Author: Bogdan Rancea

Picking the right ecommerce platform isn’t just about shiny templates or low fees — it’s about what actually helps you sell and grow.

I’ve personally tested both Shopify and Big Cartel across multiple projects. If you’re weighing up which one’s right for your business — especially if you’re in the ecommerce or ecommerce design space — this is the no-BS breakdown you need.

If you’re serious about scaling your online store, you need an eCommerce website that converts—not just one that looks good.

I’ve spent over 10 years in eCommerce, working with countless designers across different platforms. Some were great. Others? A total nightmare.

So, I put together this curated list of the best eCommerce website designers for Shopify, Squarespace, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. These are experts who actually deliver results, whether you’re launching a new store or optimizing an existing one.

Looking for the best platform for your online store? Both Shopify and Square Online have a lot of advantages to offer.

Overall, Shopify is the better all-around ecommerce platform, with more powerful sales features and scalable solutions.

But Square Online could be an appealing choice too – particularly if you’re looking for a way to start selling online easily, with no setup fees.

Plus, let’s not forget that you also get a fantastic point of sale system with Square (although Shopify POS is pretty impressive too).

Still not sure which option to pick?

Personally, I consider Shopify to be potentially the best ecommerce platform in the world.

It’s easy-to-use, scalable, flexible, and packed with tools that can help businesses grow.

But that doesn’t mean it’s the cheapest ecommerce solution out there.

There are definitely “more affordable” alternatives available – and many can offer similar features – but nothing I’ve found so far has been able to match Shopify in terms of overall value for money.

Still, the key to getting the best “return” on your investment is making sure you choose the right plan.

Shopify isn’t just my personal, favorite ecommerce platforms – it’s easily one of the most popular platforms worldwide.

If you’re an ecommerce merchant based in South Africa, Shopify can offer all the tools you need to run a thriving store.

In fact, there are more than 17,000 live Shopify stores based in South Africa right now – showing just how popular the ecosystem is.

However, to make sure you’re getting the best value for your money when investing in Shopify, you first need to decide which plan you’re going to choose.

That can be easier said than done, because when it comes to Shopify Pricing, South African merchants typically have limited information.

If you visit Shopify’s official website, you’ll see the prices outlined in USD, not ZAR – which can make it tougher to make an informed decision.

Fortunately, I’m here to help.

Shopify and Ecwid are easily two of the most popular options available to merchants looking for an easy way to sell products online – but they’re also very different.

Sure, both solutions give you the tools you need to master the world of ecommerce – but Shopify is an all-in-one website building and business management tool, whereas Ecwid simply lets you add ecommerce functionality to an existing website.

So, which option should you choose?

I launched my first online store (what feels like a lifetime ago), using everyone’s favorite website builder at the time: WordPress.

Although WordPress isn’t designed for ecommerce, it does offer access to plugins that make it possible to sell products and services online.

The only problem? Most of these plugins are notorious for being clunky, difficult to use, and packed with expensive “add-on” fees that can quickly eat into your profits.

Fortunately, Surecart saw the obvious gap in the market here, and devised a solution: the ultimate WordPress ecommerce plugin.