Shopify platform selector: which e-commerce platform fits your situation

Choosing a platform based on a feature checklist rarely leads to a good decision: almost every platform can do almost anything, given enough time and budget. The selector above therefore works the other way around. Instead of ticking off features, it maps your situation and translates that into a concrete platform recommendation with an indication of costs and timeline.

How the recommendation is built

The questions in the selector are based on the factors that actually determine which platform works in practice, not on what platforms' own marketing claims. Think of:

• Nature of your sales: do you sell directly to consumers, to businesses, or both? B2B processes (quotes, customer groups, tiered pricing) require different functionality than a standard D2C webshop.
• Current technical situation: are you already running on a platform, and if so which? A migration costs time and money, and that factors into the recommendation.
• Available technical capacity: do you have a developer or agency on hand, or does the platform need to be self-manageable?
• Growth ambition and scale: a webshop processing 200 orders this year has different requirements than one growing toward 20,000 orders per month.
• Budget and timeline: how much time and money is available for implementation, and how important is speed to launch?

Based on those answers, the selector weighs platforms against each other: Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento/Adobe Commerce, Lightspeed, Shopware and BigCommerce are all considered, depending on your answers. A full, written version of this comparison is available at Shopify vs. alternatives.

How to read the outcome

The outcome of the selector is a direction, not a definitive answer. Platform choices also depend on nuances a questionnaire can't fully capture, such as specific integrations with an existing ERP or inventory system, or internal preferences within your team.

Treat the recommendation as a well-founded starting point for a conversation, not a black-box decision. For every outcome, we also indicate what the main deciding factor was, so you can judge for yourself whether that reasoning holds for your situation.

What to do with your outcome

• Does Shopify come out as the best match? Then check what the platform actually costs via Shopify costs, and what a migration looks like if you're coming from another system via Shopify migration.
• Does an alternative platform come out as the better match? Read the full comparison at Shopify vs. alternatives to understand why, and which situations suit that platform.
• Still unsure, or is the outcome close between two platforms? That happens more often than you'd think, especially for growing B2B businesses. In that case, a short, no-obligation conversation is usually faster than puzzling it out yourself. Get in contact and we'll think it through with you.
• Want to know how SEO is affected by your platform choice? That differs per system, especially during a migration. Check Shopify SEO for more on this.

Frequently asked questions

Is the selector's outcome binding, or just an indication?

An indication. The outcome is based on the answers you give and doesn't account for every conceivable exception. Use it as a well-founded starting point, not a final verdict.

How long does the selector take to complete?

A few minutes. The questions cover your current situation, sales model and ambitions, so you don't need to look anything up to answer them.

What if my situation is too specific for a generic selector?

That happens, especially with complex B2B processes or existing custom systems. Use the outcome as a starting point for a conversation via contact, where we can factor in specific nuances.

Does the selector work if I already have a webshop?

Yes. The questions take your current platform and reason for considering a switch into account, and factor migration costs into the recommendation.

Does using the selector cost anything?

No, the selector is free and non-binding to use.