The Best E-Commerce Platform for High-Risk Businesses

Whether you are just starting your business or have operated for years, the right e-commerce platform can make or break your success. With the best e-commerce platform for high-risk businesses, you can easily integrate high-risk payment processors and gateways. This ensures the maximum amount of uptime and prevents annoying account suspensions.

To help you find top-rated e-commerce platforms for high-risk businesses, we’ve compiled a list of the best e-commerce platforms and whether they allow third-party payment integrations.

TL;DR

• To find the best e-commerce platform, consider the platform’s payment gateway integrations, rules about high-risk businesses, compliance measures, flexibility, scalability, and hosting.
• Always check to see if the platform lets you bring along a third-party, high-risk payment provider because many platforms don’t.
• Often, self-hosted platforms, such as WooCommerce, Spree Commerce, and Adobe Commerce, are the best option for high-risk businesses.
• Remember that hosted platforms can suspend accounts for non-compliance. In comparison, self-hosted accounts leave compliance matters up to you.
• A good e-commerce platform for high-risk businesses will offer a superior level of flexibility, security, customization, and scalability. More importantly, the top provider will allow you to bring along a third-party provider that handles high-risk merchant accounts.

How To Choose the Best E-Commerce Platform for High-Risk Businesses

To select the right e-commerce platform for your needs, consider the following factors.

• Check for Payment Provider Options: Each e-commerce platform has different rules about the type of payment gateways you can use. While some platforms require you to use the built-in gateway, others offer a wide range of integrations. To ensure that your platform works with your ideal payment gateway, check first.
• Ask About High-Risk Options: If the e-commerce platform has a built-in payment gateway, you should always check to see if it works with high-risk merchants.
• Consider the Platform’s Hosting: Hosted platforms will handle your website hosting, but they are also able to shut down your site if you violate any of the rules. Because of this, you may want to consider self-hosted platforms instead.
• Review Your Scalability Requirements: If you plan on growing your company in the future, you need to find an e-commerce platform that can grow with you.
• Look at the Platform’s Flexibility: Some companies want flexible features and customized designs. Check to see if the platform has the flexible options you need.
• Research Security and Compliance: To ensure your company’s information and financial data are protected, you need an e-commerce platform that offers a superior level of compliance and security.

The Best E-Commerce Platforms for High-Risk Businesses

To help you find the best e-commerce platform for high-risk businesses, we’ll first look at basic information about each platform. Below the table, we’ll take an in-depth look at all of the e-commerce platforms for high-risk businesses.

Platform	Description	Pros	Cons
WooCommerce	This is an open source plugin for WordPress. Once you find a host and design your site, you can start using it.	The upfront cost is low, and it is easy to use with your existing WordPress site.	It’s less polished than a dedicated hosted platform. You’ll have to handle more of the design, maintenance, and technical aspects.
Shopify	Shopify is a hosted e-commerce platform. All you have to do is pay a monthly fee, and they handle everything else.	This option scales extremely well and has strong e-commerce features. Even if you have minimal technical skills, this platform is incredibly easy to set up and use.	There is less flexibility and fewer customization options. Once you sign up, you’re also fairly locked into this platform.
Wix	Wix is a website builder that also features strong e-commerce capabilities.	This platform is effective for small shops because of its low upfront cost. You won’t need a lot of technical skills to set up your shop.	It is less effective when you start to scale, so you may potentially outgrow the platform and need to switch to a different e-commerce solution.
Squarespace	This website builder also features e-commerce tools.	It features easy-to-use templates and serves as an all-in-one platform.	There are fewer customization options, and it isn’t ideal for scaling. Because it uses Stripe and PayPal, Squarespace generally doesn’t work well for high-risk businesses.
BigCommerce	BigCommerce is an advanced e-commerce solution that is effective for stores as they grow.	This platform can support a large inventory and offers strong e-commerce tools. It also scales effortlessly as you grow, so it’s ideal for a business that wants to grow quickly.	It may cost more and be more technically difficult for businesses that are just starting out.
Shift4Shop	This hosted e-commerce platform specifically markets itself as a solution for high-risk businesses.	Because it is designed with high-risk merchants in mind, Shift4Shop is automatically set up with high-risk payment processor integrations. As a result, you’re less likely to experience revenue interruptions from account suspensions or terminations.	There is less flexibility in what you can do with your e-commerce site. Additionally, you need to verify that your high-risk vertical is actually accepted.
Adobe Commerce	With Adobe Commerce, you get to choose the payment provider you use. As a result, this platform works well for high-risk businesses.	Adobe Commerce is ideal for medium to large businesses. It offers a significant amount of control and customization.	You have to select your own tech stack, which can be challenging and costly.
Spree Commerce	This API-first e-commerce platform is available as a community or enterprise version.	This is an effective option for companies that need complete control. Because it is self-hosted, you don’t have to worry about being locked into a specific plan.	Companies have to be technically astute to use this option. Additionally, it tends to have fairly high upfront costs for implementing it.

1. WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a popular, effective option. It is particularly popular among people who want a lot of customization options. However, the added customization can be challenging if you’re not technically savvy, so keep that in mind.

This platform is especially useful for high-risk businesses because it doesn’t lock you into specific providers. Instead, you can easily integrate your site with the high-risk provider of your choice, ensuring better uptime and fewer account suspensions. For the best results, make sure your payment provider offers easy integrations with WooCommerce.

2. Shopify 

Shopify is frequently considered the go-to e-commerce platform because of its intuitive platform and minimal fuss. It is designed for ongoing growth, so you don’t have to switch platforms as you take your company to the next level.

When it comes to high-risk businesses, it’s important to note a key caveat. You cannot use Shopify Payments, which is the platform’s default payment provider, with a high-risk business. Instead, you need to bring your own third-party provider that accepts high-risk accounts.

3. Wix

If you’re not concerned about customization or don’t have the technical know-how, Wix is a solid option. It is a drag-and-drop builder that requires no coding or previous experience. The end results look great, so you can get your startup off the ground with the least amount of fuss possible.

While Wix wins points for its ease of use, it has limited payment provider options. In practice, this means that many high-risk businesses will be unable to use Wix. If you violate Wix’s Accepted Use policy, your account can end up getting terminated.

4. Squarespace 

Squarespace is another popular option for companies that don’t have the technical skills to customize their e-commerce site. It is an out-of-the-box, turnkey solution for selling products and services online. Thanks to Squarespace’s all-in-one convenience, you can enjoy high-level hosting, domain management, and e-commerce tools.

However, Squarespace is integrated with Stripe and PayPal, which is bad news for high-risk companies. As a general rule, these payment processors do not allow most high-risk businesses. Unless you are confident your industry or business model is an exception, you should pick a different company from this list.

5. BigCommerce

BigCommerce is an excellent e-commerce platform selection for a few key reasons. It offers advanced customization options and a fully hosted solution. If you plan on expanding in the future and want a platform that can handle your future growth, BigCommerce is one of the best options possible.

Because of BigCommerce’s open payment gateway API, it is a great choice if you want to use third-party payment processors. As a result, it is generally an excellent option for high-risk businesses because you can easily pick a payment processor that works with high-risk enterprises.

6. Shift4Shop

While Shift4Shop isn’t one of the big names in the e-commerce industry, it truly stands out for its acceptance of high-risk businesses. This platform features exceptional search engine optimization (SEO) tools, hosting, and built-in integrations.

In most cases, Shift4Shop is the best option for high-risk businesses. While Shift4 Payments isn’t necessarily the ideal option for every company, you can always bring along your own payment processor if you need to.

7. Adobe Commerce

Adobe Commerce is an open-source e-commerce platform that gives you full control. You can enjoy having extensive customization options, custom workflows, and a large inventory catalog capacity. Plus, it is an ideal selection if you plan on scaling your company in the future.

This self-hosted platform doesn’t restrict the type of payment gateway you use. Because of this, it’s an incredibly effective e-commerce platform for high-risk businesses. However, it’s important to remember that all of this extra flexibility means your developer team will have to handle PCI compliance, security, and other technical tasks.

8. Spree Commerce

Spree Commerce is an exceptional platform for e-commerce companies that want an API-first design. It is important to note that Spree Commerce isn’t intended for newbie developers. Many of its features require advanced technical abilities. Because of this, maintenance and setup costs can be fairly high.
Thanks to its self-hosted design and easy integrations, Spree Commerce is an exceptionally good choice for high-risk businesses. If you don’t want to worry about your payment account getting shut down and want a long-term solution, Spree Commerce is worth checking out.

Frequently Asked Questions About E-Commerce Platforms for High-Risk Businesses

Over the years, we’ve heard a few common questions about the best e-commerce platform for high-risk businesses.

Is Wix vs. Shopify Better for High-Risk Businesses? 

Wix is easy to use for high-risk businesses, but it has limited payment provider options. You are only able to use providers that are integrated into Wix, and many of them don’t allow high-risk businesses. 

In comparison, Shopify lets you bring along your own high-risk payment provider. It is also easy to use, so you can quickly set up a website with limited technical knowledge.

Is Shopify Vs. WooCommerce Better for High-Risk Businesses? 

Shopify is an excellent option for high-risk businesses because of its intuitive interface and acceptance of multiple payment providers. WooCommerce is a little more technically challenging. Like Shopify, it also allows you to bring along your own payment provider.

Both options work for high-risk businesses because they let you use your own payment provider. While Shopify is better for companies that need easy features, WooCommerce is better for businesses that can handle more technical tasks.

Can You Use Shopify Payments or Stripe With a High-Risk Business? 

Shopify Payments and Stripe aren’t designed to work with high-risk businesses. If you are operating in a high-risk industry, your account can be terminated or suspended. However, you can still use Shopify as a high-risk business, but you will need to integrate a third-party payment processor.

Can I Bring Along My Own High-Risk Payment Processor or Gateway to a Different Platform? 

It really depends on the platform. Some platforms require you to work with their built-in gateway, and others don’t. 

Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace tend to be fairly restrictive in this regard. In comparison, Spree Commerce, WooCommerce, and Adobe Commerce give you complete control over the payment integrations you use. Shift4Shop and BigCommerce are between these two extremes, so they provide a selective range of alternative high-risk payment options.

Final Thoughts

By locating the best e-commerce platform for high-risk businesses, you can avoid account suspensions and terminations. Many top e-commerce platforms do not offer the payment integrations and third-party options you need.

Because of this, you need to be proactive and do your research as you look for a good e-commerce platform. In general, self-hosted sites will give you more flexibility. You also need to make sure your platform can be integrated with high-risk merchant account providers. 

For more information about e-commerce platforms for high-risk businesses, reach out to our merchant account experts today.