Shopify vs WooCommerce: The Ultimate Comparison
While starting an online shop, we have two main options. One is WooCommerce, and the other is Shopify. Are you confused between these? In this Shopify vs WooCommerce comparison, we will share everything you need to know about these platforms!
As we have many trends that have risen, among which online shopping and having an eCommerce store is the number one trend of the new generation.
eCommerce stores are the most rising thing in today’s market.
Due to the ever-changing trends and emergence of new companies, the competition is increasing significantly. Therefore, if you are considering owning an online eCommerce store, you just need to look for an online platform that best suits your eCommerce business.
It doesn’t matter what your niche market is; choosing the best eCommerce platform for your business can be daunting.
A good eCommerce platform saves you a lot of money.
It provides you with some of the best SEO-friendly features, improving your customer relationship and customer service and giving you affordable solutions for developing your business on a specified budget.
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Among the most popular and promising eCommerce platforms, the most famous ones are Shopify and Woocommerce.
Shopify vs WooCommerce: What Are The Fundamental Differences?
The main comparison between both platforms is their primary difference in that one is a SaaS-based eCommerce platform (Shopify), and the other is an Open-source eCommerce platform (WooCommerce).
Let’s learn more about each platform and its pros and cons.
Related Read: How To Generate Site Speed Reports Using MonsterInsights
Shopify (SaaS-based eCommerce Platform)
Shopify is a SaaS eCommerce platform famous for its swiftness and simplicity of management and incorporation of eCommerce stores. They are also termed ready-made eCommerce solutions, which utilize the cloud as their hosted service.
It is effortless and easier for business holders to just sign-up and set up their online store, directly in a few hours, by using a graphical interface.
Advantages of Using Shopify
- As in the case of a SaaS-based cloud service, you do not need to tackle the technical details of the website; therefore, there is no need for owning a technical or professional team or having any kind of coding language along with no web hosting.
- This solution is best for entrepreneurs who do not want to deal with the complexity of website development but are focused solely on business development.
- You can focus on sales while SaaS retailers handle all technical issues such as platform customization, security updates, payment processing, web hosting, and more.
- You will have sufficient time to focus on analytics and improving your conversion rate.
- You can easily translate your Store content to regional languages using Weglot Translation App.
However, depending on the functionality you want to use, you must pay monthly or annual recurring costs, which can become more prominent and hefty within a few years.
The recurring fees include the costs of using the platform and other various fees, such as transaction fees, hosting costs, certificate costs (SSL), and commissions per sale.
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Disadvantages of using Shopify
- You have pretty limited or very little control over your website and company.
- You can only utilize the available and existing themes and options for customization.
- Total dependence on suppliers for technical issues and customizations.
- As the online platform is a closed web source, you are not provided with any source code.
- You may not have access to all SEO features like WordPress offers for WooCommerce.
Etc.
WooCommerce (Open-source eCommerce Platform)
They are different from the SaaS-based platform as they usually provide open-source code access to their online store builders.
Business holders or online store owners are provided with a source code, which they can install on any available web-host or web-hosting service and set up their online store in just a few hours.
Recommended Read: How To Run WooCommerce Flash Sales and Increase Sales?
Advantages of Using WooCommerce
- To take complete control of your website and company.
- To avoid unnecessary and recurring hefty charges which are present in SaaS-based solutions.
- For more customizability and scalability of your website.
You can view open-source eCommerce platforms as a modular approach to developing great products. They work by giving you control over what you want in your online store. You can personalize your store and select each function you want to add as a module.
For example, a specific platform can be pre-installed with a particular payment gateway. However, if you do not want to do this or are considering using a different payment gateway, you only need to install a module.
Similarly, you can translate your WooCommerce site to different languages using the Weglot plugin without any code.
Disadvantages of using WooCommerce
- When you have access to the source code, you will require significant technical skills or a technical team to manage the platform and technical aspects.
- The free, open-source platform has limited functionality, but you must purchase additional modules.
- You are responsible for finding a good web host for your eCommerce store to ensure that your store has a good site speed.
- Site management and UI management are generally more complex than SaaS-based solutions.
What Should You Look For In an eCommerce Platform?
There are certainly a few things to keep in mind when starting an online store. The key factors will help you determine which platform is best for your needs.
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Cost: Shopify vs WooCommerce
Prices are often the most critical consideration for eCommerce website owners. You should review access costs, considering the variable cost of extra services and software.
Shopify
- With Shopify, you can easily create an online store. Their basic plan starts at $ 29 per month, and you can upgrade to Shopify’s plan for $ 79 or Shopify’s advanced plan for $ 299 per month. These plans include domain names, SSL certificates, and web hosting.
- The basic plan contains enough functionality to build a new online store. You can add unlimited products, two user accounts, unlimited file storage, and more.
- However, this price does not include the third-party tools and add-ons required to take the Shopify store to the next level. As your business grows, these costs will rise, and you will quickly pay more than the basic plan.
WooCommerce
- The actual cost of using WooCommerce – WooCommerce is an eCommerce plugin for WordPress.org (also known as self-hosted WordPress).
- It is open-source and available for free as a WordPress plugin. However, you need a domain name, SSL certificate, and a WordPress hosting account to start the WooCommerce Store. Fortunately, various hosting companies now offer specialized WooCommerce hosting plans, significantly reducing costs. For example. Bluehost, Cloudways, etc
- You can also control costs by purchasing tools and plugins only as needed. With the number of free themes and free add-ons available for WooCommerce, the prize is a winner.
Ease of Use: Shopify vs WooCommerce
Most users who open online stores are not web designers or developers. Even users familiar with basic concepts need an easy-to-use and unobtrusive platform.
Shopify
- Shopify is a fully managed platform, which means you don’t have to install, maintain, or update any software. You also don’t have to worry about security, performance, backups, or compatibility issues.
- Once registered, this will help you choose a website design. It will help you with the arrangement and then help you add the product. Shopify has an intuitive drag-and-drop interface.
- For most users, there are many extensions and themes available on Shopify to choose from, enough to start and grow your online store.
WooCommerce
- WooCommerce is not a hosting platform like Shopify. You must install WooCommerce, manage updates, maintain backups, and secure your website.
- There are many free and paid plugins to automate most tasks for you. WooCommerce is very flexible in terms of customization. You have full control over the entire platform. You can add any imaginable feature to your website with over 55,000 WordPress plugins.
- However, there is no built-in drag-and-drop design function. You can use one of the WordPress page builders like Beaver Builder, but it increases your costs.
Dropshipping: Shopify vs WooCommerce
Dropshipping is an online store where eCommerce stores do not maintain an inventory of products. Instead, the order is completed by purchasing the product from a supplier and then sending it directly to the customer.
Shopify
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- When setting up a direct sale, the front of your website looks like any online store. Users can browse products, add them to their shopping cart, and make payments like any other eCommerce store.
- Then, depending on your chosen supplier, you must release the user’s shipping order. Shopify also offers integrated applications for various popular direct sales markets (e.g., AliExpress, Oberlo, Print, etc.).
WooCommerce
- WooCommerce is a popular choice for direct sales companies, mainly because of WooCommerce; you can install extensions that make breeze execution orders.
- You can easily find extensions that allow you to import products directly, place orders on your website, and more. You can also create your eCommerce marketplace so other suppliers can sell on your site.
Scalability and Growth: Shopify vs WooCommerce
You’ve probably heard the word “growing sick” from various CEOs.
As your business grows, you need more resources to meet new challenges and goals. Both Shopify and WooCommerce can be scaled to handle a lot of traffic and orders, but they are different.
Shopify
- Shopify provides the technical side of the store, which means you don’t have to worry about performance, security, and scalability. When your business starts to grow, all you have to do is upgrade your Shopify subscription.
- Their infrastructure can quickly handle your growing business without worrying about downtime, backups, updates, or security. They also offer business services as part of the Shopify Plus program. It eliminates the painful side of growth but also increases the costs of your business.
- Your costs will increase, so you should plan accordingly. The good thing is that you don’t have to hire/manage technical teams to offset your costs.
WooCommerce
- WooCommerce is a self-hosted platform that allows you to maintain website updates, backups, and security. As the store generates more traffic, your onboard WooCommerce hosting plan is devoid of resources.
- The good thing is that since you have complete control over your website, many options exist to manage growth. Start with better resource management in caching and upgrading hosting plans to more powerful servers.
- Your hosting costs for WooCommerce will increase, but you will have more control over your resources and will ensure you’re not paying for the help you don’t need.
Support Options: Shopify vs WooCommerce
Both WooCommerce and Shopify are very easy to use. However, sometimes you need help to learn how to make something new in the store.
Shopify
- Shopify is a fully hosted platform, which means they can control the software and know their platform. Shopify offers 24/7 support through live chat, phone, e-mail, and Twitter.
- For users who want to solve their problems, Shopify offers extensive documentation, manuals, knowledge bases, video tutorials, and forums.
WooCommerce
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- WooCommerce is the most popular eCommerce platform worldwide, which means you can access many support options when you need them.
- There are many documents, tutorials, and manuals on the official website to support you. They also have a support forum where you can get help from other WooCommerce users and experts.
- Because it’s so popular, finding a developer to help you solve WooCommerce stores is easy, and it’s usually cheaper. You can find developers on freelance websites to solve WooCommerce problems.
Conclusion
While concluding the comparison, it can be described that Shopify and WooCommerce are both powerful platforms for launching eCommerce stores. It depends on your skills and preferences.
Shopify is easy to use. You don’t need to install anything to get started quickly. Setting up payments is more comfortable, and their rate plans are easier to understand.
The disadvantage of Shopify is that you do not entirely control everything. Transaction fees, add-ons, and integrations will increase your expenses. Upgrading options are limited to some subscriptions, and you can’t manage pay-as-you-grow costs.
WooCommerce is open-source and gives you complete control over your website. The costs for opening an online store on WooCommerce with WooCommerce hosting companies are lower.
The disadvantage is that you have to maintain the software. It has some learning curves. However, millions of beginners are already using it and are quickly entering the learning phase.
If you are looking for a cost-effective solution and want complete control over your online store, WooCommerce is your best platform. If you want a full recall of the product with unlimited scalability, Shopify is your better platform!
Note: Alexa Bliss contributes to this article on Shopify vs WooCommerce. If you have an interesting article to add, check our guest blogging guidelines.
We hope you found this article interesting and enjoyed the read. Please consider sharing this article with your friends and fellow bloggers on social media if you do. If you have already launched an online shop and looking for a promotion, check our marketing archive.
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Frequently Asked Questions on Shopify or WooCommerce
Here are some common questions asked on this topic.
Which is Better – Shopify or WooCommerce?
If you are looking for a cost-effective solution and want complete control over your online store, WooCommerce is your best platform. If you want a full recall of the product with unlimited scalability, Shopify is your better platform!
Is Any Coding Required For Managing a WooCommerce Store?
Absolutely no.
When you design a custom theme or make changes to the core, you need to use codes. On the other hand, everything can be managed from the WooCommerce dashboard and using different plugins.
Can We Host a WooCommerce Shop Without Web Hosting?
No. For Shopify, it is possible. They will help you to host your domain name on their server and set up the shop. But here, you need to sign up for a web hosting plan.
Is Domain Required?
Probably. That’s how users are going to find your store.
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Are Extensions / Add-ons Available?
WooCommerce has hundreds of extensions on its official website. The core team makes some of them, and third-party developers create some.
Is a money-Back Guarantee Available?
You can test Shopify for 90 days. On the other hand, WooCommerce is free. Their premium extensions come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Which Is Best For Dropshipping?
Well, both platforms are best for the purpose. The forum won’t affect your dropshipping efforts.
Which Offers the Best Support?
Both platforms got their support team. And they will help you to the best level.
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Dev Patel says
Thanks for the comparison blog it was unbiased and gave me a proper idea about the pros and cons of both Shopify and woocommerce. I prefer Shopify but depends on personal preference. Thanks for the blog!
BlogHeist says
Hey Dev!
We are glad that you liked our article.
We try to present the best possible information to our readers.
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