Shopify and WooCommerce are two of the most popular ecommerce shop engines available for online business today. Shopify is a hosted ecommerce platform, which means that you don’t need to worry about setting up or maintaining your own server. WooCommerce is an open-source plugin that you can install on your own WordPress site. So, which one should you choose for your online business? In this blog post, we will compare Shopify and WooCommerce in terms of functionality, price, scalability, and ease of use.

Basic Information

What is Shopify

Shopify is a closed platform that allows users to create their ecommerce stores. It is a monthly subscription, and there are many themes and plugins available to customize their stores. Shopify is very popular and has been used by over 500,000 businesses.

What is WooCommerce

Meanwhile, WooCommerce is a plugin for WordPress that allows users to create their ecommerce stores. It is free and open-source, and there are many themes and plugins available to customize users’ stores. WooCommerce is very popular and has been downloaded over 30 million times.

Comparison: Shopify Vs WooCommerce

Both Shopify and WooCommerce are great options for creating your own ecommerce store. They both have their pros and cons, so it is important to decide which one is right for you.

Functionality

Create products

Shopify makes it very easy to create products for sales. You can use the Shopify app to add products, and there are many themes and apps available to help you customize your store.

However, WooCommerce is a bit more difficult to use, but it is still possible to create products. You will need to use the WordPress admin panel, and there are fewer themes available to help you customize your store.

Process orders

Selling products online can be a bit complicated, but Shopify makes it easy to process orders from customers. It will automatically calculate shipping and taxes, and you can also use Shopify Payments to accept credit card payments.

WooCommerce is a bit more difficult to use, but it is still possible to process orders from customers. You will need to use WordPress to make sales on multiple channels.

Shopify makes it very easy to sell on multiple channels. You can use Shopify’s built-in POS system to sell in person, and you can also use Shopify’s apps to sell on marketplaces like Amazon and eBay.

WooCommerce does not have a built-in POS system, you will need to install a separate plugin to sell with WooCommerce.

Track KPIs

Shopify provides more than 70 built-in reports, while WooCommerce gives you access to Google Analytics. You can also use plugins to add custom reports in WooCommerce. Shopify’s reports are more user-friendly, while WooCommerce’s are more detailed.

Shopify also has a Shopify Experts marketplace where you can find service providers to help you with everything from custom reports to marketing and SEO. WooCommerce does not have a similar marketplace.

Therefore, for the comparison of Shopify and WooCommerce on functionality in terms of creating products, processing orders, and tracking KPIs, Shopify is the better platform. It is easier to use and has more features available. However, if you are looking for a more flexible ecommerce platform, WooCommerce may be a better option for you.

Price

The price for Shopify and WooCommerce is very different. Shopify has a monthly subscription, while WooCommerce is free.

Shopify’s plans start at USD 29 per month, and they go up to USD 79 and USD 299 per month. Shopify also charges transaction fees on all plans unless you use Shopify Payments.

On the other hand, WooCommerce is a free plugin, but you will need to pay for hosting, a domain name, themes, shipping, payment gateway, communications, SEO, security, SSL certificate, and other services. Most store owners would probably get started for roughly $1,000 with some customization.

Therefore, Shopify is the better option if you are looking for a platform with a lower cost of entry. However, WooCommerce is a better option if you would like to explore inexpensive plugins yourself.

Scalability

Shopify is a very scalable platform. You can upgrade your Shopify plan as your business grows. Shopify has a number of apps that allow businesses to scale their Shopify stores. However, Shopify is a more closed platform, which means that there are certain things that users can’t do without Shopify’s help. For example, Shopify has a very limited ability to customize the checkout process.

WooCommerce, on the other hand, is much more open, which allows users to scale and customize almost anything. WooCommerce also has a lot more plugins available, which gives users more options for scaling and customization. But WooCommerce’s theme store is also very limited compared to Shopify’s.

Overall, Shopify is a great platform for small businesses and businesses that are just getting started. However, if your business is expecting to grow quickly and you are looking for a more scalable ecommerce platform, WooCommerce is the better option.

Ease of use

Ease of use is Shopify’s main advantage. It is a hosted platform, which means that it takes care of all the technical aspects of running your online store for you. You don’t need to worry about hosting fees, website security, or keeping your software up to date. All of this is taken care of by Shopify.

Woocommerce is a self-hosted platform. This means that you will need to take care of all the technical aspects of running your online store yourself. You will need to pay for hosting and other things. While this may sound like a lot of work, it does give you more control over your store.

Both Shopify and Woocommerce have their own strengths and weaknesses. Which platform you choose will depend on your needs. If you’re looking for an easy to use platform with no technical headaches, then Shopify is the way to go. If you’re looking for more control over your store, then Woocommerce is the platform for you.

Conclusion

Shopify and WooCommerce are two of the most popular ecommerce platforms available. They both have their unique strengths and weaknesses, which makes them a good or bad fit for different businesses.

In general, Shopify is easier to use and has more basic features available, while WooCommerce is more scalable. If you are looking for a platform that is easy to use and has all the basic features you need, Shopify is the way to go. If you are looking for an ecommerce platform with more control and scalable options, then WooCommerce is the better option.

If you would like to know more about Shopify users comprehensive e-commerce product research, please click here.