand market.

• B2B Native

Intershop

European B2B specialist with an established enterprise customer base, native B2B capabilities, and go-live timelines that undercut most composable alternatives.

• B2B Native

OroCommerce

Open-source B2B platform built specifically for manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers. The most feature-complete native B2B option at a realistic price point.

• B2B Native

Salesforce B2B Commerce

Salesforce's B2B ecommerce product, built on the Salesforce platform. The right answer if you are already deep in Salesforce CRM. The wrong answer if you are not.

• B2B Native

Sana Commerce

ERP-native B2B ecommerce built exclusively for Microsoft Dynamics and SAP. The right answer if you are on one of those ERPs and want real-time pricing without integration overhead.

• B2B Native

Znode

Headless enterprise B2B platform for manufacturers and distributors that need multi-storefront and multi-model B2B from a single backend.

• B2B Native

Zoey

B2B wholesale ordering platform with a mobile sales app and offline capability. Built for field sales teams alongside the buyer portal.

• Vertical / Niche
• Foodservice distribution B2B

Pepper

B2B ecommerce platform built specifically for foodservice distributors. Not a general-purpose platform - it does one thing and does it well.

• Vertical / Niche
• ANZ FMCG and foodservice wholesale

Upstock

ANZ FMCG and foodservice wholesale marketplace. Connects suppliers with buyers on a single platform. Not a traditional ecommerce build - a network you join.

• Bespoke

Bespoke / Custom Build

When no platform fits your operational model, building your own is a legitimate option that rarely makes it onto shortlists because no agency writes comparison articles about it.