Best Open-Source and Free E-commerce Platforms

If you are a business owner intending to make it big in the industry, then it is mandatory to get acquainted with the top e-commerce frameworks at work. Open-source and free e-commerce platforms have become increasingly popular among small to mid-sized businesses to establish a stronghold in the online market without breaking the bank. However, businesses can only capitalize on the full potential of these platforms once they are well-acquainted with their importance, functionality, benefits, drawbacks, and other significant details.

Read along for a thorough knowledge of the top e-commerce frameworks and the most popular open-source and free e-commerce platforms in today’s market.

What is an E-commerce Platform?

With digitization, today, the world has evolved into a massive marketplace where buyers and sellers across the globe regularly engage in business interactions. Let’s understand what e-commerce means and how it helps both parties.

For instance, a retailer selling handmade crafts decides to expand customer reach with online sales. He has to set up an online store using an e-commerce platform and create a product catalog on the platform, listing all the products with detailed descriptions and high-quality images. He can implement the marketing tools available on the e-commerce platform to promote and market the products to attract more traffic. When any customer places an order, the retailer can use the platform’s order management tools to fulfill the order. Additionally, he can also track performance based on the sales reports and analytics generated by the platform. 

On the other hand, suppose customer Amy wants to purchase a dress. Rather than going to a physical store, she can shop online using an e-commerce platform. She searches for online stores that sell dresses and stumbles upon a website built on an e-commerce platform like WooCommerce. She browses the store’s product catalog and selects a dress according to her taste and budget. She adds the product to the shopping cart, fills in the required details during checkout, and pays for the product. She receives order confirmation and tracking details from the respective platform. The platform offered a secure and streamlined experience for Amy, where she could complete a purchase from the comfort of her home without any hassles.

Therefore, an e-commerce platform refers to a software application that aids businesses in creating and managing online stores, where they can exhibit and sell their range of products to customers over the internet.

Why Choose an Open-Source or Free E-commerce Platform?

Now, businesses cannot invest truckloads of money in developing and maintaining a robust e-commerce store. Choosing the right e-commerce platform is vital for any business to curtail unnecessary expenses and optimize available resources. Here are a few reasons why you must opt for open-source or e-commerce platforms:

• Cost-effectiveness – The biggest advantage of using open-source or free e-commerce platforms is their budget-friendliness. You can avail yourself of a host of in-built features and functionalities without paying hefty licensing fees or shelling out more money on extensions and add-ons. 
• Security – Generally, open-source platforms offer more security than their proprietary counterparts. Since an active community reviews and improves the code regularly, any security vulnerabilities can be easily identified and patched quickly.
• Customizability and flexibility – Open-source platforms come with a broad range of add-ons, themes, third-party integrations, templates, etc. Therefore, businesses can tailor the design of their online storefront based on their unique requirements.
• Widespread support – Another important feature is the highly active developers’ community that constantly keeps pushing boundaries for the platform’s development. The community not only offers support for troubleshooting issues, but it also contributes generously with advanced ideas and upgrades. 
• Multiple payment gateways – Access to a pool of popular payment gateways renders a huge advantage to businesses catering to an expansive customer base across the globe. In fact, some countries stick to their preferred payment gateways, so you can integrate your site with those specific gateways and expand your business.

Factors to Consider When Choosing an Open-Source or Free E-commerce Platform

Here are some crucial factors to consider while choosing an open-source or free e-commerce platform:

• Ease of use – When choosing a platform, it’s advisable to opt for one that provides easy installation, setup, and usage, even for individuals with little to no technical experience. An intuitive interface and clear documentation help to get your online store ready and running quickly. Steer clear of platforms that involve a steep learning curve, particularly if you are a beginner.
• Cost – While open-source and free e-commerce platforms can be free and cost-effective, eliminating licensing fees often adds to your expenses. As and when your business scales up, it will require more advanced features, add-ons, integrations, maintenance, hosting, etc. All these bear a price tag. Therefore, you must consider the total ownership cost.
• Functionality – Choose a platform that can offer the features and functionality for your online store to run more effectively. Tools and features like inventory management, SEO, payment gateway integrations, reporting, analytics, shipping, etc., help to modify your e-commerce business. Also, your platform must be mobile-friendly.
• Customization – Ensure that the platform enables multiple customizable options to suit your requirements. This includes the ability to modify the layout and design of your site, integrate with third-party tools, add new features, and upgrade.
• Security – Security is of utmost importance as it safeguards your site from potential threats and vulnerabilities. Therefore, look for a platform that offers adequate security and meets industry data protection and compliance standards.
• Scalability –  If you intend to scale your business, choosing a platform capable of handling increased traffic and higher sales volume without compromising on stability or performance is important.
• Support – Customer support is another crucial factor directly impacting your online store’s performance, especially if you are running 24/7. So, choose an open-source or free platform that offers responsive customer support via community forums, direct channels, videos, or documentation.

Popular Open-Source and Free E-commerce Platforms 

1. Square Online

Ranked among the best free e-commerce platforms, Square Online enables businesses to build a fully-functional website. You can implement multiple features available on the platform and make your website stand out with zero coding knowledge. On the other hand, users with coding knowledge can capitalize on its API and create specialized integrations.

With Square Online, users can capture leads and stay connected with customers with forms and special coupons, manage Google ads via Square dashboard, sell products on various social media handles, manage inventory across all sales channels, and more. The platform seamlessly facilitates and coordinates online and offline sales.

In short, Square Online takes care of the overall e-commerce framework, offering a one-stop solution for all critical functions, be it inventory and sales management, team coordination, or marketing.

Pros

• The platform offers a plethora of customizable templates to create a unique, professionally stylized online store.
• Square Online is very user-friendly. The installation and setup procedure is pretty simple. Even a novice can build and design an online store with its drag-and-drop interface.
• Users have access to robust inventory management features such as order tracking, low-inventory alerts, etc.
• The most valued feature of Square Online is its social media integrations that allow businesses to sell their products on social media handles like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Moreover, you are entitled to seamless inventory management with automatic real-time syncing of your offline and online stores.

Cons

• While Square Online does offer some customization options, it may not be as customizable as other platforms, particularly when it comes to the design and layout of your online store.
• Square Online may not have all the features that some businesses require. For example, it may not support certain shipping options or integrations with other tools or services.

USP

The platform is widely acclaimed for its exceptional omnichannel selling, predesigned customizable templates, and over 200 third-party integrations. It has emerged as a solid choice, especially for businesses that intend to set up their online store and flourish quickly.

2. Wix E-commerce

Wix E-commerce qualifies among the most prominent website builders known for creating well-designed professional websites. The free model is specifically beneficial for beginners or inexperienced users in need of some powerful tools that would help develop and host a basic website. Moreover, access to templates, clip art, images, and icons enhances the online store’s appearance.

Pros

• Wix’s third-party integrations with tools such as Mailchimp, Google AdSense, get Funding, Shipstation, Shippo, Craftybase, etc., offer businesses an extra edge.
• Users can design their websites from over 800 whopping templates that enable customization according to their requirements. All of this can be accomplished simply with the drag-and-drop options and no coding.
• The platform is extremely easy to set up and use as it requires no technical expertise. The ADI (artificial design intelligence) feature helps you build your homepage in no time by asking some questions and determining the images, layout, headlines, and style suitable for your brand. Once the page is ready, you can make the necessary adjustments.
• Another advantage of using this platform is its promotional capabilities. You can SEO optimize your website and avail of email marketing completely free of cost.

Cons

• If you use the free plan, your website will be bombarded with ads, tampering with your website’s layout and making it look cluttered.
• Despite numerous customizable options, the platform lacks flexibility. You won’t be able to access third-party apps or plugins apart from the ones available on Wix App Market. Moreover, your site is non-transferable to any other platform, and once you launch the website, you won’t be able to alter the template.
• The platform imposes a storage limit regardless of the plan you choose. This makes it highly suitable for large businesses that need lots of images and videos for product cataloging.

USP

Wix’s unique selling point lies in some of its features, such as AI-powered design tools, customizable templates, multilingual support, etc. Wix is the perfect online store builder for small businesses and startups to set up a professional yet attractive brand.

3. Ecwid

A compound name derived from E-commerce Widget, Ecwid, was launched in 2009, and it has been growing ever since. Currently, more than 200,000 customers across 100 countries use this platform. However, Ecwid ranks among the top e-commerce platforms for offering a free plan, a drag-and-drop interface, and zero transaction charges.

Ecwid offers four plans, namely Free, Venture, Business, and Unlimited. Each of these plans comes with variable functionality. While the lowest-priced plan starts at $15/month, prices can reach up to $99 with additional features.

Pros

• With Ecwid, users can easily transform every existing website into e-commerce.
• The free plan allows unlimited bandwidth, discount coupons, ten products, and two categories.
• Shopping carts are automatically mobile-optimized.
• Multilingual support and multi-currency sales help businesses reach a global customer base.

Cons

• Ecwid is not a preferable option for expansive businesses as it lacks advanced features for handling a dynamic online store with a large inventory.
• Users without coding knowledge can find embedding Ecwid pretty challenging.
• Upgradation to the paid plans is necessary to sell products as only ten products can be listed with the free plan, making sales impossible. Moreover, the free plan restricts you from selling on major social media handles like Facebook.
• SEO features need improvement, especially while creating redirects or changing product URLs.

USP

As the name implies, Ecwid ideally acts as a widget on pre-existing sites. It is mostly used by small businesses and startups to sell their products across multiple sales channels, including social media, online marketplaces, and different websites.

4. WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a renowned open-source e-commerce platform, basically a plugin built on WordPress. Therefore, users will need to log into their WordPress website, go to plugins, search WooCommerce, and install and activate it.

Pros

• The plugin comes free of cost and is very easy to install and set up.
• WooCommerce has extensive support for multiple payment gateways, including popular ones such as PayPal and Stripe, along with many others.
• Once you have a theme ready, you only need to concentrate on developing content.
• This platform is also known for its top-notch support. Users can get a quick fix to any issues with the help center support options – Education, Setup Wizard, Found a Bug?, WooCommerce 101, and Help & Support.

Cons

• WooCommerce requires a WordPress website to function and operations like hosting, caching, and SEO. Due to its steep learning curve, this may be challenging for many users, especially the novice.
• If you do not possess developer skills and some technical expertise, then you may have to be dependent on the services of ‘WooExpert.’ The project prices and hourly prices will add heavily to your costs.
• Although WooCommerce is free, additional expenses are incurred on web hosting, SSL certificate, domain, theme, etc. These charges are pretty exorbitant and unbearable for numerous businesses, causing financial setbacks in the long run.

USP

The unique selling point of WooCommerce is its ability to convert any WordPress site into an online store. Moreover, its myriad of extensions allows businesses to sell subscriptions, receive online bookings and recurrent payments, etc. This platform draws attention for its versatility.

5. CS-Cart Multi-Vendor

CS-Cart Multi-Vendor has secured a spot as one of the best e-commerce platforms where multiple vendors are allowed to sell their products smoothly through a unified online marketplace. Therefore, this open-source platform is not just about building an online store but creating an entire marketplace that can host many merchants. This comes in handy for big enterprises and large businesses.

Pros

• This feature-rich standalone software comes with 500 plus e-commerce features, several shipping and payment methods, an efficient layout editor, marketing and SEO tools, a mobile-friendly model, etc.
• The software offers unlimited flexibility as it is completely self-hosted, allowing the owner to control marketplaces, change designs, enable or disable features, etc.
• Vendors can augment sales by optimizing promotion, marketing, and SEO tools. Moreover, vendors can sell their digital and offline products through the same platform.
• Video tutorials and documented guidelines help users troubleshoot in case any problem crops up while operating the app. Additionally, users are ensured top-notch security services with regular updates to eliminate vulnerabilities.
• The software is also very user-friendly, with easy navigation and well-organized menu options.

Cons

• Some users have reported issues with the refund policy and procedure. A 30-day period is also not enough to analyze the capabilities and utility of the app.
• Users have to be dependent on developers and third-party hosting to handle the technicalities and set up and maintain the marketplace.
• Understanding and implementing so many features and functionalities may turn out to be overwhelming and confusing for many users.

USP

CS-Cart Multi-Vendor is a highly-rated software used by more than 120 countries for its ability to support numerous vendors on a single storefront. It is an ideal choice for businesses aiming to build an online marketplace where more players can offer their product range. The software’s advanced vendor management tools, customization options, and in-built security features mark its uniqueness.

6. PrestaShop

Founded in 2007, PrestaShop has emerged as a leading open-source e-commerce platform helping small to mid-sized businesses establish an online presence with little effort.

Pros

• One unique feature that makes PrestaShop stand apart is its unique collection of themes. The themes are categorized into five sections – compatibility (based on the PrestaShop version being used), style (based on your brand’s nature), category (based on the industry), developer (based on rankings of premium development companies), and functionality (based on products and required functions).
• The platform offers more than 4,500 predesigned customizable templates, rendering each website a differently stylized look.
• Inventory management and store maintenance have been simplified with PrestaShop’s easy-to-use interface. Moreover, live demo options help users better understand the processes.
• The platform supports 75 languages, making it all the more flexible and convenient for different types of users. It also supports multiple currencies.
• Unlike Magento, this software does not slow down your website or lag because it is considerably lightweight.

Cons

• Prestashop is best suited for small and mid-sized businesses because it cannot support scalability. However, it may boost your business and help to expand.
• Some coding skills are necessary to design your site. Also, it lacks an efficient support team.
• Another major drawback is the lack of security, making it vulnerable to data breaches and threats.
• PrestaShop also needs to work on the marketing front, as numerous users are unable to cross-sell their products.

USP

Despite being a new entrant in the e-commerce industry, PrestaShop has made its mark for its unparalleled user experience and open-source framework. It is best known for offering businesses affordable and customizable solutions to set up and manage their online stores. Features like in-built SEO, a large community of developers, multilingual support, etc., enable businesses to optimize their online stores for search engines.

7. nopCommerce

nopCommerce was first released in 2008 and has recorded a whopping 2.5 million plus downloads to date. In fact, this open-source platform takes pride in building over 50,000 live stores.

Pros

• In contrast to CS-Cart Multi-Vendor, nopCommerce’s services are free of charge and have zero hidden costs.
• With this platform, users are not only entitled to a plethora of features but also data security.
• Its pre-built integrations from developers worldwide ensure the implementation of stable and advanced technology to secure the best performance of your online store.
• This Microsoft ASP.NET-backed open-source platform helps in creating dynamic websites with search-friendly URLs, well-designed product pages, etc.

Cons

• While nopCommerce is highly customizable, it also entails a steep learning curve. Therefore, businesses may have to allocate more funds and resources for setting up and managing their online stores.
• Although users can avail of the features without any costs, expenses are incurred on web hosting, themes, SSL certificate, development services, third-party plugins, etc.
• Businesses have to rely on their technical team to maintain the online store and troubleshoot issues because nopCommerce offers very limited customer support.

USP

nopCommerce’s unique selling point lies in its configurable options developed as per the requirements of store owners. Moreover, features like market automation, multilingual support, multi-vendor functionalities, an efficient administrative panel, etc., have won countless users.

8. X-Cart

X-Cart was founded in 2001, and in its 20+ operational years, it has helped users across 111 countries to build more than 40,000 online stores. Its collaboration with Seller Labs since 2019 has only strengthened its services, making it an all-in-one solution for online selling.

Pros

• Besides a free plan, X-Cart does not levy transaction charges on any of its paid plans.
• The platform allows flexible payment options and integrations with 120+ payment gateways like Stripe, Sage, and PayPal.
• Users can seek technical assistance at any time via email, live chat, phone, etc.
• Features like SEO, analytics, email marketing, mobile optimization, and multiple integrations ensure the growth of your online store. Additionally, omnichannel selling functions offer a unified view of your inventory and sales.
• X-Cart prioritizes security for its users. Features such as SSL encryption, two-factor authentication, and PCI DSS compliance ensures security.

Cons

• Personalized customer support comes at a cost. So, if you can’t resolve your issues with the available self-help tools, be ready to shell out some extra money. Also, hosting might cost you from $5/month to thousands. Add-ons, upgrades, and customizations also add to your expenses.
• X-Cart is not convenient for beginners and users with little to no development and coding skills.

USP

Some of X-Cart’s salient features include multi-vendor functionalities, multi-currency support, 24×7 technical aid, 120+ popular payment gateways, etc. Users can choose from a variety of price models according to their requirements.

9. Solidus

Dissatisfied with the complexity and lack of flexibility of existing e-commerce solutions, a team of developers built a highly customizable open-source platform named Solidus on the Ruby on Rails model. This platform allows your software or tech team to design the entire website without any predesigned templates.

Pros

• Solidus’ community-driven feature involving a large team of developers ensures that the platform is evolving and improving consistently.
• The platform is completely free of charge due to its open-source framework.
• Users can avail of various payment gateways such as PayPal, Stripe, Braintree, etc., while also making the most of digital wallets like Google Pay and Apple Pay.
• Solidus offers a wide variety of features encompassing product catalog, payment, and logistics. For instance, you can use the in-built tax calculator to compute complex rates.
• With this platform, you can not just customize the text boxes and color schemes but every aspect of your online store to mark its uniqueness.
• If you have some expertise in coding, you can enhance features like inventory and stock with automation.

Cons

• You might need to get a software engineer on board because coding skills are required to automate processes.
• Although you can get support from community forums and blogs, you have to rely on your skills or a software engineer to resolve issues. Solidus does not have an official support team to assist you in case of emergencies.
• Setting up an online store is more time-consuming in contrast to Solidus’ drag-and-drop counterparts. This is because lots of coding is required to build these websites.

USP

Solidus has been used by innumerable stores like Bonobos, FLOYD, Caspers, and others. The community-driven platform stays true to its claims by offering unlimited flexibility, customizable options, and extensions while saving money and time.

10. Magento Open Source

When it comes to features, nothing compares with the e-commerce platform Magento Open Source. The platform offers free and paid plans to meet the exclusive requirements of businesses.

Pros

• Businesses can tailor their online stores as per their unique needs with a wide range of design templates, extensions, and plugins to add more features and functionality.
• Magento allows businesses to customize their stores according to their target customers. Features like multi-currency, multilingual support, product cataloging, localized content, etc., help expand the customer base.
• SEO-friendliness, omnichannel support, third-party integrations, community support, etc., ensure businesses exercise full control over their sites.
• Users can also gain access to numerous out-of-the-box features such as URL redirects, sitemaps, coupons, order tracking, etc., offering an extra competitive edge.

Cons

• Just like Solidus, Magento lacks a support team ready to assist and resolve problems you may come across. So, you have to take alternate measures to handle issues.
• This platform is not suitable for startups and small businesses as some amount of investment is required on hosting, domain, themes, add-ons, etc. Moreover, if you lack developer skills, this platform is a big no-no.
• Since this platform is feature-rich, it may make your site lag and appear more clumsy. Therefore, you may end up allocating more time to optimization.

USP

Magento Open Source is loaded with features that boost performance, agility, and conversions. Some noteworthy features include content staging, visual merchandising, page builder, customer segmentation, and others. Magento boasts a strong 300,000-plus community of developers. Enterprise-level businesses derive great benefits from this platform as it helps to scale up quickly.

11. OpenCart

If you own a startup, OpenCart can be the most helpful open-source platform for setting up your online store from scratch and getting it running in no time.

Pros

• With OpenCart, users can set up multiple personalized stores, exhibiting products with different price tags. Additionally, access to over 50+ prominent payment gateways and multiple currency and language support helps to cater to overseas customers and build a strong global presence.
• This platform comes with a user-friendly interface ensuring easy and intuitive navigation, even for the not tech-savvy ones.
• OpenCart not only offers a free download, but it also opens up a myriad of themes for users at zero cost.
• Over 13,000 integrations are available for users to choose from for their specific requirements encompassing website building, payment processing, reporting, etc.

Cons

• Although the community forum extends support, personalized or technical assistance bears a hefty cost. For instance, one-time assistance charges start at $99.
• Custom websites are also prone to bugs, as testing is not possible for each site.
• If you are looking for advanced features, then be ready to spend more. For instance, the cost of professional templates may range from around $20 to $100. A limited demo is available for you to try out the features.

USP

OpenCart meets all essential e-commerce parameters with its series of tools and features, including inventory management, customizable themes, sales monitoring, etc. However, the platform is preferred by startups and small-scale businesses due to its ease of use and budget-friendly nature.

12. osCommerce

osCommerce, or Open Source Commerce, is a self-hosted e-commerce platform that has been around since 2000. It is counted among the oldest e-commerce platforms with a loyal following across small to medium businesses.

Pros

• The interactive community forum enables users to share their issues and get quick fixes. Users also have access to millions of posts and active conversations for support and guidance. The community currently includes over 355,600 store owners.
• osCommerce is one of the cheapest platforms offering more than 7,000 features and functionality at zero cost. Its wide array of templates, over 9,100 free add-ons, third-party integrations, etc., helps businesses customize their online stores based on their preferences.
• One of the greatest advantages of osCommerce is its shallow learning curve, which is suitable for beginners and users with little technical knowledge. Developers can use this self-hosted platform to modify the online store smoothly.

Cons

• There is no restraint on the number of plugins you want to add to your site, but most of these extensions and add-ons are chargeable.
• osCommerce is a bit backdated when it comes to technical prowess. Manually updating add-ons can be painstaking and time-consuming. Also, there’s a risk of security breaches with missed updates.
• Businesses looking to scale up their operations quickly may not find this platform valuable as it may fail to handle large amounts of traffic and data.

USP

osCommerce’s unique selling point comprises its user-friendly interface, community support, and premium features, including multiple online transactions, third-party integrations, product cataloging, stock management, etc.

13. JigoShop

Launched in 2011, JigoShop has undergone several updates to ensure ease of use, even for a novice. Since its release, this WordPress plugin has fetched over 370,000 downloads, making it a popular choice for numerous small and medium businesses.

Pros

• None of the open-source competitors can beat JigoShop in user experience. It has the simplest user interface that enables smooth and intuitive navigation. However, don’t forget to check the demos of the backend and front end of your site before downloading it.
• Interestingly, JigoShop not only extends an impressive series of themes but it also offers users a 10% discount on their next purchase if they drop a review. The prices of professional themes can cost anywhere between $35 and $155. However, the themes bear a 14-day money-back guarantee.
• Businesses can expand their customer reach with the help of JigoShop’s paid and free payment extensions like Amazon Pay and PayPal Pro.
• Users can seek assistance via its support forum, knowledge base, and documentation.
• The SEO features help businesses rank high on search engines. Moreover, JigoShop paid and 40+ free marketing integrations attract more customers.
• Users can monitor and analyze store performance with stock reports, product orders, and sales graphs.

Cons

• JigoShop has minimalist coding requirements, but you have to edit the codes due to the absence of website developers. Moreover, no alternate customer support is available apart from the blog posts and community forums.
• Although some extensions and themes are available for free, they are comparatively bland. On the other hand, paid ones can be a bit too pricey.
• JigoShop offers limited scalability.

USP

JigoShop qualifies as one of the topmost feature-rich open-source platforms offering order management, product import/export, shipping tools, multiple payment gateways, a comprehensive dashboard, and an active support community.

14. Drupal Commerce

Designed on the Drupal content management system (CMS), Drupal Commerce is another renowned open-source e-commerce platform favored for its designing capabilities. This platform is often pitted against WordPress because of its widespread use in creating online stores and websites.

Pros

• This platform is considered to be more scalable than WordPress as it can easily handle a larger amount of traffic.
• Drupal helps developers build a complex website in a jiffy as it was originally designed to render high-quality features to professionals. Users must adhere to stringent development standards to attain the best output.
• Its built-in caching boosts performance and speed that most open-source platforms fail to offer.
• The platform offers open-source code, allowing users to rebuild codes as per their needs.
• Apart from an active online community, Drupal’s support includes an extensive video library where users can access resourceful materials.
• Another benefit of using Drupal is its high-level security that ensures increased data protection.

Cons

• One of the major drawbacks of Drupal Commerce is its complex learning curve. Even skilled developers may find Drupal’s interface complicated. Drupal can be intimidating for beginners getting started with their online store.
• Websites powered by Drupal tend to consume more resources since they incorporate innumerable modifications and components.
• Unlike the paid plans, the free version lacks good-quality designs.
• Support from experts can be very costly, while site modification, auditing, and onboarding costs start from $580/month.

USP

Drupal Commerce is best known for designing all types of websites and offering highly customizable e-commerce solutions. It offers every feature and tool necessary for businesses to sell products, manage inventory, and handle online transactions. This platform supports around 142 languages and caters to users across 200 nations.

15. WP eCommerce

Just like WooCommerce, WP eCommerce works as a WordPress plugin but is relatively less popular among users. This plugin enables businesses to convert their WordPress website into an online store, where they can add a range of products, create categories, run promotions, etc.

Pros

• Users have access to numerous popular payment gateways for easy transactions. WP eCommerce also integrates easily with other WordPress plugins and services like marketing tools and shipping services.
• This platform is a good choice for startups because of its affordable pricing plans and no hidden fees.
• Both frontend and backend allow easy navigation. You can even customize endlessly with HTML and CSS.
• Businesses can avail of its unique coupon feature, where they can modify the conditions such as discount amount, coupon activation and deactivation, eliminating specific products from discounts, etc.

Cons

• WP eCommerce works fine for startups and small businesses as it has a limited range of features and just 16 add-ons.
• Unlike most open-source platforms, the multi-currency and multilingual tools are backdated.
• Direct customer support requires payment, yet the training videos often fail to load, and the pages show a 404 error.
• WooCommerce offers a better and more expansive collection of themes than WP eCommerce.

USP

WP eCommerce is used by businesses mainly for its user-friendly interface, flexibility, and affordability.

16. Spree Commerce

Similar to Solidus, Spree Commerce is modeled on Ruby on Rails. It is a 100% free e-commerce platform used to build, manage, customize, and run online stores easily. Ever since its release in 2008; this open-source platform has supported more than 50,000 businesses.

Pros

• Spree Commerce supports multiple languages and currencies, making it easy for businesses to sell products globally.
• Users get access to multiple payment gateways like Athorize.Net and Stripe.
• API access, third-party integrations, and powerful marketing, management, analytics, and customization tools offer an extra edge to your online store.
• Spree offers top-notch security and is PCI-compliant.

Cons

• Spree’s learning curve can be steep for intermediates and beginners.
• Some technical know-how is necessary to fully optimize Spree’s resources. Moreover, manual handling is required for installation and hosting. Therefore, you might need a development team onboard.
• The platform offers a limited collection of themes.

USP

Spree allows users to add, alter, and configure functionalities to enhance their websites. This platform is favored for its highly customizable nature. Spree’s inventory management tools, multiple storefronts, an analytical dashboard, SEO tools, and other features make it singular.

17. Joomla

Joomla is basically a Content Management System (CMS) that outshines its competitors in user experience. This platform is particularly useful for startups looking for a convenient method of setting up and scaling their online business.

Pros

• Users can set up their online store and avail of the features and functionalities at zero cost, making it highly affordable for small businesses.
• Installation and setting up Joomla is very simple with the help of PHP scripts.
• If you are looking for global expansion, Joomla’s multilingual feature can come to your aid.
• Moreover, the built-in SEO features and marketing tools help content development and secure high search engine results, drawing more traffic and scaling up your business.

Cons

• While Joomla is easy to use, it demands some technical expertise to set up and maintain. You might need a professional developer’s assistance if you are unfamiliar with web development.
• Several users have reported compatibility issues while using plugins. You can only have the optimum functionality of plugins when you use the PHP code for making changes.

USP

The main USP of Joomla is its user-friendliness, as it offers the latest user management controls.

18. Branchbob

Branchbob is a German-origin cloud-based e-commerce platform that allows users to easily create their online stores without any technical expertise or coding skills.

Pros

• Users have access to over 100 APIs for experimentation.
• The user-friendly drag-and-drop interface enables users, even beginners, to customize their store’s functionality easily.
• Image optimization and faster page loading speed are some of the major benefits of Branchbob that help businesses provide better customer experience.
• There are no transaction fees or monthly charges imposed by the platform. However, if you want Branchbob experts to help you build a professional website, be ready to pay the price.

Cons

• Coding skills are necessary to capitalize on the features and tools.
• Although Branchbob offers integrations with popular tools and services, it may not have as many options as its rival e-commerce platforms. This is a major drawback for businesses that require specific integrations for their operations.

USP

Branchbob comes with an array of features, including product management, order processing, payment processing, and shipping management.

19. Big Cartel

In 2005, Eric Turner and Matt Wigham founded Big Cartel with the objective of extending a simple and affordable e-commerce solution for creative entrepreneurs. This platform has something unique to offer as it doesn’t cater to regular e-commerce websites but to creatives, artists, and designers across the world.

Pros

• Big Cartel not just helps users build their online stores but also provides specialized tools to sell their art pieces.
• You can customize and utilize the predesigned themes to make your store unique. If you know some coding, you can make the most of Big Cartel’s functionalities and modify your site.
• A huge advantage of Big Cartel is that users can generate more revenue by selling their products in person and on social media platforms like Facebook.
• Big Cartel is extremely cost-effective with free hosting. Besides its free plan, it offers paid Platinum and Diamond plans.

Cons

• The platform lacks advanced e-commerce functionality and features like an email marketing tool.
• You can sell up to five products under the free plan, limiting your store’s selling capabilities. The basic paid Platinum Plan starts at $9.99/month, where you can sell up to 50 products.
• Security features are not reliable.
• You can reach out to customer support only through email.

USP

The specialty of this platform is that it narrows down creators and artists, helping them build websites and sell their products seamlessly. Its straightforward and easy navigation helps beginners with the onboarding procedure and website modification.

20. Jimdo

Jimdo is another German-origin website builder that has helped build more than 454,000 websites for different businesses. This platform offers all the essential e-commerce elements like templates, a domain, CMS, and hosting. Users only need to develop and add content.

Pros

• Jimdo is a cheaper user-friendly option for users to customize their websites without much technical knowledge. It does not charge any transaction fees.
• Customizable templates, e-commerce integrations, mobile optimization, and SEO tools help to enhance your website’s performance and search engine rankings.
• You can save time and manual effort by using Dolphin AI to create a layout based on user preferences and responses.

Cons

• Sales features are available only if you switch to the paid Unlimited or E-commerce versions. Moreover, you cannot sell digital products with Jimdo.
• The platform has limited payment gateway options and is unsuitable for large businesses.
• SEO has limited functionality.
• Customer support is also not up to the mark. Users can seek assistance through email only.

USP

Jimdo’s specialty lies in its Dolphin AI and affordable e-commerce solutions. However, unlike most competitive free e-commerce platforms, it has many limitations pertaining to customization, customer support, themes, marketing tools, etc. This makes Jimdo the next-best option for small businesses.

21. Weebly

Weebly is yet another leading website builder ideal for small businesses to get started.

Pros

• This e-commerce platform is beginner-friendly, where users don’t require much experience to use its features and tools. Its drag-and-drop interface allows users to customize and set up their stores easily.
• There is no cap on selling products. Additionally, features like SEO, coupon codes, built-in blogs, third-party integrations, email marketing, analytics, shipping calculator, etc., help businesses get a stronghold in the market.

Cons

• Weebly may not be an ideal option if you want scalability, as it cannot support large traffic or multiple-channel selling.
• If you do not have a paid plan, you will be bombarded with ads.
• Weebly’s themes and features are limited. It offers only 52 themes.

USP

Weebly is known for building websites, processing payments, tracking and managing inventory, and selling products. All its features and functionalities are available at competitive pricing. Weebly’s basic paid plan is priced as low as $6/month.

Conclusion: Is An Open Source E-commerce Platform Right for You?

E-commerce platforms have refined the entire marketing experience for consumers and sellers, prioritizing convenience at every level. An open-source e-commerce platform can be resourceful for all kinds of businesses. However, these platforms hold the most value for startups and small and medium businesses that operate under budget constraints. These free platforms allow businesses to operate flexibly under low costs while scaling up smoothly in the long run.

Nevertheless, these platforms do not stand tall against non-open source or SaaS (Software as a Service) giants like Shopify or BigCommerce when it comes to advanced features and services. Open-source platforms can serve as the stepping stones to give your business a strong foothold in the initial days.

FAQs