Typedream and Wix are two well-known website builders for entrepreneurs and ecommerce founders — but which one actually delivers a better store-building experience?
We spent over 300 hours testing top ecommerce platforms to help you make the right choice. In our 2025 testing cycle, Wix comes out ahead — but only for the right use case.
Let’s break it down.
Quick answer: Yes — Shopify themes are a one-time purchase for one store only. You pay once (usually between $180 and $400), and the theme is yours to use for the life of that store — no subscriptions, no renewals. But you can’t reuse the same theme on multiple stores without buying another license.
When I first started building Shopify stores, I assumed buying a theme was like paying for a monthly app or subscription.†
But the truth is, Shopify’s theme pricing is pretty straightforward — and once you understand how the licensing works, it’s easy to plan your budget, scale your store, and avoid any surprises.
Quick Answer: Shopify is the best all-around ecommerce platform for most businesses. It has more powerful features, smoother usability, and better design options than Shift4Shop.
But if you’re looking for a free plan and are okay with a few limitations, Shift4Shop can get you online fast at zero cost—if you use their payment system.
I’ve tested both platforms hands-on, comparing everything from pricing to payment gateways and user experience.
Let’s break down how Shopify and Shift4Shop stack up.
After years of building ecommerce sites for clients and running stores myself, I’ve used just about every platform out there.
When it comes to BigCommerce vs Ecwid, these two tools take very different approaches to selling online — and choosing the right one depends on what stage your business is at, what features you need, and how you want to scale.
Quick Answer:
Ecwid is better for beginners and small sellers looking for a free, plug-and-play solution.
BigCommerce is the stronger option for growing stores that need advanced features, flexibility, and multi-channel sales.
In this review, I’ll break down my real experience with both platforms — pricing, templates, apps, selling tools, marketing, and support — so you can decide what works best for your store.
Quick answer:
The best Bubble alternatives for ecommerce are Webflow, Shopify (especially with Hydrogen), and Builder.io. These platforms let you launch fast, scale easily, and design with far fewer limitations.
I’ve built ecommerce sites on everything from Shopify to custom headless stacks.
And while Bubble’s a beast in flexibility, it’s not always the right fit—especially for ecommerce. It’s powerful, but with power comes complexity. You want a store, not a software dev project.
So if you’ve been burned by Bubble’s slow performance, clunky checkout flows, or the constant need to plug in workarounds, here are the top platforms worth your time (and money).
Quick answer:
If you’re looking to move on from Volusion, the best alternatives are Shopify for all-round ease, BigCommerce for scaling, WooCommerce if you want control, and Wix or Squarespace if design is your priority.
Volusion just doesn’t cut it anymore — whether you’re dealing with outdated UX, weak SEO tools, or lack of flexibility, there are better options now.
I’ve run stores on almost every major platform, and I’ve helped migrate dozens of clients off Volusion.
This list comes from experience, not theory.
Let’s get into what actually works — and which platforms to avoid.
When I first started designing ecommerce websites, I made the same mistake most people do: I built for desktop first.
Big beautiful banners, high-res product shots, detailed menus—then tried to cram it all onto mobile later. It worked—kind of. But conversions weren’t where they needed to be.
After studying mobile-first design, testing across multiple ecommerce builds, and running heatmaps and session recordings, I flipped my process.
I started designing mobile-first, and it changed everything—from load speed to cart completions.
I run ecomm.design, a curated gallery of top ecommerce design. I track design trends across hundreds of online stores, and one area I’ve been laser-focused on this year is email design—specifically how ecommerce brands structure, style, and optimise their emails to drive revenue and retention.
This is everything I’ve learned by analysing real-world examples, testing them with brands, and watching how top-performing stores do email right in 2025.
Let’s break it down by email type.
Quick Answer:
The best Ecwid alternatives are Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, and WooCommerce — all offering more flexibility, features, and control than Ecwid, especially as your business grows.
As someone who’s been in the ecommerce trenches for years — launching stores, testing platforms, and consulting on designs — I’ve used Ecwid a handful of times.
It’s decent for beginners and simple setups, but it’s not ideal if you want to scale, customise, or integrate more advanced tools.
If you’ve outgrown Ecwid or just want more control over how you sell online, here’s my full breakdown of the best alternatives I recommend from actual experience.
Quick answer: Shopify is the better choice overall. It’s more flexible, scalable, and easier to use with access to thousands of integrations.
ShopBase is best for beginners running lean dropshipping stores, but it falls short on SEO, apps, and design options.
I’ve built dozens of ecommerce sites on both Shopify and ShopBase — and I’ve tested everything from payment setups to page speed.
Below, I’ll break down every feature side by side so you can decide which one makes the most sense for your business.
After testing all the major players, I can confidently say that Shopify is the best alternative to BigCommerce in 2025. It’s easier to use, more flexible with design and apps, and simply gives store owners a better experience overall.
But like BigCommerce, Shopify isn’t for everyone. So what other options are out there?
Enterprise-level companies need more from their ecommerce platform than most organizations. As your business grows, you need your solution to offer more customization options, advanced reporting capabilities, and endless scalability.
Solutions like Squarespace Enterprise are specially designed to address the requirements of larger companies, as their sale volumes begin to skyrocket.
Currently supporting companies like Colgate and Ylopo, Squarespace Enterprise promises organizations more flexibility, and more specialist support than any other Squarespace plan.
The question is, is Squarespace Enterprise right for your business? Or would you be better off exploring packages from companies like Wix, Shopify, and BigCommerce?
I took a closer look at the benefits offered by Squarespace’s enterprise plan, to help you make the right choice.
