Shopify vs WooCommerce: Do you need clarification on the two? These eCommerce giants dominate millions of online stores and are powerful. With their advantages, both these platforms are brilliant for running an online store. Naturally, it can get confusing to choose the ideal one for yourself.
Well, the choice is yours to make. But we sure can help you with this powerful article that will guide you in making a sound decision. Let us walk you through the features, pricing, and ease these platforms offer in building your eCommerce store.
Let’s break down everything you need to know and get started.
Shopify vs WooCommerce
Shopify is powerful, reliable, and extremely easy to use. It powers more than 8,00,000 stores online and has an extensive collection of templates for you to choose from. It has comprehensive customer support and is ideal for any business aiming to grow powerful online.
WooCommerce, on the other hand, is an open-source platform and offers exquisite plugins to power your eCommerce store. So which one is better for you?
Let’s make a comparative analysis of these two giants on 3 parameters:
Features
Free Trial
Shopify offers a 14-day free trial, while WooCommerce is open-source software with no fees.
Usability
Somebody can use Shopify online as well as offline through a POS kit. WooCommerce, on the other hand, can be used only online.
Platform
Shopify is a closed platform with drag-and-drop options to build a website. WooCommerce, on the contrary, poses no limitations and is an open-source platform that users can modify.
Customer Support
Shopify help centre lets you directly contact an expert to resolve an issue. WooCommerce, on the other hand, allows you to lodge a problem and get a ticket. There are multiple online forums to avail support.
Set Up and UX
WooCommerce allows you more creative control over the website building process, while Shopify is more suited for someone who wants to get their online store up and running super quickly.
Shopify offers everything you need in one place. It is easy to build the store from scratch and is suited for someone with no technical skills. It takes you stepwise from scratch till the end through the website building process and is quicker than WooComemrce.
WooCommerce is more like a project that makes the site unique and creative for you.
In terms of ease of use, Shopify wins
Designs and Themes
Shopify offers access to 70 free and numerous paid templates and designs that users can easily integrate into their websites.
WooCommerce, on the other hand, offers access to hundreds of themes that can automatically integrate for mobile responsiveness.
If customization is your top priority, WooCommerce offers more control over the design and layout than Shopify.
Abandoned Cart Recovery
Shopify has a standard abandoned cart recovery unavailable in WooCommerce. This feature allows users to complete their orders without filling in their details. Although it may seem like a negligent feature, it is a powerful way to stop sales from slipping away.
Multichannel Selling
Both Shopify and WooCommerce allow you to sell on multiple platforms. However, you need to pay a certain amount to enable this feature on WooCommerce. On the other hand, Shopify allows free integration of multiple channels on the store.
Security
High-level security is crucial for any eCommerce store. Shopify is a hosted eCommerce platform in charge of handling security breaches. It ensures the safety of the site from hackers.
WooCommerce, on the other hand, is a self-hosting platform. It doesn’t have a built-in security feature, and users must take care from your end to ensure security.
Hosting, Subdomains, and SSL
Hosting is included in Shopify, while that is not the case with WooCommerce. Both platforms allow multiple and unlimited numbers of subdomains. Shopify offers TLS certification when the domain is purchased from it, while you can find an SSL certificate in WooCommerce to suit your needs.
Let’s quickly analyze the features for a thorough understanding.
| Features | Shopify | WooCommerce |
| Suitability | General Public | Designers, Programmers |
| Security | Built-in security | Open source platform. Security needs to be installed with plugins and third-party hosting platforms |
| Open source platform. Security needs to be installed with plugins and third-party hosting platforms. | Easy to edit, customization limits | 100% customization |
| Abandoned Cart recovery | Available | Not Available |
| Customer Support | 24*7 support system+ Expert guidance | Online forums |
| Designs and themes | 70 free + unlimited paid templates | 100+ easily programmable plugins and designs |
| Multichannel selling | Free store integrations | Specific price to integrate stores |
Also Read: Cost of Setting up an eCommerce site in India using Shopify
Ease of Use
Shopify indeed wins a race in terms of ease in usability. Anyone with zero understanding of technical aspects can run an eCommerce store on Shopify easily.
Getting familiar with Shopify takes much less time, and once you get a hack of it, it will get relatively easier to modify any element on the page. The drag-and-drop options available all under one space make Shopify an easy catch for people focusing on selling more.
WooCommerce will offer generous rewards, but it needs your investment in time and learning to leverage its full potential.
Pricing
The most important aspect of any comparison lies in pricing. In terms of pricing, who wins the race?
Shopify
Shopify has set pricing plans. It includes the cost of hosting, domain, SSL, and extension fees. Each pricing plans have its own set of features allowing you to choose the one that suits your idea of scalability and requirements.
| Features | Basic | Shopify | Advanced |
| Pricing | ₹1,994 INR/Month | ₹7,447 INR/Month | ₹30,164 INR/month |
| Supported staff accounts | 2 | 5 | 15 |
| Credit card processing fees | 2.9% + INR 24 per transaction | 2.6% + INR 24 per transaction | 2.4% + INR 24 per transaction |
| Abandoned cart recovery | no | no | yes |
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an open-source, free platform. It is available for free. However, you must purchase hosting, domain, and security separately.
Which platform is right for you?
So which one should you choose? Shopify or WooCommerce?
Well, the answer lies in your core needs. Are you looking for a quick solution to launching an online store? Shopify has tons of benefits. It’s easy to build and work with. It has inbuilt features making it perfect even for beginners. One doesn’t need much time acquainting themselves to its functionality. However, the themes and designs are open to anyone. There are chances of you finding websites having the same design elements as you.
WooCommerce, on the other hand, allows you to have complete control over your website in terms of designs, functionality, and code. As we said, it is similar to a project that needs to be built up.
If you have the means, time, and resources to get technical, WooCommerce is your answer. However, Shopify is your best pick if you need a quick yet efficient solution.
That’s it for the article, guys. We hope you have better clarity and are willing to start your eCommerce project.
Millions of websites go live every day. You cannot function with a bare minimum website. You need a website that is technically sound and intuitively designed to meet SERP requirements. Professionals at DeepIT can help you bring your dream project to life with their expertise and extensive resource base. Be it Shopify or WooCommerce, we have professionals who would work their magic on creating your eCommerce store.
Contact now and get started.
