Choosing the Right eCommerce Platform in 2026

Choosing an eCommerce platform is one of the most consequential decisions you'll make for your online store. It affects what you can sell, how customers experience your site, what integrations are possible, and what your ongoing costs will be. Getting it right saves years of frustration; getting it wrong means an expensive migration later.

This guide helps you navigate the options available in 2026, understand the trade-offs, and make an informed decision based on your specific circumstances.

The Main Categories

eCommerce platforms fall into three broad categories, each with distinct characteristics:

Hosted/SaaS Platforms

Services like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Squarespace Commerce handle hosting, security, and software updates for you. You pay a monthly fee and access your store through their systems.

Advantages: Easy to get started, no technical management required, reliable performance, included security.
Disadvantages: Ongoing fees (often plus transaction fees), limited customisation, platform dependency, less control.

Self-Hosted Open Source

Platforms like OpenCart, WooCommerce, Magento Open Source, and PrestaShop are free to download and run on your own hosting. You have full control but are responsible for maintenance.

Advantages: No platform fees, full customisation ability, own your data and infrastructure, no transaction fees from the platform.
Disadvantages: Requires hosting and maintenance, security is your responsibility, updates and backups must be managed.

Headless/Composable

Newer approaches like Medusa, Saleor, or headless modes of traditional platforms separate the storefront from the backend. You build a custom frontend (often with SvelteKit or Next.js) that pulls data from an eCommerce API.

Advantages: Maximum flexibility, best performance possible, future-proof architecture.
Disadvantages: Higher development costs, requires ongoing technical capability, more complexity.

Evaluating Your Requirements

Before comparing platforms, clarify what matters for your business:

Product Types

Simple physical products? Configurable products with variants? Digital downloads? Subscriptions? Services with booking? Different platforms handle these better or worse. Shopify handles simple products excellently but struggles with complex configurations. OpenCart can be extended for almost anything but requires more work.

Catalogue Size

Fifty products? Five thousand? Fifty thousand? Large catalogues need platforms that perform well at scale. Some platforms that work fine with hundreds of products become sluggish with thousands.

Technical Resources

Do you have developers on staff or budget for ongoing development? Are you comfortable managing servers? Or do you need everything handled for you? Your technical capability heavily influences which platforms are practical.

Budget

Consider total cost of ownership, not just obvious fees. Shopify's monthly fee is clear; less obvious are the transaction fees on every sale. OpenCart has no platform fee, but you pay for hosting and development. Over a year, which is actually cheaper depends on your volume and customisation needs.

Growth Plans

Where will you be in three years? A platform that suits a startup may constrain a growing business. Migrating platforms is expensive and disruptive, so choose something you won't outgrow quickly.

Platform-by-Platform Assessment

Shopify

The market leader in hosted eCommerce. Excellent for straightforward retail, particularly for businesses that want to focus on selling rather than technology.

Strengths: Ease of use, extensive app store, reliable infrastructure, strong support, good built-in features.

Weaknesses: Transaction fees (unless you use Shopify Payments), limited customisation, costs scale with revenue, SEO limitations compared to self-hosted.

Best for: Retailers who want simplicity and are willing to pay for it. Businesses without technical resources. Those prioritising speed to market.

WooCommerce

WordPress plugin that adds eCommerce. Dominates market share due to WordPress's ubiquity.

Strengths: Huge ecosystem, familiar WordPress admin, flexible, strong content capabilities, no platform fees.

Weaknesses: Performance issues at scale, plugin conflicts common, security requires attention, can become complex to maintain.

Best for: Businesses already on WordPress, content-heavy sites with eCommerce elements, those comfortable with WordPress ecosystem.

OpenCart

Standalone open-source platform designed purely for eCommerce. Our most-recommended platform for straightforward online retail.

Strengths: Excellent performance, clean architecture, straightforward admin, multi-store built-in, no transaction fees, lightweight.

Weaknesses: Smaller ecosystem than WooCommerce, fewer developers available, less suitable for content-heavy sites.

Best for: Pure-play online stores, businesses prioritising performance, multi-store setups, those wanting open source without WordPress overhead.

Magento (Adobe Commerce)

Enterprise-grade platform for large operations. Magento Open Source is free; Adobe Commerce is the expensive cloud version.

Strengths: Handles massive catalogues, sophisticated B2B features, highly customisable, powerful promotions engine.

Weaknesses: Resource-intensive, complex to develop for, expensive hosting requirements, steep learning curve, high development costs.

Best for: Large businesses with complex requirements, B2B operations, those with dedicated development teams.

BigCommerce

Shopify's main competitor in hosted platforms. More B2B-friendly than Shopify.

Strengths: No transaction fees, good built-in B2B features, strong API, more flexible than Shopify in some areas.

Weaknesses: Less app variety than Shopify, smaller market share means fewer resources available.

Best for: Businesses needing B2B features, those wanting hosted without transaction fees, larger operations finding Shopify limiting.

Headless Solutions

Medusa, Saleor, Commerce.js, and headless modes of traditional platforms offer API-first approaches.

Strengths: Unlimited frontend flexibility, best possible performance, future-proof, can use any frontend technology.

Weaknesses: Requires significant development, ongoing technical maintenance, higher initial investment.

Best for: Businesses needing exceptional frontend experiences, those with development capability, performance-critical applications.

Decision Framework

Based on our experience across many eCommerce projects, here's how we typically guide decisions:

If you have no technical resources and want simplicity: Shopify is hard to beat. The premium you pay funds a polished, well-supported experience.

If you're already on WordPress and adding eCommerce: WooCommerce integrates naturally, but be realistic about performance at scale.

If you want the best performance-to-cost ratio: OpenCart delivers excellent results without platform fees or WordPress overhead.

If you're a large operation with complex needs: Magento or BigCommerce, depending on whether you want self-hosted or SaaS.

If frontend experience is your competitive advantage: Consider headless approaches with custom SvelteKit storefronts.

Migration Considerations

If you're on a platform that no longer fits, migration is possible but not trivial. Products, customers, orders, and content can be transferred, but the process requires careful planning. SEO must be preserved through proper redirects. Integrations need rebuilding.

Budget several weeks to months for a proper migration, depending on complexity. Don't underestimate the work involved, but don't let it trap you on an unsuitable platform either.

Getting Expert Advice

Platform choice affects your business for years. If you're uncertain, getting expert input before deciding can save significant money and frustration.

We're happy to discuss your specific situation and recommend the platform that best fits your requirements, business model, and growth plans—even if the answer is a platform we don't specialise in. Get in touch for an honest assessment.