Starting an online store can be an exciting venture, but it can also be expensive if you don’t choose the right platform.
With so many options available, finding a platform that fits your budget and offers all the features you need to run a successful eCommerce business can be challenging.
You might be wondering about the best eCommerce platforms that offer ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and scalability and how they can help you achieve your online business goals.
To facilitate your search, we’ve compiled a list of the top budget-friendly eCommerce platforms that you can use to start your online store without breaking the bank.
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned eCommerce entrepreneur, these systems will provide you with all the tools you need to succeed.
The Best eCommerce Platforms For Affordable And Scalable Online Store Development
Whop is a powerful eCommerce platform for the digital age. What began as a reputable marketplace is now a popular eCommerce platform, supporting a diverse range of digital products from SaaS to online courses, newsletters, communities, and more. Plus, the Whop platform makes it easy to run a successful eCommerce business with intuitive features, functionalities, and 24/7 customer support if you need any assistance.
Price:
There is no cost to joining Whop as a seller, as signing up and using the platform is completely free. The only costs incurred are a 3% transaction fee and any associated payment processing fees.
Function:
Whop offers a large range of functionalities, including product management, payment processing, and customer management. Plus, through the user-friendly dashboard, you can filter and view important business metrics such as revenue, customers, signups, payments, and marketing. In terms of features, Whop offers a robust marketplace, dispute fighter, extensive payment gateway support, powerful API, marketing and business development assistance, and unparalleled customer support.
User-friendliness:
It is extremely simple to get started on Whop – in fact, the sign-up process takes less than 10 minutes. If you do need any assistance, then Whop’s real-time chat agents will answer your questions in minutes. Assistance is available 24/7.
Theme and design:
Whop is a hosted eCommerce platform, and the design showcases your store in the best possible way. Potential customers can view your branding, product offerings, Q&A, customer reviews, and recent purchases all in one place with the Whop storefront. If you want to access Whop’s features but sell on your own site, then you can use the Whop API.
Pros:
- No sign-up costs and low transaction fees
- Ability to sell a wide variety of digital products, from plugins to memberships, downloads, and more
- Robust API that is easy to integrate with existing sites
- Powerful dashboard with statistics and business actions
- 24/7 customer support
Cons:
- You need a high-quality product to attract insightful buyers
- Digital only platform, no physical products can be sold here
Overall, Whop is a great option for sellers of digital products. With a wide range of product categories, a user-friendly platform, a high-functioning product management portal, and outstanding customer support, Whop is the premier eCommerce platform for digital entrepreneurs. However, if you are looking to sell physical products, Whop is not the platform for you.
Magento is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms that offers a comprehensive range of features and functionalities to help online businesses create and manage their online stores.
Price:
Magento offers two editions: Magento Open Source (free) and Magento Commerce (paid). Magento Commerce starts at $22,000 per year, with a quote-based pricing model for larger enterprises.
Function:
Magento offers various functionalities, including product management, order management, customer management, marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO). It also provides robust catalog management, multi-store management, and integrations with popular payment gateways and shipping providers.
Moreover, Magento PWA Studio helps improve your site’s performance and speed.
User-friendliness:
Magento has a steeper learning curve compared to other eCommerce platforms and may require technical skills and resources for setup and customization.
However, it provides a user-friendly backend interface for managing the store and offers a range of tutorials and user guides.
Theme and design:
Magento offers a wide range of free and paid themes that can be used to customize the look and feel of the online store.
It also allows for extensive customization through HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, making it a popular choice for businesses that need a highly customized store design. Moreover, businesses can opt for hyva theme development services to enhance the aesthetics and functionality of their Magento store.
Pros:
- Extensive functionality for managing products, orders, and customers
- Robust catalog management and multi-store management
- A large community of users, companies, developers, and third-party extensions
- The high degree of customization through HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
- Strong SEO capabilities
- Comprehensive Magento hosting options
Cons:
- Steep learning curve
- Can be resource-intensive, both in terms of time and technical skills
- High cost for the paid version (Magento Commerce)
- Performance can be slow with larger stores and high-traffic
Overall, Magento is a powerful eCommerce platform that is well-suited for businesses that need a high degree of customization and control over their online store. However, there may be better options for businesses looking for a more easy-to-use and cost-effective platform.
Shopify is a leading eCommerce platform that provides businesses with a website builder and hosting solution to sell products online. Let’s overview its key features.
Price:
Shopify has a range of pricing plans, starting from $29 per month for the Basic Shopify plan and going up to $299 per month for the Advanced Shopify plan. There is also a Shopify Lite plan that costs $9 per month and allows you to add an online store to an existing website.
Functionality:
Shopify provides a great batch of features and tools for businesses to build and manage their online stores, including a customizable storefront, payment processing, shipping and tax calculation, order management, and product management.
It also offers various apps and integrations to extend its functionality, including email marketing, product reviews, and social media marketing.
User-friendliness:
Shopify is known for its user-friendly interface and easy-to-use features. Even if you have no prior website building or coding experience, you can use Shopify to set up a professional-looking online store.
Theme and design:
Shopify offers a large selection of free and paid themes to choose from, with options to customize the design and layout of your store. The platform also has a visual theme editor that makes it easy to customize your store’s look and feel.
Pros:
- User-friendly and intuitive interface
- Wide range of features and tools for managing an online store
- Large selection of themes and design options
- Good customer support
- Robust app store for adding additional functionality
- Strong security features
Cons:
- Monthly fees can add up, especially for businesses with high sales volume
- Limited control over server-side functionality and customizability
- Additional fees for specific payment gateways and transaction fees
- Some users may find the themes and design options to be limited
- Higher fees for larger file storage and bandwidth usage
Overall, Shopify is a good choice for businesses of all sizes looking for an easy-to-use and feature-rich platform to sell their products online.
Squarespace is a famous eCommerce website builder like Experro that allows users to create a professional-looking website without any prior coding knowledge. Here is a brief overview of various aspects of Squarespace.
Price:
Squarespace offers several pricing plans, including a Personal plan for $16 per month, a Business plan for $30 per month, and an eCommerce plan for $30 per month. The prices increase slightly if you opt for an annual billing cycle instead of a monthly one.
Functionality:
Squarespace provides a variety of templates and design elements that can be used to create a wide range of websites, including personal portfolios, blogs, and e-commerce stores. It also offers features such as custom domains, email campaigns, and analytics, making it a comprehensive website-building solution.
User-friendliness:
Squarespace is designed to be user-friendly, and its drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create a professional-looking website without any prior coding knowledge. However, some users may find the limited customization options to be a drawback.
Theme and design:
Squarespace offers a large selection of beautiful and modern templates that can be easily customized to suit your needs. It also provides a wide range of design elements, such as fonts, colors, and background images, allowing you to create a unique and visually appealing website.
Pros:
- User-friendly drag-and-drop interface
- Wide selection of professional templates and design elements
- A comprehensive set of features for building and managing a website
- Good customer support
Cons:
- Limited customization options compared to other website builders
- Higher cost compared to some other website builders
- No mobile app for editing the website
In conclusion, Squarespace is a good choice for those looking for a professional-looking website without having to learn how to code. Its user-friendly interface, comprehensive set of features, and beautiful templates make it a perfect solution for individuals and small businesses.
WooCommerce is an open-source eCommerce plugin for WordPress that allows users to set up and manage online stores easily. Here’s a quick rundown of the main points you asked about, along with a brief note on WooCommerce dynamic pricing & discounts.
Price:
WooCommerce is free to use and download. However, there are many premium extensions available that add additional functionality and features to the platform, which can cost anywhere from $29 to $299 per year.
Functionality:
WooCommerce is a highly customizable platform that allows users to sell physical and digital products, manage orders, shipping, and taxes, and even handle payment processing. With the use of extensions, it can also integrate with various shipping carriers, offer subscriptions and memberships, and manage bookings and appointments.
User-friendliness:
WooCommerce is relatively easy to use and has a straightforward interface. However, setting up and customizing a store can still be a bit technical, and users may need to have some basic coding knowledge or be willing to hire a developer.
Theme and design:
WooCommerce is designed to work with any WordPress theme, but there are also many WooCommerce-specific themes available that are optimized for online stores. The design of a store is highly customizable and can be adapted to match a brand’s specific look and feel.
Pros:
- Open source and free to use
- Wide range of customization options
- Extensive library of extensions and plugins
- Strong community and support resources
- Integrates with a variety of payment gateways
Cons:
- Can be technical and difficult for non-developers to set up and customize
- Can be slow and resource-intensive, especially with many products and extensions
- May require additional plugins or custom code to add certain functionality
- Limited built-in SEO features compared to other eCommerce platforms
Overall, WooCommerce is a popular and versatile choice for those looking to build an online store on WordPress. Its open-source nature and the availability of numerous plugins and extensions make it a cost-effective solution for many businesses.
You can consider contacting some top developers of WooCommerce to implement complex solutions.
OpenCart is one of the oldest open-source eCommerce platforms that was first released in 1999.
Price:
OpenCart is free to use; however, if you want to extend the functionality of your store, you’ll need to purchase extensions, which can range in price from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars.
Functionality:
OpenCart provides a wide range of functionalities for creating and managing an online store. It supports multiple languages, currencies, and tax rates, has built-in SEO features, and includes various payment and shipping options. It also allows for easy product management, including inventory tracking, product reviews, and related products.
User-friendliness:
OpenCart has a straightforward and user-friendly interface, making it relatively easy for beginners to use. The platform also has a large community of users and developers who provide support and resources for getting started with the software.
Theme and design:
OpenCart provides a wide range of templates and themes that you can use to customize the look and feel of your store. Additionally, there are many third-party themes and templates available for purchase, so you can find one that fits your specific needs.
Pros:
- Open source and free to use
- A large community of users and developers
- User-friendly interface
- Wide range of functionalities
- Large selection of templates and themes
Cons:
- Limited customization options without knowledge of HTML, CSS, and PHP
- Some features, such as email marketing and customer management, require separate extensions
- Not as scalable as some other eCommerce platforms
- May not be the best option for large enterprises
- Limited security features compared to some other platforms.
Overall, OpenCart is a good option for small to medium-sized businesses that want a free, user-friendly platform for creating and managing an online store. However, for large enterprises or companies that need a highly customizable and scalable platform, there may be better options available.
BigCommerce is a cloud-based eCommerce platform that was first launched in 2009.
Price:
BigCommerce offers several pricing plans, ranging from $29.95 to $249.95 per month. The price you pay depends on the features and functionalities you need for your store. BigCommerce also offers a 15-day free trial, so you can try out the platform before committing to a paid plan.
Functionality:
BigCommerce provides a wide range of features and functionalities for creating and managing an online store. It supports multiple languages, currencies, and tax rates, has built-in SEO features, and includes various payment and shipping options.
It also offers integration with popular marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay, and has robust inventory management and order management features.
User-friendliness:
BigCommerce has a user-friendly interface, making it relatively easy for beginners to use. The platform also has a large community of users and developers who provide support and resources for getting started with the software.
Theme and design:
BigCommerce offers a wide range of templates and themes that you can use to customize the look and feel of your store. Additionally, there are many third-party themes and templates available for purchase, so you can find one that fits your specific needs.
BigCommerce also provides customization tools that allow you to make further changes to your store’s design without knowing HTML, CSS, or other coding languages.
Pros:
- Cloud-based, so no need to worry about server maintenance
- Wide range of functionalities and features
- User-friendly interface
- Large selection of templates and themes
- Good integration options with popular marketplaces
Cons:
- Pricing can be more expensive than other eCommerce platforms
- Limited customization options compared to some other platforms
- Some features, such as email marketing and customer management, require separate extensions
- Some users may find the platform to be less flexible compared to other eCommerce platforms
Overall, BigCommerce is a good option for businesses of all sizes that want a user-friendly platform for creating and managing an online store. The platform’s wide range of features and functionalities, combined with its user-friendly interface and good integration options, make it a winning choice for businesses looking for a cloud-based eCommerce solution.
Conclusion
Here you go, the top budget-friendly eCommerce platforms for building the scalable online store of your dream. Each platform offers a unique set of features, functionalities, and design options, and the right choice for you will depend on your specific needs and budget.
When choosing the best system, it’s important to consider factors such as ease of use, scalability, customization options, and payment and shipping options.
If you want to add your product to our list of the top eCommerce platforms, email us with your company details. After a thorough review, we’ll decide whether it’s a valuable addition.
