Guide · Choosing a platform
How to choose an ecommerce platform
A neutral guide for established businesses choosing between Shopify, Shopify Plus, WooCommerce, Magento and Adobe Commerce, and custom-built ecommerce. It starts with your requirements, because the right platform depends on them.
Requirements first
Questions to answer before comparing platforms
How do you price?
One price list, prices per customer or company, or prices calculated from measurements and options. This rules platforms in or out faster than anything else.
Who buys, and how?
Consumers, trade buyers or both; card payments, payment terms, deposits or approvals.
Which systems must it connect to?
ERP, warehouse, PIM, CRM, accounting, marketplaces and suppliers – and which system owns products, prices, stock and customers.
Where do you sell?
Markets, languages, currencies, tax and delivery rules.
Who runs it?
Who changes it day to day, who fixes it, and who is responsible for hosting, security and upgrades.
What would it take to leave?
How your data, URLs, customer accounts and integrations would move if the platform stops fitting.
Three models
Hosted, self-hosted or custom
- Hosted (Shopify, Shopify Plus, Adobe Commerce as a Cloud Service). The provider runs infrastructure, security and upgrades. You work within its data model, extension points and API limits, and pay a subscription plus any apps.
- Self-hosted (WooCommerce, Magento Open Source, Adobe Commerce on your own or Adobe’s cloud infrastructure). You control the code, hosting and data, and you’re responsible for keeping all of it patched, fast and upgraded.
- Custom-built. It fits exactly and you own everything, including every future update. Worth it only when the rules are central to how the business trades.
At a glance
What each platform tends to suit
| Platform | Tends to suit | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Consumer and simpler B2B selling where infrastructure should be handled for you | Dependence on apps; checkout logic limits below Plus; fixed URL structure |
| Shopify Plus | Customer-specific B2B pricing, custom Functions apps, checkout extensions, several stores | Paying for Plus for one feature an app could provide |
| WooCommerce | Content-led businesses that want ownership of code and data and PHP flexibility | Hosting, plugin sprawl and maintenance are yours |
| Magento and Adobe Commerce | Large catalogues, several stores or languages, complex B2B | Upgrade discipline, specialist skills and hosting capability |
| Custom | Pricing, configuration or ordering rules central to the business | Long-term ownership, updates and knowledge concentrated in few people |
Cost
Compare total cost, not subscriptions
Platform prices change often and rarely decide the outcome. Compare the whole picture over several years:
- Licence or subscription
- Apps, extensions and plugins
- Hosting and monitoring
- Payment processing fees
- Build and data migration
- Integrations and their upkeep
- Upgrades and security patching
- The cost of leaving later
Already trading?
Check whether you need a new platform at all
If you already sell online, list the problems that make you want to change platform, and find the cause of each. Slow hosting, too many apps or plugins, poorly built customisations and neglected integrations are fixable where they are – and a migration would carry them across. Our replatforming page and the article Should you migrate from WooCommerce or fix it? go into this further.
Questions
Which platform is best for B2B?
It depends on the pricing. Shopify now offers basic B2B on all plans, Plus adds customer-specific catalogues and deposits, Magento and Adobe Commerce handle complex B2B with more build effort, and truly unusual trade rules can justify custom work.
Should we go headless?
Only when a separate front end solves a problem the platform’s own storefront can’t. See Headless commerce: when it’s worth it.
Can we change platform later?
Yes, with planning. Data, redirects, customer accounts and integrations are the work; choosing a platform whose data you can export fully keeps that option open.
Next step
Want a second opinion on your shortlist?
Tell us how you sell and what the platform must connect to.