Author: Bogdan Rancea

Bogdan Rancea is the founder and lead curator of ecomm.design, a showcase of the best ecommerce websites. With over 12 years in the digital commerce space he has a wealth of knowledge and a keen eye for great online retail experiences. As an ecommerce tech explorer Bogdan tests and reviews various platforms and design tools like Shopify, Figma and Canva and provides practical advice for store owners and designers. His hands on experience with these tools and his knowledge of ecommerce design trends makes him a valuable resource for businesses looking to improve their online presence. On ecomm.design Bogdan writes about online stores, ecommerce design and tips for entrepreneurs and designers.

Best Free Ecommerce Platforms of 2026 – Our Top Picks

best free ecommerce platforms

Our in-house testing names Shopify as the best overall ecommerce platform for 2025, thanks to its $1/month promo and industry-leading sales features. We spent over 100 hours testing and comparing the performance, design options, and pricing of today’s most-used free ecommerce builders — and shortlisted the best ones for launching your store with little to no upfront cost.

From forever-free plans to extended free trials, I’ve broken down what each platform offers before you spend a dollar, along with the real costs to expect once your store starts to grow — like payment processing, domain names, and upgrade fees.

Best Ecommerce Platforms for Dropshipping: My Picks for 2026

best ecommerce platforms for dropshipping

Choosing an ecommerce platform for dropshipping isn’t just about saving cash on monthly fees, it’s about picking a system that lets you get up and running quick, test out new products with ease, and scale without hitting too many roadblocks.

After putting in the time to test and compare features on some of the top platforms, I’ve narrowed it down to the seven best ecommerce platforms for dropshipping in 2026.

Each one has its strengths and weaknesses depending on your business size, goals, and supplier model.

To make it easier to compare, I’ve broken it all down for you.

Squarespace vs Weebly: My Verdict for 2026

squarespace vs weebly

After 200+ hours of testing and analysing the latest features from both platforms, I can confidently say Squarespace is the better choice if you care about design, long-term features, and business scalability. Weebly is still fine for launching a basic site quickly, but it’s clearly in maintenance mode as Square shifts focus to other tools.

Ecwid Review: The Flexible Ecommerce Add-On for Existing Websites

ecwid review

For anyone looking to start selling online without having to switch to a whole new ecommerce platform, Ecwid is a great option.

Unlike fully-fledged ecommerce builders like Shopify or BigCommerce, Ecwid thinks more like a plugin – something that lets you add a shopping cart and product catalog to your existing website, whether you’re using WordPress, Wix, Squarespace or even a basic HTML page.

I tested Ecwid across a bunch of different environments – including WordPress blogs, portfolio sites and basic business pages – to see how it stacks up when it comes to setup, ease of use, sales tools, customization and long-term viability.

This review breaks down everything I found, from the moment I set it up to its feature performance, so you can decide if Ecwid is right for your business goals.

How to Connect Shopify to Amazon (Step-by-Step for Ecommerce Brands)

how to connect shopify to amazon

As someone who runs an ecommerce store, you’re always looking for ways to increase visibility and sales without adding unnecessary complexity to your operations.

If you’re using Shopify, connecting it to Amazon can be one of the most powerful ways to expand your reach, tap into a massive customer base, and keep your operations centralized in one place.

I’ve helped many ecommerce clients integrate Shopify with Amazon successfully, and in this guide, I’ll walk you through everything — from why it matters, to the exact steps to get it done right, to design and branding best practices, and everything in between.

Wix vs Volusion: Which Ecommerce Platform Is Best for Your Online Store?

wix vs volusion

Wix and Volusion are two well-known ecommerce website builders, but which one should you choose for your store?

I’ve tested both platforms extensively and compared their pricing, sales features, design flexibility, and more.

As a result of my testing, Wix is the better choice for most usersit’s easier to use, has better design tools, and includes a built-in blog for content marketing.

But Volusion does have strengths, especially when it comes to managing large product inventories.

Let’s walk through each platform in detail and see which one is the best fit for your ecommerce business.

Framer vs WordPress: Which Is Better for Ecommerce Design?

framer vs wordpress

Framer and WordPress are two of the most popular tools in the ecommerce web design space — but which one is better for building and running your online store?

After extensive testing and real-world implementation, I’ve compared both platforms side by side to help you decide which is right for your business.

Whether you’re building a sleek landing page for a product launch or need a fully featured ecommerce platform with product filters, payment options, and checkout flows, this guide will help you make the best choice.

Ecommerce Checkout Best Practices: What We Learned After Analyzing 20,000+ Online Stores

If your ecommerce store’s checkout process is confusing, slow, or cluttered, you’re going to lose sales. It doesn’t matter how great your product is or how much you’ve invested in traffic—checkout is where the sale happens or it dies.

At ecomm.design, we’ve reviewed over 20,000 ecommerce websites and handpicked 4,000+ of the best-designed stores for our gallery. That means we’ve seen nearly every type of checkout flow imaginable. From clunky, outdated checkout forms to seamless one-click experiences that feel effortless, the difference between a good store and a great one is almost always in the details of the checkout UX.

Best Subscription Apps for Shopify in 2026

best subscription apps for shopify

Running a Shopify store means always on the lookout for new ways to boost revenue and make customer experiences even better.

If you sell products that people use regularly – be it coffee, skincare or supplements – subscriptions can be a total game changer.

The right subscription app does more than just sell more – it helps build loyalty, keeps customers from churning and gives you a predictable monthly income to count on.

Over the years, I’ve worked with dozens of Shopify merchants who wanted to add a subscription option to their store. And here’s what I’ve learned: not every subscription app is created equal.

Some are super flexible and easy to customize. Others are stuck on rigid templates or clunky checkout flows that just don’t cut it.

The best subscription apps for Shopify give you total control over the customer experience, play well with your existing tools, and help you boost retention without adding complexity.

Let’s go through the top subscription apps I recommend – and what makes each one stand out.

Shopify vs Shopline – Which Ecommerce Platform is Right for Your Business?

shopify vs shopline

Shopify and Shopline are two seriously powerful ecommerce platforms that let you build and manage an online store – but which one is best for your business?

To figure that out, I’ve put both platforms through their paces in just about every key area that matters to store owners – from how much they cost and how flexible the design options are, right through to sales features, payment options, SEO capabilities and international support.

Wherever you are in your ecommerce journey – whether you’re just starting out or you’re running a well-established brand – choosing the right platform is going to have a huge impact on how smoothly things run, how quickly you can scale, and how much you sell in the end.

Based on my hands-on experience, I have to say that Shopify is probably the better choice for most businesses – especially if you’re looking to sell into different countries or want the very best design and marketing tools.

But Shopline isn’t far behind at all – and for businesses that are really focused on Asian markets, particularly those selling into Chinese-speaking regions, it’s got some clear advantages when it comes to localization and regional tools.

Let’s break down the key differences.

How to Improve Site Speed on Shopify: The Complete Guide for Ecommerce Designers

improve site speed on shopify

To improve your Shopify store’s speed, focus on choosing a fast theme like Dawn, compressing your images using tools like TinyPNG, removing unnecessary apps that load extra scripts, and optimizing fonts and videos.

Clean up your Liquid code, lazy load below-the-fold content, and leverage Shopify’s built-in tools like the Theme Inspector to identify what’s slowing you down.

These simple changes can make your site load faster, rank better in Google, and convert more customers—without needing server-level access or custom tech.

How to Run an Ecommerce UX Audit and Make Your Website User-Friendly

ecommerce ux audit

If you run an online store and you’re wondering why your traffic isn’t converting, the problem probably isn’t your marketing — it’s your user experience.

A detailed ecommerce UX audit helps you spot the hidden friction points on your site and fix them, so customers can shop without frustration. In this guide, we’ll walk through what an ecommerce UX audit is, what to look for, how to make your website more user-friendly, and how the world’s biggest stores optimize for better conversions.