Which e-commerce platform should you choose?

Choosing the right e-commerce platform is, for many companies, almost like choosing a life partner. The market offers a whole array of solutions – from lightweight and easy-to-use options to complex powerhouses for the most demanding players. In this narrative-style article, we’ll walk through the most important e-commerce platforms, dedicating a separate section to each. We’ll examine their strengths, target users, and subtle nuances that often only reveal themselves in practice. All of this from a professional perspective, with a touch of irony – because, as is often the case in industry comparisons, everyone tends to favor their own horse. We begin our journey with a platform that other rankings often describe in glowing terms (for good reason, of course).

Shopware – a flexible player for everyone

Shopware opens our list like a versatile hero who fits into any role. This German open-source platform (founded in 2000) offers tremendous capabilities and is valued by both small shops and e-commerce giants. What sets Shopware apart? Primarily its scalability – it’s presented as the only platform capable of successfully supporting both a tiny startup and a massive enterprise. As the experts say: “From startup to large enterprises, Shopware scales with your growth.” In other words, whether you’re selling handmade jewelry from your garage or managing a catalog of thousands of products across multiple markets, Shopware is up to the task.

On paper, this is impressive. Shopware offers a fully modular API-first architecture, allowing integrations and extensions (there are over 4,000 of them) to be added with ease. The platform features a built-in CMS (for creating attractive product pages using drag-and-drop) and a robust set of marketing and SEO tools, making it possible to create engaging shopping experiences without external software. Different editions are available – from the free Community Edition, through cloud-based SaaS/PaaS, to the fully supported Enterprise Edition. Thanks to this, a small business can start from scratch (Community), and then seamlessly migrate to more advanced versions as it grows – all without changing the platform. Big brands like Aston Martin and M&M’s have already trusted Shopware, adding to its credibility at the enterprise level.

From the narrator’s perspective, Shopware seems like a safe bet – a long-term solution that grows with your business. Of course, as a favorite, it’s easy to forgive some flaws. The free version has certain limitations, and official technical support comes at an extra cost. However, in comparisons created by enthusiasts of the platform, these drawbacks fade in light of its advantages. Is that fair? We’ll find out by comparing Shopware to the next contenders.

Sylius – a flexible alternative for mid-sized and large businesses

If Shopware is the Swiss army knife of e-commerce, then Sylius is a finely crafted saber – particularly appealing to mid-sized and large businesses looking for tailored solutions. Sylius is open-source software based on Symfony (yes, a Polish touch in the global top!), and it quickly gained favor among developers thanks to its modular structure and clean architecture. Its creators emphasize flexibility and infinite scalability – and rightly so. “Flexibility and practically unlimited scalability make it an ideal option for medium and large companies as well as enterprises.” It sounds like the very definition of a strong, adaptable alternative to the biggest players – exactly how we want to present it.

Unlike more “mass market” platforms, Sylius doesn’t impose pre-made templates or solutions. Instead, it provides an e-commerce framework from which developers can build a store tailored to highly specific requirements. Sylius works great where businesses require custom features and integrations – because it can be relatively easily extended with custom modules. That’s why it’s often cited as an alternative to Magento in projects where a lighter but still powerful solution is needed. Additionally, there’s Sylius Plus, a version with enterprise-grade features (e.g., multi-vendor support, advanced discounts, SLA support), showing the platform’s ambition in the larger-store segment.

Naturally, this flexibility comes at a cost: to fully benefit from Sylius, you need an experienced development team. For small stores without an IT team, it may be like a grand piano for a beginner – a beautiful instrument, but difficult to master. However, mid-sized and large companies with the resources to appreciate the craftsmanship of this “saber” will find Sylius to be a worthy and flexible ally. In our narrative landscape of e-commerce, Sylius appears as a strong knight – perhaps less publicized than the leaders, but capable of facing them on their own ground.

Adobe Commerce (Magento) – heavy artillery for enterprise

If e-commerce platforms held a medieval tournament, Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento) would enter the arena on the biggest horse, clad in full plate armor. A true veteran and heavy hitter – known for its immense capabilities and… equally immense demands. Magento was once synonymous with flexibility for developers, and after its acquisition by Adobe, it became part of the corporate Experience Cloud ecosystem. Today, Adobe Commerce is practically reserved for the enterprise – a juggernaut tailored for the largest implementations, where budgets are counted in hundreds of thousands.

Let’s start with the strengths: Adobe Commerce/Magento is powerful, scalable, and highly customizable. Over 250,000 enterprise-scale stores around the world use this platform, including corporations like HP. The Magento ecosystem boasts thousands of extensions (the official marketplace is bursting), extensive APIs, built-in SEO features, analytics, and virtually everything an e-commerce team on steroids could dream of. The possibilities are limitless – provided you have a development team ready to harness them. And here comes the other side of the coin: “Adobe Commerce requires advanced technical skills.” In other words, the platform is known for revealing its full potential only in the hands of seasoned code wizards.

Why do we say it’s an enterprise-only option? First, the cost. While there is a free Magento Open Source (formerly Community Edition), it comes with limited support and features. The full-fledged Adobe Commerce version is a licensed enterprise-grade product – pricing is available only on request, which typically means a very high price tag. Add to that the infrastructure costs (Magento is resource-intensive), the need for DevOps specialists, and developers experienced with this sizable platform. Secondly, complexity: implementing and maintaining Magento can be as challenging as managing a medieval castle. No wonder many mid-sized companies that once opted for Magento later migrated to lighter alternatives.

In summary, Adobe Commerce (Magento) is a double-edged sword: on one hand, it offers immense power and freedom; on the other, it demands the strength to maintain it. In our blog’s narrative, it plays the role of an old general – commanding respect and often being the best choice for vast trading empires, but potentially too demanding and costly for the average knight. PrestaShop – the golden mean for medium-sized businesses

Descending a bit from the heights of enterprise solutions, we encounter PrestaShop – a platform that can be described as the golden mean for many medium-sized businesses, especially in Europe. PrestaShop is also open-source (based on Symfony, though more loosely than Shopware or Sylius), but it’s lighter and more accessible than Magento. Its philosophy is modularity: the system’s core is relatively simple, and additional functionality is added through numerous modules. There are over 5,000 of them, offering various shop-enhancing features – from payment integrations to marketing to logistics. Importantly, many of these add-ons are paid, so while PrestaShop itself is free, you should expect to invest in essential modules when scaling up your store.

PrestaShop is considered ideal for medium-sized stores. Statistics show over 300,000 stores use PrestaShop – an impressive number that places it among the global leaders. Well-known brands like Zippo Lighters or Fashion Stork have chosen PrestaShop for their e-commerce, proving that it can support sizable operations. Why do we label it a “solution for medium-sized businesses”? Mainly due to the range of features and its ecosystem. PrestaShop offers around 600 core functionalities – usually enough to run a solid online store. However, compared to heavyweight enterprise platforms, it may lack some specialized features. Another notable limitation is integration with external systems – the platform doesn’t natively support many popular services, so you often have to rely on PrestaShop-specific solutions. It’s as if PrestaShop prefers to keep everything in the family.

From a narrative standpoint: PrestaShop stands somewhere in the middle. For many businesses, it’s sufficient for a long time – especially if the company plans to remain a medium player in its segment. It’s relatively easy to implement, has a user-friendly admin panel (especially in newer versions), and its user community is there to help when needed. However, if the store grows dynamically and aspires to become the Amazon of its industry, PrestaShop may require dozens of modules to keep up – which can become costly and complex. That’s when the decision point comes: stay and keep “patching,” or move to a higher-end platform. For now, in our story, PrestaShop reliably supports the mid-market, delivering a solid (though not limitless) e-commerce tool.

OpenCart – lightweight competition with limitations

Our next stop is OpenCart, a platform that often appears in the e-commerce landscape as an option for small and medium businesses with limited budgets and a strong DIY spirit. OpenCart is an open-source project known for its simplicity – both in a positive sense (intuitive admin panel, easy setup) and a less favorable one (it’s not the most advanced system on the market). You might imagine it as a lightweight merchant’s cart: it’ll get your goods from point A to point B, though maybe not as swiftly or stylishly as the luxury carriages of its competitors.

What does OpenCart offer? Quite a bit for its class. It boasts over 13,000 extensions and add-ons in its official marketplace – so expansion options are wide. Out of the box, you get features like multi-store management (multiple shops from one panel), multi-language and multi-currency support, basic reports, discount coupons, and even a mobile app for store management. That’s an impressive list for a free solution, and it’s no surprise that OpenCart has attracted over 400,000 store owners worldwide. Even the British Red Cross runs on it – showing that even organizations can trust this engine.

Unfortunately, OpenCart’s lightness comes with limitations. The platform is considered somewhat outdated in terms of SEO and marketing tools – while basic sales features are there, more sophisticated promotional tools may be lacking. Experts point out that OpenCart has limited SEO/marketing capabilities out-of-the-box, which can hinder sales scalability. Also, OpenCart users need to be fairly self-reliant: the lack of official support means that in case of trouble, you’re relying on the (fortunately active) community. You also need some basic technical knowledge to get more out of it – this is not a plug-and-play platform like typical SaaS; it’s more for those unafraid of editing config files.

In our narrative, OpenCart is the friendly craftsman: it gets the job done, won’t break the bank, but don’t expect fireworks. For companies needing a simple online store and valuing independence (and willing to accept a few shortcomings, patching things themselves as needed), OpenCart might be just right. But when pitted against more feature-rich competitors, this merchant’s cart often falls behind – especially when rivals are racing ahead with marketing turbochargers.

Saleor – the headless wave for the ambitious

Now we enter a different realm – the world of headless platforms and composable commerce, where cutting-edge technology and a “developer-first” mindset reign. In this category, a star named Saleor shines brightly. For those unfamiliar: Saleor is an open-source e-commerce platform built on headless architecture (separating frontend from backend) and a first-class API (GraphQL-first). In practice, Saleor is more of a transactional engine than a complete “shelf-ready” store – perfect for those who want to build their shop their own way, using modern frontend frameworks and custom interfaces.

Saleor has gained massive popularity in developer circles – some even call it the “#1 e-commerce platform on GitHub,” which reflects strong community interest and recognition of its technology. The creators boast that it’s the most future-proof strategy for companies focused on modernity, extensibility, and open code. And indeed, Saleor entices with its modern stack: backend in Python/Django, GraphQL for communication, ready PWA integration on the frontend, and a user-friendly admin panel out-of-the-box. This combination delivers “unmatched flexibility, scalability, and speed,” making Saleor an excellent choice for businesses facing the dynamic demands of today’s e-commerce market.

So, who is Saleor for? Looking at case studies – it’s for ambitious medium and large companies with strong IT teams or a focus on unique online shopping experiences. A notable example is the British cosmetics brand Lush, which chose Saleor for global commerce and praised its performance at million-dollar scales. Saleor excels where standard platforms start to limit growth – it offers composable commerce, meaning the store ecosystem can be assembled from many independent components tailored to specific needs. Want to replace your frontend entirely? No problem – thanks to headless architecture, you can do that without touching the sales engine. Need custom promotion logic or product management? As a “commerce as code” platform, Saleor lets developers add custom modules and extend nearly every part of it.

Of course, this freedom means that Saleor isn’t a click-and-go solution for everyone. It’s a platform by developers for developers – businesses using it usually invest in dedicated development. For a small company without technical resources, Saleor might be overkill. But let’s not forget there’s also Saleor Cloud – a cloud offering that lowers the entry barrier for those who want the benefits without building the whole infrastructure themselves.

In our narrative, Saleor is a young, talented player – like a Silicon Valley e-commerce startup, perhaps without a long lineage but impressive in its innovation. For companies ready to move with the times (and with the means to do so), Saleor can be a brilliant choice. And now we move forward to meet the next rising star… OroCommerce – a serious B2B specialist

While we’ve focused so far mainly on platforms for classic B2C commerce, it’s time to meet OroCommerce – a specialized representative of the B2B e-commerce world. OroCommerce was created with manufacturers, wholesalers, and suppliers in mind – in short, with business-to-business sales, which operates under slightly different rules than consumer retail. Interestingly, the platform was co-founded by Yoav Kutner, one of the creators of Magento, who set out to build a “Magento for B2B” – and Oro is often described that way.

OroCommerce is available in two editions: Community (free, open-source) and Enterprise (commercial). The Enterprise version is advertised as “the most powerful B2B platform, ideal for medium and large enterprises,” offering a full suite of advanced features tailored to this sector. What can you expect? A robust set of B2B tools: RFQ configurator, support for large-scale orders, multi-step approval processes, ERP/CRM integrations (Oro even has its own CRM module), and features like multiple websites and warehouses managed within a single instance. This addresses real-world scenarios where one company may run different sales channels for different markets or industries. OroCommerce even includes a dynamic pricing engine that allows automatic price and discount calculations based on predefined business rules – perfect for selling to a diverse wholesale customer base with individual agreements.

In comparisons, OroCommerce is often set against Magento and Shopify, noting that those platforms originated in the B2C space, whereas Oro has always targeted B2B. This translates into a different product philosophy: fewer flashy marketing features, more solid business mechanics. For example, a typical OroCommerce client might need separate sales portals for different customer segments (e.g., a different catalog and pricing for the medical sector versus the food service industry – a real case mentioned by Oro’s CEO). OroCommerce supports such scenarios almost out of the box, while B2C platforms would require significant customization or expensive plugins.

So, who is OroCommerce for? In short: medium and large B2B companies looking to digitize wholesale or corporate sales. If your business is, say, a component manufacturer, a major equipment distributor, or a multi-category wholesaler, OroCommerce offers the right tools. Of course, such specialization comes with challenges – implementing OroCommerce is a significant IT project, typically requiring a professional integrator rather than a DIY approach. Also, the Enterprise version comes with an enterprise-grade price tag (though Community Edition remains an option for smaller players). In the narrative pantheon of platforms, OroCommerce is like a specialized B2B advisor: not something you’ll hear about at every marketing conference, but an expert in its domain.

MedusaJS – a modular base for developers

Next on the horizon is another new-generation player – MedusaJS. This platform has been making waves in the web developer community, often referred to as “the world’s most flexible commerce platform.” Bold claim, but Medusa certainly stands out with its modular, headless architecture and “do-it-yourself, but we’ll give you the framework” philosophy. Built on Node.js, Medusa operates in a slightly different ecosystem than the previous platforms (most of which rely on PHP or Python). For teams experienced in JavaScript/TypeScript technologies, that’s a big plus.

So, what does it mean that Medusa is “a platform with a built-in customization framework”? It means that every component – from product management to cart, orders, and payments – is designed to be easily modified or replaced with custom solutions. Its creators encourage developers to “use Medusa as a foundation and focus on building the custom features that make your business stand out.” In other words, Medusa provides all the standard core e-commerce services, and the rest (frontend, integrations, unique business logic) is up to the developers. Thanks to its headless architecture, the frontend can be anything (React, Vue, Angular – full freedom), and Medusa includes a ready-made admin dashboard and a set of SDKs/APIs.

When comparing Medusa to Saleor (discussed earlier), some interesting contrasts emerge: Saleor uses the Python/GraphQL stack, while Medusa is based on Node.js. Both focus on modularity and avoiding vendor lock-in, but Saleor comes with a polished PWA frontend and a robust admin panel, whereas Medusa offers a more “flexible” set of building blocks. This makes Medusa feel a bit lighter and more developer-friendly – like a Lego set for e-commerce programmers. It even offers prebuilt project starters, allowing you to launch a basic DTC or B2B store in minutes, then customize it from there.

So, who is MedusaJS for? Definitely technical teams looking for maximum control over their e-commerce and who appreciate the modern JavaScript ecosystem. Tech startups building custom products on top of e-commerce, or companies wanting to escape the limitations of out-of-the-box platforms – these are Medusa’s core audience. It’s worth noting that Medusa calls itself “the most popular open-source platform for commerce,” indicating an active community and popularity on GitHub. It’s a living project that’s evolving rapidly.

In our story, MedusaJS is an intriguing newcomer: perhaps it hasn’t yet proven itself in thousands of large implementations (it’s still a young project), but it offers great promise in terms of flexibility. You can treat it as a foundation on which to build exactly the store you envision – provided you have the development resources. Compared to giants like Shopware or Magento, Medusa offers a different paradigm: instead of “click to configure everything from a panel,” it says, “build whatever you need in code.” For some, that’s a plus; for others, a barrier. Nonetheless, it fits perfectly into the composable commerce trend and deserves attention as a talented new contender. oesn’t require programming skills. In our narrative, Shopify plays the role of a friendly guide for beginners: you can literally start selling online in a day, with the platform walking you through the process.

Shopify is often dubbed a platform “for everyone,” although in practice, it works best for small businesses and startups that need to enter the e-commerce space quickly. For the monthly fee, you get hosting, security, regular updates, design templates, and the whole infrastructure (including the proprietary Shopify Payments gateway). That means no tech headaches – the SaaS provider handles maintenance, security, and server scaling. Additionally, Shopify offers a rich App Store, 24/7 support, its own fulfillment centers (Shopify Fulfillment), and even POS solutions for offline sales. Sounds great, right? So, where’s the catch?

The limitations begin when you want to go beyond what Shopify provides. The platform is closed-source, so you can only work with what Shopify offers and what’s available in the app ecosystem. This means custom or unusual requirements can be hard to fulfill. While basic integrations and theme customizations are possible (using Shopify’s Liquid templating language and APIs), trying to turn Shopify into something radically different often means wrestling with platform restrictions. A good example is the 100-variant-per-product limit – sufficient for most, but a real issue in some industries. Another challenge is scaling costs: Shopify’s base plan is relatively cheap, but as your business grows, you may need to upgrade to Advanced or even Shopify Plus to get better transaction fees and enterprise features. Some say that over time, Shopify’s total ecosystem costs may exceed self-hosted solutions – although Shopify’s own research suggests their users spend ~32% less on tech than WooCommerce users. However, this compares Shopify to WooCommerce (which also has hidden costs), not to a fully custom self-hosted system.

In short, Shopify is a great launchpad, but with a ceiling. In this article, it shines as a platform offering fast results and simplicity – a huge advantage early on. But the further you go (the larger and more complex your business becomes), the more you might feel boxed in – it’s a trade-off. For a small handmade goods shop, Shopify is a blessing. For a growing brand needing custom functionality or integrations, the moment of truth may come: stick with limitations or move to a more flexible solution. It’s something to consider before getting carried away by Shopify’s ease of entry.

WooCommerce – king of plugins and patches

Finally, we come to a platform that could inspire an entire satire – WooCommerce. This e-commerce chameleon is, at its core, a plugin for WordPress – the world’s most popular blogging platform. Yes, you read that right: WooCommerce was originally created to add online store features to a content-driven website. The result? A kind of hybrid: turning WordPress, designed for publishing, into a sales engine. Sounds risky? Well, the stats show it works – WooCommerce powers nearly 29% of the top e-commerce sites worldwide, more than Shopify’s ~21%. It’s nothing short of a phenomenon.

WooCommerce is beloved for its free entry point and near-infinite customization (it’s open-source, after all). With no licensing fees, you get full control over your store and access to thousands of WordPress themes and plugins, allowing unique looks and features. The downside is that “infinite customization” often translates to endless plugin purchases. WooCommerce provides the basics – products, cart, checkout, payments, shipping – but for anything beyond that (and most stores want more: advanced forms, courier integration, marketing automation, upselling, etc.), you’ll find yourself deep in the plugin jungle. Many are paid, and the total cost of building a professional WooCommerce store often rivals platforms like Shopify. As Shopify itself notes, WooCommerce users typically pay extra for features that are bundled with Shopify – resulting in WooCommerce’s tech stack costing about 32% more.

Performance and reliability are also concerns. WordPress is notorious for needing constant updates to avoid slowdowns and security vulnerabilities. Add WooCommerce and a dozen plugins, and it’s like stacking floors on an already complex building. Stores can become sluggish unless you invest in strong hosting and optimizations. Security is also a risk: the more plugins, the more potential vulnerabilities (XSS or SQLi attacks on WooCommerce plugins are real). WooCommerce is like a ship that needs constant checking and patching – or it’ll start to leak.

Despite all this, WooCommerce is wildly popular. Why? Mostly because it fits certain use cases well. If you already have a WordPress site and want to add e-commerce with minimal cost, WooCommerce makes sense. If you’re familiar with WordPress themes, content, SEO – adding WooCommerce is a logical next step. For small stores with light traffic and tight budgets, it’s a practical choice. The WordPress community also provides tons of guides, code snippets, and support – many problems can be solved DIY-style, with enough technical curiosity. In our comparison, WooCommerce is a lovable tinkerer: always adjusting, patching, and cursing the latest plugin update – but still selling, and sometimes succeeding big. A bit leaky, a bit clunky – but good enough for many who might otherwise have nothing.

Conclusion

Our journey through the land of e-commerce platforms comes to an end. Like a good story, each character revealed its own strengths and unique purpose. Shopware stood out for its versatility, capable of supporting both startups and international enterprises – not for nothing did we portray it as the favorite. Sylius proved to be a strong, flexible contender for large projects, a quiet favorite among developers who value code purity and freedom. Adobe Commerce (Magento) reminded us that heavy artillery matters for the big players – powerful, but costly and demanding. PrestaShop struck a golden balance for mid-sized businesses. OpenCart proved that lightweight DIY solutions have their place too.

Saleor and MedusaJS brought a breath of fresh air – headless, composable commerce for those looking ahead. OroCommerce showed that e-commerce isn’t just B2C – B2B needs dedicated tools too. Shopify charmed with its ease of entry, even if its long-term flexibility is limited. And WooCommerce? It gave us the ups and downs of turning a blog into a store – both cautionary and inspirational.

Parodying typical comparisons, it’s often the final platform that gets the author’s love letter. In our case, that honor goes to Shopware – you probably noticed. But let’s put aside irony and preferences. The best platform is simply the one that fits your business needs. Each solution here has its place and loyal users.

We deliberately included platforms like Saleor and MedusaJS to showcase modern, headless, composable approaches. And OroCommerce, because B2B is a massive part of the market with unique demands. And just when it might seem like Shopware lags behind – there’s a twist.

Because even though Shopware uses traditional HTML rendering by default (Twig server-side, like Presta or Magento), it includes a store API that fully supports headless implementations. For those wanting a next-gen frontend, Shopware AG offers Shopware Frontends – built on an older version of Vue Storefront. So yes – you can have PWA. You can have composable. You can have it all – like in our new stars Saleor and MedusaJS, but without gluing everything together from scratch.

And what about B2B? Sure – OroCommerce is a specialist. But Shopware’s paid editions include a full-featured B2B module: user permissions, customer hierarchies, personalized pricing, purchasing workflows – all modular, in the spirit of composable commerce. And that unique use-case Oro’s CEO mentioned? Shopware’s sales channels can do the same – separate catalogs and offers per customer group, region, or marketing strategy.

So yes, we had a reason to crown Shopware early on. But we held back. We really tried. We added other platforms, showed alternatives, stayed neutral. And yet – Shopware returns to the throne. Because it’s a platform that not only keeps up with trends, but integrates them into a cohesive, scalable, mature product.

If any platform deserves the title of e-commerce king – it’s not just because we say so. It’s because there’s hardly a rational argument against it.

Whichever path you choose for your store, what matters most is making an informed decision. The rest? That’s just the next chapter of your own e-commerce adventure. Good luck!