20 Free Ecommerce Platforms for Entrepreneurs

Posted April 3, 2020

According to Statista, online shopping is expected to hit a 4 trillion market size by 2020. This growth equates to both business potential and challenge. For business owners who are still hesitant to move their business online, this statistic is an eye-opener. For aspiring online entrepreneurs, this is very encouraging. However, it’s not that easy to start an online selling business. How can you build an efficient business platform without breaking the bank? By selling through free eCommerce platforms.

How Free eCommerce Platforms Website Options Help

According to Atlantic BT, a small business website with light traffic can be built for less than $11,000 and maintained at $12,000 annually. The setup and annual fees increase with the company size and website traffic.

While you can avoid charges and sell through Amazon for free, Amazon can be limiting when it comes to branding and scalability. Keeping all your sales efforts focused on Amazon also means that you have to compete with millions of other sellers on the platform.

20 of The Best eCommerce Platforms

Just like hiring a virtual assistant, finding the best free eCommerce platform for small business can reduce expenses while maintaining service quality. Here are some of the most popular free eCommerce platforms to choose from:

WooCommerce. Free for WordPress users, entrepreneurs can customize WooCommerce websites and integrate PayPal and 1-Click selling. WooCommerce Sites are optimized for SEO, but hosting and additional extensions are not free.
VirtueMart. VirtueMart is the eCommerce solution for users of content management system Joomla. Through Joomla-powered templates, entrepreneurs can add features such as the tax and discount calculator and product editor for organizing products and buyers.
PrestaShop. With thousands of templates, PrestaShop has helped over 300,000 businesses build their stores. The eCommerce platform is also adaptable into 75 languages for local search optimization.
KonaKart. KonaKart runs in any JavaScript-supported application. It has content management support and an AI bot for Facebook Messenger. Premium extensions for KonaKart are sold separately.
Magento. Magento helps businesses create a distinct digital experience for their customers. It has order management for easy order fulfillment and business insights for strategy and analysis. Magento offers webinars and tutorials to help startups hit the ground running.
Shopware. Shopware seamlessly integrates eCommerce and content. It features a built-in storefront and drag-and-drop editor for landing pages. Additional features like CMS functions and manufacturer support are bought separately.
Oscar. Oscar has an extendable core, so storefronts can be replaced or extended effortlessly. The platform features nine payment options and documentation tools for tracking orders and shopping issues.
Saleor. With Saleor, you can start with a basic storefront and eventually expand as you grow. Saleor features local currency display, multiple payments, and a user-friendly shop dashboard.
OpenCart. OpenCart lets entrepreneurs build and manage their eCommerce sites with minimal work. With its wide collection of templates and modules, entrepreneurs can expand their store functionality over time. OpenCart has built-in tools for SEO and taxation.
OsCommerce. Home to over 300,000 users, OsCommerce offers 9,000+ add-on tools, online demo, and bug reports. The platform doubles as a shop front and a backend site for admin support.

Sylius. With 400+ contributors, Sylius has extensive eCommerce tools and templates. The platform is also designed for easy integration for various external tools ranging from CRM, communications, and inventory.
Pimcore. Built for B2B and B2C enterprises, Pimcore features marketing tools and customer and product management. Master Data Management is available for handling multiple vendors, products, and buyers.
Zen Cart. Developed by entrepreneurs, programmers, and designers, Zen Cart is packed with user-friendly features. This includes multiple payment gateways, language packs, and marketing tools.
nopCommerce. nopCommerce comes with several plugins, themes and language packs. Payment, order fulfillment, and shipment tools are easily integrated and scaled with nopCommerce.
Reaction Commerce. With over a million scale catalogs, Reaction Commerce is as flexible as it is scalable. It promises 100% Uptime even during busy seasons like Black Friday.
Drupal Commerce. Entrepreneurs can get a product administration system, shopping cart, and checkout form with Drupal. The platform supports several languages and currencies for enhanced usage.
WP eCommerce. The free WP Commerce platform includes shipping modules, secure payments, and marketing support. Built for WordPress users, WP Commerce has extra functionalities for a price.
Weebly. Weebly lets entrepreneurs build, run, and grow their websites quickly. The platform features free tools like customizable forms and templates and marketing tools.
BigCartel. BigCartel is built for startup owners and artists. The platform has built-in store-fronts, inventory, and analytics tools especially designed for creative businesses.
OROCommerce. OROCommerce is available for both small businesses and big enterprises. It offers shopping list management, multiple currencies, warehouse management, and buyer-seller communications.