12 Best Headless eCommerce Platforms (Pros & Cons) [Updated]

Last updated on September 7th, 2023

In the 21st century, the eCommerce business has reached its peak. People can now use different ways to access the Best Headless eCommerce Platforms, such as mobile apps, the Internet of Things (IoT), progressive web apps, and more.

The pandemic is the main reason for the sudden rise in eCommerce. Second, the biggest online stores, like Amazon, add new technologies for their customers.

eCommerce marketplaces also make it hard for small to medium-sized online stores to compete. New technologies are the only way to stay alive and move quickly.

And changes. And how can that be?

Simple. By using eCommerce without a head.

If you are not familiar with Headless eCommerce platform, you must read The Ultimate Guide to Headless Commerce

How does Headless eCommerce work?

Headless eCommerce is an architectural style in which the front end of an eCommerce platform is separated from the back end, which holds all of the business logic. This method gives the brand the freedom to build anything they want.

Headless eCommerce’s Pros and Cons:

Some of the best things about headless eCommerce platforms are:

• Omnichannel Experience

Omnichannel is a popular buzzword in online marketing. With the help of a headless commerce platform, you can build an omnichannel store that users can access from various devices.

Most users will interact with your store before buying in the omnichannel method. The buyer’s journey has different stages that the users will go through. For example, people will look at products on the website and compare them on their phones.

In short, headless commerce allows users to have an omnichannel experience on different devices.

• Integration without a hitch

APIs are the central part of headless Commerce platforms. Because of this, these platforms are easy to set up and easy to connect to other applications. APIs are what make connections, and the transfer of data works perfectly.

Headless platforms send messages to the frontend in the form of code, which is easy to change with popular CRM and CMS systems. Because of this, online store owners can keep an eye on their business and help it grow.

Users will have a better shopping experience if you switch your traditional store to an eCommerce store with no head.

• Better Service for Customers

Headless eCommerce platforms can be changed in many different ways. Headless eCommerce platforms let you repeatedly make changes, tweaks, and deployments without affecting the underlying technology.

In short, headless eCommerce platforms let you build a store around the needs of the end users.

12 Best Platforms for Headless eCommerce 

1. Adobe Business

Adobe commerce, or Magento commerce as some people call it, is a headless platform solution that is free to use.

Pros:

• More freedom of action
• Got better results
• The ability to make content that fits your needs
• Customers have a great time using the site
• An excellent place to begin right away
• A strong group of people who make Magento

Cons:

• Expensive customization
• Needs regular updates to its security
• Vulnerable to attacks
• Not very appealing user interface

2. Plus for Shopify

Shopify Plus is for you if you want your business eCommerce to proliferate. It is multi-channel, headless commerce software that can handle a lot of traffic.

Pros:

• Great for multiple site holders
• Simple to learn and get going with
• Efficient customization
• Help for thousands of apps
• Set up quickly and easily
• Headless site templates by default
• In-depth statistics
• Run the point-of-sale (POS) and online store
• Sections for tailor-made answers

Cons:

• Expensive pricing
• It has a small number of built-in design themes
• There may be server problems sometimes

3. BigCommerce

One of the most well-known headless eCommerce platforms is BigCommerce. It’s an open-source solution that focuses on SaaS in the cloud, just like other platforms.

You can choose your tech stack with BigCommerce.

Pros:

• A lot of templates 
• Easy to scale up and add to
• Designing freedom
• Entry-level products come with all the features.
• Good customer service
• There are a lot of third-party apps to choose from
• Easy to understand
• The platforms are updated regularly and set up perfectly.
• Feature for a complete product manager
• A new look for the interface
• Flexibility and dependability
• Integration that is easy and correct
• Strong order management

Cons:

• Asks for a new password every three months (annoying experience)
• Hard to work with if you want to do more than the basics with it
• Setting up the theme editor may be challenging.
• The theme editor in the browser may be buggy and unreliable.
• It’s hard for stores to be designed without developers.

4. eCommerce tools

eCommerce tools are used to build B2B and B2C eCommerce sites for the next generation. So far, the legacy suits have made it hard for eCommerce sites to be customized and grow. With its headless and API-first approach, Commercetools eliminates the need for old tools.

Pros:

• Informative documentation
• Microservice architecture can be grown as needed.
• Cloud-native platform supported
• No need to use SQL
• It’s easy to add on to APIs
• Requires less maintenance
• An eCommerce solution that keeps growing

Cons:

• There are no new frontend SDKs
• Integration with third-party platforms is hard to do.
• It’s hard to change the price range.
• Data mapping limitations

5. Elastic path of business

Elastic Path Commerce is a platform for doing business that puts agility at the top of the list. In traditional industry, flexibility has been talked about for a long time. The elastic path uses eCommerce technologies that have been patented and take a “headless” approach.

Pros:

• Has a reliable and smooth API.
• Web tools are easy to get to
• Simple to use
• Flexible business solution module
• API is swift
• It has a lot of high-tech features
• A better time for developers
• Amazing billing options

Cons:

• Need to fix bugs at times
• Not everyone may find it easy to use.
• There is a big learning curve
• CloudOps needs to get better.
• It takes a long time to upgrade.

6. Salesforce Commerce Cloud

Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a SaaS eCommerce solution that is scalable and runs in the cloud. It has the best features and functions for large businesses.

Pros:

• The PWA kit is ready to build storefronts that work best on mobile devices.
• Commerce developer toolkits and templates make it easy to change the look of storefronts.

Headless content delivery network, web application firewall, and security monitoring are all included.

• Use one backend to handle millions of SKUs and hundreds of stores.
• Included is the Salesforce Customer 360 platform for managing customer data in marketing, sales, and service.
• Commerce Managed Runtime powers a storefront that is lightning fast.

Cons:

• Salesforce Commerce Cloud pricing is high because the technology is for large businesses.
• Salesforce has an ecosystem of apps and services that work together.
• Learning tt takes time
• Slow service to customers.

7. SAP

SAP has built a good name by giving high-quality ERP systems to millions of businesses worldwide for many years. As the market leader in ERP, SAP software helps businesses of all sizes centralize data management, which makes it easier to manage complicated business processes across departments.

SAP Commerce is the only Best Headless eCommerce Platform from SAP. It supports new ideas and growth that makes money.

Pros:

• Integration with SAP’s extensive network of partners.
• Add new customer touchpoints quickly.
• Support multilingual catalogs for global sites.
• Use the same account to run more than one storefront. Support for multiple touchpoints is built in.
• Use flexibility to improve the customer experience.
• Easy to expand. Frequently be able to deal with a lot of traffic.

Cons:

• It doesn’t have as much support as other big eCommerce platforms.
• Integration with SAP software may be needed to get the most out of it.

8. OroCommerce

OroCommerce is a headless commerce platform that is free to use. It’s made to work with B2B platforms. But you can use its multiple features to meet your eCommerce requirements.

Pros:

• It speeds up the process of doing complicated businesses.
• Built in a planned way
• It’s excellent that functional implementation works
• Has a powerful tool called a data grid
• The web catalog is strong
• Agile CRM
• Lots of things to do
• Structure that is strong and focused on B2B

Cons:

• There are a lot of things to learn about development.
• Development is complex
• Extensions are limited
• Hard to use on a Windows system
• Needs more updates in debugging tool

9. Spryker

Spryker is a well-known open-source eCommerce platform that aims to give mid-sized and large businesses high-quality business solutions. It is one of the headless platforms that can be changed to meet all your business needs.

Pros:

• Headless structure lets you customize your solutions and frontend integrations; ready API.
• Different business models can be run on one platform:
• Strong and complete shopping options
• Fast deployment:
• Unique technology to help businesses do better:

Cons:

• It can be hard to update and keep up with.
• Both the documentation and the developer Bootcamp are out of date.
• The price seems to be on the high end
• There aren’t that many people living there.

10. Swell

Swell is a growing headless eCommerce platform that focuses on making unique shopping experiences that don’t need many different apps. Its API-first approach and headless architecture make it a powerful commerce platform and give designers a lot of ways to use it.

Pros:

• Dashboard is easy to use for both users and administrators.
• Users of any age can change the dashboard.• Use APIs to create custom checkout flows that set your business apart from others.
• Beautiful themes for headless storefronts that are already made.
• Fast time to market.
• It’s easy to start.
• A cheap solution without a head.

Cons:

• The Community plan doesn’t have email and chats support.
• The only plan with no API limits is the Enterprise plan.
• There isn’t enough paperwork and rules.
• Don’t support multi-stores

11. Lots of Business

SpreeCommerce is a well-known open-source eCommerce platform focusing on business-to-business (B2B) solutions. The headless approach gives it the most flexibility and customization, so it can be used by global brands that want to build dynamic storefronts in multiple languages and currencies.

Pros:

• Accept a large number of payment methods,
• Works well with headless storefronts and software from other companies.
• Rapid development
• Build Web uses a “mobile-first” strategy

Cons:

• There wasn’t enough proof.
• Must be built with strong technical skills.
• If you use open-source, you won’t get any help.

12. Saleor

Sale is a GraphQL-first, open-source eCommerce platform made to please developers first. Sailor uses the power of headless to create a well-made, flexible, and complete commerce package that eCommerce stores can use to create a truly omnichannel experience.

Pros:

• Use GraphQL API to run multiple stores, apps, and devices from a single backend.
• Allow more than one channel, warehouse, language, or currency to be used with the same account.
• Ready for PWA for a great mobile shopping experience.
• It’s easy to connect to other software:
• Zero maintenance:
• Keep track of your data using data centers in the US and EU.

Cons:

• You need to be good at coding.
• This platform is new and still being built, so the community is not very active.
• Not enough extensions that are ready to go.

Are You Looking for Headless eCommerce Platforms for Your Business?

With new technologies, the eCommerce business will reach new heights in the future. Headless commerce platforms will continue to be popular because they let you give customers a personalized shopping experience. Now it’s up to you to choose from the best headless eCommerce platforms.

If it’s hard for you to find an excellent headless platform for your store, feel free to contact us.