WooCommerce vs Shopify: Which Platform is Better for your Ecommerce Store

You’ve made the decision to start an online store or update your present website in order to offer goods and services.

The WooCommerce vs. Shopify debate could come up when you’re looking for a certain eCommerce platform online. Which of the several services is better for online sales, and what are the distinctions between them?

Given that we are discussing well-regarded eCommerce systems and that selecting one might be time-consuming, these are excellent questions.

According to data, WooCommerce is utilized on 8.7% of websites globally and holds a 12.9% market share in online transactions.

With a market share of 6.1% and a distribution of 4.1% of websites worldwide, Shopify, on the other hand, boasts less impressive but nonetheless interesting statistics.

What’s Shopify?

Shopify is a Canadian company that was founded in 2006, in contrast to WooCommerce, which is known for being an open-source solution. Shopify has hosted about two million stores globally and generated nearly $300 billion in revenue in its sixteen years of operation.

The simplicity of use of these popular eCommerce systems is well-known, but Shopify makes it even easier to set up an online store without requiring a lot of customisation.

Because these procedures are part of the installation process, the user won’t have to search for a hosting provider or purchase a domain. Creating a basic eCommerce store simply takes a few minutes.

The Shopify vs. Other E-commerce Solutions debate must be examined in order to completely understand the advantages and disadvantages of this choice.

What’s the difference between Shopify and WooCommerce?

Given what was previously mentioned, the many differences between the two services are linked to the core features of the eCommerce platform.

WooCommerce is an open-source platform that relies on a large community to maintain its free access and constant growth.

Because of this transparency, tens of thousands of plugins and themes have been developed, and any platform function may be customized. With the help of these, you can easily create any kind of website you desire, including marketplaces, booking and rental services, and simple eCommerce websites. Naturally, in this case, the individual responsible for website changes will require a functional grasp of WordPress.

Conversely, Shopify was established as a software as a service (SaaS) company, and its core value is creating a simple and fast solution for all retailers. There are fewer customization choices than with WooCommerce, but they are still feasible.

In contrast to WooCommerce, which needs the seller to buy a hosting plan and a domain name, Shopify enables everything to be done immediately on the business’s website. Its ease of initial setup is one of its advantages (but also a drawback, as we shall see in a minute).

However, this has two disadvantages: first, it reduces the effectiveness of other sections of the website (many sellers integrate the Shopify shop into a portal with a blog by using it as a sub-domain), and second, it may result in higher administrative expenses.

Lastly, you may manage local sales in your physical store using the Shopify POS system (for an additional €77/month per location).

Even if there are important differences between the two services, it is challenging to choose between them since the seller’s demands come first, as you can see in the following paragraph.

WooCommerce vs Shopify: Advantages and disadvantages

Finding the best eCommerce platform is as simple as evaluating your online business’s needs and contrasting how each solution will meet them. Take a look at a watch to gain another perspective. For a diver, the ideal lookout is one that has strong resistance to water pressure; nevertheless, for someone else, we need to choose a different criterion.

After examining the pros and cons of Shopify and WooCommerce, we’ll see where the needle ends up.

Which platform is the most affordable?

First, let’s talk about one of the most important and essential factors: the amount of money you will need to start your internet business. Since your profit will eventually be based on the difference between the revenue and costs your website generates, it is imperative that you have a clear mental image of the scenario.

When it comes to related costs, WooCommerce is usually the least expensive choice. In addition to being free, WordPress and WooCommerce allow you to choose the hosting package that best suits your needs.

Another expense associated with this platform is additional plugins that provide special functionality to your website and are frequently linked to an annual charge.

Conversely, Shopify allows you to create an online store on their platform. Depending on your demands, there are three distinct monthly membership levels to select from.

Out of Shopify’s three alternatives, the “Basic” solution is the most affordable. With a monthly investment of 21 euros, it is advised for new internet enterprises that expect minimal sales volumes. Shopify, the middle-tier option, requires a monthly commitment of €59. The “Advanced” solution, in contrast, costs 289 euros a month (Shopify Plus, designed for larger firms, starts at 2,000 euros and costs more).

It’s also critical to remember that sales commissions have a big influence on overall profitability. All European credit card payments are subject to a 1.9% fee from Shopify, while all foreign credit card payments are subject to a 3.6% fee.

These prices are lowered to 1.6% and 3.2%, respectively, under Shopify’s “Advanced” plan.

The sale of low-cost items is greatly impacted by the addition of a set charge of 0.25€ per commission to each of the aforementioned percentages.

Despite the fact that both Shopify and WooCommerce offer premium plugins and applications, Shopify often costs more.

Even while building a WooCommerce store requires more time and effort, the final cost is significantly lower than that of a Shopify store.

Shopify vs WooCommerce in terms of how they work

The number of functionality offered by each platform is one of its main differences. As previously stated, Shopify gives the seller a store that is set up with specific crucial features to boost sales.

To remind customers of their unfinished purchases and the possibility of retrieving abandoned shopping carts and saving the contents therein, you might send them an email.

By default, WooCommerce does not have this capability. However, it may be added by installing a specific plugin, such as Woocommerce Pre Order (many other plugins enable you to add vital functionality, such a product video or additional control over your conversion).

The service’s automatic scalability, which is a built-in feature of Shopify, is advantageous for Shopify sites, nevertheless. Compared with WooCommerce-built stores, it enables enterprises to be started on this platform far more quickly.

It is milliseconds, not seconds, that we are discussing here. According to a Quanta survey, a Shopify store typically loads in half the time of a WooCommerce website.

The quantity of features that these two platforms provide is among their most notable distinctions. Shopify provides the seller with a store setup that includes several crucial characteristics for increased sales conversion, as was previously discussed.

Accordingly, you may have the same speed on WooCommerce sites as you can with Shopify if you select a top-notch hosting provider.

WooCommerce vs Shopify Design

The external appearance of your website is known as its design. The seller’s theme selection determines this on both platforms.

In addition to reflecting your personal style, the way your website looks also affects how many conversions you get with the help of your customers. In fact, according to a 2018 BlueCorona survey, 38% of users would quit using a website entirely if they did not find it visually appealing to their liking.

Since the conclusion of the comparison between Shopify and WooCommerce relies on how much time you want to invest in setting up your online business, it is difficult to predict. Similar to Shopify, WooCommerce offers a large selection of both free and paid templates that can be altered in code.

What is the difference between the thousands of free and paid themes that are available on the Internet in both cases?

The Shopify themes offered in the platform’s store are typically more beneficial when purchased first, which is consistent with the service’s objective of making it simple and quick to use.

WooCommerce themes, on the other hand, are more customizable, and it’s common for premium themes to require personalized work in order to function effectively.

Once more, the goal of your website should guide your final choice.

The application of Shopify vs WooCommerce

Now that we have touched on this element, it is time to go deeper into our examination. Often, the decision between WooCommerce and Shopify depends on the seller’s intended usage of each platform.

If you need to open an online store and sell your goods fast and simply, a simple Shopify subscription can be the answer.

On the other side, WooCommerce enables you to modify every aspect of your store to improve its performance for your company.

Do you want to provide your customers with any Woocommerce plugins? WooCommerce plugins allow you to provide your clients special services. Do you want to start an online store like Etsy or eBay for your local company? The WooCommerce Popup Cart plugin allows you to add, delete, and update goods in a cart in a popup window, which improves user accessibility and experience even if your eCommerce business has a large number of customers and products.

Reflecting on your long-term goals is equally essential. Shopify often scares away sellers because of the time commitment required from each transaction, whereas WooCommerce, for instance, requires a considerable initial time investment in exchange for a better return and future capability.

Also, think about the site’s intended purpose. It may be ideal to use WooCommerce if the online store is just a small part of your web. This plugin works with WordPress, therefore you can use it to construct any website with a blog to improve your portal’s indexation.

Shopify and WooCommerce: Which One Has Better Support?

In terms of customer care, Shopify is the best, but when it comes to cost, WooCommerce is the undisputed leader.

Ultimately, Shopify offers a private service that is in charge of creating your website and hosting it on its servers.

For those who build their own online store, this option is unquestionably crucial because any mistakes or miscommunications on the site can lead to monetary losses and harm the business’s image.

There are issues with WooCommerce stores. Can I use the platform to ask for help? In this case, support is accessible via a number of ways.

Because WooCommerce is free, users may interact with a large community of individuals who have similar charitable beliefs. Any issue may be resolved by posting in the appropriate help thread.

Both systems seldom have immediate technical issues, but in this instance, Shopify’s community is able to resolve the issue more quickly than WooCommerce.

On the other side, you may anticipate prompt resolution from the developers if the problem is associated with a plugin you have already paid.

Safety of WooCommerce vs Shopify’s Platform

Online security is one of the most important subjects. When using your credit card to make purchases and visit websites, be sure you have the strongest protection possible.

What’s the best eCommerce platform for this? Risks for both buyers and sellers might arise from inadequate security.

Let us begin by stating that, in the majority of situations, human mistake is the greatest threat to a site’s security. Knowing which tools and behaviors are improper can greatly reduce this danger.

Because Shopify is an internal platform service that provides the SSL certificate and the PCI-DSS standard, it simplifies security administration.

Although the site owner must be involved, they may (and should) be used in combination with WooCommerce.

Furthermore, more people need to be aware that WordPress is a dangerous platform that is more susceptible to internet attacks. This is only occasionally the case, though, as PatchStark reports that WordPress is only directly responsible for 0.58% of security vulnerabilities.

Poor plugins or themes that undermine the platform’s security and deprive store owners of control are typically to fault for these breaches.

Therefore, we advise using themes and plugins that are developed by a reliable firm, have a lot of favorable ratings, and are updated frequently (29% of the susceptible ones need to be updated more).

Because of this, Shopify isn’t always safer than WooCommerce; it all depends on what business owners do to make sure the website functions properly.

Comparison of WooCommerce and Shopify’s payment methods

Shopify’s commission rate remains the main difference between the two platforms in terms of payment options.

Generally speaking, the commission charged on your shop’s pricing will have a significant impact on your business, particularly if you oversee a big number of goods or offer inexpensive digital products (digital products review).

The most widely used payment options, such as PayPal and credit and debit cards, are available on both Shopify and WooCommerce, if you compare them side by side.

The way the store processes payments is the primary distinction. While Shopify offers a basic system that, for a price, integrates with the majority of the most widely used payment methods, WooCommerce requires specialized payment plugins, such as WooCommerce Stripe for credit cards.

In this situation, WooCommerce is the ideal option, particularly if you anticipate a high volume of orders for your online store.

WooCommerce vs Shopify: Usability

Despite the constant comparisons across platforms, Shopify wins this instance.

After all, the service we are talking about takes great satisfaction in its ease of configuration. Conversely, WooCommerce necessitates a significant time and effort investment.

This is by no means to say that WooCommerce is difficult to use. WooCommerce and WordPress, on the other hand, are simple to use and get easier with every update.

We are discussing a personal project that requires more effort but has greater potential, as well as a service for a client.

Inventories in WooCommerce vs Shopify

An efficient inventory management system is essential for every shop, online or off. Selling a product or service that is no longer available puts your company at risk of refunds and damages the reputation of your brand.

You may alter the quantity of items you have at any moment since both systems make inventory management simple.

Furthermore, utilizing dedicated Spotify and WooCommerce applications might improve this management even further. Stocky may be used to streamline and enhance inventory control for the former.

Similar to this, MotifCreatives provides its WooCommerce stock manager plugin, which enables you to maintain control over your inventory at all times by synchronizing your catalog across all points of sale.

Which is optimal for SEO?

When it comes to indexing your site in web searches, SEO is crucial. The popular abbreviation SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization.” You may use SEO to get your website show up close to the top of a Google search.

SEO management features are included in both Shopify and WooCommerce. WooCommerce does, however, provide other plugins and advice that might help, particularly for online merchants hoping to compete with the biggest organizations. An affordable SEO service is available in India, UK. Making money online is something you can learn. How can I obtain local SEO services? How can I study SEO for free?

Is WooCommerce superior to Shopify?

This is a question that everyone thinking about opening an online business asks themselves, and the best approach to find the answer is to think about your particular needs as a seller.

It is important for store owners to understand which camp they are in and what they want from their online store since, as this comparison post makes evident, WooCommerce and Shopify cater to different market demands.

Why is WooCommerce better than Shopify?

Despite the fact that the choice is based on the demands of the seller, WooCommerce has a larger market share. But what is the reason behind this?WooCommerce is preferred by many shop owners over Shopify because of its versatility. In contrast to Shopify, which sometimes has limitations, an eCommerce business created on this platform has the potential to become profitable.

Additionally, a lot of sellers have a clear vision for their business, and WooCommerce’s adaptability helps them achieve some of these objectives.

Finally, it is necessary to take into account the cost of the service, both in terms of the regular payment and the continuous percentage of income lost to commissions. So, even though they knew WooCommerce would take longer, many business owners nevertheless went with it (particularly in the early step of developing the store).

“If you’re looking for expert Shopify development services, our team at Ecodesoft provides end-to-end solutions for building and scaling your Shopify store.”

“For businesses that prefer a more customizable platform, our WordPress development services offer tailored solutions to enhance performance and functionality.”