E-Commerce Platforms
AI Integrations

Shopify powers over 4 million online stores globally and processes hundreds of billions in GMV annually. Since April 2025, all new apps must use the GraphQL Admin API, which is a true superset of the REST API. The GraphQL API exposes 200+ object types with doubled rate limits and 75% reduced query costs compared to REST. Features include 2,000 product variants, Metaobjects for custom data, advanced Metafield filters (greater/less than, prefix, boolean logic), and bulk operations supporting all mutations with 100MB file uploads and 5 concurrent operations. API version 2026-01 added idempotency keys on refund and inventory mutations for safer retries. Shopify supports headless commerce via Hydrogen (React-based), enabling fully custom storefronts. Pricing: Basic at $39/month, Shopify at $105/month, Advanced at $399/month, and Plus starting at $2,300/month for enterprise. Shopify Payments eliminates third-party transaction fees on supported plans.

WooCommerce is the most widely used e-commerce platform by store count, powering over 6 million active online stores as a free WordPress plugin. The REST API v3 provides full CRUD operations on products, orders, customers, coupons, taxes, reports, shipping zones, and payment gateways. Batch operations support up to 100 products per request for efficient bulk management. High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS) is the new database architecture for faster order processing. Authentication supports API keys, Basic Auth, OAuth, and JWT. WooCommerce requires WordPress 6.7+ and WooCommerce 9.0+. The platform benefits from WordPress's massive ecosystem of 60,000+ plugins and thousands of themes. Self-hosted nature provides complete control over data and customization. Costs include hosting ($10-$200+/month), premium themes ($0-$200), and extensions ($0-$300/year each). WooCommerce is free and open-source, making it the most cost-effective entry point for e-commerce. The REST API is well-documented with client libraries for Python, PHP, JavaScript, and Ruby.

BigCommerce is an enterprise SaaS e-commerce platform offering robust API infrastructure, headless commerce support, and zero transaction fees across all plans. The REST API provides management of products, customers, inventory, orders, pricing, currencies, tax, shipping, and store settings. The Enterprise plan includes unlimited API calls, while lower tiers have rate limits based on plan level. BigCommerce supports headless commerce via Next.js, Vue, and other frameworks, making it a strong choice for custom storefronts. The platform handles multi-storefront from a single dashboard, multi-currency, and B2B-specific features like quote management and customer groups. Pricing starts at Standard ($39/month, $29 annually) with plans tied to annual revenue milestones — hitting thresholds triggers automatic plan upgrades. Enterprise pricing is custom and includes unlimited products, staff accounts, and API calls. BigCommerce powers mid-market to enterprise brands including Ben & Jerry's, Skullcandy, and Sony.

Saleor is an open-source, GraphQL-first headless commerce platform built for developers who want complete control over the frontend experience. The entire API surface is GraphQL — no REST, no afterthought design. The platform includes 160+ webhooks for event-driven architecture, native multi-channel support with per-channel pricing, currencies, and stock control, and custom apps to extend any commerce domain including payments, promotions, and shipping. Saleor supports Metaobjects for custom data modeling and provides a dashboard built with React. Cloud pricing starts at $1,599/month for small-to-medium businesses, $3,999/month for high-volume, and custom Enterprise pricing. The open-source version is free with no feature fragmentation — all features available, self-hosted. Saleor is built with Python (Django) and PostgreSQL, making it particularly well-suited for AI workflow integration given shared technology stack. The platform is used by companies building custom commerce experiences that traditional platforms cannot support.

Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento) is the enterprise e-commerce platform offering maximum customization through comprehensive REST and GraphQL APIs. The platform supports headless commerce, enabling custom frontends for web, mobile, and IoT. Integration starter kits cover checkout, back-office, payments, tax, and shipping. API Mesh and webhooks enable event-driven architecture. In June 2025, Adobe launched Commerce as a Cloud Service (ACCS) with microservices architecture, edge delivery, automatic updates, and API-first design. On-premise licensing starts at $22,000/year, cloud at $40,000/year, with enterprise tiers reaching $125,000+ based on GMV. The ACCS managed cloud offering targets businesses wanting Adobe Commerce power without infrastructure management. The open-source Magento community edition remains available for self-hosted deployments. Adobe Commerce serves enterprise brands requiring complex catalog management, multi-store capabilities, B2B features, and extensive customization. The platform integrates with the broader Adobe Experience Cloud including Analytics, Target, and Experience Manager.

PrestaShop is an open-source e-commerce platform popular in European markets, powering over 300,000 active online stores with strong localization, multi-language, and multi-currency support. PrestaShop 9, released June 2025, introduced a new REST API built with API Platform, providing modern authentication, standardized JSON responses, and improved scalability. The new Admin API supports CRM, ERP, mobile app, and headless commerce integrations. API endpoint coverage is being rolled out gradually — some scenarios still require the legacy Webservice API. PrestaShop 9.1 (beta January 2026) adds combination endpoints and continued API expansion. The platform is free to download and self-hosted, with costs limited to hosting ($10-$100/month) and optional premium modules from the marketplace. PrestaShop supports over 75 languages natively and complies with EU regulations including GDPR and the European Accessibility Act. The community includes over 1 million members and 300+ agencies worldwide.

Ecwid (acquired by Lightspeed in 2021) is a unique e-commerce platform designed to be embedded into any existing website, social media page, or marketplace. Unlike standalone platforms, Ecwid adds e-commerce to sites built with WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or any HTML page. The REST API provides access to products, categories, orders, customers, coupons, and store settings. Custom discount logic, live shipping rates, online payments, and a website builder are all accessible via API. The platform supports selling across website, Instagram, Facebook, Amazon, eBay, and in-person POS from a single dashboard. Pricing changed in early 2025: the former Free plan became a Starter plan at ~$5/month, with Venture at $19/month, Business at $39/month, and Unlimited at $99/month. All paid plans include zero transaction fees, SEO tools, and mobile POS. Ecwid integrates with 100+ third-party tools and is available as an app on major website builder platforms.

Wix eCommerce is built into the Wix website builder platform, serving millions of small businesses that want an easy-to-use online store without technical complexity. The platform includes product management, cart and checkout, payment processing (Wix Payments), shipping and tax, and order management. Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) generates store designs from business descriptions. The Wix Store API provides RESTful access to products, collections, orders, inventory, and cart data. However, API access and advanced developer tools have known limitations — the Business Elite plan ($159/month) reportedly lacks full developer API access. Pricing for e-commerce starts at Core ($29/month) for basic features, Business ($36/month) for advanced e-commerce including abandoned cart recovery and automated sales tax, and Business Elite ($159/month) for maximum features. Transaction fees of 2.9% + $0.30 apply per transaction. Wix serves primarily micro-businesses and solopreneurs who prioritize ease of use over advanced e-commerce features.

Volusion is one of the original SaaS e-commerce platforms, founded in 1999 and still serving merchants who value its built-in SEO tools and managed hosting. The platform includes product management, order processing, CRM, analytics, abandoned cart recovery (Professional plan+), and built-in SEO with meta tags, sitemaps, and rich snippets. API access enables integration with third-party applications for product data synchronization, order management, and inventory updates, though API documentation and capabilities are more limited than modern competitors. The Personal plan starts at $35/month (100 products, 1GB bandwidth), Professional at $79/month (5,000 products, 5GB bandwidth), and Business at $299/month (unlimited products, 35GB bandwidth). Enterprise plans offer custom pricing. Volusion has lost market share to Shopify and BigCommerce but retains a loyal merchant base, particularly businesses that have been on the platform for years and value stability. The platform provides phone support across all plans, a rarity in modern e-commerce.

OpenCart is a PHP-based open-source e-commerce platform powering over 400,000 online stores. OpenCart 4.0 modernized the platform with a Bootstrap 5 admin interface, PHP 8.2 support, enhanced security, and new API features. The REST API provides access to products, categories, orders, customers, and payment/shipping integrations. However, the API has notable limitations: no batch request support (requiring individual API calls for bulk operations), access token expiry causing session interruptions, and less comprehensive documentation than competitors. OpenCart is free to download and self-host, with costs limited to web hosting ($5-$50+/month) and optional marketplace extensions. The marketplace offers thousands of free and premium extensions and themes. OpenCart is particularly popular in Asia and emerging markets where its low hosting requirements and simplicity are valued. The platform supports multi-store management, multi-language, and multi-currency from a single installation.