Shopify vs WooCommerce : Which platform to choose for your business ?
Are you looking for the best solution to create and manage your ecommerce store? Then you’ve come to the right place!
With millions of businesses online around the world, choosing the right ecommerce platform can make all the difference to your success.
Shopify and WooCommerce are two of the most popular solutions for creating and managing an online store.
While both offer similar functionality, there are key differences between them that can make one more suitable for your business than the other.
So in this article, we’ll examine:
- The key features of each platform,
- How easy they are to use,
- Their cost,
- Their customization
- And scalability.
This will allow you to make an informed choice about which platform is right for you.
Whether you’re a young business owner or looking to scale your business, this guide will help you determine which ecommerce platform is right for your business.
So, let’s go ahead and compare Shopify and WooCommerce to find the perfect ecommerce solution for you!
Shopify and WooCommerce: what exactly are these 2 platforms?
Shopify
Shopify is an online platform that allows businesses to easily create their online store.
It offers an intuitive system that allows users, who have no prior technical knowledge, to build an online store on their own.
The platform is compatible with all major banking services, allowing customers to make purchases securely via PayPal, Stripe or other options.
It also gives you access to a wide range of professionally designed themes to easily customize your website and visually stand out from your competitors.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an open source WordPress plugin that transforms a WordPress blog into a full-featured and functional business store.
This plugin offers users an endless variety of options to create their own websites using the PHP / MySQL WordPress CMS system.
Websites can thus be customized with hundreds of plugins available on the platform, giving users almost complete control over the design and functionality of their website.
As you can see, the goal of our 2 competitors of the day is the same. However, there are differences between them. The 2 will not necessarily suit you.
But to find out, let’s get to the heart of the matter and start by comparing their features.
WooCommerce vs Shopify features: who is the most complete?
To begin our comparison, we’ll review the main features offered by each of these 2 solutions starting with Shopify.
What are the basic features of Shopify?
Shopify comes with everything you need to create a professional website with :
- Your own domain name,
- An integrated hosting solution,
- A full range of SEO tools,
- And an intuitive system for managing inventory, products and customer orders.
The important thing to note is that Shopify supports multiple currencies. This means that your customers will be able to buy your products from any country in the world.
Moreover, Shopify also comes with a built-in SSL certificate, which ensures the security of your customers’ information.
Not bad, right? But let’s see what WooCommerce has to offer in comparison.
What are the main features of WooCommerce?
WooCommerce has all the tools you need to create and manage an online store.
- It supports all major banking services, including PayPal, Stripe, Amazon Payments, and Apple Pay, so your customers can make their purchases securely.
- It allows you to add third-party plugins to your website to make it perfectly match your needs.
- It is very flexible and can be custom modified to best fit your specific wants/needs.
As you can see, both WooCommerce and Shopify have all the essential features for your ecommerce store. Therefore, it can be tricky to choose one of them… Don’t worry, the following will help you to see more clearly.
Detailed comparison of the features of Shopify and WooCommerce
Let’s move on to a detailed comparison of the features offered by Shopify and WooCommerce.
| Features | Shopify | WooCommerce |
| Domain name | Yes | Yes |
| SEO Tools | Yes | Yes |
| Inventory management | Yes | Yes |
| Product management | Yes | Yes |
| Customer orders | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple currencies | Yes | No |
| Integrated SSL certificate | Yes | No |
| Payment integration | Yes (PayPal, Stripe, Amazon Payments, Apple Pay) | Yes(PayPal, Stripe, etc.) |
| Customization | Limited | Very high |
| Flexibility | Medium | Very high |
| Open source | No | Yes |
In summary, Shopify makes it quick and easy to create an ecommerce store. On the other hand, WooCommerce is an open source solution for WordPress that offers almost unlimited customization and flexibility thanks to its numerous plugins.
Ultimately, the choice between Shopify and WooCommerce will depend on the specific needs of your online business, your budget, and your preferences for customization and flexibility.
Ease of use: which platform is right for you?
We’ll now look at the ease of use of each platform for users without prior technical experience.
Shopify ease of use: it’s super intuitive
Shopify is a very intuitive platform that can be set up in minutes. Most of the tools are accessible via the user interface, which is ultra intuitive.
So, this allows users to quickly get familiar with the platform.
WooCommerce’s ease of use: it’s a bit more complex, but there are more possibilities
WooCommerce is quite easy to get started. Most of the features are accessible from the WordPress CMS system interface.
Developers can also modify the source code of the software to fit their specific needs. This makes it a great solution for businesses looking to create a custom online store.
| Functionality | Shopify | WooCommerce |
| User Interface | Intuitive and easy to use | Intuitive and easy to use |
| Customization | Professionally designed themes for easy customization | Hundreds of plugins available for further customization |
| Technical skill level required | No prior technical knowledge required | Some technical knowledge is required to maximize the platform’s functionality |
| Community support | Large support community available to help users | The WordPress community offers additional support for all WordPress projects |
In summary, Shopify is easier for beginners with its intuitive user interface and professionally designed themes.
On the other hand, WooCommerce requires some technical knowledge, but offers more flexibility for customization thanks to its many plugins and WordPress community.
Payment method: Is Shopify better than Woocommerce?
Both Shopify and WooCommerce offer various payment methods to their users. But you may prefer one or another according to the favorite payment method of your customers.
This table will help you to see which platform is better for you concerning the payment methods.
| Shopify: | WooCommerce: |
| Shopify Payments (credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more)Third-party payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, and more)Manual payment methods (cash on delivery, bank deposit, and more) | PayPalStripeSquareAmazon PayAuthorize.netApple PayGoogle PayManual payment methods (cash on delivery, bank transfer, and more) |
WooCommerce vs Shopify: which one costs less?
Now that we’ve looked at the features and ease of use of each of these solutions, let’s move on to the nagging question: price.
Shopify Subscription plan
Shopify offers three main subscriptions plans. You’ll find them in the table just below.
| Plan | Monthly plan pricing | Commissions on payments received | Reports | Inventory locations | Employee accounts |
| Basic plan | $29/month | 1,8% + $0,30 online | Basic Reports | Up to 1 000 | 2 |
| Shopify plan | $79/month | 1,6% + $0,30 online | Professional reports | Up to 1 000 | 5 |
| Advanced plan | $299/month | 1,4% + $0,30 online | Customized report editor | Up to 1 000 | 15 |
Costs associated with using WooCommerce
One of the main advantages of WooCommerce is that it is a free open source solution, which means that you don’t have to pay a monthly subscription fee to enjoy the software.
However, users will need to purchase a domain name and web hosting to run the software on their website. Also, if you want to add additional plugins or customize your website with HTML / CSS code, you will have to pay additional fees for these extra services.
Here is a table with the main costs to consider.
| Service | Cost |
| Domain name | $25/year |
| Hosting | $140/year |
| Website creation | Up to $15 000 |
| Maintenance operations | Up to $200/month |
| Add-ons | Up to $100 and more |
In summary, WooCommerce normally costs less. However, depending on the options chosen and the additional services, it may cost you more.
Shopify and WooCommerce Customization: which one will best suit your needs?
Let’s continue our comparative review and see how the platforms compare in terms of flexibility and customization.
Shopify’s customization: you have access to multiple themes
Shopify offers users a wide selection of themes, so they can easily customize their website.
Customers can also change the HTML / CSS settings so that their websites match exactly what they need.
Moreover, Shopify lets you add additional extensions to your website to get extra options if needed.
WooCommerce’s customization: it’s ultra flexible
WooCommerce is very flexible and can be custom modified to meet your specific needs.
You have the ability to customize your website directly by modifying the software’s source code using HTML / CSS and adding additional plugins.
Basically, if you have a little bit of technical mastery, WooCommerce will allow you to really have a site that reflects your image. Shopify is more limited but will still be perfectly suitable, especially if the technique is not your forte.
Dropshipping : is it better to choose Shopify or WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is considered the better platform for dropshipping due to its flexible plugins and marketplace features.
Although Shopify has an edge in terms of shipping partnerships, both platforms allow for international shipping and support dropshipping.
- Shopify has dedicated apps for popular marketplaces, but these marketplaces have their own fees and charges that can affect profitability.
- WooCommerce’s flexible dropshipping plugins make the setup process easier, and you can create a marketplace allowing other vendors to sell on your website.
However, it’s important to factor in fees and charges from vendors and marketplaces on both platforms as they can affect your profitability.
WooCommerce vs Shopify : Conclusion
In conclusion, Shopify and WooCommerce are two very popular e-commerce platforms that offer businesses a wide range of options for creating their own websites.
Shopify is a very intuitive platform that can be set up in minutes and offers users a wide range of professionally designed themes to customize their website.
WooCommerce may be better for you if you already have some technical background and want a 100% customizable website.
| Comparison Factor | Shopify | WooCommerce |
| Type of Platform | Cloud-based eCommerce platform | Open-source eCommerce plugin for WordPress |
| Basic Features | Domain name, SEO tools, inventory & product management, SSL certificate, payment integration | Domain name, SEO tools, inventory & product management, payment integration, customizable with plugins |
| Customization | Limited customization options | Highly customizable with hundreds of plugins and source code modifications |
| Ease of Use | Very intuitive and easy to use | Requires some technical knowledge for maximizing platform’s functionality |
| Community Support | Large support community available to help users | The WordPress community provides support and resources for WooCommerce users |
| Scalability | Good scalability, with plans available for larger businesses | Highly scalable and can handle larger businesses with the right customization and hosting options |
| Price | Monthly plans starting at $29/month | Free to use, but additional costs for hosting, domain name, and plugins |
| Multiple Currencies | Yes | No |
| Open Source | No | Yes |
