Shopify vs. WooCommerce: Which eCommerce Solution is Best for You?

Shopify vs. WooCommerce — don’t compare every feature, just use this simple but effective guide to quickly help you uncover which eCommerce solution is best for you.

Shopify vs. WooCommerce

Are you looking forward to starting a new e-commerce business?

The initial step is to know the best eCommerce platform that offers widespread features making it easy to manage your products, inventory, and all of your business needs.

If you’ve done any searching for the ideal e-commerce platform, I’m sure you’ve come across a lot of possible contenders. Two that you’ve probably shortlisted are likely to be Shopify development and WooCommerce. Both of these are designed with excellent features that ensure the ultimate user experience. Although the two have similarities in functionality and probably stand fairly equal against each other, there are some differences — you can decide which suits you best between the two.

If you’ve decided that one of these platforms is right for you, then let’s take a look at the key differences that will help you decide. It will be necessary to consider the main features offered by each of these eCommerce systems. That’s exactly why I’ve put together this comprehensive guide comparing Shopify vs. WooCommerce.

 

Understanding the Key Differences Between Shopify vs. WooCommerce:

1. Setting up Your Store

Setting up Shopify is relatively easier.
From the time you sign up for an account, Shopify quickly guides you through the steps required in setting up your new online store. With this site, you do not require any technical assistance for installation and navigation purposes.

WooCommerce is not straightforward to set up.
There are several stages involved in setting up WooCommerce. For beginners, if you do not have a word press site, the initial step is to ensure you set one up. Therefore, there will be a need for you to download the woo commerce plug-ins. fortunately; this can be done by streamlining the process by employing automated hosting service providers the likes of Blue host.  Most people will need the help of professional web developers or designers to do the work for them to ensure perfection is in place.

2. Price

At first glance, Shopify looks far more expensive than WooCommerce.
This is because Shopify is a fully inclusive Saas (service as a software) eCommerce system. WooCommerce is a free plug-in often making it look appealing on the front side. Finding out which Shopify pricing plan is best for you really depends on your needs and requirements. However, this leaves it up to you to securely host your website and that raises some pretty big concerns when it comes to security, management, support, and site speed. Ultimately, the question will be, how much responsibility do you want to take on yourself?

3. Themes

Website Themes are invaluable and indispensable tools when it comes to e-commerce.
Choosing the right theme can impact several things ranging from mobile friendliness and user experience right down to the display of your product catalog. Having in mind that Shopify is an all-in-one service, they offer a library of themes for one to use. Some of them are free, and others require additional fees. WooCommerce is open to customization, which means you and your website developer can choose to come up with a totally unique theme for the business. Additionally, there are literally thousands of WooCommerce ready-to-go themes that can be found by browsing the theme marketplace.

4. Dropshipping

dropshipping

Drop shipping is an eCommerce selling model that allows you to integrate with a 3rd party manufacturer to sell their products directly to your customers through your website. It fulfills the orders made by buying products from third parties and shipping them to its clients.

Shopify makes drop shipping pretty simple through 3rd party app integrations for the popular dropshipping marketplaces in the likes of AliExpress, Oberlo, and Printify, among others. However, every product from these marketplaces has membership fees, shipping, and other required charges.

Similar to Shopify, Woo-commerce has several good plugins for dropshipping. Essentially, it works the same as with Shopify by allowing you to connect with 3rd party sellers via API to sell their products through your site. Also, you can create an e-commerce marketplace that will enable vendors to sell on your platform. Your vendors and suppliers may incur minimum order requirements, membership fees, and other charges.

Most 3rd party plugins for dropshipping no matter what eCommerce system you choose will have their own monthly subscription fees. Some plugins on WooCommerce may seem appealing due to a one-time purchase fee; however, that appeal can quickly fade when it comes to maintenance and updates.

5. Payment method

There are payment methods that are used for online payments. Some of them are not suitable for you, while others may not be available for your clients. It is thus good to clarify the type of payment modes that one uses as it will help the buyer to make their decisions promptly.

Shopify offers several payment options that can be used to get payment from their customers. It has its solution of payment known as Shopify Payments, which is powered by stripe one of the popular payment getaway. One limitation is that it has extra charges fees for every transaction made through the third-party getaway.

On the other hand, woo-commerce uses both PayPal and the stripe modes of payment by default. However, it supports even other means of payment service providers through add-ons. In addition, woo commerce has support from various regions that has fewer services of payment. Having add-on s has helped it have no barrier to entry. Being a self-hosted site, you are only charged the transaction fees by any payment method that you choose to use when making your payment.

Final thoughts

In conclusion, both Shopify and WooCommerce are solid eCommerce solutions. Honestly, either of them could be your perfect choice when looking for the best site that suits you best, depending on their unique features. For instance, Shopify does not offer freedom when choosing your snippets or URLs. To use it you will have to get an app or better still dive into your store’s code. WooCommerce allows greater flexibility in terms of customization; however, WooCommerce comes with a lot more store owner responsibility.

Ultimately, if you’re trying to decide between Shopify vs WooCommerce, I would recommend them based on the following:

  • The Shopify platform is best for starters who do not have a technical background since it is user-friendly.
  • On the other hand, woo-commerce would be best for individuals with technical knowledge since they will appreciate limitless customization.