There is a multitude of reasons why you might want to host your own eCommerce store. The main reason could be that you’re a control freak, and you want to have control over every single aspect of your online store.
There’s nothing wrong with that at all, and this type of driving force is one of the many things that separates those who are successful from those who aren’t.
Why would you choose a self-hosted eCommerce platform?
The main reason you want to host your eCommerce site yourself is to have all the power. That means no monthly fees, no commissions, no online store building tools to deal with. You can make changes and updates whenever you want. If your platform is up-to-date, you won’t have to worry about any major security flaws at all.
Best Self-Hosted eCommerce Alternative
Although self-hosted platforms give you control over every aspect of your online store, they can also come with lots of liabilities. For instance, you bear the cost of fixing any breakdown, and if you run into trouble, you are left to try to resolve it on your own. Moreover, self-hosted platforms are harder and more complex to set up. Hence, if you are not ready for the hassles of self-hosting, then Nexcess Storebuilder is a great alternative.
Nexcess Storebuilder is an intelligent AI-powered solution that uses years of industry insights to help you design, build, and manage your eCommerce store with zero coding skills. The best part is that you own your store, make your site rules, and enjoy full freedom and flexibility.
Storebuilder is very easy to use, so you do not need the services of web designers: All the tools you need to set up your store and create a seamless customer experience are at your disposal. Nexcess Storebuilder offers automatic updates and maintenance, with high-level security and performance monitoring.
The top reasons why you should consider using Nexcess Storebuilder:
- Zero coding knowledge required
- Excellent customer support, including a 24/7 rep
- Easy to use and ease of setup
- Intuitive designs and customizable templates
- Automated sales and performance tools
- No transaction fees
- User-friendly dashboards
- Premium plugins and features
Now let’s turn our attention to the top four self-hosted eCommerce platforms:
Best Self-Hosted ECommerce Platforms
| Brand | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. OpenCart | $20/month | Managing online store |
| 2. Magento | $22,000 | Fast and secure eCommerce platform |
| 3. PrestaShop | Free | Simplicity |
| 4. WooCommerce | $6.95 – $12.95/month | Online store |
1. OpenCart
OpenCart seems a little outdated at first but has many features and benefits that make it worth looking at when building your eCommerce store. It’s fast, secure, and very affordable.
OpenCart is written in PHP, which makes it more secure as an eCommerce platform. It also has a ton of features that will make managing your online store a breeze. On top of all of this, there’s a great forum where you can ask your questions and get them answered.
This platform is perfect if you want to have complete control over every aspect of your online store. It’s easy to use and inexpensive. The only downside is that it can be a little slow. A significant factor in the speed of OpenCart is your host. So, with that in mind, if you’re going to use OpenCart, you better make sure only to install it on a top-notch host.
The top reasons why you should consider using OpenCart:
- Has an excellent support team in their community forum
- OpenCart is very easy to install and get up-and-running in no time at all
- It’s perfect for a small or medium-sized business
- You can build attractive eCommerce store designs using OpenCart
- Easy to modify your store as needed
- No monthly fees
- User-friendly and very easy to learn and use
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2. Magento
Magento is another user-friendly and very popular open-source eCommerce platform. It’s highly customizable and can be installed with ease in minutes. You’ll have to pay for the privilege, though, as Magento is one of the most expensive eCommerce platforms out there.
What makes Magento so popular is the fact that it’s built with security in mind. One other great feature of Magento is that it has a super powerful search engine. You can also easily make use of the marketing tools that Magento offers.
Magento is great if you want a fast and secure eCommerce platform. It is extremely costly, and Magento has a steep learning curve. Magento also has a high barrier to entry. It’s not easy for a novice to create an eCommerce store on this platform.
The top reasons why you should consider using Magento:
- Magento is very secure, and you can easily customize every aspect of your online store
- Has a very powerful search engine
- Comes with a lot of marketing tools that will help you promote your eCommerce site more effectively
- Has an excellent customer support team at its disposal
- Comes with a full SEO and admin interface
3. PrestaShop
PrestaShop is an open-source eCommerce platform that is known for its simplicity. It has great features, and it’s completely free to use, which makes it a perfect choice for the up-and-coming entrepreneur. It’s also straightforward to install and comes with live chat support.
PrestaShop is best for those who are just getting started. It doesn’t have as many features as some of the more advanced eCommerce platforms out there. It’s great for those who want a simple online store that can be up-and-running in no time at all.
It’s surprisingly simple to use PrestaShop. You can open an online store in a matter of hours. It’s quite affordable, and it’s completely secure. The best thing about this platform is that it provides you with a shopping cart that is completely customizable to any of your needs.
The top reasons why you should consider using PrestaShop:
- It Comes with a built-in shopping cart, and you can easily customize it to your needs
- It comes with excellent customer support
- PrestaShop is very easy to install and get up-and-running in no time at all
- A simple platform that the novice online store owner can use
- It doesn’t require much configuration and customization
4. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is yet another excellent open-source eCommerce platform. It’s a highly customizable platform that’s very user-friendly. To add to that, it has an amazing customer support team at its disposal. It also comes with a built-in e-commerce website builder, making it very easy to create an online store.
WooCommerce is ideal for those who want their online store to be fully customizable. As an online store owner with WooCommerce, you have complete control over your entire site. It’s also very easy to use and can be customized to suit your needs depending on what kind of products you sell.
WooCommerce is also a highly secure platform. You can customize your store to precise dimensions, and you can easily delete unwanted products from your online store. This means that you don’t have to struggle with redundant products on your eCommerce site.
The top reasons why you should consider using WooCommerce:
- Comes with a built-in e-commerce website builder
- Has a massive base of users that can help answer your questions.
- Can easily be customized to suit your needs
- Works along with side WordPress perfectly
Almost all of you will naturally gravitate towards WooCommerce
The reason why WooCommerce is so popular is that it seamlessly plugs right into WordPress. This means that you can use WordPress to create your online store and then continue using WooCommerce to run it.
You also have a ton of free and paid themes to choose from since WordPress powers WooCommerce
There are thousands of themes you can choose from for your WooCommerce store. This means that you can easily change your online store’s look and feel as often as you like. You can quickly take advantage of design trends or new WordPress plugins that give your store more flexibility to serve the customer better.
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Conclusion
Choosing the best eCommerce platform for your store is a lot simpler than you think. Starting an eCommerce website doesn’t have to be a daunting task at all. All of these platforms are entirely free and can be used by anyone who has basic web development skills.
Choosing the best eCommerce platform for you is about knowing your needs and what software meets those needs. If you want to sell a ton of different products, you should look at an open-source eCommerce platform such as WooCommerce.
Don’t forget that hosting, design, and security are all your responsibility when using a self-hosted eCommerce platform. That means if something breaks, you’ll have to hire someone to fix it. It also means that if your host goes down, so does your store. When you use a platform such as Shopify, there are people constantly checking to make sure everything is operating smoothly, and all their customer’s stores are online.