Whether you’re new to eCommerce or looking to migrate an existing shop to another platform, it’s not an easy decision. In this article, we’ll dig into WooCommerce and Shopify, exploring each option’s pros, cons, and considerations. By the time you finish reading it, you should have a good idea of which platform is right for your brand.
Jump Ahead:
What is WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is an open-source eCommerce platform built for WordPress. Install the free plugin on your WordPress website to transform it into an online store. WooCommerce has been in the game for a long time and has more competitors than ever. This leads some to wonder if WooCommerce is still relevant. Well, it has over five million active installations to date — so the answer is yes.
But is WooCommerce the best eCommerce platform? That depends. Every aspect of your WooCommerce site is customizable. Complete control is a great perk if you have technical skills, but it can be a challenge for general users.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is another prevalent eCommerce service. It ranks highly for usability, convenience, and design. Getting started with Shopify doesn’t take long — you can create a polished site in days.
Shopify’s user-friendliness makes many WooCommerce users wonder — should I switch from WooCommerce to Shopify? The answer is complicated. You don’t need technical knowledge to use it, but as a closed platform, Shopify is less customizable. It also costs money.
WooCommerce vs. Shopify: What You Need to Know
The best eCommerce platform depends on your needs, technical chops, budget, and more. We’ve broken down the most significant factors to take into consideration:
Ease of Use and Build Time
Shopify is super beginner-friendly. You don’t need coding skills (or even a ton of time) to get your store up, running, and profitable. It features a drag-and-drop store builder and has lots of themes (both free and paid) to choose from. There’s even an AI product description generator.
WooCommerce has a steeper learning curve. Bringing your eCommerce vision to life takes time and some technical skills, including coding, finding a hosting provider and security solution, and more. Alternatively, you can hire a freelance developer to do the hard work for you.
Customization and Themes
As an open-source platform, WooCommerce is 100% customizable. Your shop’s look, feel, and UX are entirely within your control. There are endless WordPress themes and plugins to integrate, and you can customize everything with code. If you have the time and skills to design something wholly unique, WooCommerce is a fantastic platform.
Shopify has some customization options, but not nearly as many as WooCommerce. It’s more of an “out-of-the-box” solution. You’re limited to the themes and features provided by Shopify. Setup is faster and easier, but your store may not be as unique as you’d like.
Marketing and Sales Features
Shopify has sales and marketing features like discount codes, abandoned cart recovery, multichannel sales (for Instagram, Amazon, etc.), and more. They’re all built directly into the platform, making them extremely easy to implement.
You’ll need additional plugins to add any sales or marketing features to your WooCommerce store. There are many to choose from, but it takes more effort to implement them than with Shopify’s ready-to-use features. Many plugins cost money, too.
SEO
As a WordPress-based platform, WooCommerce code is inherently optimized for SEO, and it supports blogging — one of the best ways to rank on Google. WooCommerce also allows users to customize many aspects relevant to SEO, including URLs and on-page elements. Plugins like Yoast can take your SEO even further (for an additional cost).
Shopify wasn’t always the best for SEO, but the platform has come a long way. Now, it includes built-in SEO features and offers several plugins for optimization. As with WooCommerce, you can edit Shopify URLs, meta descriptions, and more. Shopify sites load faster than WordPress, but there aren’t as many blogging features.
Domain, Hosting, and Security
Shopify is a hosted platform, so you don’t need to worry about finding a host and getting set up. If you want a custom domain (without “Shopify” in the URL), you can purchase this through Shopify for an additional fee. Domains through Shopify include an SSL Certificate automatically (a vital security feature for a website that processes payments). You’ll need a third-party SSL provider if you purchase your domain elsewhere.
WooCommerce does not include a domain, hosting, or security. You’ll have to add these essentials separately. You can choose any provider, but WooCommerce has two recommended hosting partners: Bluehost and SiteGround. Both offer domains and security (included automatically in some plans).
Support
Shopify has excellent support for its users, including phone, 24/7 chat, email, and more. Documentation and forums are available, as well. Since Shopify is a closed platform, support agents are well-versed in any issues you may face and can usually resolve them quickly.
WooCommerce does not offer direct support outside of FAQs, documentation, and forums. And, as most WooCommerce users install third-party plugins to customize their sites, you can’t rely on one singular resource to help resolve issues. But keep in mind that if you use a hosting provider like Bluehost, they can offer some support.
Price
WooCommerce is free because it’s an open-source platform. Of course, running a WooCommerce shop comes with associated costs, like hosting, security, themes, and plugins. But you’re in total control over the services you choose, allowing you to shop for the best deals.
Shopify is a paid platform. Most desired features are built right into the price of Shopify, though not all. Custom domains and certain themes and plugins cost extra. Shopify plans range from $39/month to $399/month, and they also offer a $5/month starter plan for users selling through social media only.
Winner: WooCommerce
WooCommerce or Shopify? It Depends
The “best” eCommerce platform depends on your needs, situation, resources, and skills.
WooCommerce is an excellent choice if you have technical skills or money to pay a developer. The customization options are virtually unlimited. You have complete control over which third-party services to integrate, including a vast array of compatible WordPress plugins like Ninja Forms. This flexibility also means WooCommerce is a scalable online business solution.
On the other hand, if you want to start selling quickly without hassle, Shopify is fantastic. Almost every tool you need is included, so you don’t have to worry about tracking payments to multiple services. Customization and scalability are more limited, but building your eCommerce site is smooth sailing and looks polished right out of the box.
Regardless of your chosen platform, we wish you the best in your eCommerce endeavors. Get started with WooCommerce or Shopify today, and happy selling!
