Picking an e‑commerce platform is a major long-term commitment. There is an overwhelming number of options to choose from that vary in functionality, flexibility, architecture, security, cost, and more. Each aspect needs to be considered before making a decision. While some want a ready solution with minimal set-up, others might need a more advanced technical build to fit their strategy, growth, and development necessities. SaaS (Software as a Service) is an option worth taking into account, however, in this blog post, we will try to convince you why open-source software is the way to go. Let's look at the benefits.
Complete control
The biggest upside to open source software is the flexibility it offers. One has control over the source code, therefore full access to build their shop any way they want without any limits i.e. change code, add features, or remove anything. If you have rather niche needs or are looking to make major changes, open-source might be the right choice for you. Your imagination and the abilities of your software developers are your only limitations. With SaaS, one has restricted access to the underlying code and needs to work within the confines of the tools that the given platform offers.
Full customization
The ability to customize features, themes, and performance is where SaaS platforms can fall short for merchants. Chances are that the features for which you already paid can't be customized and modified to your needs. Yes, you might be able to edit some layout templates, colors, positions, and visibility but to add more, you will need to pay more monthly. Open source platforms, however, are built in a way to encourage their developer communities to adapt, customize, and evolve the platform. If creating an innovative customer experience is important to your business, open-source software can get you where you need to go.
Freedom of choice
Let's take Shopify's proprietary payment provider as an example. The platform charges additional transaction fees up to 2% of each sale for using other payment gateways and one loses access to certain features like multi-currency. If having freedom of choice is important to your e‑commerce business, you should opt for an open-source platform that integrates easily with the solutions you want or need.
No hidden costs
With SaaS, a platform oftentimes appears inexpensive but only if one decides on basic functionality. To gain access to more features one needs to run a real business, one might need to install numerous apps that can come with a monthly fee causing the price to add up to a sum that becomes unaffordable for many.
No scalability issues
SaaS platforms can be difficult to scale, causing merchants frustration and putting limits on a shop's success. The functionality can often be too limited to handle tens of thousands of product variations and order customization options. Therefore, if you are a seller with complex products and large, high SKU-count catalogs, open-source can solve the scalability issues you might be facing using a SaaS platform.
Community support
One of the biggest upsides to open-source platforms is the community that forms around them. The code is being constantly improved by developers specializing in the platform who contribute ideas and additions that one can take advantage of. One can access additional sources of knowledge on Github, blogs, and community forums related to the platform. The product is continuously developed iteratively and grows as the e‑commerce trends change over time.