Whether you’re new to the world of online selling, or you’ve been investing in ecommerce for a while now, you probably know few things have a bigger impact on your success, than your choice of ecommerce platform.

For me, Shopify stands out as one of the best ecommerce platforms around, thanks to its scalability, versatility, and ease of use.

However, Big Cartel is another heavy hitter in the industry with a lot of benefits to offer.

It’s great for “artistic” merchants, photographers, and visual artists. Plus, it’s arguably the more “cost-effective” choice for beginners (with a free plan for smaller merchants).

So, which platform is really best for your business?

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.

If you’ve been selling on Etsy for a while, you’ve probably noticed a few things:

1. Your shop is just one among thousands, if not millions, in your niche. Competing on Etsy can feel like shouting into a crowd.
2. Etsy takes a significant chunk of your profits with fees for listings, transactions, and advertising.
3. You don’t have much control over how your shop looks, functions, or even ranks in Etsy search.

This is where Shopify comes in.

When you move to Shopify, you’re no longer dependent on someone else’s platform. Instead, you have full ownership over your store, branding, marketing, and customer relationships.

For many Etsy sellers, it’s the natural next step to grow their business and build a sustainable brand.

Over the past 10+ years, I’ve helped countless sellers migrate to Shopify. I’ve also developed Shopify apps, so I’ve seen the platform from every angle.

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?