WooCommerce vs Shopify: Which eCommerce Platform is Best For Your Business?
Jul 4, 2024 Gourav Bajaj ECOMMERCE SOLUTION
When searching for the top eCommerce platform, Shopify consistently ranks top among all other website builders available. Shopify is undoubtedly one of the greatest platforms for online businesses. It offers many advantages, including scalable design and responsive layouts.
Despite having many advanced features, Shopify also has many drawbacks, which makes it not profitable in many cases. This is why you should take your steps carefully before building and managing your platform with it. The perfect method to choose the best eCommerce platform is to compare Shopify with the other popular solutions.
Every business has its unique requirements. If one ecommerce platform suites someone, it doesn’t mean the same will be useful for your business type. So, if you are turning to Shopify like other people, wait a minute. What is about its comparison with WooCommerce?
In contrast to Shopify, which is a hosted platform made exclusively for online sales, WooCommerce is a WordPress-based ecommerce plugin. It is the most popular ecommerce plugging that is used by more than 6 million users in the world. WooCommerce is an easy-to-use platform where you just need to choose a website and host, install plugins, and you may need to code some lines to customize your shop.
If you want to explore WooCommerce and Shopify to choose the best one, check out this guide to learn who provides the best functionality and website security measures. Here, we’ll get to know which platform is better for your online store. So let’s get started!
Shopify vs WooCommerce: Which Is Best For You?
WooCommerce remains the most popular ecommerce platform globally with a 38.74% market share. Whereas Shopify is the fourth leading ecommerce platform worldwide with a 10.32% market share. Shopify features like the new Checkout Sheet Kit that enhances mobile app checkouts and boosts conversions by 15%.
Here is a compressive comparison of both WooCommerce and Shopify across various features to understand their difference in a better manner:
1) Dropshipping
Dropshipping is a popular business model in which an online store sells products without keeping them in stock. The store owner never handles the product directly. Instead, when a customer purchases an item, a third party (supplier) ships it directly to the customer.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a well-known platform for dropshipping. You can install and integrate numerous dropshipping extensions from the WordPress repository. It allows you to add third-party extensions to your online platform, which makes it a flexible option for dropshipping. Here are some top third-party WooCommerce extensions include:
- AliDropship
- DropshipMe
- YouDroop
- WooDropship
Shopify
Shopify is a cutting-edge solution for dropshipping. It provides many extensions and add-ons to streamline the dropshipping process. You can add these best Shopify dropshipping add-ons:
- CJDropshipping Spocket
- MIIUT: Unlimited Dropshipping
- Ali Orders AliExpress Dropship
Shopify also supports third-party dropshipping marketplaces such as AliExpress, Oberlo, and Printify.
Both WooCommerce and Shopify are excellent options for running a dropshipping business. However, in many cases, you can find WooCommerce more beneficial than Shopify because of its ease of use and vast number of extensions. If your business is dropshipping-focused, WooCommerce can provide you with more customizable and flexible options. However, Shopify has limited options and may not be perfect for dropshipping.
2) Cost
When starting an ecommerce online store, cost is one of the first things to consider. So what do you think about which platform can perform better in this situation—WooCommerce or Shopify?
The answer is: it depends!
Most individuals turn to WooCommerce because it is cheaper and free to use, while Shopify costs from $25 to $399 per month and takes between 0.5 and 2% commission on your sales. Let’s take a deeper look:
WooCommerce
As we already discussed, WooCommercce is a free WordPress plugin. That makes it more affordable than Shopify. However, you need to pay its other costs, such as plugins, themes, and hosting plans.
For example, Cloudways, a well-known cloud hosting platform, offers hosting plans starting at $11 per month. The paid theme at WooCommerce can range from $30 to $300, while plugins and add-ons average around $50.
These additional paid features from WooCommerce can increase your expenses when starting or running your online store with this platform.
Shopify
Shopify provides users with cost-effective functionality. It is an easy method of website development that includes everything you need in its pricing plan to build an online platform. Additionally, you don’t need to invest your money in third-party hosting, themes, or plugins.
However, pricing plans range from $9 to $299 per month. Apart from that, it also takes a transaction fee whenever any payment is made through third-party payment gateways.
Overall, Woocommerce is an excellent option because it comes with its free version and doesn’t take any transaction fees. However, it is important to calculate all the costs that you will have to invest in its other facilities, including hosting, themes, and plugins. Shopify includes everything in its one pricing, but as you scale your business, your expenses will be increasing equally.
3) Ease of Use
It is important to select a platform that is intuitive and simple to use. Some crucial features, such as drag-and-drop functionality, predefined templates, comprehensive support and tutorials, and a user-friendly interface, help users create and manage their platform seamlessly. That saves you time, and you can focus more on essential tasks like getting customer feedback, processing orders, etc.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce can make website setup more complicated, especially for beginners. If you start your journey with it, you need to manage your hosting, security, and updates. However, WooCommerce indeed provides greater flexibility and customization options, but you require some technical knowledge or hire web developers to use it in the best way. You might install multiple plugins to add advanced functionality to your website.
Shopify
Shopify is a more user-friendly option than WooCommerce. It comes with an easy-to-use interface and provides everything in a single package. It is a straightforward and intuitive solution, even for the beginners. It provides feasible functionality, such as drag-and-drop and predesigned templates. It reduces your peace by handling your hosting, security, and updates automatically.
When it comes to the ease of use of both platforms, Shopify is a better option because it provides features that are simple and intuitive for users with limited technical skills. On the other hand, WooCoomerce offers more customization but requires some level of technical expertise to use it in the best way possible.
4) Scalability
Scalability is an essential aspect of website development when choosing the best ecommerce platform. It enables you to expand your business and increase the number of products on your website. This is why you need to choose a platform that can handle the uplifting demands of your website. Let’s go into the depths of understanding the scalability of two popular ecommerce solutions:
WooCommerce
If you want to start your journey with WooCommerce web development, its scalability depends on the hosting provider you choose. Suppose you are going to choose a powerful hosting provider; you will have more space for your WooCommerce store. However, one important thing is that it may increase your expenses because of the increasing hosting costs. That ultimately makes it less budget-friendly than Shopify.
Shopify
Shopify is a handy tool if you want to prioritize scalability in your ecommerce web development. It takes care of most technical aspects that help users manage their larger stores without wasting their time on other activities. It allows easy scaling up when you switch to a higher plan, and you can add more orders and additional functions to handle them proficiently.
Shopify can be more expensive than other alternative options, but it offers a one-stop-shop solution that saves you time and provides you with a hassle-free experience in handling your online platform.
So, Shopify web development is a better option for scalability because it is a hosted platform that takes care of all the technical aspects of scaling your store.
5) Integrations and Add-ons
As you spend more time and start growing your online platform, you need more functionalities to streamline your growth. In this situation, turning to either WooCommerce or Shopify would be impactful, but let’s see which platform has the upper hand:
WooCommerce
It is an open-source WordPress plugin with a vast library of plugins and extensions. You can explore and download many free WooCommerce extensions and add-ons on the WordPress repository. Apart from that, this platform also offers add-ons on woocommerce.com, some of which are free while others require a one-time fee.
Shopify
Turning to Shopify web development will give you access to an extensive library. You can use many free add-ons, but for additional requirements, you have to pay a one-time premium fee or a monthly subscription. There are many interesting add-ons on this platform. AccessiBe, for example, is a great tool for disabled people; this tool helps access your store and adjust its user interface and design based on what suits their needs.
In terms of integrations and add-ons, WooCommerce wins because of its vast collection of plugin and extension libraries. WooCommerce web development offers flexibility and provides more customization options. This great advantage of WooCommerce allows you to build a highly functional website and integrate advanced tools and features. On the other hand, Shopify still is a better option for add-ons, but it cannot outperform WooCommerce in this area.
6) Level of Security
Security is a crucial concern for a website. It maintains trust and provides a better user experience for your customers. So let’s see what level of security these platforms offer:
WooCommerce
WooCommerce provides a high level of security. Its many plugins allow you to install tight-locked security for your stores. It protects you from the malware and any cyberattacks. Some of the popular plugins are:
- iThemes Security
- MalCare Security Solution
- Sucuri Security
- Wordfence
- All In One WP Security & Firewall
Furthermore, WooCommerce hosting adds layers of security to your WooCommerce store.
Shopify
Shopify offers decent security but isn’t better than WooCommerce. Shopify is a PCI-compliant platform, which means it is also good to use for robust security. However, you need to upgrade its security standards when you handle a high value of transactions.
Overall, because Shopify is not a self-hosted platform, you cannot tighten your security here based on your hosting choice. This is why, for top-notch security options, WooCommerce performs fantastic.
WooCommerce vs. Shopify: Advantages and Disadvantages
Both platforms are excellent options for establishing a modern-centric website. It is time to discuss the pros and cons of these platforms that will help you to make the right decision. So let’s get started!
Advantages and Disadvantages Of WooCommerce
Advantages Of WooCommerce
- It is an open-source platform offering high functionality to meet business objectives.
- It is a free WordPress plugin, so its initial cost is low and provides a cost-effective experience.
- Due to the powerful plugin for WordPress, you can benefit from the capabilities of WordPress. The vast plugins in different areas like security, SEO, backups, etc. empower you to develop a robust platform.
- WooCommerce comes with an SEO advantage, allowing you to tailor your online presence to the preferences of your target audience and audience.
Disadvantages Of WooCommerce
- It requires technical knowledge.
- It is a self-hosted platform, which means you need to be responsible for the updates, backups, and security of your website.
- WooCommerce doesn’t offer any support to its users. However, a vast community of WooCommerce users is available to assist you.
Advantages and Disadvantages Of Shopify
Advantages Of Shopify
- Shopify comes with a clean dashboard. That helps users easily set up a store according to their specific needs.
- It is one of the best online platforms that is known for its user-friendly interface. It is a perfect option for those people who want to create their ecommerce platform with limited technicality.
- Shopify provides a variety of customizable templates. You can adjust those templates according to your specific business types.
- Starting your ecommerce business with Shopify is helpful for those who want to do business without worrying much about payment gateway integrations. Shopify allows merchants to accept credit cards without third-party accounts.
Disadvantages Of Shopify
- For users who are not using Shopfiy payments, the platform charges additional transaction fees.
- If you want more integration into your shop, you may need to go through complexity or hire a dedicated developer.
Last Words
As we have discussed each aspect of both ecommerce platforms, it is important to make your decision based on what suits you the best. Both of them have their advantages and disadvantages, and you need to consider which platform is going to fulfill your requirements. You can seek help from the best web development company that can help you create an ecommerce platform as per your favourite ecommerce store. If you want more functionality and flexibility, you can turn to WooComerce; otherwise, turning to Shopify is a better option for limited technicality and ease of use.
