When operating an online store, you have two options: either set up a marketplace where many different business owners will conduct business or establish an online store where only your enterprise will provide goods or services. Running a marketplace platform might bring in more money, but it must first gain popularity to attract more users and businesses. Running your own online business allows you more time to concentrate on your brand. The eCommerce website can undergo modernization work at specific points in its development.
The right e-commerce platform enables you to give your shop enhanced functionalities while simultaneously reducing costs for those that are not required. Carelessly selecting a solution may result in high maintenance costs for an e-commerce website and impede or stop its growth. A system with a lot of optional plugins, extensions, and integrations that your store needs is something you should prove. Make a list of the eCommerce features and services you’ll require for your store, then research which platforms will offer them at affordable prices.
Open-Source Platforms
An open-source platform is a platform that makes its source code available to other users or developers. In contrast to closed-source software, which is proprietary software that reserves rights only to authorized individuals, open-source software aims to give everyone equal access. Open source products are frequently associated with free software movement and you get unrestricted access to the code because the license is free.
However, you might need to pay for the hosting and, if necessary, engage in the assistance of a company that specializes in building online stores on a particular platform. There are both simple and complex open-source systems available.
Why Should You Choose an Open-source eCommerce Platform for Your Business?
- Quickly access the source code
- Highly scalable
- Personalization opportunities
- Community support
Top Open Source Platforms for Your Business in 2022
The benefits of open source eCommerce platforms make them appealing to individuals searching for the best platform for their company. We gathered details on a few notable ones to aid you in making your decision.
#1. Magento
Magento has a built-in PHP, making it easier for programmers to construct eCommerce websites. It was created using the Zend Framework and released on March 31, 2008, by Varien.
Thousands of companies, including well-known brands like Nike and Samsung, are currently using this open-source platform to launch their online stores.
Consider Magento a top priority for companies and people wishing to create a long-lasting, reliable eCommerce site. The greatest open-source for creating an online store is Magento. But most importantly, it’s completely free and entirely professional.
The Advantages of Magento are Listed Below.
- Highly customizable
- Freedom to choose the hosting services
- Responsive design
- Guarantees easy multi-platform integration
The Disadvantages of Magento are Listed Below.
- A very large and complex structure
- A large investment of time and knowledge
- Takes longer time for customisation
#2. WooCommerce
The most widely used and perhaps finest eCommerce plugin for WordPress is WooCommerce, and its integration offers excellent SEO for eCommerce websites. It allows for countless adaptations because it is open source. You can use it to convert a WordPress website into an online store. The features on your WordPress website work seamlessly with WooCommerce development. It denotes the possibility of using WordPress to create an online store with products, a shopping cart, and payment methods. After discussing how WooCommerce functions, let’s look at the installation procedure.
Listed Below are the Major Advantages of Using WooCommerce
- Great flexibility
- Limitless customization options
- Maximum security
- A very interactive community
- WooCommerce support forum
- A professional aesthetic
Listed Below are the Major Disadvantages of Using WooCommerce
- Lack of SEO capabilities
- WordPress-reliant
- Doesn’t come with themes
#3. BigCommerce
BigCommerce, a top cloud eCommerce platform, is ideal for enterprises with a history of success and those who are expanding quickly. Big Commerce enables organizations to boost online sales with about 80% less effort, expense, and complexity than on-premise software by combining corporate features, market-leading performance, an open architecture, and an app ecosystem.
BigCommerce, an open SaaS platform, is driving a new era in eCommerce. You can carry out a study to understand countless opportunities to advance, create, and expand with BigCommerce.
With the help of BigCommerce’s attractive design tools, you can create imaginative and appealing shop experiences while managing operational complexity on this safe and user-friendly eCommerce platform. Additionally, BigCommerce aids in outperforming the competition by providing quick commerce experiences encouraging repeat visits from clients.
Listed Below are the Advantages of BigCommerce
- Easy start-off and usage
- Best at design
- Reasonable pricing
- Connect with buyers across various channels
- Security at its best
- 24/7 customer support
- Strong seo features
- Mobile-friendly platform
- Major payment gateways supported
- Full cms functionality
- Unlimited staff accounts
- Powerful analytics
- Great performance
The Disadvantages of BigCommerce are listed below.
- Limited free design templates
- Automatic payment upgrade
- Add-ons require additional fees
#4. PrestaShop
PrestaShop is an incredibly feature-rich, open-source, free eCommerce platform that you can use to manage stores on your servers or in the cloud. Sixty-five languages are supported, and around 250,000 retailers use this platform globally.
The foundation of PrestaShop’s business strategy is the sale of services to its user base, including supplemental add-on features and themes that are optional. These features enable a comprehensive e-commerce option for those looking to sell physical or digital goods online.
PrestaShop is free, has a wide range of functionality, is very simple to use, and offers customers a responsive store layout.
Naturally, not all e-commerce solutions are flawless and will have some drawbacks or weaknesses in addition to their remarkable capabilities, and Prestashop is no exception.
Advantages of Prestashop’s eCommerce Development
- Easy to install
- Easy to use and maintain
- User-friendly interface
- Customization friendly
- Demographic assistance
- Secure payment
Disadvantages of Prestashop’s eCommerce Development
- Limited scalability
- Unprofessional design
- Paid functionality
- No official support team
#5. Drupal Commerce
It is possible to adapt and tweak Drupal, a free and open-source content-management platform, to create straightforward websites or intricate web apps. With thousands of free modules and themes available, Drupal expands together with you, giving you the ability to reach the online audience you require for message delivery, brand development, and community building.
Drupal is multilingual and easily accessible. The most potent and user-friendly version of Drupal is the most recent version. You can be sure that you’ll be able to reach your target audience to deliver your message thanks to Drupal’s accessibility and multilingual capabilities.
Why Should You Use Drupal?
- Flexible, easy-to-use content authoring tools
- Highly customizable features
- Powerful API-first architecture
- Numerous, freely add-on functionality
- Constant innovation supported by a vast, engaged, and professional community
Listed Below are the Major Disadvantages of Drupal
- The difficulty with familiarization
- Complex interface
- High system requirements
- The lack of high-quality designs
- Difficulty in the installation of updates and program modules
#6. Joomla
Joomla is an open-source content management system for building websites. It is written in PHP, using object-oriented programming approaches, and stores data in a MySQL database. Because of features like page caching, multi-language support, plugins, and extensions, it is one of the most widely used content management systems.
Over the past ten years, Joomla has experienced tremendous growth, becoming one of the most extensively used content management systems worldwide. It has acquired a large fan base since its launch in 2005 and has received over 99+ million downloads. Joomla uses Model-View-Controller (MVC) design architecture. Joomla first examines the URL when processing a request to determine which component will handle it by the MVC pattern.
The advantages of using Joomla are numerous.
- It is free and is an open-source platform
- Reusable source codes
- Deployed to build any website
- Easy to install and easily deployable
- Highly accessible content management system
- No prior training required
- Provides templates and themes
- A huge support community
Listed Below are the Major Disadvantages of Joomla
- Require a greater level of expertise
- Stuck Between WordPress & Drupal
- Free extensions are not up-to-date
Bottom line!
In today’s digital world, websites decide how businesses operate. Without a good business website, you might miss out on possibilities to connect with your target audience and grow your online presence. Selecting the best eCommerce platforms is a complex undertaking, particularly if you need to strike a compromise between price and website quality.
Due to the rapid development of eCommerce and current shopping habits, hundreds of eCommerce solutions have appeared in recent years. Due to its cost-effectiveness and ongoing development, open-source eCommerce systems are the best choice for startups, small businesses, and medium-sized businesses.
It is always challenging to choose the “best” platform. You might have to weigh various factors before selecting an ideal medium for your business needs. Remember, the only person who can decide what is best for your business is yourself. If not, we are always there to guide you.
Guest article written by: Marion Jones is a certified WooCommerce developer passionate about writing WooCommerce development. Her yearlong experience with CartKnitter helps to provide insightful articles for a wide range of customers.