Ecommerce Platform Reviews

Developing an ecommerce website can be a very daunting and tough process. But it has gotten much easier over the past few years - especially with the development of WooCommerce for WordPress, and all inclusive ecommerce hosting platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce.

There is no such thing as an overall "best" option for everyone. There is no "best web hosting" - there is only the best option for you based on your goals, expertise, resources & situation.

Highlights from Ecommerce Hosting / Online Store Builder Reviews

Here are the companies that are usually a good fit for most based on my experience.

Name	Best if you want...	Plans!
Shopify	…versatile platform w/ support, design, pricing & apps.	Explore.
BigCommerce	…intuitive dashboard, good pricing w/ focus on stores.	Explore.
WooCommerce	...max control & cheapest but DIY setup, speed & security.	Explore.
Weebly	...simple way to sell products rather than a full online store.	Explore.

Factors in Ecommerce Hosting / Online Store Builder Reviews

I've been able to look at a range of ecommerce solutions as part of my or my clients' projects. There's a lot of factors that go into my ecommerce hosting / software reviews, but the main factors are:

Price - How is their pricing structured? What's the full package price - including fees? How do their bundles compare to competitors?

Features - What do they offer beyond core ecommerce features (aka - shopping cart, payment & inventory management)? Is there a lack of features that could hamstring a store? What about marketing?

Ease of Use - How do they make the sign-up and setup process less daunting?

Support - How much does the company invest in support? Individual experiences can be anecdotal, but it's usually possible to tell if a company views support as an investment rather than a cost.

Performance - How well do their servers perform? Are they going to be a speed bottleneck?

Versatility - How well can a online storeowner expand? Can they roll out a content campaign? Promos? Integrate with offline sales?

Customer Focus - What's the company's ideal customer? Are they looking for beginner dropshippers or established multi-channel brands?

Next Steps

Browse my ecommerce hosting & store builder reviews below (all based on how recently they were published). Or -

Take my ecommerce platform quiz which will generate the best ecommerce solution for you based on your goals & preferences.

Explore competitors to popular platforms with pages like Shopify Alternatives, Wix Alternatives, and Essential Guide to Ecommerce Options.

Learn more about the marketing side of ecommerce with posts like Inbound Marketing for Ecommerce, How To Get Customers on Shopify, Deciding on Free Shipping, Using Etsy Effectively, and Sending Emails for Ecommerce.

Learn more about the design side of ecommerce with posts like Product Page Best Practices, Best Products to Sell Online, Shopify Website Examples, Weebly Website Examples, and Essential Guide to Choosing a Web Designer.

Shopify Review: Pros & Cons of Using Shopify For eCommerce

Updated September 2, 2020 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

There are a lot of options for running an online store – Shopify is an all-in-one eCommerce solution that I’ve used to run several online stores & consult with clients since 2009. Here’s my Shopify review – with 6+ pros and 6+ cons of using Shopify for your online store.

See Shopify’s Current Plans & Pricing

But first, a bit of background.

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Shopify

Shopify is a hosted ecommerce platform that allows anyone to setup an online store with hosting and support included. If you are looking for an all-in-one solution for your online store, Shopify is a great way to go.

Price: 29

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Ecommerce Hosting

WooCommerce Review: Pros & Cons of Using WooCommerce for an Online Store

Updated November 4, 2019 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

WooCommerce is the most popular ecommerce plugin for WordPress, which is the Internet’s most popular content management software.

WooCommerce was originally developed by a small theme / web design firm in 2011. It grew rapidly among the WordPress community due to its feature set, but also due to its business model.

Explore WooCommerce’s Feature Set

Same as now, you could download & use the full WooCommerce plugin for free from the start. WooThemes made money by selling compatible designs, support, and from specific extensions (e.g. to connect to a credit card processor).

In 2015, Automattic bought WooCommerce from WooThemes. Automattic is the software company run by Matt Mullenweg, the original author of WordPress software.

Ever since, the development of WooCommerce has been tightly coordinated with the development of both self-hosted WordPress and Automattic’s hosted WordPress.com software.

So that’s enough introduction. The point is that WooCommerce is legit, WooCommerce is growing, and WooCommerce can be a great fit for many storeowners…but not all.

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WooCommerce

WooCommerce is the most popular ecommerce option for the most popular CMS (WordPress) for plenty of reasons. But it still has plenty of inherent disadvantages for storeowners. If it's a fit, it's amazing. If not, explore alternatives.

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: WordPress

Application Category: WordPress Plugin

Volusion Review: Pros & Cons of Using Volusion for Ecommerce

Updated June 18, 2019 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Volusion is one of the most popular hosted ecommerce platforms. They focus on providing a full toolkit for ecommerce owners who want a hosted solutions. They have historically been a go-to solution for mid-size ecommerce companies who valued their operations & inventory features.

See Volusion’s Current Plans & Pricing

But, as of July 2018, Volusion launched V2 of their platform. With Volusion V2, they are trying to become the go-to solution for entry-level and intermediate ecommerce sellers with a heavy focus on simplified pricing and simplified onboarding.

I originally used Volusion back with their V1 platform for this review, but recently tried out their V2 platform for a research project. I’ve re-written this post to reflect V2 only – even though there are plenty of stores out there using Volusion V1.

There are a lot of Volusion reviews online – usually with user-generated reviews based on anecdotes and personal experience. That’s fine but I take a different approach. Like any option, it’s going to have some pros and some cons and will really come down to if it’s a good fit for your specific business. In this Volusion review, I’ll focus on 6 pros and 6 cons that will probably most affect your choice.

[Read more…]

Volusion

Volusion is one of the most popular hosted ecommerce platforms with a focus on simplicity and ease of use. Falls down on marketing & feature implementation.

Price: 26

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Ecommerce Hosting

BigCommerce Review: Pros & Cons of Using BigCommerce For Online Stores

Updated April 2, 2019 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

There are a lot of options for running an online store – BigCommerce is an all-in-one ecommerce solution that I’ve worked on for several clients’ online stores since 2012. Here’s my BigCommerce review – with pros and cons of using BigCommerce for your online store.

See BigCommerce’s Current Plans & Pricing

What Is BigCommerce?

There are a lot of considerations that go into an choosing the best online store platform. There are also a ton of options, and your choice of platform can have just as big of an impact on your online business as choosing a physical location for your physical business.

It can greatly expand or hurt your business long-term and in the short term it can certainly add/take away a lot of headaches.

That said, just like choosing a physical location, there is no such thing as an absolute “best” or “top” choice. There’s only the right choice relative to your goals, experience, and circumstances.

There are a lot of BigCommerce reviews online – usually with user-generated reviews based on anecdotes and personal experience. That’s fine but I take a different approach – looking at not only pros & cons but also it’s place in the overall marketplace.

On the wide spectrum of eCommerce solutions, BigCommerce lives on the end that is all-inclusive and provides everything you need to get started and grow your online store. It stands in contrast to solutions where you buy, install, and manage all the “pieces” of your store separately.

Using BigCommerce is sort of like leasing and customizing a storefront in a development instead of building your own store. You’re still in control of design, merchandising, and everything business-wise – but you leave the store construction, plumbing, security, and infrastructure to the property owner.

Again, there are pros and cons to this, but know that BigCommerce competes as a “hosted platform” directly with Shopify (see their site here and my Shopify review here) and Volusion (see their site here and my Volusion review here) as all-inclusive options.

Those options as a group compete with non-turn-key options like WordPress + WooCommerce, Magento, and others.

Now, the last bit about BigCommerce to clarify is that they have two variants – Essentials and Enterprise.

Enterprise competes with Shopify Plus and has a very different market. BigCommerce Essentials appeals to most of my readers, so we’ll focus mainly on Essentials.

Make sense?

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BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a leading company in the ecommerce as a service business. A few flaws including inventory management, but overall a great hosted solution for ecommerce and building an online store.

Price: 29.95

Price Currency: USD

Operating System: All

Application Category: Ecommerce Hosting

Shopify Plus: An Enterprise Ecommerce Platform Review

Updated September 18, 2018 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

Shopify Plus is Shopify’s enterprise eCommerce platform for large and growing online stores and brands. It’s a hosted platform customized, staffed, and priced for big brands. This Shopify Plus review is based on my experience doing SEO consulting with marketing directors using the platform.

Most of my incredible audience are DIYers or small business owners just starting out or working to grow their websites. But I also have a lot of readers in charge of marketing or platform development at large organizations who are looking to apply innovative marketing strategies to their rapidly growing brands.

Both groups of readers have asked the same question: what do you do when your with eCommerce for large businesses? How do you keep the same agile marketing infrastructure when you’re at the enterprise eCommerce level?

I’ve been able to consult with several enterprise level eCommerce brands using platforms ranging from Adobe Magento Commerce, proprietary platforms, a .NET based eCommerce solution, and Shopify Plus.

Check out Shopify Plus’ current features page here.

This Shopify Plus review will look at my experience with Shopify Plus specifically and hosted (SaaS in the jargon) platforms more broadly for the advantages and disadvantages of enterprise eCommerce solutions and how Shopify Plus compares to Magento, BigCommerce, and Shopify.

[Read more…]

Shopify Plus

Shopify Plus is a hosted enterprise ecommerce platform for high volume brands. If a hosted ecommerce platform is right for your company, Shopify Plus has expertise and many strengths. It's highly extensible and versatile. Downside is limited CMS and content limitations.

Operating System: All

Application Category: Ecommerce Hosting

8 Reasons To Choose Shopify For Your Online Store

Updated September 5, 2012 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

// Begin Editor’s Note //

This post is in the process of being updated from 2012 to 2017. It’s still fairly useful, but needs some freshening.

Please check out the following related posts –

// End Editor’s Note //

I recently talked about how to choose an eCommerce platform and reasons why you should use WordPress for eCommerce.

And as I said in both – sometimes the out of the box solution is the best.

Among the “big 3” eCommerce solutions (BigCommerce, Volusion, and Shopify) – I really love working with Shopify. In fact, I used to own a store there for a year or so.

Here’s why you should go for an out of the box solution (using Shopify as an example/recommendation). [Read more…] about 8 Reasons To Choose Shopify For Your Online Store

8 Reasons To Choose WordPress For Your Online Store

Updated August 28, 2012 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure: ShivarWeb may receive a commission when you purchase from companies mentioned on this site. All data & opinions are based on our experience as customers or consultants to customers.

// Begin Editor’s Note //

This post is in the process of being updated from 2012 to 2017. It’s still fairly useful, but needs some freshening.

Please check out the following related posts –

// End Editor’s Note //

One option was to use software to build a website – then “plug in” shopping cart software to use.

When it comes to building websites, few can match WordPress.

It powers millions of sites from CNN to this humble website.

What many don’t know is that it can be an incredible eCommerce platform.

Here’s 8 reasons why you should use WordPress for your online store (and and overview of what shopping carts to “plug in” to make it work. [Read more…] about 8 Reasons To Choose WordPress For Your Online Store