Are you overwhelmed by the many development platforms available in the market? Most people are.
Whether you are just starting a new online store or you are searching for other alternatives, selecting the best platform for growing your business can be quite frustrating and exhausting.
Although the process can be quite tough, it is important for you to make a comparison of Magento with other platforms so that you can decide which one will satisfy the demands of your business.
Magento
Magento is very expensive. Although you can download a free Community Version, some additional fees still exist, such as hosting, design charges, etc. The other editions can be somehow expensive.
Magento is highly complex as it requires you to get assistance from developers to develop the website and get a host. Therefore, it may prove difficult for novel users, especially people who are unable to navigate its intricacy. Magento also requires one to search and procure their themes from third parties or hire developers to develop them for you as they do not offer themes for clients.
The hosting can be done on-premise, by a third party or in cloud. The capabilities for Magento hosting are determined by how you use the solution. It is richer in features compared to most e-business solutions.
Shopify
Shopify is affordable, although it lacks some essential features which may make you get additional costs. It is intuitive and more user-friendly. It is, thus, easy for business owners to develop their site using Shopify. In case you require additional features, you can always use custom coding.
Shopify has many themes available to choose from. It is hosted in cloud; therefore, one does not require the help of third parties. Shopify, however, requires you to contact third parties for extra features.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is known to be very user friendly. Nonetheless, its system is quite difficult than Shopify. In comparison to Magento, WooCommerce is user-friendly. It is also is affordable than Magento. Its plugins are not charged, and it provides regular updates. You may have to pay for some extensions, such as shipping, marketing, etc.
WooCommerce is better in design than Shopify and Magento. It offers numerous templates and WordPress themes. You can modify the themes to meet your business’s needs.
OpenCart
OpenCart boasts of a greatly intuitive and well-made interface. Its interface is easier in comparison to Magento but more difficult than WooCommerce. One can thus add products and change the store even without any technical knowledge.
Although you can download and use OpenCart for free, it comes with additional costs for hosting and securing your store. OpenCart’s design is also very responsive and professional. You can purchase more templates from a third party.
BigCommerce
This platform is reasonably priced, and a more advanced plan goes for nearly $299. Your business scope and complexity determines the plan you are going to have on BigCommerce. It is also user-friendly. You only need to know how to apply the features, and you are good to go.
BigCommerce is intuitive and easy to run through one single page. This platform contains several plugins that you can utilize in running your shop and numerous templates that you can fully customize. Some themes are free, while some must be paid for. The hosting of this solution is cloud-based, and it is highly secure for every site hosted. BigCommerce is also rich-featured and is especially good when you have a large or small shop.
Conclusion
There are numerous available ecommerce platforms available, and you need to select a platform based on the needs of your shop. With this guide, you can make the perfect choice based on the key differences provided and choose which solution best suits your business.