In this article, I’m going to compare Shopify vs Woocommerce and see which platform has the most and best features. Both are very good and popular e-commerce platforms, but they differ in some crucial ways, that I will get back to further down. First, let me ask if you want to start your own online store based on WordPress? Then Shopify and WooCommerce will be two of the most prominent options available to consider. If you don’t want to get confused when making a selection out of these two, you should go through this article and get to know about the facts.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is a comprehensive e-commerce platform, which can provide you with all the features that you want to have an online store up and running. You can easily create your own Shopify store with minimum hassle. Then you will be able to manage inventory and accept customer payments without navigating out to another platform.
Click here if you want to try Shopify free for up to 90-days.
What is WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is an open-source platform available for you to create an e-commerce store. It has been built into WordPress in the form of a plugin. Therefore, you will be able to leverage the benefits that come along with the WordPress content management system in an effective manner. Since WooCommerce is open-source software, you have complete freedom to customize every aspect of it, but for most this is not necessary.
Click here if you want to try WooCommerce for free.
Shopify vs Woocommerce – Which is best for you?
At this point, you should have a basic understanding of Shopify vs Woocommerce. While keeping that in mind, you can go through the following factors to figure out the best platform available for creating an online store with ease.
- Cost
You will find it an easy task to start an online store with the help of Shopify. However, you will have to pay for the convenience that you are getting. The basic plan of Shopify would cost you around $20 per month. Likewise, there are advanced plans available for you to select based on your preferences.
You don’t have to spend too much money while you are using WooCommerce. That’s because it is open source. You will be able to get the plugin without spending any money at all. However, you will still need to spend your money on the domain, WordPress hosting, and SSL certificate, so that you can publish the online store.
- Convenience
The level of convenience offered by Shopify is high. You don’t have to go through the hassle of installing, managing or updating any software. On the other hand, you don’t need to worry too much about performance and security as well. There won’t be any compatibility issues with Shopify as well. Hence, you can keep peace of mind and manage the online store.
You cannot get the same level of convenience with WooCommerce. That’s because you should install WooCommerce, take regular backups, manage the updates and ensure that your website is secure. However, there are numerous plugins, which you can use in order to make life easy with that.
- Payment gateway integrations
Shopify can provide you with numerous payment gateways. You don’t have to go through the hassle of integrating any payment gateway. In fact, Shopify is offering a payment gateway of its own. On the other hand, it is also possible to use a third party payment gateway as well. There is a transaction fee that you will have to pay when accepting payments. It varies based on the Shopify plan that you are on.
WooCommerce is offering Stripe and PayPal as the default payment gateways. You can integrate any other payment gateway. However, you will have to go through the manual integration process. The best thing about WooCommerce is that it will not charge a percentage from the transactions that take place through your online store.
- Add-ons and integrations
If you want to enhance the functionality of your online store, you should go ahead with add-ons and integrations. You can get a large number of add-ons and integrations with Shopify. For example, there is an app store and API. You will be able to use the store and purchase the add-ons you want. Since WooCommerce is an open-source platform, you will be able to use any of the 55,000 plugins that are available for WordPress for free. There are numerous other premium plugins available to consider as well.
- Scalability
Upon starting an online e-commerce store, you will have to scale it in the long run and move forward. You don’t need to worry too much about scalability when you are on Shopify. That’s because Shopify will take care of scalability, security, and performance. It is included in the monthly payment that you are making to Shopify.
Since WooCommerce is self-hosted, you will have to spend more time and effort on ensuring scalability. You should monitor the online store on a regular basis and make sure that you are getting everything done in a timely manner. Then you will be able to keep the online store up and running.
Pay attention to these facts and pick the best solution to have your online store. Feel free to check out our guide on how to start a Shopify store.
