Note: This article compares 26 e-commerce platforms, including several available only in Japan (e.g., BASE, ecforce). Some of the platforms and comparisons covered will not be relevant outside Japan.
When launching an e-commerce site, the first challenge is deciding which e-commerce platform to build your store on. The platforms available for setting up an online store range from free options to highly extensible ones and those rich in marketing features — there are many different services to choose from.
This article presents a list of 26 recommended e-commerce platforms organized by purpose and industry. Use it as a reference for choosing the platform that best fits your products, business model, and growth stage.
*This article is based on information about each platform as of October 2025.
26 Domestic E-Commerce Platforms by Purpose and Category
How you should choose an e-commerce platform depends on how you plan to use it. For example, if your goal is to keep operating costs as low as possible, or if you want to sell overseas, your purpose for launching an online store and your operating style will differ — so it's important to check each platform's strengths and coverage before making a choice.
Here, we sort platforms into the following categories. In practice, a single service often spans multiple categories, so we organize and explain them within the text as we go.
- For those who want to start cheaply and easily
- For small/medium businesses and D2C brands
- For large enterprises
- For subscription and recurring-order businesses
- Strong marketplace integration
- Strong cross-border e-commerce support
For more on how to choose an e-commerce platform (ASP cart), see the article below.
E-Commerce Platforms for Starting Cheaply and Easily
These platforms are for those who want to keep setup and monthly fees as low as possible and launch an online store right away. This includes some platforms that aren't completely free but can still be adopted at low cost.
BASE: Ideal for Individuals, Side Businesses, and Handmade Goods
Image source: BASE
BASE is one of Japan's largest e-commerce platforms, letting anyone open an online store for free. With zero setup or monthly fees, its ease of use — allowing you to go from product registration to selling in as little as a day — has made it widely popular.
It's widely used by individuals and small businesses, and is particularly well suited to handmade-goods creators and side-business shops running their first e-commerce operation.
For more details about BASE, see the article below.
STORES: For Those Considering Both Online and Offline Sales
Image source: STORES
STORES is known for its ease of use — simply choose a design template and start running your store with no coding required. It supports a variety of sales formats, including POS register integration designed for combined use with a physical store, as well as pre-orders and subscription deliveries.
It's used across a wide range of stages, from individuals to small teams, and from a first-time online store launch to full-scale operation integrated with a physical shop.
For more details about STORES, see the article below.
Mercari Shops: For Those Seeking Marketplace-Style E-Commerce with No Need to Drive Traffic
Image source: Mercari Shops
Mercari Shops is a service that lets you open your own online store within the flea-market app Mercari. You can start with zero fixed monthly fees and pay only a selling commission, and it's easy to register products, manage inventory, and handle shipping right from your smartphone.
Because you can reach users who are already gathered on Mercari directly, the biggest appeal is being able to sell without spending money on customer acquisition.
For more details about Mercari Shops, see the article below.
Ochanoko-net: For EC Beginners Who Want to Keep Costs as Low as Possible
Image source: Ochanoko-net
Ochanoko-net is an e-commerce platform whose appeal is low-cost store operation — no setup fee or selling commission, and plans starting from ¥550 (tax included) per month. It comes standard with essential e-commerce features such as access analytics, email newsletter distribution, subscription purchases, and reviews. It's well suited for small businesses and individuals starting out in e-commerce.
For more details about Ochanoko-net, see the article below.
Raku-Uru Cart: For Those Who Want Both Delivery Efficiency and Low Cost
Image source: Raku-Uru Cart
Raku-Uru Cart is an e-commerce platform provided by the Yamato Transport group, catering to a wide range of users from e-commerce beginners to small and medium-sized businesses. Its biggest feature is the ability to link everything from order receipt to delivery and payment collection with Yamato's various services, enabling automation and labor savings in shipping operations.
It offers the ease of starting from a setup fee of ¥3,300 and an annual registration fee of ¥3,960 (¥330 per month), making it an e-commerce platform well suited to small businesses that combine it with a physical store or prioritize operational efficiency.
For more details about Raku-Uru Cart, see the article below.
FC2 Shopping Cart: For Those Who Want to Start with Zero Sales Commission
Image source: FC2 Shopping Cart
FC2 Shopping Cart is an e-commerce platform you can start with no setup fee, monthly fee, or sales commission. It provides the minimum features needed to build and run an online store, and more than 230,000 shops have opened e-commerce sites with FC2 Shopping Cart to date.
With FC2 Shopping Cart, you can start selling as soon as you set up your shop's design and product settings after signing up. After registering with FC2 Shopping Cart, you can begin selling products simply by setting your shop's design and registering your products and shipping fees. This makes it a perfect fit for anyone who wants to start selling on an e-commerce site right away.
For more details about FC2 Shopping Cart, see the article below.
Easy My Shop: An E-Commerce Cart Built for Custom-Made and Set Sales
Image source: Easy My Shop
Easy My Shop is an e-commerce cart provided by System Research Co., Ltd. that excels at custom-made products and set sales. It supports order formats such as engraved keepsakes and custom orders, and accommodates a wide range of sales methods including single-item sales, set sales, subscriptions, and pre-orders.
With a setup fee of ¥3,300 and a monthly usage fee starting from ¥3,900 (tax included), it's relatively low-cost and flexible to start, making it suitable for individuals and small businesses as well.
For more details about Easy My Shop, see the article below.
E-Commerce Platforms for Small/Medium Businesses and D2C Brands
Here we introduce platforms suited to individuals and small/medium businesses that want to run e-commerce operations with a focus on branding, or to those looking to build a D2C business.
Note that some of these platforms are also used by large enterprises, and their ability to scale as your business grows is another appealing point.
Shopify: For Global D2C Brands That Value Growth and Scalability
Image source: Shopify
Shopify is one of the world's largest e-commerce platforms, originating in Canada. It fully supports Japanese and is characterized by ease of use for beginners combined with advanced customizability. From D2C to cross-border e-commerce, subscriptions, and integration with physical stores, it meets a wide range of needs through its rich app ecosystem and standard features.
It's widely adopted in Japan by everyone from startups to large enterprises, and is especially well suited to businesses looking ahead to global expansion and brand building.
Shopify currently offers a 3-day free trial plus a campaign letting you try it for ¥150 over 3 months. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity
*This campaign information is current as of July 31, 2025. Please note that it may end without notice.
For more details about Shopify, see the article below.
Color Me Shop: For Small and Medium Stores Wanting Full-Fledged Operation at Low Cost
Image source: Color Me Shop
Color Me Shop is a long-established online store creation service provided by GMO Pepabo. With a low-cost monthly plan, it offers high flexibility including custom domains and HTML/CSS editing, enabling full-fledged e-commerce operation.
It's also feature-rich, offering payments, shipping, subscriptions, pre-orders, social media integration, and reviews, making it suitable for sole proprietors and small businesses that want to launch their own brand while keeping setup costs low.
For more details about Color Me Shop, see the article below.
Samurai Cart: Specialized for Single-Item Mail-Order Businesses Such as Health Foods and Supplements
Image source: Samurai Cart
Samurai Cart is an e-commerce platform specialized in subscription and repeat mail-order sales, used particularly by D2C businesses dealing in health foods, cosmetics, and supplements. It offers a rich set of features aimed at maximizing customer lifetime value, including centralized management of sales, CRM, analytics, payments, drip email campaigns, and ad integration.
For more details about Samurai Cart, see the article below.
Vegas: An E-Commerce System That Evolves with Your Growth Through Flexible Customization
Image source: Vegas
Vegas is a mail-order system provided by Forbis Co., Ltd. It offers the functions needed for e-commerce operations as apps, allowing store owners to optimize their stores by freely choosing which apps to use.
In addition to basic functions such as order management, inventory, returns, and POS, sales promotion and customer management features can also be freely added and combined as apps.
A major feature is the ability to flexibly expand functionality to match your business stage and industry.
For more details about Vegas, see the article below.
E-Commerce Platforms for Large Enterprises
Here we introduce e-commerce platforms for large enterprises that need to meet advanced requirements such as B2B commerce, large-scale development, and integration with core business systems.
There are also cases of businesses starting small and scaling up their use over time, so these platforms also support adoption with an eye toward future growth.
futureshop: For Those Seeking E-Commerce That Balances Branding and Functionality
Image source: futureshop
futureshop is a platform for mid-size to large e-commerce businesses that place importance on branding. Its templates offer high flexibility, HTML/CSS editing is supported, and it enables building highly design-focused stores.
It also offers a wealth of marketing support features, including integration with social platforms such as LINE and Instagram, and support for reviews, coupons, and CRM initiatives. With capabilities like physical-store integration and membership-tier design, it's well suited to e-commerce businesses working to strengthen their branding and improve customer lifetime value.
For more details about futureshop, see the article below.
Mercart: For Mid-Size and Large Enterprises That Value Scalability and Operational Support
Image source: Mercart
Mercart is a full-fledged ASP-based e-commerce cart system chosen by large enterprises as well. Beyond building and operating an e-commerce site, it also excels at extensions such as marketing, UI/UX optimization, cross-border e-commerce, and B2B support, offering flexible support tailored to a company's growth stage.
With a support system backed by dedicated e-commerce planners, it's well suited to mid-size and large enterprises looking to commit seriously to e-commerce.
For more details about Mercart, see the article below.
ebisumart: For Companies Needing Both B2B and B2C Support or Large-Scale Operations
Image source: ebisumart
ebisumart is an e-commerce platform that, despite being SaaS-based, offers flexibility close to a fully custom-built system, and is primarily adopted by mid-size and large enterprises.
It supports individual customization based on requirements, and offers robust systems for integration, security, and operational support, making it well suited to companies that want to run large-scale e-commerce operations stably.
For more details about ebisumart, see the article below.
ecbeing: For Companies Wanting to Build Highly Customizable, Feature-Rich E-Commerce
Image source: ecbeing
ecbeing is a highly extensible e-commerce platform with a track record of adoption by more than 1,600 companies, primarily large enterprises. Because it can be customized on top of a package/cloud base, it can flexibly meet complex business requirements such as B2B, B2C, and cross-border e-commerce. It's also strong in security and performance, and is chosen by many large and publicly listed companies looking to fully commit to e-commerce as a core business.
With a hands-on development approach, you can receive comprehensive support from requirements definition through to building and operation.
For more details about ecbeing, see the article below.
ShopServe: For Those Seeking Operations-Support E-Commerce Strong in Customer Acquisition and Sales Flow
Image source: ShopServe
ShopServe is an ASP-based e-commerce cart provided by e-Store Inc., a long-established service with more than 20 years of track record. Its biggest strength is having the know-how and systems for strong customer acquisition, such as search engine measures and ad operation support, strategically supporting store operations through SEO initiatives, listing ad integration, and sales analysis tools.
For more details about ShopServe, see the article below.
E-Commerce Platforms for Subscription and Recurring-Order Businesses
Here we introduce platforms specialized for business models built around repeat purchases, such as health foods, cosmetics, and supplements. Rather than keeping store setup and operating costs low, these are e-commerce platforms that invest in setup and monthly fees in order to grow sales primarily through subscriptions and recurring orders.
ecforce: For Those Building a D2C Business Focused on Subscriptions and Repeat Orders
Image source: ecforce
ecforce is an e-commerce platform developed for D2C brands, and is particularly characterized by being optimized for subscription sales and single-item repeat purchases. It's developed and provided by SUPER STUDIO Inc., which also runs its own digital D2C business, and its strengths lie in feature design built from a marketing perspective and high extensibility.
Many of the companies that adopt it are D2C brands and emerging manufacturers, and it supports results-driven e-commerce operations ranging from single-item mail-order businesses to brand building.
For more details about ecforce, see the article below.
Repeat: Specialized for Subscriptions and Single-Item Repeat Sales
Image source: RepeatX
Repeat is an e-commerce cart system provided by Repeat Inc. It's rich in features that give it strength in subscription-based services such as health foods and supplements.
While setup and monthly fees are relatively high, this platform is recommended for businesses that want to focus on single-item repeat mail-order sales to grow revenue, rather than starting a well-balanced, all-around e-commerce operation at low cost.
For more details about Repeat, see the article below.
W2 Repeat: A Feature-Rich E-Commerce Cart Specialized for Subscriptions and Recurring Orders
Image source: W2 Repeat
W2 Repeat is an e-commerce cart specialized for subscriptions and recurring orders. For continuity-based services such as health foods, cosmetics, and supplements, it offers a rich set of features focused on boosting sales and improving operational efficiency.
It also supports integration with external systems and custom development, and comes with a dedicated support system, making it an e-commerce platform recommended for businesses that want to grow sales and improve operational efficiency centered on subscriptions, rather than for those seeking small-scale operation with a simple e-commerce cart.
For more details about W2 Repeat, see the article below.
Tamago Repeat Tamashi: Equipped with Features Suited to Boosting Conversion Rates for Subscription Sales
Image source: Tamago Repeat Tamashi
Tamago Repeat Tamashi is a mail-order system specialized for subscriptions, provided by Temona Co., Ltd. It's a renewed version of "Tamago Repeat," which was released in 2008.
It comes standard with features that directly boost conversion rates and customer lifetime value for subscription sales, including an integrated-form shopping cart that doesn't require page transitions, "Tamago RPA/API" tools that support operational automation, and SMS utilization.
For more details about Tamago Repeat Tamashi, see the article below.
Color Me Repeat: A Subscription-Only Cart Anyone Can Start Easily
Image source: Color Me Repeat
Color Me Repeat is an e-commerce cart specialized for subscription sales, provided by GMO Pepabo, Inc. Simply by registering a product image and description, you can create a product page with a built-in order/payment form in as little as 10 minutes, letting you start subscription sales right away even without specialized knowledge.
Pricing has no setup fee or payment-integration fee, and the monthly usage fee ranges from ¥0 to ¥10,780 (tax included). Since no costs are incurred between signing up and starting sales, you can launch a repeat mail-order business at low cost.
For more details about Color Me Repeat, see the article below.
E-Commerce Platforms with Strong Marketplace Integration
Here we introduce platforms with strong integration with marketplaces such as Rakuten and Yahoo! Shopping. For those who want to run their own e-commerce store alongside marketplace storefronts, we organize these from the perspective of improving operational efficiency and expanding sales channels.
makeshop: For Mid-Size and Large Businesses Seeking Feature-Rich, Stable Operation
Image source: makeshop
makeshop is a cloud-based e-commerce platform under the GMO Group. It has an extremely rich set of standard features, supporting a wide range of initiatives including SEO, LINE integration, subscription sales, and membership functions.
For marketplace integration, it enables centralized management of product information and inventory across Rakuten Ichiba, Yahoo! Shopping, and Amazon. A dedicated option, the "Marketplace Product Management Service," also reduces the effort involved in adjusting inventory and updating products across multiple stores.
For businesses that want to run marketplace storefronts alongside their own e-commerce site, it's a platform that combines operational efficiency with scalability.
For more details about makeshop, see the article below.
E-Commerce Platforms with Strong Cross-Border Support
Here we introduce platforms with strong cross-border e-commerce support, capable of handling overseas expansion, multi-language and multi-currency support, and global logistics.
Shopline: For Those Wanting to Strengthen East Asian Cross-Border and Social Commerce Sales Simultaneously
Image source: SHOPLINE
Shopline is one of Asia's largest e-commerce platforms, having expanded primarily across Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. Its Japanese version launched in full in 2023, and it's gaining attention for its good fit with cross-border e-commerce targeting Asia and the ease of use of its all-in-one, no-code platform.
Many of the companies that adopt it are D2C brands and small/medium businesses in general goods and food, making it a service worth watching for businesses considering future overseas expansion.
For more details about SHOPLINE, see the article below.
Magento: For Enterprises Needing Cross-Border, B2B, and Large-Scale Requirements
Image source: Magento
Magento is an open-source e-commerce platform for enterprises, provided by Adobe. It's characterized by high extensibility and flexible customizability, enabling it to meet complex business requirements ranging from B2C to B2B, cross-border e-commerce, and subscriptions.
It's widely adopted by companies with complex operational requirements, such as global brands and major retailers, making it the ideal e-commerce platform for mid-size to large enterprises that want a degree of freedom close to a fully custom-built system.
For more details about Magento, see the article below.
Cafe24: Free to Start, with Strength in Cross-Border E-Commerce
Image source: Cafe24
Cafe24 is a global e-commerce platform originating in South Korea, and has offered its service in Japan since 2018. Its biggest feature is that you can launch a full-fledged online store with no setup fee, monthly fee, or sales commission at all.
It's also notable for supporting multi-language and multi-currency payments, and for allowing you to run multiple shops from a single account. It's recommended for businesses considering cross-border e-commerce or operating multiple stores.
For more details about Cafe24, see the article below.
Live Commerce: A Multi-Language, Multi-Currency Cart Specialized for Cross-Border E-Commerce
Image source: Live Commerce
Live Commerce is a cart dedicated to cross-border e-commerce, provided by Digital Studio Co., Ltd. Because it comes standard with the features needed for overseas sales — including multi-language and multi-currency support, customs duty calculation, and international payments — it enables everyone from cross-border e-commerce beginners to small and medium businesses to start selling overseas smoothly.
Through integration with Discovery Japan Mall, it also opens up the potential to expand sales channels to Japan-friendly audiences overseas.
For more details about Live Commerce, see the article below.
Summary: Key Points for Choosing the Right E-Commerce Cart for Your Purpose
In this article, we organized a variety of e-commerce platforms by purpose and category.
- For those who want to start easily: BASE, STORES, Raku-Uru Cart, Easy My Shop, and others that excel at free or low-cost monthly plans
- For those aiming for business growth as a D2C brand or small/medium business: Shopify, Samurai Cart, Vegas, and others that make branding easy
- For those looking ahead to scaling for large-enterprise or B2B use: ebisumart, ecbeing, Mercart, and others with strong support and features
- For those running a subscription or recurring-order business: ecforce, Repeat, W2 Repeat, Tamago Repeat Tamashi, Color Me Repeat, Raku Raku Repeat, and others rich in features specialized for subscriptions and recurring orders
- For those who want to expand sales channels by also using marketplaces: makeshop and others that offer centralized management of products, inventory, and logistics
- For those aiming for cross-border e-commerce or global expansion: Shopify, Shopline, Magento, Live Commerce, and others that support multiple languages, multiple currencies, and international logistics
Choose the platform that fits your business purpose and sales strategy. Some platforms offer a free trial period, so it's also a good idea to check out the actual admin panel during a trial first.
