Guide
E-commerce platforms, how to choose the right one
Marketplaces, websites for selling online and platforms for building your own store, compared by someone who uses them every day.
An e-commerce platform is the software that runs an online store. It handles catalog, cart, payments, shipping, customers and orders, and it can be installed on your own server, like WooCommerce, PrestaShop and Magento, or used as a subscription, like Shopify.
When people talk about e-commerce platforms, though, they lump together two different things. On one side there are marketplaces, the online selling websites such as Amazon, eBay or Etsy, where you list products in a store that belongs to someone else. On the other there are the platforms you use to build a store of your own, on your own domain, such as WooCommerce, Shopify, PrestaShop and Magento. To choose well you first need to understand which of the two you need, and often the answer is both.
There is no single best platform. There is the right one for what you sell, how many products you have, who buys and who will run the store every day. The wrong one costs more than the right one, in time and in money. In this guide you'll find the differences between a marketplace and your own store, profiles of the four platforms we use, a 5-question framework and a matrix on 12 criteria. If you are starting from scratch, also read how to open an online store, with steps, legal requirements and costs.
Online selling websites
Online selling websites,
marketplaces and when they make sense
Many people look for the best websites to sell online with marketplaces in mind, where you list a product and sell it without building anything. They are useful, but they work differently from one another and none of them replaces a store of your own.
Amazon and eBay are the general marketplaces, with a huge audience already used to buying there. In exchange they keep a fee on every sale, set the rules on returns and reviews and the customer remains theirs. Etsy is designed for handmade and vintage. For second-hand sales between individuals there are websites like Vinted, for clothing and accessories, and the listings on Subito (an Italian classifieds website) and Facebook Marketplace, where payment and delivery are often agreed directly.
For a business the marketplace is an extra channel, not the base. Prices, margins, customer data and the chance to sell to customers again over time live on your own website. That is why in the more structured projects we connect store and marketplaces to the same catalog, so orders and stock stay aligned. Remember that under the European DAC7 directive marketplaces report to the tax authorities the details of those who sell through them, as explained in the guide to opening an online store.
The main platforms
The best platforms
for a store of your own
These are the four platforms for selling online with your own store that we use every day. Each platform has a specific strength, and recognizing your case is the first step.
WooCommerce
Maximum flexibility, code and data always yours.
- Catalogs of up to 5,000 products
- Mature connections with Italian management software
- Strong SEO and content thanks to WordPress
- Open source, no license to pay
- Custom plugins that are easy to maintain
Shopify
Quick to launch, the servers are handled by the platform.
- Brands focused on marketing and campaigns
- Selling abroad in multiple currencies
- Lots of ready-made apps, from subscriptions to reviews
- Subscription-based, grows without thinking about hosting
- Online in 1 to 3 weeks
PrestaShop
Multiple stores from one dashboard, B2B with complex price lists.
- Multiple brands in a single installation
- B2B with price lists by customer group
- Multiple currencies and tax regimes
- Very powerful variation management
- Open source on your own server
Magento
Magento and Adobe Commerce for the largest projects.
- Over 5,000 products with complex variations
- Advanced B2B with purchase orders and approvals
- Connection with ERPs such as SAP and Oracle
- Multiple stores in many countries
- Controls and permissions for large organizations
Decision framework
Five questions to choose
your e-commerce platform
These are the same questions we ask in the first calls with people who want to open or rebuild a store. Answer each one and the platform that fits your case emerges on its own.
1How many products do you sell?
2Do you need to run multiple stores or brands?
3Do you have Italian management software to connect?
4Do you want control of the code or a turnkey service?
5Is content your main source of customers?
Unsure about a question? We'll call you back and tell you in a 10-minute phone call.
Comparison matrix
The 4 e-commerce platforms
on 12 criteria
How strong each platform is on each criterion, based on our experience with the stores we build and look after. Five full dots means excellent, a single one means not recommended. The total score is at the bottom.
| Criterion | WooCommerce | Shopify | PrestaShop | Magento |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flexibility and customization | ●●●●● | ●●○○○ | ●●●○○ | ●●●●○ |
| Time to go live | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | ●●●○○ | ●○○○○ |
| Total cost over time | ●●●●● | ●●○○○ | ●●●●○ | ●●○○○ |
| Connection to Italian management software | ●●●●● | ●●○○○ | ●●●○○ | ●●○○○ |
| SEO and content | ●●●●● | ●●○○○ | ●●●○○ | ●●●○○ |
| Available plugins, modules and themes | ●●●●● | ●●●●○ | ●●●○○ | ●●●○○ |
| Ease of use for whoever runs the store | ●●●●● | ●●●●○ | ●●●○○ | ●○○○○ |
| Server-side tracking and Conversion API | ●●●●● | ●●●○○ | ●●●○○ | ●●●●○ |
| Multiple stores and brands | ●●●●○ | ●●●○○ | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| International selling | ●●●●○ | ●●●●● | ●●●●○ | ●●●●● |
| Advanced B2B, price lists and purchase orders | ●●●●○ | ●●○○○ | ●●●●○ | ●●●●● |
| Very large catalog, over 5,000 products | ●●●○○ | ●●●○○ | ●●●●○ | ●●●●● |
| Total score (out of 60) | 55/60 | 37/60 | 42/60 | 40/60 |
●●●●● excellent · ●●●●○ very good · ●●●○○ good · ●●○○○ limited · ●○○○○ not recommended
The total score is a simplification, because in every project the criteria carry different weights. With a very large catalog and advanced B2B, Magento's score matters more, for a consumer brand selling in many countries Shopify's score matters more. For most Italian businesses, though, the criteria weigh in favor of WooCommerce, and that is why it is the platform we propose most often. The head-to-head comparisons are in WooCommerce vs Shopify, WooCommerce vs PrestaShop and WooCommerce vs Magento.
Costs and the Italian market
Italian online selling platforms
and what they really cost
People looking for Italian online selling platforms usually want something specific, a store that speaks the language of Italian taxes and logistics. The platforms most used by Italian businesses are international, but what makes the difference is how they are set up. Electronic invoicing through the SdI (the Italian e-invoicing exchange system), recipient code or PEC (certified email) at checkout, couriers such as BRT, GLS, SDA and Poste Italiane, payments such as Satispay and Scalapay, and connection with management software such as Danea, Mexal or TeamSystem. On this front WooCommerce is the most mature, PrestaShop is close, Shopify gets there with paid apps.
As for costs, WooCommerce, PrestaShop and Magento Open Source don't require a license, but you need adequate hosting, any paid plugins or modules and maintenance. Shopify charges a monthly fee plus transaction fees and apps, with Shopify pricing summarized on our dedicated page. Adobe Commerce has an Adobe license. On top of all this comes the development, which with us starts at €1,950 at a fixed price. The details of each tier are on the e-commerce website development page.
People looking for platforms to sell online without spending anything find two things. Open source platforms have no license, but hosting, domain and payment fees remain, and marketplaces don't require you to build a website but keep a fee on every sale. A zero-cost store, in practice, does not exist.
Beyond the four in this guide there are other platforms, such as Shopware, BigCommerce, Wix and Squarespace. We don't use them in the projects we build, so we don't include them in the comparison, because we prefer to assess only what we know from the inside. If you already use one and want to understand whether to stay or switch, we can look at your store and tell you.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
about e-commerce platforms
The questions we are asked most often by people choosing where and how to sell online.
What is the best e-commerce platform?
There is no single best one. For most Italian businesses with a catalog of a few dozen to a few thousand products we recommend WooCommerce. PrestaShop suits those with multiple stores or B2B customer groups, Magento very large catalogs with complex B2B, Shopify those who want a subscription service with no technical worries.
What is an e-commerce platform?
It is the software that runs an online store, meaning catalog, cart, payments, shipping, customers and orders. It can be installed on your own server, like WooCommerce, PrestaShop and Magento, or used as a subscription, like Shopify. Marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay are something else, because you sell in a store that belongs to them.
What are the main e-commerce platforms?
To build your own store the most widespread are WooCommerce, Shopify, PrestaShop and Magento with Adobe Commerce, each with a specific strength. Among the websites for selling online without a store of your own there are Amazon, eBay and Etsy, and for second-hand sales between individuals Vinted, Subito and Facebook Marketplace.
What are the Italian online selling platforms?
The platforms most used by Italian businesses are international. What matters is that the store is set up for Italy, with electronic invoicing through the SdI, Italian couriers, payments such as Satispay and a connection to Italian management software. On this front WooCommerce is the most mature.
Are there platforms to sell online at no cost?
Without a license, yes. At no cost, no. WooCommerce, PrestaShop and Magento Open Source require no license, but you need hosting, a domain and payment fees. Marketplaces don't require you to build a website but keep a fee on every sale.
A marketplace or your own website, which is better?
A marketplace brings customers right away but keeps a fee on every sale, sets the rules and the customer remains theirs. Your own website needs advertising and SEO to get visitors, but prices, margins and customer data stay yours. For a business the website as the base and marketplaces as an extra channel, connected to the same catalog, is the better choice.
How much does it cost to use an e-commerce platform?
WooCommerce, PrestaShop and Magento Open Source have no license, but you need hosting, any paid extensions and maintenance. Shopify has a monthly fee plus transaction fees and apps, Adobe Commerce an Adobe license. Building the store with us starts at €1,950 at a fixed price and maintenance for a WooCommerce store costs €290 per month.
Can you change platform without losing your Google rankings?
Yes, if the migration is done properly. Products, customers and orders are carried over, a 301 redirect is set up for every old URL and rankings are monitored in the weeks after launch. We did it for Cialdeweb, from Magento to WooCommerce, with no drop in traffic.
Want an opinion on your case?
In a 10-minute phone call we'll tell you which platform makes the most sense for your project, even if you then decide not to work with us. No commitment and no surprise quotes.