by There has never been a better opportunity to open an online store with global ecommerce sales surpassing $4.28 trillion. Between WooCommerce and Shopify, picking the best e-commerce platform isn’t always easy.
To contrast these two well-known e-commerce platforms, we have written this WooCommerce or Shopify comparison article. There are several notable variations between them, though.
We’ll assist you in choosing the ideal ecommerce partner in this post between WooCommerce or Shopify. We’ll discuss the features of these platforms, how simple they are to use, and pricing, which is crucial.
Let’s get going!
WooCommerce and Shopify are two industry leaders that stand head and miles above the competition when it comes to how to launch an online business. But how can you know which one is best for you if you’re attempting to decide between WooCommerce and Shopify? Would it be better to switch from Shopify to WooCommerce or vice versa?
What Ecommerce Strategy Does WooCommerce Use?
WooCommerce, in contrast, is an open source add-on that you can use with the WordPress CMS (CMS). It was previously developed by WordPress theme provider WooTheme, then in 2015, Automattic purchased it.
A WordPress-specific open-source eCommerce platform is called WooCommerce. Consequently, it offers you the most effective content management system (CMS) for managing an online store. You can modify every element of your store and create unique extensions because it is open-source.
How Do You Approach Ecommerce With Shopify?
Shopify is a hosted eCommerce platform that enables you to launch an online store without worrying about technical expertise; all components, including hosting, security, domain, and others, are covered by the Shopify package.
Shopify, a full-featured e-commerce solution developed by Tobias Lütke and Scott Lake, was founded in 2006. The platform was created by the creators after they established an online retailer for snowboarding gear. They opted to build their own ecommerce platform since they were unhappy with the ones that were already available.
10 Distinctive Features Between Shopify and Woo Commerce
Easy of use
The majority of people opening an online store are not web professionals or Shopify designers. A platform that is simple to set up and use is necessary, even for users who are familiar with fundamental ideas.
Let’s compare the user-friendliness of WooCommerce with Shopify.
WooCommerce Usability
Since WooCommerce is not a hosted platform, you will need to manage a few tasks including installation, update management, backup management, and shop security.
Easy of Use of Shopify
The primary benefit of Shopify is an integrated online store, so practically everything is simple to understand. Shopify’s user-friendly interface makes setting up and managing stores a breeze. Create a free trial account, follow some simple setup steps, and then design your store to get started with Shopify. Shopify is made for all business owners, including those without any programming experience.
Pricing
WooCommerce costs
WooCommerce is a free WordPress plug-in that is open-source. However, you require a domain name ($12/year) and hosting ($5–$25/month). You can cite well-known companies like Bluehost or Cloudways. However, the free trials with the hosting service are typically not extendable.
Pricing for Shopify
Shopify, on the other hand, provides the entire package for your online business since it is a hosted platform. A total response! Find no hosting or theme providers because Shopify already has them all. Of course, both monthly and yearly options are available for this.
Inventory Control
The comparison of WooCommerce and Shopify based on inventory management is now available!
Management of WooCommerce Inventory..
This platform is quite flexible, and the inventory management function is no different. Users of WooCommerce can generate inventory reports and modify any product attribute. You can basically develop and manage an unlimited number of variable goods.
Inventory Management on Shopify
Shopify gives retailers complete control over the Shopify inventory monitoring system, much like WooCommerce does. In-house revenue reporting, automated purchase orders, stock tracking, easy access to stock alerts, and other features are available.
Content and Blogs
WooCommerce Content and Blogs
The areas where WooCommerce flexes its strength are blogs and content. It takes after WordPress, the most reputable content management system, in terms of all the cutting-edge writing blog features.
Blogs and Content on Shopify
The blog is a regular feature of Shopify. On Shopify, setting up a blog and writing a blog post don’t take a lot of work or time. In reality, the Shopify site design theme makes it simple to customize your blog’s appearance. For extra customization possibilities and to construct landing pages, you might also try certain apps like PageFly, the most popular Shopify app.
SEO
One of the best methods to make sure your customers can find you is through SEO. You won’t make any sales if they can’t discover you. You’ll lose money, time, and effort if you do it.
WordPress SEO
WooCommerce benefits from SEO because it was created on a platform specifically designed for blogging. Users of WooCommerce can optimize product pages by changing the body content, simple URL redirections, meta descriptions, alt tags, and other page components using the WordPress editor. Yoast SEO is regarded as the most well-known SEO plugin among the several that WooCommerce provides, and it allows you to optimize your store.
Shopify SEO
On the other hand, Shopify has some SEO restrictions. In actuality, Shopify members are limited in how much they may alter their URLs. This is because certain parts of your store’s URLs cannot be changed due to Shopify’s inflexible URL structure. In addition, building sub-categories on this platform is rather challenging.
Plugins & Apps
You will always need to implement certain extensions to strengthen your store, no matter how solid an e-commerce platform is. For instance, outreach services, lead creation tools, analytics tools, and email marketing software. Fortunately, WooCommerce and Shopify both include a sizable plugin catalog and interface with a wide range of third-party services.
Plugins for WooCommerce
Users of WooCommerce may use WordPress’ enormous plugin repository, which contains over 58,000 free and commercial plugins covering all of your logistical, technical, and marketing needs, as WooCommerce is a plugin that runs on WordPress. WooCommerce also has 592 extensions that are especially made for online stores.
Apps for Shopify
The 5899 applications and extensions available on Shopify were created by both internal teams and outside developers. The enormous selection of apps available on its store are broken down into many categories, like inventory management, orders and shipping, sales and conversion, etc. All of these extensions help you monitor your online store easily and increase traffic and revenue.
Payments Gataeways
Unquestionably, the heart of your eCommerce business is the handling of payments. No matter what kind of goods or services you offer, your main objective is always to convert visitors and make it easier for them to complete their subsequent transactions. Fortunately, both WooCommerce and Shopify provide a wide range of tools to assist you with this.
Gateways for WooCommerce payments
Two tried-and-true payment processors are offered by WooCommerce as default payments: PayPal and Stripe. The majority of WooCommerce online stores ought to feel at ease with one of the two options right away. So, to start things off, you don’t even need a bank account. WooCommerce is more than happy to let you go forward freely if you want to try a different service, and it also supports all other well-known payment service providers through add-ons.
Payment Gateways for Shopify
Shopify has more than 100 payment gateways for you to choose from, however depending on the monthly plan you choose, you must pay a transaction cost of 0.5-2 percent. The higher plan you select, the lower the transaction fee you pay to Shopify.
For instance, if you pay $299 per month for an advanced Shopify plan, the transaction costs will be reduced to 0.5 percent.
Security
A major risk when operating an online business is security. Therefore, it is not surprising that many retailers ask, “WooCommerce vs. Shopify, which is better for security?”
WooCommerce Protection
The majority of security with WooCommerce is in your control. In more detail, you will be responsible for setting up your own SSL certificate, site security plugins, two-factor authentication, PCI compliance, and other site security measures.
Security Shopify
On the other hand, updates and security concerns are totally handled in the background by Shopify. This platform includes a free SSL certificate that encrypts all data sent between you and your clients. For the Shopify system to accept credit card and debit card information, a Level 1 PCI-compliant server is also required.
FAQs for WooCommerce or Shopify
Which of the two, Shopify or WooCommerce, is the best in every way?
In actuality, there isn’t a universally applicable solution for choosing between WooCommerce and Shopify. Depending on your demands, financial situation, and objectives, one may suit you better. If you want a more robust platform with more flexibility and customizability, WooCommerce is a superior option. For individuals who prefer the concept of a “everything is included” platform, Shopify is a preferable option.
Can you use Shopify or WooCommerce for free?
Shopify provides a free 3-day trial, after which you must subscribe to a subscription plan. WooCommerce is free to download and use, but fees are associated with hosting, domains, security, and other features that improve productivity.
Can you switch between different platforms?
Yes. There are basically 3 ways to switch between WooCommerce and Shopify: Use an automated migration shopping cart service, employ a freelancer, or perform a manual migration. Let’s talk about our automated migration solution if you’re not tech-savvy and have a tight budget. With LitExtension, the industry’s top provider of shopping cart migration services, you may transfer practically all crucial data (such as items, clients, orders, CMS pages, multilingual sites, etc.) without disrupting your source store.
Which of WooCommerce and Shopify should you choose?
We have come a long way to compare the features of WooCommerce versus Shopify. It’s time for the final judgment to guide your decision between WooCommerce and Shopify.
Choose WooCommerce if you want a solution with useful SEO capabilities, great customizability, and flexible scalability. Choose WooCommerce if your main marketing strategy is to attract visitors through content for search engines, you want greater control over your design, don’t mind fiddling, or both.
Choose Shopify if you’re new to eCommerce or don’t want to worry about technical specifics or difficult setup procedures and want to enjoy the highest level of security and devoted support from the Shopify team. Additionally, you may sample Shopify’s 3-day free trial right away to see how it functions if you want to test out a few items and buy a few products.
We do, however, recognize that selecting the ideal platform for your internet business is not a simple task. Therefore, before making a final choice, we advise you to take some more time to read our in-depth analyses of Shopify and WooCommerce.
Conclusion
Last but not least, LitExtension is available if you discover that your current website is no longer suitable with online business and want to migrate from WooCommerce to Shopify or vice versa. We currently offer migration for more than 200 carts, including migration from Shopify to WooCommerce or WooCommerce to Shopify as well as migration from WooCommerce to Shopify.
Lets move into our next article about : Is Shopify good for beginners?
