Discover the top 3 headless WordPress eCommerce platforms to boost your store's performance and effortlessly distribute content across channels. Plus, hear real stories from site owners about their headless WordPress experiences.
TL;DR shortcut: Headless WordPress eCommerce separates content from selling, which helps stores stay fast and flexible as they grow. Instead of asking WordPress to do everything, it focuses on content while a dedicated commerce platform manages products, orders, and payments through APIs. Because of this setup, teams gain more control over performance, design, and future expansion.
Discover the top 5 headless WordPress eCommerce platforms to boost your store’s performance and effortlessly distribute content across channels. Plus, hear real stories from site owners about their headless WordPress experiences.
In a recent post, we explored the ins and outs of headless WordPress and shared some interesting insights related to it. Today, we’d like to expand on that and take a look at the best headless WordPress eCommerce platforms.
For many eCommerce businesses, WordPress is an ideal choice for content management thanks to its unmatched flexibility and ease of use. Taking it a step further with a headless eCommerce WordPress platform, you can elevate your online store to even greater heights.
However, with a plethora of headless eCommerce solutions up for grabs, picking the right one can be daunting. Fear not! Leveraging our vast expertise in crafting headless WordPress solutions, we’ll walk you through the top 3 headless WordPress eCommerce platforms, showcasing their standout features and unique advantages. Plus, we’ll shine a light on some notable projects that run on headless WordPress.
Ready to level up your eCommerce game? Let’s dive right in!
Scale easily with modern
JS frameworks
(React, Vue, Angular).
Headless eCommerce is transforming the way businesses operate online by providing unmatched flexibility in delivering content across websites, mobile apps, social media, and more.
So, what does “headless” mean? It refers to an architecture where the front end (the “head”) is decoupled from the back-end services such as WordPress. Instead of being tied to a specific layout or design, developers can create custom user interfaces tailored to any device or channel. This adaptability is crucial as consumers today engage with brands through various touchpoints, from smartphones to smart speakers.
Traditional eCommerce platforms often bind the front end and back end together, leading to limitations in design flexibility and scalability. For example, if you want to update your website’s layout, traditional systems may require back-end changes that can be time-consuming and complex. In contrast, headless eCommerce allows for greater creative freedom and performance optimization.
In a headless eCommerce setup, the presentation layer that users interact with is customizable using modern technologies like React or Vue.js. Meanwhile, the back end (WordPress or another CMS) handles all business logic, data management, and integrations.
Communication between these layers is facilitated by powerful APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). These APIs enable the front-end to request and display data dynamically, ensuring that content delivery is consistent, interactive, and engaging across all touchpoints. This approach is often referred to as headless WordPress commerce, where WordPress focuses on content while selling logic lives in a dedicated commerce system.
Headless eCommerce offers a multitude of advantages that can significantly enhance the performance and flexibility of online stores. Let’s examine the main benefits.
Modern-day users tend to leave websites if they load in over 3 seconds, impacting conversion rates – a crucial factor for online stores. By decoupling the front end from the back end, headless eCommerce allows for independent front-end optimization, leading to faster load times and a more responsive experience.
Headless eCommerce enables businesses to design and customize their front-end interfaces using technologies like React, Vue.js, or Angular, ensuring unique user experiences across devices and channels.
When WordPress isn’t directly exposed to visitors, there’s simply less that can go wrong. Plugins, login pages, and admin areas stay out of reach, which lowers the risk of common attacks. With WordPress working quietly in the background through APIs, security becomes easier to manage and control.
Headless eCommerce lets your store show up in more places than just a website. The same products and pricing can power mobile apps, AR or VR shopping experiences, smart devices, or even in-game stores. This makes it much easier to try new sales channels without rebuilding everything from scratch.
As businesses grow, headless eCommerce makes it easier to scale operations. Front-end and back-end upgrades or modifications can be done separately, integrating new features and handling peak traffic seamlessly.
In summary, by leveraging the benefits of headless eCommerce, businesses can create a future-proof online presence that not only meets but exceeds customer expectations.ynamic, scalable, and future-proof online presence that not only meets but exceeds customer expectations.
The short answer: headless WordPress eCommerce brings clear advantages, but it’s not without trade-offs. Understanding these limitations upfront helps avoid surprises and makes it easier to decide whether a headless setup is the right fit for your business.
In a headless setup, each part of the system has a clear role. Instead of one platform trying to do everything, content, commerce, and presentation are separated so they can work together without slowing each other down.
WordPress stays at the center of content work.
Teams continue using it to manage pages, articles, landing content, and campaigns, just as they always have. The key difference is that WordPress no longer controls how that content appears on the site. It simply provides the data, which keeps editorial workflows familiar while removing the usual design and performance constraints.
All buying and selling logic lives outside of WordPress. Products, pricing, carts, checkout, and order handling are managed by a dedicated commerce platform. This keeps transactional activity from interfering with content performance and reduces the strain on WordPress as the store grows. It also makes future changes easier, since commerce rules and storefront design are no longer tightly linked.
The connection between content and commerce happens through APIs.
Platforms such as BigCommerce, Shopify, WooCommerce, and CommerceLayer expose store data through REST or GraphQL. The frontend requests exactly what it needs at any moment, which keeps pages lightweight and responsive. Because data is delivered this way, the same content and products can be reused across different storefronts without duplication.
Moving to headless doesn’t always require a full rebuild. Some teams start by embedding JavaScript and CSS into an existing WordPress site to separate key parts of the storefront. This approach allows them to see immediate performance and flexibility gains while keeping the rest of the site intact. It’s often used as a practical first step before committing to a fully custom frontend.
Creating stunning front ends that perform well across multiple channels is crucial for delivering a seamless customer experience. However, having a robust back-end system for your headless setup is just as important.
The right back end can make all the difference in ensuring smooth operations, scalability, and easy integrations. So, let’s dive into some of the best headless eCommerce platforms for WordPress that bring all this magic to life.
Best for: WordPress-first teams who want full control and extensibility
Not a good fit for: Teams that want a turnkey SaaS commerce solution
Typical use case: Custom storefronts tightly integrated with WordPress content
As a cornerstone of the WordPress ecosystem, WooCommerce has revolutionized the way businesses approach eCommerce, including setups built around headless WordPress WooCommerce. Traditionally, WooCommerce operates as a plugin that transforms a WordPress site into a fully functional online store. However, with the advent of headless architecture, WooCommerce stepped into a new era of flexibility and performance.
One of the major advantages of WooCommerce’s headless approach is its robust API-first design. WooCommerce offers comprehensive REST API endpoints that enable developers to access and manage eCommerce data including products, orders, and customer information programmatically. This API-centric model ensures that businesses can build fully bespoke storefronts while benefiting from WooCommerce’s powerful back-end capabilities.
WooCommerce’s headless solution also supports seamless integration with popular CMSs like WordPress, which is particularly advantageous as WooCommerce itself, as we’ve said, is a plugin for WordPress.
This integration allows businesses to leverage WordPress’s extensive ecosystem of themes and plugins to enhance their eCommerce sites further. Additionally, WooCommerce is compatible with other CMS platforms and Digital Experience Platforms (DXP), enabling greater flexibility in content and experience management.
Real-time updates and automated workflows are supported through webhooks, which trigger actions based on specific events such as new order placements, inventory changes, or customer interactions. This ensures that various components of the eCommerce system remain synchronized and efficient.
The scalability of WooCommerce’s headless solution makes it suitable for businesses of all sizes, handling complex product catalogs and high traffic volumes effortlessly. This capability allows companies to manage multiple storefronts, brands, and customer segments from a centralized location, streamlining operations and enhancing the customer journey.
In addition to these features, WooCommerce offers extensive documentation and community support, providing developers with the resources needed to implement and optimize headless commerce solutions effectively.
While there are challenges to consider, such as no access to inherent WordPress SEO capabilities, the benefits of improved performance, flexibility, and the ability to deliver an omnichannel experience make headless WooCommerce a compelling option for forward-thinking businesses.
Best for: Growing or enterprise stores needing scalability with less backend maintenance
Not a good fit for: Small teams wanting minimal setup complexity
Typical use case: High-traffic, multi-brand or multi-storefront projects
BigCommerce offers a robust headless commerce solution designed to empower developers and businesses with unparalleled flexibility and performance. It allows them to use various front-end frameworks such as Next.js, Gatsby, and Nuxt.js, enabling the creation of high-performance, dynamic user interfaces that can deliver an exceptional customer experience.
One of the standout features of BigCommerce’s headless offering is its API-first, not API-only, approach. The platform primarily relies on rich REST and GraphQL API endpoints to facilitate data access and manipulation. However, it also retains the full capabilities of its traditional eCommerce functionality, allowing businesses to mix and match their use of APIs with built-in features as needed.
This hybrid approach provides the best of both worlds, offering extensive customization options through APIs while maintaining ease of use for standard eCommerce operations.
The platform provides comprehensive documentation and a composable reference architecture through Catalyst, which leverages React Server Components and the GraphQL storefront API. This setup allows developers to build custom, immersive customer experiences without the need to start from scratch.
BigCommerce’s headless solution is also designed to seamlessly integrate with popular CMSs like WordPress, Contentful, Prismic, and Contentstack, as well as Digital Experience Platforms (DXP) such as Uniform and Amplience. This flexibility ensures that businesses can use their preferred tools and platforms to create a cohesive and scalable eCommerce ecosystem.
Additionally, BigCommerce supports real-time updates and integrations through webhooks, enabling automation and synchronization across various systems. The platform’s ability to handle complex catalogs and high transaction volumes ensures that it can scale as your business grows, without compromising performance.
By providing a headless commerce solution, BigCommerce allows businesses to create highly customized and modern front-end experiences across multiple storefront channels while maintaining centralized management through the BigCommerce control panel. Whether you are managing multiple brands, selling across different customer segments, or expanding into new regions, BigCommerce’s headless solution streamlines operations and enhances the customer journey.
Best for: Businesses that want a stable, well-supported commerce engine with headless flexibility
Not a good fit for: Teams needing deep backend customization or server-level control
Typical use case: Fast-scaling brands combining strong checkout with custom frontends
Shopify’s headless commerce solution offers businesses a powerful way to create unique and highly engaging online experiences by integrating various modern front-end frameworks like React, Vue.js, and Angular. The flexibility provided by Shopify’s headless approach ensures that businesses can craft tailored shopping journeys while maintaining robust and efficient eCommerce operations.
One of the key advantages of Shopify’s headless approach is its robust API-first strategy. Shopify offers a wide array of APIs, including the Storefront API and the Admin API, which enable developers to access and manipulate eCommerce data such as products, collections, customers, and orders programmatically. This API-first design ensures that businesses have the freedom to build fully customized storefronts while leveraging Shopify’s powerful back-end capabilities.
Shopify’s headless solution also seamlessly integrates with popular CMSs like WordPress, Contentful, and Sanity, as well as Digital Experience Platforms (DXP) such as Adobe Experience Manager and Sitecore. This integration flexibility allows businesses to use their preferred content and experience management tools to deliver a cohesive and scalable eCommerce experience.
Additionally, Shopify Plus supports real-time updates and workflows through webhooks, enabling automated responses to specific events such as order creation, inventory updates, and customer interactions. This ensures that all parts of the eCommerce ecosystem remain synchronized and function smoothly.
The platform’s ability to handle high volumes of traffic and complex catalogs makes it ideal for growing businesses and enterprises that require a scalable solution. With Shopify’s headless commerce, businesses can easily manage multiple storefronts, brands, and customer segments from a central location, streamlining operations while enhancing the overall customer journey.
Shopify Plus offers advanced features and dedicated support for enterprise-level merchants, ensuring that they have the resources and expertise needed to optimize their headless commerce implementations.
Best for: Developer-led teams building fully custom, headless-first experiences
Not a good fit for: Non-technical teams needing visual admin tools
Typical use case: Clean-slate projects where frontend performance and API control matter most
Swell Commerce is a good fit for teams that already know they want to go headless and don’t want to fight against a platform that was never designed for it. From the start, Swell treats the frontend and backend as separate concerns, which makes the setup feel clean and intentional rather than patched together.
Everything in Swell is exposed through APIs, including products, carts, customers, and orders. This means your frontend can request exactly the data it needs, when it needs it, without pulling in unnecessary logic. As a result, developers have more control over performance and behavior without working around platform limitations.
One practical advantage of Swell is its hosted checkout option. Instead of building and maintaining complex payment flows yourself, you can rely on Swell to handle that part securely. This reduces development time and lowers the risk of mistakes around sensitive payment data.
At the same time, Swell doesn’t lock you into rigid workflows. If your project requires a custom checkout or deeper integrations, the APIs make that possible. This balance works well for teams that want flexibility without having to reinvent core commerce functionality.
Webhooks play an important role in how Swell fits into a broader stack. Order updates, inventory changes, and customer actions can trigger events in real time, keeping WordPress, analytics tools, or fulfillment systems in sync. This makes day-to-day operations smoother as the store grows.
Overall, Swell works best for projects that value simplicity and clarity. It avoids unnecessary layers, keeps commerce logic focused, and lets the frontend do its job without interference. For many teams, that straightforward approach is exactly what makes it appealing.
Best for: Brands selling beyond traditional websites
Not a good fit for: Standard catalog-based online stores
Typical use case: AR/VR, in-game commerce, IoT, and experimental sales channels
Commerce.js takes a different angle by focusing less on the storefront and more on where commerce actually happens. Instead of assuming sales only happen on a website, it’s built to support transactions wherever customers interact with a brand.
At its core, Commerce.js provides products, pricing, carts, and payments entirely through APIs. This allows the same commerce logic to be reused across multiple touchpoints without duplication. A website, a mobile app, and a custom experience can all rely on the same backend without stepping on each other.
What makes Commerce.js stand out is how well it supports non-traditional channels. It’s well suited for AR and VR shopping experiences, where users explore products in immersive environments. The same applies to IoT use cases, such as smart devices triggering purchases without a browser involved.
In-game commerce is another area where this approach makes sense. Because Commerce.js doesn’t depend on page-based flows, it can handle purchases directly inside games or interactive experiences. Payments and product rules stay consistent, even though the interface looks completely different.
Managing multiple payment methods across these channels is handled centrally. Pricing, discounts, and availability can be controlled in one place, while each frontend presents them in its own way. This reduces operational overhead and avoids mismatches between channels.
Commerce.js is best suited for brands that want to experiment and expand beyond standard storefronts. It gives teams the freedom to explore new formats without rebuilding their commerce foundation every time. For businesses thinking ahead, that flexibility can become a real advantage.
To give you a bird’s eye view of the five systems, here’s a comparative table presenting their key features and advantages.
| Feature | WooCommerce | BigCommerce | Shopify | Swell Commerce |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front-End Framework Support | React, Vue.js, Angular | Next.js, Gatsby, Nuxt.js | React, Vue.js, Angular | Any modern JavaScript framework |
| API Strategy | API-first with comprehensive REST API endpoints | API-first with robust REST and GraphQL APIs | API-first with Storefront and Admin APIs | Fully API-first with optional hosted checkout |
| CMS Integration | WordPress, compatible with other CMS | WordPress, Contentful, Prismic, Contentstack | WordPress, Contentful, Sanity | Works alongside WordPress or other CMSs |
| DXP Integration | Compatible with various DXPs | Uniform, Amplience | Adobe Experience Manager, Sitecore | Flexible via APIs |
| Webhooks | Supports real-time updates and automation | Supports real-time updates and automation | Supports real-time updates and automation | Built-in webhooks for commerce events |
| Scalability | Suitable for all sizes; handles high traffic | Handles complex catalogs and high transaction volumes | Handles high traffic volumes and complex catalogs | Scales well for custom, frontend-driven stores |
| Multi-Storefront Management | Centralized management of multiple storefronts | Centralized management through the control panel | Management from a central location | Supports multiple frontends from one backend |
| Additional Features | WordPress ecosystem of themes and plugins | Catalyst reference architecture with React Server Components | React, Vue.js, Angular | Hosted checkout, clean headless-first setup |
| Best Fit For | WordPress-first teams wanting maximum control, deep customization, and tight integration between content and commerce | Growing and enterprise businesses that need scalability, multi-store management, and reduced backend maintenance | Fast-scaling brands that want a reliable, well-supported commerce engine with strong checkout and headless flexibility | Developer-led teams building clean-slate, fully custom, headless-first storefronts focused on performance |
As you can see, the five platforms offer robust headless capabilities that are quite similar, while still providing distinct features and advantages. Which one you ultimately choose depends on your project goals and needs. For advice or assistance in setting up your preferred headless solution, feel free to contact our expert team.
Scale easily with modern
JS frameworks
(React, Vue, Angular).
Building a headless WordPress store feels much simpler once you approach it in the right order. Instead of trying to design everything at once, you start by making sure selling works, then you shape the content around it, and finally you connect both sides so they run together without friction.
You begin with the commerce platform because this is where the store actually earns money.
You add products, define pricing, set up shipping rules, and connect payments until the store can handle orders on its own. By doing this work outside of WordPress, you avoid loading the CMS with heavy store logic later. This step gives you a stable foundation before you think about layout, content, or branding.
At this stage, you don’t worry about how anything looks. You only care that buying and paying work as expected.
Once selling works, WordPress steps in to handle content and presentation.
You create pages, landing sections, blog posts, and supporting content using themes, blocks, or custom templates. WordPress controls structure and messaging while the commerce platform continues to manage products and orders. When you use platforms like BigCommerce, you don’t build product pages manually in WordPress, because the site pulls product data directly when needed.
This approach keeps content work focused and avoids repeating the same setup in two places.
After both sides work independently, you connect them so they stay aligned.
APIs move data between WordPress and the commerce platform so pricing, availability, and product details stay consistent. Updates run quietly in the background, while orders and inventory changes appear immediately. This setup also makes it much easier to support multiple sites or storefronts from a single backend without adding complexity.
Headless WordPress eCommerce isn’t something you adopt just because it’s popular. It makes sense only when your store starts to feel boxed in by a traditional setup. At that point, the question usually isn’t “Is headless better?” but “Do we need more control, speed, or room to grow?” (For many teams, this setup turns WordPress into a flexible WordPress headless CMS for an online store, rather than a system that has to manage everything itself).
Some businesses hit that point early, especially when content and performance drive sales. Others never do, and that’s perfectly fine. The key is knowing whether headless solves real problems for your store or simply adds unnecessary complexity.
Here’s a quick way to tell where you stand.
Headless WordPress eCommerce makes sense if:
Headless may not be the right choice if:
In short, headless works best for stores that have outgrown traditional setups. If your current platform feels restrictive rather than helpful, moving to headless is often the next logical step.
Headless WordPress eCommerce solutions are definitely a big step forward compared to traditional setups. This modern approach offers numerous benefits, such as unparalleled design flexibility, improved performance, and the ability to integrate seamlessly with the latest technologies, empowering businesses to create unique and engaging digital experiences.
One of the most important decisions you need to make when moving to a headless setup is choosing the right platform. We’ve looked at three headless systems in this post, each offering robust eCommmerce capabilities.
However, even if you find the perfect platform that fits your needs like a glove, headless solutions can be complex to implement on your own. That’s where professional expertise becomes invaluable.
If you’re searching for a development partner to bring your vision to life, look no further than GetDevDone. We offer a comprehensive range of headless WordPress development services tailored to your needs:
Why choose us? At GetDevDone, we’re not just developers. We’re creators, thinkers, and problem-solvers committed to delivering excellence. Our team uses the latest technologies to build websites that are visually stunning, fast, responsive, and optimized for search engines.
With over 19 years of experience in WordPress, we’ve assisted numerous clients in adopting the headless approach, transforming their online presence, and creating new opportunities for growth and innovation. Reach out to discuss how we can turn your vision into reality.
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