10 Best Open Source E-commerce Platforms for 2023

As more and more people are moving online, online marketplaces are expanding along with this, and people’s activities online are also increasing day by day. This leads to more bombarding ads to customers in order to opt for online products and services.

Today online presence is vital to stay competitive in today’s world. This is a valid point of argument for both small & medium size organizations to large corporates. To launch online successfully, one needs a proper implementation strategy encompassing business strategy.

Deciding whether an Open Source e-Commerce Solution fits your need?

Do I need custom features for my online shop?

Do I have enough budget to hire an eCommerce development company?

Is custom web design essential for my business?

If the answer is “YES” to the above questions let’s move forward because it’s time to develop an Open source eCommerce Website Builder.

What is an eCommerce Platform?

It is a software application that allows managing online businesses to manage their website, marketing, sales, and operations. It can create a huge impact on the profitability and scalability of any business.

Top eCommerce Platforms to know about in 2023

1. Odoo eCommerce Solutions

Odoo is an open-source business suite that along with Odoo eCommerce platform development also offers accounting software and CRM solutions.

Odoo eCommerce offers a drag-and-drop website builder, easy-to-install themes that can be customized using HTML and CSS. It also supports multiple payment gateways for accepting payments.

Useful features include:

• Drag and Drop editor.
• Design your store in 4 steps.
• Professional themes.
• Automated Tax rates.
• Set-up Variants and Attributes

Cons:

• Data management can sometime be a problem.
• Extensive options of vendor management.

2. Spree Commerce

Spree Commerce is a headless open-source eCommerce platform that is built on ROR, so the backend is built with Stellar security.

It is a scalable platform if you are able to hire a developer and have got coding know-how. Spree Commerce can be effective for businesses looking to run 1 store, multi-store, own marketplace, B2B space Spree commerce is the best solution to choose.

Useful Features Include:

• Multi-currency and multi-language support.
• Any 3rd-party integration is possible.
• Runs on any device and anywhere.
• Single or multi-vendor support.

Limitations:

• Limited themes to select.
• Good programming skills are needed.

3. Square Online

Creating an online store with Square online is not only simple but also cost-effective. One can easily operate the entire business with the help of Square and 3rd party software for accounting, scheduling, stock management, and much more.

Signing up for Square is easy and only requires completing a few business-related questions. Once the account is created, navigating through the site is easy.

With the help of an experienced developer, any business can build unique integrations.

Useful Features Include:

• No technical background is needed, easy for beginners.
• Secured processing method.
• Great integration with 3rd party apps.
• Good customer service support.

Limitations:

• Design and themes are limited.
• Not recommended for large businesses.

4. Magento Open Source

Magento is an eCommerce platform, owned by Adobe. It offers easy to use interface which is very beneficial for non-technical people. Businesses usually prefer to use Magento Open source as it offers almost limitless customizability and scalability options.

Magento open source has various capabilities such as website building, catalog management, marketing and much more. There is are things that a user has to buy a domain name and SSL certificate.

Useful Features Include:

• Megento loads very fast.
• Free to download and use.
• High amount of customization.
• Different payment integration and options to choose from.
• Quickly in incorporating new technologies.

Limitations:

• Requires more technical skills
• Slower customer service at times.

 5. Joomla

Joomla uses an open-source CMS so it is free to download. It has open-source code and also offers free plugins and templates that let people develop and customize eCommerce the way they want.

One can opt for a premium plugin and layouts if the free version is not so pleasing. Joomla is quite similar to WordPress and that’s the reason why one would need different plugins related to eCommerce for building a website.

Useful Features Include:

• Search Engine friendly development.
• Mobile-friendly system.
• Multi-language support.
• Multi-user permission level capability.

6. Wix

Wix is one of the most commonly known and marketed platforms. This is also true for customers as customers are easily able to promote their WIX site using the SEO-friendly features and email campaign management.

Wix is an excellent option to create an attractive, catchy design and eCommerce features both in one. Wix is an excellent option for beginners as well as experts. Since everything runs on the browser, there are no coding skills required to use this platform.

Wix eCommerce also offers a free plan which allows you to try all features before choosing a paid plan. Another thing to highlight is that there is no need to stress about maintenance fees.

Useful Features Include:

• Beginner friendly with leading speeds.
• Easy to set up and scale.
• Enterprise-grade security.
• Excellent customer support.

Limitations:

• To go live (public visibility) needs a premium plan.
• Limited features and themes.

7. Ecwid

Ecwid is a term that has its own meaning and is coined from two words “eCommerce and widgets.” As the name suggests any business can add Ecwid as a plugin on other platforms such as WordPress or Wix within a few steps.

Users are even able to access features like discount coupons and the option to sell digital goods. The pain plan of Ecwid starts at $14.08/ monthly where users can receive a lot of value for the subscription money that they have paid.

Ecwid is an excellent option to add to the website. Features can be accessed depending upon Ecwid’s pricing policy.

Ecwid also offers a variety of web integrations including 85 payment gateways.

Useful Features Include:

• Straight forward, fast, and simple adding of eCommerce functionality.
• No coding knowledge is required.
• Availability of free plans.
• Easily integrate into the current website.

Limitations:

• Limited designing options.
• LImitied functions in free version.

8. Drupal Commerce

Drupal Commerce is an open-source eCommerce platform that helps in developing an SEO-friendly eCommerce website. Users have a wide options in terms of mobile-responsive themes and designs, style and much more to make online shopping as customized as possible.

Drupal can be customized to meet the changing requirements and expected results of any eCommerce website. Drupal can be accessed on any device from smartphones to desktops.

Along with this, Drupal is also very secured one can be very confident that all the data that is stored on Drupal is very secured, safe and protected.

Useful features include:

• Inbuild security system for advanced protection.
• Faster load times.
• Learning resources in order to learn and troubleshoot.
• Quality customer support.

Limitations:

• Not very beginner friendly and lack of technical knowledge can be a big problem sometimes.

9. PrestaShop

Prestashop is a French-based eCommerce development company. What makes Prestashop different from other eCommerce development platforms is that it has 600 features ranging from shop administration to shipping and online presence management.

Prestashop is also very user-friendly and free to download. There is a maintenance fee that is needed to be paid along with hosting charges.

Prestashop also offers a free demo for users to check if Prestashop is the right software for you to use. It also offers customization options for users to organize products and set up different payment options.

The platform supports 25 languages and also features a translation of the website into different languages making it accessible globally.

Useful features include:

• Hight amount of customization.
• Strong and active user community.
• 3rd party integration is possible.

Limitations:

• Not recommended for large-size organizations.
• Coding knowledge is required for using it.

10. Jimdo

Jimdo is a simple-to-use e-commerce platform that does not require coding expertise on the user’s end. There are various benefits of using Jimdo such as adding product galleries and professional domain addresses. 

Jimdo’s free plan doesn’t allow to sell or showcase products unless the premium version is purchased which starts at $15.

Useful features include:

• It is more mobile-friendly.
• Customizations with design options.
• Easy usage.

Limitations:

• Design features are limited.

Conclusion

Choosing an eCommerce platform for your development project can be challenging as a small business owner but, due to the rise in online shopping popularity businesses must be accessible to customers regardless of physical presence.

These online open-source platforms let you customize your eCommerce platform according to your taste, although some might require an experienced developer. One can analyze the pros and cons of the platform and then decide which platform to choose or take help of online discussion forms.

Author Bio:

Nikunj Jogi is a marketing manager at TechUltra Solutions pvt ltd, Odoo development company. TechUltra Solutions provides various Odoo-related services and is also a well-known name in the top ERP development company list.