Shopify vs WooCommerce – Which is the Better?

Are you considering opening an online store? Are you unsure whether to use Shopify or WooCommerce?

Shopify and WooCommerce are the world’s two most popular eCommerce platforms, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Choosing the correct eCommerce platform for your business is critical to your success as a business owner.

We’ll show you a full comparison of Shopify and WooCommerce in this article. The idea is to lay down the benefits and drawbacks of each to assist you in selecting the best solution for your eCommerce company.

Shopify vs. WooCommerce: Overview

Before we get into our in-depth comparison of the two most popular eCommerce platforms on the internet, it’s critical that we go over the fundamentals and emphasise what sets these platforms apart.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is an all-in-one eCommerce platform that allows you to easily create an online store, collect payments, and manage inventory all from one place.

You don’t have to worry about the technical parts of running an eCommerce site with Shopify, such as web hosting, security, caching, and so on.

Read the full article “SHOPIFY – THE COMPLETE GUIDE“

What is WooCommerce?

WooCommerce is a WordPress-based open-source eCommerce plugin. It enables you to run an online store using the most advanced content management system (CMS).

WordPress is the most popular website builder on the planet, powering 43% of all websites, and WooCommerce is the most popular eCommerce platform, which many people are unaware of (yes even more popular than Shopify).

Because WooCommerce is open-source, you can simply change any part of your business and add custom extensions.

The choice between the two platforms is totally dependent on your demands and skill level.

Read the full article “WOOCOMMERCE – THE COMPLETE GUIDE“

Shopify vs WooCommerce – Features

While the price strategies of both platforms differ, they are identical in terms of providing what your eCommerce site requires. Shopify and WooCommerce, unlike BigCommerce, are more basic, with ecommerce necessities included into the core programme.

Both, on the other hand, have excellent app stores where you can get any additional functionality you might require.

Shopify Features

Although you’ll almost certainly need to install apps to get the most out of the platform, Shopify has a lot more free possibilities. Shopify provides you with the following features right away:

• Products are limitless.
• File storage is limitless.
• Automated fraud detection
• Oberlo integration embedded
• Making an order by hand
• Discount codes
• Module for writing a blog
• SSL certificate for free
• Optimisation of mobile commerce
• HTML and CSS that can be edited
• Payments by credit card
• Multiple languages are available.
• Taxes and delivery prices might be adjusted.
• Profiles of customers
• Capabilities for drop shipping
• Site structure that is SEO-friendly
• Product reviews on an individual basis
• Facebook selling module
• Integration of social media (and a spicy new integration with Instagram)
• In the store, there are both physical and digital items.
• Your store will receive an unlimited amount of traffic.
• Backups are made every day.
• Product reports and site statistics
• Reports for advanced users (on Shopify and Shopify Advanced plans)

In comparison, WooCommerce charges $500-600 for some of these free capabilities, such as CSV uploads, shipping choices, and bookings.

WooCommerce Features

WordPress is well-known for allowing third-party developers to create a variety of extensions and plugins as open source software. WooCommerce capitalises on this by providing a plethora of intriguing and engaging upgrades. You’ll be able to simply alter aesthetics, sell on Facebook, improve email marketing strategies, understand user behaviour, and pretty much anything else.

• You can sell physical things, digital products (such as software and apps), and affiliate marketing through it.
• Built-in PayPal and Stripe payments (plus a range of other gateways available for an extra fee)
• Taxes and delivery prices might be adjusted.
• There is no limit to the amount of goods and product categories that can be created.
• Stock levels are in control.
• Structure that is mobile-friendly
• Your data is completely under your control.
• This plugin is compatible with your current WordPress theme.
• There are literally hundreds of plugins (extensions) to choose from.
• A Facebook store extension and a free Facebook ad

Shopify vs WooCommerce – Support

There’s also the question of technical assistance. Shopify is known for its excellent customer service. Each client has access to a customer adviser 24 hours a day, 7 days a week if they have any concerns or questions (via email, open chat, phone call).

Aside from that, you’ll have access to a comprehensive knowledge library that answers some of the most often asked topics and provides solutions to problems.

The issue of WooCommerce support is a little more complicated. First and foremost, WooCommerce is a completely free WordPress plugin. This means you’ll be able to obtain help from the WordPress forums. At the same time, the WooCommerce team makes it possible for anyone to create a free user account on WooCommerce.com and receive help there.

There are also a plethora of WooCommerce-related blogs on the internet. Overall, WooCommerce is ideal for customers who prefer to conduct their own research online rather than speak with a sales representative.

Finally, I must hand over the support round to Shopify. Nothing beats having access to a support person at all hours of the day or night.

Shopify vs WooCommerce – SEO

Strong SEO is required for any website that wishes to make an impact. Fortunately, both candidates have a lot going for them.

How Shopify Helps with SEO?

When it comes to the sheer number of SEO capabilities offered, Shopify comes in second, but the manner it delivers material is certainly not lacking. Basic SEO tactics such as meta information and site copy are also easily handled. There’s no reason to believe that if your company produces high-quality content, you won’t get amazing results and high user engagement.

There are numerous ways that Shopify outperforms WooCommerce in terms of SEO across the board. Developers like me consider it to have some of the cleanest code and natural linking structure.

What happened to the Lost Cyclist, an eCommerce expert, is an interesting case worth mentioning. When he switched from Shopify to WooCommerce, he saw a significant drop in traffic:

Furthermore, Shopify is quick. Shopify provides its webmasters with fast-loading pages because it is a hosted platform with a large infrastructure. As a result, shops have a better chance of ranking well and converting customers.

How WooCommerce helps with SEO

WordPress is basically a content management system, and SEO professionals consider it to be one of the most dependable solutions accessible. Content and meta information may be easily added and edited to ensure that pages have a good chance of ranking for specific keywords.

With plugins like Yoast SEO, you can optimise your WordPress site and have complete control over every detail related to SEO.

WooCommerce makes use of what’s already in WordPress, as well as what’s available through third-party plugins such as the aforementioned Yoast SEO, or the Yoast-dedicated version of the Yoast plugin for WooCommerce.

Finally, because WooCommerce is built on top of WordPress, it provides you with additional SEO-specific choices overall. The main issue is that the speed of your site is mostly determined by the hosting you choose. As a result, Shopify wins the SEO category. You won’t have to bother about optimization very much, and your speeds will always be excellent.

Shopify vs WooCommerce – Pricing

For eCommerce website owners, cost is frequently the most significant consideration. You must consider the upfront costs of getting started as well as the variable prices of add-on services and software.

Pricing on Shopify

Each of these plans comes with an SSL certificate as well as web hosting. It will have a Shopify subdomain (for example, https://your-store.myshopify.com).

You’ll need to buy your own.com domain name individually if you wish to utilise it. The cost of a regular.com domain name starts at $14 per year.

The basic Shopify subscription includes enough capabilities to get a new online store up and running. You can add an unlimited number of products, two user accounts, and limitless file storage, among other things.

However, third-party tools and add-ons that you’ll need to take your Shopify store to the next level are not included in this rate. These charges will start to build up as your business expands, and you’ll soon be paying a lot more than the basic plan.

Another thing that affects your expenditures is your payments. Shopify has its own payment method, Shopify Payments, which costs 2.9 percent + 30 cents each transaction for the basic subscription.

You will be charged a flat fee of 2.0 percent for all transactions if you utilise third-party payment gateways or your own merchant account. If you use the Shopify Advanced plan, which costs $299 a month, you can cut this price to 0.5 percent.

Pricing on WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a WordPress.org eCommerce plugin (also known as self-hosted WordPress). It’s open source and free to download as a plugin.

To launch a WooCommerce store, you’ll need a domain name, an SSL certificate, and a WordPress hosting account.

A domain name is typically $14.99, an SSL Certificate is $69.99, and web hosting is roughly $7.99 per month. This isn’t inexpensive, especially if you’re just getting started.

As you can see, launching a basic WooCommerce store is much less expensive than beginning a Shopify store. WooCommerce also doesn’t charge a transaction fee, which is a good bonus.

Keep in mind that as you purchase paid extensions for WooCommerce, the prices start to pile up. As your internet store expands, your hosting fees will rise as well.

However, one evident benefit of adopting WooCommerce is that free alternatives to premium themes and extensions are frequently available. You may also keep your costs under control by acquiring only the tools and plugins you require.

WooCommerce is the clear victor in terms of cost, thanks to the abundance of free themes and add-ons available.

Shopify vs. WooCommerce – Payment Methods

You can accept payments online using a variety of payment gateways. Some payment options may be inconvenient for you, while others may be unavailable to your clients.

This is why it’s critical that the platform you choose accepts a variety of payment methods. Take a look at how Shopify and WooCommerce stack up in terms of payment integrations.

Shopify Payment Options

Customers can use a variety of payment methods when shopping on Shopify. Shopify Payments (powered by Stripe) is its own payment system, and it also accepts all major third-party payment gateways.

The issue is that each transaction done through a third-party payment gateway is charged an additional 2% cost by Shopify. This is in addition to the payment gateway’s transaction costs. By paying $299 per month for the Advanced Shopify plan, you can reduce the price to 0.5 percent.

There are credit card costs with Shopify Payments, but no additional transaction fees. The standard credit card rate is 2.9 percent + 30 percent, while the rates for additional programmes are lower.

WooCommerce Payment Options

By default, WooCommerce accepts PayPal and Stripe payments. They also offer a Stripe-powered WooCommerce Payments solution.

It also accepts payments from all other well-known payment services. Payment connectors for Authorize.net, Amazon Pay, Square, Alipay, and many others are available.

WooCommerce even supports a number of regional and less popular payment services when it comes to payment gateways. Any payment company can produce WooCommerce add-ons and give support because there is no barrier to entry.

You are solely charged transaction fees by your payment gateway or bank as a self-hosted platform. WooCommerce never imposes a percent fee on credit card payments unless you use WooCommerce Payments, which is a huge bonus.

It makes no difference if you’re a small business willing to use Shopify Payments, which has the same credit card rates as Stripe / Paypal.

Which is the Best eCommerce Platform: Shopify vs WooCommerce?

Both Shopify and WooCommerce are capable systems for launching an online store. It all boils down to your individual abilities and preferences.

Shopify is a lot more user-friendly. You don’t need to install anything, and you can get started right away. It’s easier to set up payments, and their pricing schemes are straightforward.

Shopify’s drawback is that you don’t have complete control over anything. Transaction fees, add-ons, and integrations can add up quickly. You can only upgrade to certain plans, and you can’t manage expenditures on a pay-as-you-go basis.

WooCommerce is free and open source, giving you complete control over your website. Starting an online store with WooCommerce is much less expensive, especially with these WooCommerce hosting companies.

The disadvantage is that you will have to keep the programme up to date. It does have a slight learning curve. Millions of newbies, on the other hand, are already using it, and they breeze through the learning curve.

WooCommerce is the finest platform for you if you’re seeking for a cost-effective solution and want complete control over your online business.

Shopify is the better platform for you if you want something that is fully hassle-free and offers endless scalability.

Conclusion: Shopify vs. WooCommerce

This type of comparison is never straightforward. When I speak with clients, my recommendations are continuously changing based on their unique circumstances.

Here are my suggestions based on your user profile and what you want from your eCommerce platform:

Go With Shopify If:

You prefer a hands-off method in which you simply sign up and an eCommerce store is created as a result.

You don’t want to deal with any of the setup yourself, and you’re willing to pay a fee to have it all handled for you.

Simultaneously, you want a highly optimised solution that isn’t significantly poorer than the competition’s.

You want to be able to contact a dependable and quick-response support service if you have any questions.

You don’t give a damn about the technical aspects of your eCommerce platform. You simply want it to function as intended and to be available to all clients and on all platforms.

Go With WooCommerce If:

You want complete control over your online store.

You want to be able to choose from tens of thousands of site designs and plugins to enhance the functioning of your store.

You don’t mind putting in a few hours to get things set up, and you’re not frightened to handle the duties on your own (or have hired someone to do it for you).

(Optionally) You only have a small budget to begin with and want to handle everything yourself.