Choosing the right platform for you is not as easy as it sounds. Most eCommerce platforms label themselves as “the best” on the market, but that doesn’t mean they are the best for your project. To help you make an informed decision, in this post we take a deep dive into the two most popular eCommerce platforms and compare WooCommerce vs Shopify.
What is WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that you can use to turn your store into an eCommerce store. Since its release, this open source plugin has been downloaded more than 39 million times, making it one of the most popular WordPress plugins. That’s one of the reasons we chose to do this comparison between WooCommerce and Shopify.
The plugin, with a bit of work, can also be integrated with any WordPress theme. So you don’t need to do a lot of customization to turn your existing website into a fully functional one.
WooCommerce can be downloaded for free. However, it also offers tons of premium extensions to enrich the site and expand the scale of your business.
What is Shopify?
Let’s cover the second contender of this WooCommerce vs Shopify comparison. If you try to search for the best platform to start an online store, you will come across the name Shopify quite often.
This popular Canada-based platform powers more than 800,000 eCommerce sites worldwide.
The reason is quite simple: it allows you to focus on creating and developing your business without the need to deal with any technical aspects of your ecommerce site, such as creating backups, improving security or optimizing its performance.
Shopify is an independent eCommerce platform, which means everything is included: hosting, security, and more.
Furthermore, this platform is highly flexible. You can use it for , a mobile e-commerce site, or an online store.
Now that we know the basics of each platform, we can compare WooCommerce vs Shopify.
WooCommerce vs Shopify: Which is Better?
In this section, we’ll compare WooCommerce vs Shopify based on some of the most important aspects of both platforms, including their ease of use, features, payment options, SEO, pricing, and security.
1. WooCommerce vs Shopify – Ease of Use
We are sure that you want to start your business as soon as possible. Let’s compare the WooCommerce vs Shopify setup process.
Since WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin, you may need some basic knowledge of .
However, setting up a WooCommerce site is not a difficult task. After activating the plugin, there will be a setup wizard that will help you set up store location and currency, payment gateway, shipping options, and more.
Likewise, when comparing WooCommerce vs Shopify, we must point out that Shopify does not require you to have technical knowledge beforehand. Once you’ve signed up, all you have to do is follow the setup guide, choose a design, and start adding products to your site.
The platform also provides templates and plugins through the Shopify App Store to extend the functionality of your site.
Also, changing the theme of a Shopify site is very easy. You just need to press the button Browse free themes in the administration area and then select the one you want.
Meanwhile, changing the theme in WooCommerce will be synonymous with . It is not difficult, but it requires more time and effort. Those are the key usability aspects when comparing WooCommerce vs Shopify. So which one is better?
The winner: Shopify
If you are familiar with WordPress, handling WooCommerce will not be a problem. However, if you are new to the platform, setting up your store will require some learning.
With that being said, the first round of this WooCommerce vs Shopify battle goes to the second alternative as it has a simpler setup process, which doesn’t need any prior knowledge.
2. WooCommerce vs Shopify – Features
This is one of the most important aspects of the WooCommerce vs Shopify comparison. Different types of stores will require different features. So which one to choose?
One of Shopify’s standout features is its , where you can create order forms, accept payments, and monitor the performance of your business, all in one place.
To help you expand your market reach, the platform offers various sales channels such as Instagram, Facebook Shop, Amazon, and eBay.
If you have any difficulties, just contact the 24/7 technical support via chat, email, phone or Twitter. This is definitely a positive as WooCommerce only provides limited support via ticket and .
However, WooCommerce is actually more flexible compared to its competitors. The platform offers highly customizable themes, automatic tax calculations, enhanced security options, and hundreds of . In addition, you will also be able to choose from a collection of 50,000 WordPress plugins.
Furthermore, WooCommerce allows you to modify any part of your website, including core files, something that Shopify does not allow.
In other words, WooCommerce has better customization options and offers more creative freedom. But since it has limited support, it may take a while for you to get any help.
The winner: both
No need to worry in this section of the WooCommerce vs Shopify comparison, as both platforms are packed with great features to help you grow your online business. In the end, it all comes down to your preferences. If you are looking for a platform that provides complete freedom and great flexibility, WooCommerce is the perfect choice. On the other hand, if you are looking for an all-in-one platform that offers comprehensive features, then Shopify is the best option.
3. WooCommerce vs Shopify – Payment Options
Payment options are possibly the most important part of an eCommerce site. No matter how affordable your products are, if the customer can’t find a convenient payment option, they’ll move elsewhere. Let’s compare WooCommerce vs. Shopify to see which will provide your customers with more convenient payment options.
WooCommerce uses PayPal by default. However, you can add multiple payment options by adding payment gateway extensions. Some of the most popular are , and
Please note that some payment gateway extensions are not free. For example, you should pay about $79 to $199/year to use the .
Also, since payment gateways in WooCommerce act as extensions, using too many of them can slow down your site. Therefore, you will have to choose payment options that suit the needs of your customers. This is a huge drawback for the platform when comparing WooCommerce vs Shopify.
Meanwhile, Shopify has its own payment gateway in addition to third-party ones like Amazon Pay, PayPal, and Apple Pay. There are over 100 options, but some of them are only available in .
Additionally, Shopify even allows cryptocurrency payments through Bitpay, GoCoin, CoinPayments, and Coinbase Commerce.
Unfortunately, you will be charged between each transaction when using third-party payment providers. The percentage will depend on your pricing plan. So which platform, WooCommerce or Shopify, might your buyers prefer?
The winner: Shopify
Although both platforms offer a wide selection of payment options, in this round of the WooCommerce vs Shopify comparison, Shopify has a slight advantage over WooCommerce as it has its own payment gateway.
4. WooCommerce vs. Shopify – SEO
SEO is absolutely essential for any online project or business. Let’s see which platform makes it easy to optimize: WooCommerce or Shopify.
WooCommerce is not equipped with built-in SEO optimization tools. Fortunately, you can use numerous WordPress SEO plugins like , and
Shopify, on the other hand, provides some basic SEO optimization features, like editing meta information and a sitemap. It is also compatible with a limited number of third-party SEO tools, including , and .
One notable downside of Shopify is that the platform restricts access to your core files. As such, you cannot do advanced SEO optimization like .
Sure, this restriction is good for security, since the main files of your site are locked and nobody can modify them. But from SEO perspective, it can be considered as a big limitation. With this in mind, let’s conclude which platform, WooCommerce vs Shopify, will allow you to implement SEO techniques more easily.
The winner: WooCommerce
It’s important to understand that Shopify doesn’t have bad SEO tools, it just falls a bit short compared to WooCommerce. Also, since WordPress is known as one of the most SEO-friendly platforms, it makes sense for WooCommerce to have a similar quality.
5. WooCommerce vs Shopify – Pricing
When comparing WooCommerce vs Shopify, it’s important to remember that as a WordPress plugin, WooCommerce is free to download and use. However, to run a WordPress site, you need to purchase a hosting service.
Fortunately, hosting can be quite affordable: prices can be as low as !
Also, if you intend to unlock the true power of WooCommerce, you may need to pay for premium themes or extensions. A theme costs between USD 20 and USD 100/yearwhile the price of an extension ranges from $29 and $299/year.
Shopify, on the other hand, will charge you up front. The basic plan costs $29/monthand the advanced plan costs $299/month. It may seem expensive, but this platform takes care of all the basic needs of starting an eCommerce business. Let’s find out which option, WooCommerce vs Shopify, might be better for you.
The winner: both
Since both platforms have different pricing systems, we cannot decide which one gets the title of winner in this section. Yes, WooCommerce is free, but it does require you to purchase a hosting plan. On the other hand, even though Shopify looks expensive, it already has all the necessary tools to build a normally functioning eCommerce store.
There is no winner between WooCommerce and Shopify in this section, it all comes down to your budget and needs.
6. WooCommerce vs Shopify – Security
Running an eCommerce business means you’re dealing with tons of private information, like customer addresses, credit card numbers, and financial records. Therefore, it is important to ensure that your eCommerce platform has strong security. Let’s compare the differences between WooCommerce and Shopify.
Shopify is PCI Level 1 certified…
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