Choosing the right shopping cart software can make or break your online business. Whether you’re starting a dropshipping brand, launching digital products, or scaling your DTC (direct-to-consumer) store, your eCommerce platform needs to be secure, fast, flexible, and conversion-friendly.
Below, we break down the top eCommerce shopping carts in 2025—covering everything from usability and payment options to scalability and affiliate potential.
Quick Comparison: Best eCommerce Shopping Carts
| Platform | Best For | Free Plan | Digital Products | Built-in Hosting | Customizable | Multichannel Selling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | All-around eCommerce | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | Moderate | ✅ |
| BigCommerce | Mid to large businesses | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | Moderate | ✅ |
| WooCommerce | WordPress users | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ (self-hosted) | ✅ High | ✅ |
| Shift4Shop | Cost-conscious businesses | ✅ (with Shift4) | ✅ | ✅ | Medium | ✅ |
| Ecwid | Add-on to existing sites | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Low | ✅ |
| Sellfy | Digital creators | ✅ (14-day trial) | ✅ | ✅ | Low | ✅ |
Shopify
Quick Overview:
Shopify is the industry leader in hosted eCommerce platforms, known for its ease of use, beautiful themes, and massive app ecosystem. It’s ideal for anyone from beginner sellers to 7-figure stores.
Pros:
Beginner-friendly setup
Huge template and app marketplace
Built-in SEO and mobile optimization
Fast, secure hosting included
Cons:
Monthly fees can add up with add-ons
Transaction fees (unless you use Shopify Payments)
Best Features:
- Drag-and-drop store builder
- 100+ payment gateways supported
- Built-in abandoned cart recovery
- App store with 8,000+ integrations
- 24/7 customer support
- Multichannel selling (Amazon, Instagram, TikTok)
BigCommerce
Quick Overview:
BigCommerce is a hosted eCommerce platform built for scalability. It offers more native features than Shopify and is well-suited for larger or fast-growing businesses.
Pros:
No transaction fees—even with third-party payment gateways
Advanced SEO features
More out-of-the-box functionality
Cons:
Slightly steeper learning curve
Monthly pricing tiers are revenue-based
Best Features:
- Native B2B functionality
- Headless commerce support
- Unlimited products, bandwidth, and storage
- Built-in coupons and discounts
- Advanced SEO customization
- Multiple storefronts under one account
WooCommerce
Quick Overview:
WooCommerce is the most popular eCommerce plugin for WordPress, offering complete customization. It’s perfect for sellers who want full control and already use WordPress.
Pros:
100% free core plugin
Open-source with complete flexibility
Huge WordPress community and plugin support
Cons:
Requires hosting and technical know-how
Can get expensive with extensions
Best Features:
- Fully customizable product pages
- Integrates with any WordPress theme
- Supports both physical and digital products
- Full control over SEO and analytics
- Wide range of shipping and tax options
- Secure payments via PayPal, Stripe, etc.
Shift4Shop (formerly 3dcart)
Quick Overview:
Shift4Shop offers a full-featured eCommerce solution with enterprise tools at affordable prices. It even offers a 100% free plan if you use its native payment processor.
Pros:
Enterprise-grade features at no cost
Free plan with no monthly fee (if using Shift4 Payments)
Strong B2B and wholesale tools
Cons:
Interface isn’t as modern as Shopify or BigCommerce
Learning curve for new users
Best Features:
- Unlimited product variants
- Built-in blogging platform
- Native email marketing
- Free domain with some plans
- Powerful product categorization and filters
- Built-in CRM functionality
Ecwid by Lightspeed
Quick Overview:
Ecwid is ideal for those who want to add eCommerce to an existing website. It’s a lightweight, plugin-style solution perfect for beginners or low-volume sellers.
Pros:
Easy to embed in any website
Great free tier
Works well with WordPress, Wix, Weebly, etc.
Cons:
Limited design flexibility compared to others
Not ideal for scaling a large store
Best Features:
- Instant integration with existing sites
- Sell on Instagram, Facebook, Amazon
- Responsive design out of the box
- Mobile app for order management
- Auto tax calculation and shipping rates
- Abandoned cart saver (paid plans)
Sellfy
Quick Overview:
Sellfy is perfect for digital creators—think artists, musicians, YouTubers, and ebook authors. It’s designed for fast setup and content selling.
Pros:
- Super easy to use
- Ideal for digital downloads, subscriptions, and print-on-demand
- All-in-one platform with email marketing
Cons:
- Limited design customization
- Not as scalable for large product catalogs
Best Features:
- Instant delivery of digital goods
- Built-in email marketing tools
- Subscription and pay-what-you-want pricing
- Embeddable buy buttons
- Print-on-demand store integration
- VAT/tax compliance for EU sellers
