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VTEX is a well-known SaaS commerce platform that provides a comprehensive set of tools for businesses looking to establish an online presence. However, as businesses scale and require more flexibility, they often encounter limitations with the VTEX ecommerce platform. These include constraints on customization, challenges in handling complex B2B operations, and unpredictable total cost of ownership (TCO).
This article examines VTEX key features, strengths and weaknesses, and explores eight leading VTEX software alternatives: Virto Commerce, Shopify Plus, SAP Commerce Cloud, Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce, Commercetools, Spryker, and HCL Commerce Cloud. This article aims to help businesses identify the best ecommerce solution to fit their needs.
VTEX is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) ecommerce solution that offers a solid set of out-of-the-box features, particularly suited for standard customer experience delivery. However, its capabilities, especially in the B2B space, are more limited, and its extensibility may not fully meet the needs of businesses requiring more complex or customized scenarios. Let’s consider some of the key characteristics and strong and weak points of the VTEX ecommerce platform.
VTEX backend is primarily written in Node.js and running on Google Cloud Platform (GCP). It uses GraphQL for API interactions and VTEX IO, a serverless development platform, for customization.
VTEX frontend relies on React, utilizing the VTEX Store Framework for building storefronts. The platform also integrates with Elasticsearch for search, PostgreSQL for structured data, and Redis for caching.
➕Extensive out-of-the-box features: VTEX ecommerce platform has proven expertise in building mass-produced, standard ecommerce solutions for small to medium-sized businesses.
➕Multi-tenant architecture: Although with certain limitations and performance issues that may go hand in hand with multi-tenant architecture, VTEX enables businesses to manage multiple storefronts and regions from a single instance.
➕Internal microservice software: Although customers don’t get direct access to modify or extend the backend, microservice VTEX software enables a vendor to manage updates and improve reliability without disrupting customers, which is a benefit for businesses that prefer a hands-off SaaS approach.
➕Native VTEX marketplace functionality: Unlike many competitors, this platform vendor provides built-in VTEX marketplace capabilities, allowing businesses to expand product offerings by onboarding third-party sellers.
➕Rich VTEX API for native functionality: When used within the VTEX ecosystem (i.e., for VTEX-native features like catalog management, pricing, promotions, and order handling), VTEX APIs provide deep integration and extensive capabilities.
➕Relatively fast implementation time: Like most SaaS solutions, VTEX is known for its relatively fast deployment and implementation process, allowing businesses to launch their online operations quickly.
➖Customization limitations: While VTEX supports composable commerce, deep customizations often require workarounds or additional development. Enterprises with highly specific requirements may find that VTEX’s SaaS approach limits flexibility compared to fully open-source or highly customizable Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) platforms.
➖Costly implementation for advanced use cases: B2B ecommerce organizations with unique workflows may face challenges in configuring VTEX enterprise solution to fit their requirements. Some companies have reported that while VTEX is fast to deploy, more advanced customization can become complex and resource-intensive.
➖Vendor lock-in: Unlike fully open-source and API-first platforms, VTEX customers must heavily rely on VTEX’s ecosystem and native products. Extending or adapting VTEX APIs according to business needs, or substituting parts of the system (e.g., PIM, CMS, and others) with third-party solutions or services is a challenge for VTEX enterprise customers.
➖Admin tools: VTEX platform customers enjoy basic admin tools and cannot modify the backend as freely as with PaaS ecommerce platforms. Extensive admin panel helps create tailored backend scenarios needed for high operation efficiency.
➖Lack of personalization: VTEX commerce platform has a simple digital catalog and other core functionalities with limited data complexity. It offers very few personalization options for different channels and accounts.
➖Limited or expensive extensibility: VTEX customers are highly dependent on building or acquiring plugins that are created by third-party developers and hosted on VTEX. Limited plugin extensibility restricts ecommerce innovations, making them expensive and risky.
➖Unpredictable TCO: Exponentially growing implementations and maintenance costs for unique B2B scenarios along with the ever-increasing cost of innovation result in unpredictable total cost of ownership of the VTEX ecommerce platform.
Overall, VTEX ecommerce platform can be a great fit for small to medium-sized businesses with modest digital commerce goals and standard ecommerce scenarios that don’t require extensive customization or high-performance guarantees.
When evaluating VTEX ecommerce platform alternatives, organizations should consider the following key factors.
Flexibility & сustomization: How well does the platform adapt to unique business scenarios?
While VTEX offers certain customization options, its multi-tenant SaaS architecture inherently limits the depth of possible modifications. Enterprises considering replatforming or exploring viable VTEX competitors must look for platforms that allow them to create truly unique customer experiences without compromising performance or requiring excessive workarounds.
Scalability: Can an alternative solution support business growth without performance bottlenecks?
Your ecommerce platform should grow with your business. This means not just handling increased traffic and order volumes but also accommodating new business models, markets, and product lines. Platforms with true cloud-native architectures tend to scale more effectively than legacy systems.
Open architecture & API-first approach: Availability of open APIs for seamless integrations.
Modern commerce demands seamless integration with various systems—from ERPs and CRMs to PIMs and marketing tools. Platforms built with an API-first mindset provide the foundation for creating connected commerce ecosystems rather than isolated storefronts.
Total Cost of Ownership: Overall expenses to operate and innovate with an ecommerce platform, including implementation, customization, and long-term maintenance.
Initial implementation costs tell only part of the story. Consider ongoing subscription fees to third-party services, the cost of custom development for unique requirements, and especially the cost of innovation (how expensive will it be to implement new features and capabilities as your business evolves)?
Extensive support & partner community: Availability of vendor support and an active partner network.
The level of support from both the platform vendor and its implementation partners can dramatically impact your ecommerce success. Consider how invested the vendor is in your specific implementation and whether they offer strategic guidance beyond basic technical support. Look at the success cases and platform release notes: How often does a platform vendor release updates? Do they go beyond mere bug fixes? How comprehensive are the architectural guidelines? Does a vendor support feature development? Does it have an open development policy?
All these factors can tell you more about the vendor than its marketing materials.
The right choice of the best alternative for VTEX ecommerce platform depends on many factors, including but not limited to the company size, business context, and set of technological properties. Here we present the top 8 VTEX competitors for different business needs, small and large enterprises.
Virto Commerce stands out as a premier alternative to VTEX for large enterprises seeking a truly flexible, adaptable, and innovation-focused platform. Built on modern architectural principles, Virto’s PaaS Commerce Innovation Platform provides an extensible framework that adapts to even the most complex B2B and B2C ecommerce scenarios.
Virto Commerce doesn’t just provide software. It offers a strategic partnership approach where the platform vendor actively supports each implementation at the architectural, functional, and business levels. With this approach in hand, enterprises can maintain a competitive edge without the need for constant replatforming.
Key Features
Advantages over VTEX
Best For
Large enterprises looking for an adaptable and scalable B2B ecommerce platform.Shopify Plus SaaS platform is an established go-to platform for brands looking to launch and scale their ecommerce operations quickly. Its primary appeal for customers lies in its simplicity and the robust ecosystem of apps and partners that have developed around it.
Key Features
Advantages over VTEX
Best For
B2C and direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands prioritizing ease of use.
SAP Commerce Cloud is one of the pioneering ecommerce platforms on the market and a well-known brand with premium pricing. It has a comprehensive suite of built-in features, but certain aspects of SAP’s offering struggle to stay up to date with market dynamics.
Key Features
Advantages over VTEX
Best For
Companies with complex supply chains that can afford expensive systems.
Adobe Commerce, formerly known as Magento, is an excellent ecommerce solution that bridges commerce and high-quality content.
Key Features
Advantages over VTEX
Best For
Businesses that are heavily invested in the Adobe ecosystem and require sophisticated content and commerce integration.
BigCommerce has evolved from its small business roots to become a credible SaaS commerce platform, particularly for organizations seeking a balance between the simplicity of SaaS and the flexibility of open APIs.
Key Features
Advantages over VTEX
Best For
Brands with omnichannel commerce strategies.
Commercetools positions itself as a SaaS platform with a completely decomposed set of commerce services rather than a monolithic platform.
Key Features
Advantages over VTEX
Best For
Companies that require more flexibility, although within SaaS limitations.
Spryker has gained traction particularly in European markets as a flexible ecommerce solution that supports marketplace models.
Key Features
Advantages over VTEX
Best For
Small to medium-sized companies needing innovations for diverse business models.
HCL Commerce carries forward the legacy of one of the original enterprise commerce platforms with a modernized architecture and capabilities.
Key Features
Advantages over VTEX
Best For
Companies with strict security and compliance requirements.
Here’s a quick comparison table of VTEX and its top 8 alternative platforms based on key parameters.
Platform
|
Customization Potential
|
Performance at Scale
|
B2B Capabilities
|
API-First
|
TCO Predictability
|
Innovation Support
|
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Virto Commerce
|
Very High
|
Very Strong
|
Very Strong
|
Yes
|
Very High
|
Very High
|
Shopify Plus
|
Limited
|
Moderate
|
Limited
|
Partial
|
Moderate
|
Limited
|
SAP Commerce Cloud
|
Limited
|
Moderate
|
Moderate
|
Partial
|
Very Low
|
Limited
|
Adobe Commerce
|
Moderate
|
Moderate
|
Strong
|
Partial
|
Low
|
Moderate
|
BigCommerce
|
Moderate
|
Strong
|
Moderate
|
Yes
|
Moderate
|
Moderate
|
Commercetools
|
High
|
Strong
|
Strong
|
Yes
|
High
|
Strong
|
Spryker
|
High
|
Moderate
|
Strong
|
Yes
|
High
|
Strong
|
HCL Commerce Cloud
|
Moderate
|
Strong
|
Strong
|
Partial
|
Very Low
|
Moderate
|
VTEX
|
Limited
|
Moderate
|
Limited
|
Partial
|
Low
|
Limited
|
Here are a few key considerations that can help businesses evaluate the potential of an ecommerce platform vendor in the long run beyond the five-year mark.
Evaluate how well each ecommerce platform integrates with your existing systems and the broader digital commerce ecosystem you’re building. Consider what the data migration process will look like when moving from VTEX to a new platform. A key indicator of long-term platform viability is how smoothly it handles data migration, both now and in the future. To avoid extensive manual data exports, prioritize the API-first approach for seamless data migration.
The simple recommendation would be to choose a platform that not only meets your current requirements but also your future ecommerce needs. However, these aren’t always the easiest to predict. Rather than trying to predict the future needs, select an adaptable platform from the start (in contrast to static platforms). Truly adaptable platforms will grow along with your business rather than force you to adjust your operations to the often limited capabilities of static platforms.
Perhaps most importantly, consider how each platform vendor supports your business’s long-term innovation goals. Will the platform enable continuous improvement, or will you face increasing constraints as your business evolves?
For companies finding VTEX’s capabilities limiting, particularly those with complex B2B requirements or ambitious innovation roadmaps, vendors like Virto Commerce offer compelling alternatives that provide smooth replatforming, fast time-to-market and functional improvements, and long-term strategic value.
VTEX ecommerce platform can act as a solid solution for standard ecommerce scenarios, especially in the B2C realms. Still, organizations with more complex requirements (e.g., in the complex B2B or B2B2C space) often find themselves constrained by its limitations.
Virto’s Commerce Innovation Platform stands out among the alternatives for its combination of flexibility, adaptability, performance at scale, and dedicated support, particularly for large enterprises seeking to drive continuous innovation in their digital commerce operations. Virto’s modern Virto Atomic Architecture™ and comprehensive enterprise-grade B2B capabilities make it especially well-suited for organizations outgrowing the limitations of more rigid static platforms.
To learn more about how Virto Commerce compares to VTEX and other solid alternatives, schedule a personalized demo with our digital experts.