Whether it's opening a web store or running an e-commerce business, great business software is a must. The two popular solutions namely Shopify and WooCommerce are good choices for this purpose.
If you are not sure which tool / software you should use for your online store, you have come to the right place. We did an in-depth comparison to let you decide.
However, before diving into our tests, we need to know what is the difference between WooCommerce and Shopify. You can skip this step if you already know these tools.
Shopify
Shopify is a one-stop solution that provides everything you need for an ecommerce business. This solution allows the user to build their professional website from scratch without coding or development knowledge. You can set up your online store and start selling as quickly.
You don't need to buy hosting, then find the theme and continue the process to the end. Simply sign up for Shopify and your extension will be ready in seconds.
WooCommerce
While Shopify offers a unique solution, the game is totally different with WooCommerce (WordPress). Long story, WooCommerce is a WordPress extension free that allows you to set up an online store. You must purchase a domain, hosting, and theme separately. Also, if you are new to e-commerce world, you have to add tax and other annoying parameters.
For a WooCommerce website, you first need to set up your site. Once you are done with building the site all you need to do is add a WooCommerce plugin and you will be good to go.
WordPress offers better content management which is an advantage here. Not to mention, you need to purchase a Web hosting fast, although accommodation type may vary. I recommend SiteGround ou Bluehost.
Shopify Vs WooCommerce: The Battle Begins Here
Now that you know Shopify is an all-in-one platform to set up your business online. Let's start comparing it to WordPress Plugin, WooCommerce. Here is a quick comparison table.
| WooCommerce | Shopify |
| WordPress plug-in to create an e-store | Complete eCommerce solution for online business |
| Integrated content management | You can only add bright pages |
| For non-commercial pages | |
| You must buy an accommodation | The hosting plan is integrated |
| WooCommerce Community | Buy the team for customer support |
| Extended SSL certification | Basic SSL Certification |
| Less fast navigation | Easy navigation |
| A web developer is needed | No web developer needs |
| Unlimited staff accounts | Only 15 staff accounts |
Usability
The basic requirement for every business is usability and most solutions including WooCommerce and Shopify already do. Both of these platforms are ideal for beginners and / or non-coders.
You can easily build your site from scratch with either of these two solutions. However, you need to spend some time adding regular pages (like the contact page) and doing other tasks like newsletter. To make this process a little easier, there is a purely user-oriented technical guide.
But, you have to spend a lot more time on creating websites and setting up an eStore in the case of the WordPress Plugin (WooCommerce).
Performance
Many websites have made the whole comparison between these two; However, no one has really tested their performance. To help you out a bit, I added Shopify once and then WooCommerce on a test site. Here are the results I got:
While using Shopify
And then for WooCommerce
Note: I did not add any product before / after the speed test.
Here you can see that Shopify is faster than WooCommerce, but that doesn't mean WooCommerce has lost the battle. This is because for WooCommerce you can optimize your hosting management, reduce installed plugins and use other tricks to make it fast. However, the price of hosting varies among different types of hosting and companies.
Features
The next thing all commercial businesses look for when starting an online store is quick and useful feature availability.
Shopify offers different divisions for orders, products, customers, and reports. WooCommerce has a more complicated sidebar with slower navigation.
Both do not charge any fees for the transaction and have huge storage, meaning you can add any products you want in your listings. The only difference is the Coupons option. WooCommerce already has a separate option for this, but to use this on Shopify, you need to spend a few dollars.
You can make the WooCommerce plugin more robust with add-ons. Once again, fewer additions are available for Shopify.
Content Management
Most e-store owners rent a content strategist separately for non-commercial content, including targeted landing pages and blog posts. This feature is missing on Shopify.
You need to add a WooCommerce plugin and the content management will be simplified.
That said, Shopify does offer few options for adding basic pages like contact us. This is optimal for users with different marketing plans on non-commercial pages.
SSL Certification
Security is another essential feature for an e-store.
The SSL certificate encrypts sensitive information shared between the user and the administrator and presents an error 443 to the third party. This helps to secure your payment information and / or login details.
While Shopify has a basic SSL certification which will save information to a limited extent; There is no control for modified SSL certificates. WooCommerce, on the other hand, allows the user to purchase an SSL certificate.
Payment Gateway
Both WooCommerce and Shopify have free payment options.
Shopify provides PayPal integration and free credit card service (only in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada). There are different payment gateways for other countries. You need to brainstorm to find out what is right for you.
WooCommerce with stripe has free credit card support and a PayPal option. Other payment options are also available, but that will cost you a few dollars as well.
Price and assistance
Despite so many features, Shopify still offers a reasonable price of $ 29 per month. You can enhance its dynamic functionality by choosing more expensive plans. For example, you can add more eccentric features with extensions, but the more usable features would require you to spend more.
WooCommerce is a WordPress Plugin free. You don't need to spend on monthly subscriptions and services. However, you need to purchase a fast domain. If you have a fixed budget, shared hosting could be a great option. You only need $3 per month for this service.
Another thing you should know is the support. Shopify has a 24 hour service support team. The Shopify team are quick to provide help with anything on your eStore. On the other side, WooCommerce doesn't have a specific support department or team, but there is a support community. You can get help or support from there. Our winner is WooCommerce.
The decision is yours now
We tried to go through all the features and benefits of each solution. The choice must now come back to you according to the specific needs of your company.
