Your platform choice is the one e-commerce decision that's genuinely painful to reverse. Migrating a live store means re-doing your theme, apps, SEO, and checkout — so it's worth getting right the first time. We've built and evaluated stores on all seven of these platforms. Here's the honest breakdown.
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The short version of a long market: hosted platforms (Shopify, BigCommerce, Squarespace, Wix) handle servers, security, and updates for a monthly fee — you focus on selling. Open-source platforms (WooCommerce, Magento, PrestaShop) are free software you host yourself — cheaper at the software level, but you own every technical problem. Most founders should start hosted and only go open-source with a clear reason: custom requirements, an existing WordPress site, or a developer on the team.
The default choice for a reason. Shopify runs millions of stores because it nails the fundamentals: fast setup, the highest-converting checkout in the industry, and an app store that covers every feature you'll ever need. In 2026 its AI suite (Shopify Magic and Sidekick) writes product descriptions, edits images, and answers "how do I..." questions inside the admin. The trade-offs are real but manageable: transaction fees if you don't use Shopify Payments, and app subscriptions that creep up your monthly bill.
Deep dive: read our full Shopify review.
The open-source giant that turns any WordPress site into a store. WooCommerce's pitch is ownership: no monthly platform fee, no transaction fees, and total control over every pixel and database row. The real cost shows up elsewhere — hosting, premium plugins, and your time maintaining it all. If you already run WordPress or want content-plus-commerce under one roof, it's excellent. If you just want to sell, Shopify is less friction.
Torn between the top two? See our Shopify vs WooCommerce comparison.
The strongest Shopify alternative for growing catalogs. BigCommerce builds more into the base price — real B2B features, multi-storefront, advanced product options — where Shopify would send you to the app store. It also charges zero transaction fees on any payment gateway, which matters if you don't want to be locked into one processor. The theme and app ecosystem is smaller, and sales thresholds force plan upgrades as you grow.
The design-first option. Squarespace templates remain the most beautiful in the business, and its commerce plans handle products, subscriptions, digital downloads, and bookings without plugins. It's ideal for brands where aesthetics sell the product — creatives, food, fashion, services. It is not built for big catalogs, complex shipping rules, or app-store-level extensibility, and it won't pretend to be.
Wix has quietly become a legitimate commerce platform. The drag-and-drop editor is the easiest on this list, the AI site builder generates a working store from a text prompt, and business plans include sales features that used to require upgrades. The ceiling is lower than Shopify's — checkout customization and scaling options thin out as you grow — but for a first store or a local business adding online sales, it's the gentlest on-ramp.
The enterprise heavyweight. Magento — now Adobe Commerce — can model catalogs, pricing rules, and multi-store setups that would break every other platform on this list. That power costs money: licensing starts in the tens of thousands per year, and you'll need experienced developers on retainer. The free open-source edition (Magento Open Source) still exists but demands serious technical resources. Choose it for complexity you actually have, not complexity you might have someday.
Europe's open-source favorite. PrestaShop is free to download, lighter-weight than Magento, and particularly strong on European essentials: multi-language storefronts, VAT handling, and localization that US-first platforms treat as an afterthought. The module marketplace can get expensive à la carte, and like all self-hosted options, you own the maintenance. A solid middle path between WooCommerce's simplicity and Magento's weight.
| Platform | Type | Starts At | Transaction Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Hosted | $29/mo | 0–2% (0% with Shopify Payments) |
| WooCommerce | Open source | ~$10/mo (hosting) | None (gateway fees only) |
| BigCommerce | Hosted | $29/mo | None |
| Squarespace | Hosted | ~$27/mo | 0% on Commerce plans |
| Wix | Hosted | $29/mo | None on business plans |
| Adobe Commerce | Enterprise / open source | ~$22k/yr (or free OSS) | None (gateway fees only) |
| PrestaShop | Open source | ~$20/mo (hosting) | None (gateway fees only) |
For most founders in 2026: Shopify. It's not the cheapest on paper, but it's the cheapest in total cost of attention — no servers, no security patches, no plugin conflicts, and a checkout that converts better than anything you'd build yourself. Start the free trial, list ten products, and you'll know within a week if it fits.
The exceptions: already on WordPress → WooCommerce. Design-led small catalog → Squarespace. Large catalog or B2B → BigCommerce. Enterprise complexity with a dev team → Adobe Commerce. European multi-language store → PrestaShop.
Try Shopify Free →Building out your store stack? See our guides to payment gateways, dropshipping & fulfillment tools, and e-commerce marketing & CRO tools — or browse all categories on the My Seven Stars homepage.