Do you plan to start an online store? Are you struggling to make a decision regarding which platform to choose, WooCommerce or Shopify? Then, my friend, this article is just what you need.
In the current scenario, two of the key players in e-commerce are Shopify and WooCommerce. Both of these platforms are good, and there are areas where one excels over the other. Yet, the million-dollar question is which platform is the right one for you.
So, in this blog, we will be helping you answer that question by comparing both of these platforms based on various aspects.
Cost:
If you are serious about doing business, then the first factor to consider for your business growth is cost.
Since both WooCommerce and Shopify are two similar platforms following different principles, both of these platforms vary quite a lot in terms of cost.
Cost of using Shopify:
The basic plan for Shopify starts at around $29 per month. You have the option to upgrade to the Shopify plan for roughly $79, or you can choose the Advanced Shopify option for $299 a month.
The price includes features such as domain, SSL, and web hosting. Sadly, this price doesn’t include third-party plugins and add-ins, for which you will have to pay extra. In addition, if you desire to use third-party payment gateways, you will be charged a flat fee of 2% per transaction.
Cost of using WooCommerce:
WooCommerce is an e-commerce plugin that is typically used in WordPress sites. It is a free-for-all plugin that doesn’t charge you even a single penny for using it.
There is a catch, though, while using WooCommerce is absolutely free, it doesn’t include domain, web hosting, and SSL. So you have to get them on your own.
Typically, it cost around $15 for a domain, $70 for SSL, and somewhere around $8 for hosting, which is not cheap. Especially for starters, whose primary concern is finding ways to cut costs.
If you also have a similar concern, then don’t worry. There are several hosting companies which provide WordPress related hosting service for a low and affordable price. So, you can just choose one of those options that suit you best.
Since WooCommerce is a free plugin, you can find both paid and free add on and plugins available for use.
Easy to use:
For an online platform, ease of use is critical. For example, you can have the cheapest and best plugin globally. Still, if the user is unable to use them, the plugin will be worthless.
Therefore, you must also be wondering which is easier to use and which platform is suitable for you. So, let’s look into both platforms to help you determine which platform is the one for you.
Ease of using Shopify:
Shopify is a fully hosted platform; therefore, users do not need to install, update or manage the software required to keep things going. Instead, Shopify’s team members take care of the issues related to security, performance, combability issues, and backup.
Furthermore, Shopify comes with a drag and drop interface, enabling even first-time users to easily use and customize their site based on their performance.
However, there is a downside to all these customizations and features that you will have to compromise with control. You are just limited to the design and development tools that Shopify provides and cannot use the tools of your preference.
Ease of using WooCommerce:
WooCommerce, unlike Shopify it is all about control. You can add plugins, add-in, and development tools of your choice. There are literally thousands of plugins, add-ins, and tools to choose from.
Also, you don’t need to worry about using these choices as each of them usually comes with documentation that gives you step-by-step instructions to use them. This helps you make your website based on your liking and preference. And among all these plugins, which consist of drag and drop features. You can always find a plugin of your taste. Finding it is a bit of a hassle, though.
Of course, with all these controls, some compromises need to be made in terms of management. For example, WooCommerce requires hands-on management of your overall website.
Support
Even if you are just a beginner, you will be able to use both WooCommerce and Shopify. But you may often require support and help while using these platforms. So, it is necessary to know the amount of support each of these platforms provides its user.
WooCommerce Support
WooCommerce is based on the WordPress platform and therefore has tons of community members providing support for solving its problems.
You have the option to choose from hundreds of plugins and add-ons. There are supports for SEO, payment gateway, plugin integration, and basically any feature you can think of.
There is also the flexibility to make your own plugins that suits your need by hiring a developer as they are readily available.
Moreover, due to the large amount of support for WooCommerce, you can even find local not-so-popular commercial services already available in WooCommerce. This feature sets it apart from its competition as you can hardly find any other platform with a similar market presence.
There is a downside to it, though, that is support. Since all the support is usually provided by the developers who are volunteers. Dedicated support for it is not typically available. It may sometimes take days to get help if you are using standalone free WooCommerce services.
Shopify support:
The Shopify platform for e-commerce provides full support, including hosting, SSL, domain, and many more. In addition, it has hands-on documentation, chats support, and phone support available as well.
Due to its paid nature, users can enjoy dedicated support for plugins and add-ons integration as well.
Sadly, though, the plugins and add-ons for it are limited and not as many as WooCommerce. At the same time, bugs in its functionality may take more time to fix due to the limited number of people working to fix it.
Dropshipping
The ability to purchase a product from other vendors instead of keeping it is known as down shipping.
If you are new to online business, you probably are working on a tight budget. In such a scenario, keeping the product in stock is practically impossible.
So, your best alternative is to use dropshipping. Many of you may be confused on which platform to choose, WooCommerce or Shopify but worry not, for we will be going through each of them.
Dropshipping in Shopify:
Shopify does provide a user with drop shipping ability along with various features for it. Regretfully though, depending upon your chosen vendor, there might be cases where you will have to individually place an order to them.
Shopify does provide you with support with many vendors like AliExpress, Oberlo, Printify, and many more. However, compared to the variety of options WooCommerce offers, it is very much lacking.
Dropshipping in WooCommerce
WooCommerce provides you with extensions and add-ons that make order fulfillment a breeze. Furthermore, due to its heritage of being a WordPress plugin, it supports almost all the major vendors in the world.
Therefore, users rarely have to place orders to different vendors individually. For this reason, WooCommerce is one of the most popular choices among drop shipping businesses.
Which platform should I use?
To conclude, we can say that both WooCommerce and Shopify platforms are among the best, simple, and bang for the buck e-commerce platform that money can provide you. And depending upon the scenario and your needs, one platform can be better than the other.
So, here is our advice: if you plan to start a business in as low budget as possible and do not mind few compromises for the future. Then, go ahead and use Shopify. But, at the same time, if you do not want to compromise performance, support, and business expansion. For such a scenario, WooCommerce will be the best platform for you. However, keep in mind that it may require putting in some extra effort.
But like we said earlier, it is upon you to choose which platform is the best because you are the one using these platforms at the end of the day. Therefore, based on your experience, you may find one platform better over the other or may come to like both. It is totally up to you to decide.