If you are thinking of starting your own eCommerce store but want to know Which platform is best, Woocommerce or Shopify?
Then, this blog post can help you clear your doubts.
Yes, today, it is very hard to choose a platform because there are a number of options out there in the market, but out of those, Woocommerce and Shopify create the most confusion among business owners.
Don’t worry, I got you covered! Let me make some points clear to you.
As a business owner, we want a platform that’s flexible, value for money(my main concern), and packed with amazing features. Yes, different platforms give you different features, and we have to adjust those according to our business goals.
So, in this post, we are going to compare WooCommerce and Shopify in terms of Ease, Pricing, and the most important Features & services so that you can make an informed decision for your business.
In short: If you are searching for “To the point information” with examples, you’ll love this guide.
Let’s get started.
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Comparison Table between WooCommerce & Shopify
Here you will find the best comparison between these two.
Points of difference | Woocommerce | Shopify |
Trial Version | No | 14-day trial (without a credit card) |
Sales Commissions | No | From 0.5% to 2% |
Paid Offers (monthly price) | WooCommerce is a free plugin | Shopify Lite: $9/mo Basic Shopify: $29/mo Shopify: $79/mo Advanced Shopify: $299/mo |
What is Woocommerce?
Woocommerce is an open-source ecommerce plugin for WordPress users with more than 6 Million downloads, making it one of the most popular plugins in the WordPress plugin library.
If you are new to WordPress, then let me clear one thing: WooCommerce is an open-source plugin for WordPress users, and WordPress is also an open-source Content Management System (CMS) for running websites and blogs, in our case, e-commerce stores.
So, to use Woocommerce, we have to host a WordPress site with a good hosting provider and install the Woocommerce Plugin to use its features.
This provides us the freedom to edit our website with drag-and-drop features without knowing the single line of code. It is designed for small to large merchants who are using WordPress.
This is Perez, Sarah (27 September 2011). The company made this plugin for WordPress site owners to convert it into an e-commerce store. This plugin became very popular because of its simplicity, ease of installation, and one-click customization.
In short, if you are running a blog and want to convert it into an e-commerce store, then this plugin can help you with that.
What is Shopify?
Unlike WooCommerce, Shopify is not open-source, and it’s a self-hosted platform that offers a wide range of features to meet different needs.
Shopify provides you with more features than WooCommerce, but you have to pay a monthly fee along with a commission on every sale.
Recently, Shopify has gained immense popularity, with TikTok & Reel influencers showcasing its effectiveness in generating millions of dollars.
This is because Shopify provides you with integrated hosting which means you don’t have to buy your own hosting plan to host your website, also provides online store design tools, inventory management tools, amazing services, and amazing payment processing for fast transactions. Most importantly, you can integrate your Shopify store with an Amazon Seller account.
Shopify is also easy to use; you just have to register for your store and set up your products by drag and drop. There is no need to purchase your own hosting or install software for your store.
I also recommend Shopify to my readers because it is easy to use, and you don’t have to gain professional knowledge to operate it.
Just one Basic tutorial can help you better understand this software. Shopify is good for the General public (Non-Tech Public).
On the other hand, if you have good programming or web development knowledge, Woocommerce is the best option for you in terms of cost and ROI(Return on Investment).
Now let’s compare their prices for better understanding.
Cost Comparison B/w WooCommerce and Shopify
Cost stands out as the paramount metric, prompting businesses to diligently scour the internet in search of the optimal value-for-money platform. This is precisely why I initiated my evaluation with a focus on cost.
Cost of Using Shopify
Shopify’s $25 per month plan allows you to start your online store easily and provides you with all the necessary tools and services to run a successful one.
You can unlock advanced tools and features for $65/month to get access to their advanced features.
You can also go with the $399 per month plan if you want to run a really advanced business, but if you are a beginner, I do not recommend this plan because the $25 and $65 plans are enough to get started.
Cost of Using WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an eCommerce plugin for WordPress.org users. WordPress is a CMS or content management system famous for its easy-to-use interface. It hosts over 43% of the world’s websites and blogs.
Woocommerce is a plugin or an extension for WordPress users who want to start or convert their website into an online store.
Woocommerce is the best option for those who already have a good authoritative blog or website on WordPress and want to add an online store to their blog.
Yes, Woocommerce is open-source and available as a free plugin on WordPress.
But, as I said, you have to buy a domain name and host it with a WordPress CMS installed to host your normal website into a store.
For hosting, there are a number of options offering specialized WooCommerce plans to reduce costs.
Yes, Bluehost is the one service provider officially recommended by wordpress.org and a woo-commerce company that provides you with free SSL certificates and good discounts on your web hosting plans.
In fact, you can start your online store from $2.75/month.
My Personal TiP: If you are new and want to start an online account, then I recommend Shopify for that, but if you are thinking of converting your existing blog or website to an online store, then I recommend you to use Woocommerce because it will cost you nothing as compare to Shopify.
Winner: WooCommerce
Ease of Use
After the rise of Dropshipping and online marketing, these software start adding easy to use features like drag and drop features to their platforms and this helps non technical users to use their platforms well.
So let’s know some of these features among these platforms.
Ease of Use: Shopify
Shopify is a self-hosted platform, so this means that you don’t have to take care of technical aspects like security, performance, backups, and compatibility issues.
On Shopify, you have to register, and you will be redirected to their themes library; from there, you can choose your online store theme that suits your product niche.
There, you can customize your online store structure with its drag-and-drop feature, which allows any non-tech individual to set up their store.
So, Shopify is best for individuals who are getting started with digital marketing.
Ease of Use: WooCommerce
Woocommerce is a WordPress plugin, which means you have to install this plugin from the WordPress plugin library.
Here, you have to manage all the stuff by yourself, from setting up your store to creating timely backups of your resources.
The best part of this platform is that you have full control over your store, which means that you can customize your store from scratch or tweak its pre-built templates.
Here, you will not get the drag-and-drop feature, and you have to take the help of 3rd party plugins to do so.
Yes, woo-commerce is best for value to money, but it is not close to Shopify when it comes to ease of use for beginners.
Winner: Shopify
Payment Methods
We are starting an online store, Right? An online store should have good payment processing so that its customers can make a purchase without getting discomfort.
Yes, there are a number of online payment gateways that can be used for processing payments, but we have to choose the best options that can be beneficial for both businesses and for their customers.
Payment options in Shopify
Shopify has its own payment solution known as “Shopify Payments,” which is powered by the Stripe payment gateway. In Shopify, you can also integrate your personal choice 3rd party payment gateways.
But with 3rd-party gateways, Shopify charges an extra 2% per transaction, so I recommend you go with its own solution, which is “Shopify Payments,” because Stripe is also an amazing option for payments that accepts all types of cards.
So your customers can make transactions fast and comfortably.
Payment Options In WooCommerce
WooCommerce also has its own payment solutions and is powered by Stripe. But here, you can also integrate PayPal because it comes by default in Woocommerce.
If you want to integrate local payment processing gateways, then you will get that option here, too. Some examples like Amazon Pay, AliPay, etc, or any Payment company can create add-ons for Woocommerce and provide support for it.
So this makes Woocommerce flexible for businesses, and you can go with any payment gateway in Woocommerce.
Winner: Tie
Security
When we create a website or an e-commerce Store, it is also mandatory to have security. We have to get a certificate(SSL) responsible for end-to-end encryption (which is a technical term), but it helps in secure browsing.
With SSL, your site will be secured in search engines, which gives our customers trust to enter their bank details to continue their shopping.
Security in Shopify
Shopify offers free SSL certification. As we know, Shopify is a self-hosted platform for e-commerce, so it provides features like proper security and backup options for your website/store.
Security in WooCommerce
In Woocommerce, you don’t get an SSL certificate; you have to buy it from your Hosting provider. Although most hosting providers provide SSL certification for free today, so you don’t have to buy it separately.
The Best example of a hosting provider is BlueHost.
Bluehost offers customers free CDN, SSL certificates, and domain names. So you can check and host your Store today.
Winner: Shopify
Technical Skills
In establishing and maintaining an online store, it is imperative to discern the technical intricacies of each platform. Identifying the platform that demands a deeper understanding of the technical aspects and pinpointing the one that facilitates seamless operation without the necessity of delving into coding becomes paramount for your decision-making process.
Technical Skills Required For Shopify
In Shopify, you don’t need technical skills to work. It helps all the users not related to the technical line, which is suitable for those who don’t have computer knowledge. SHOPIFY is a better option for them.
As i said earlier you can run a successful shopify store even with one free tutorial on youtube.
Technical Skills Required For WooCommerce
If you have a good understanding of HTML, PHP, etc., or knowledge about computers, you can use WooCommerce because it is less costly, and with your efforts, you can develop it into a good e-commerce site.
Winner: Shopify
SEO
SEO stands for search engine optimization, and it’s all about ranking your online store on search engines like Google and Bing. The practices to make ranking higher are known as search engine optimization.
So let’s find out which platform provides you with more features to optimize your online store.
Shopify SEO
Shopify provides you with built-in features to optimize your online store properly. You will find all the necessary features that can help you create your store sitemap.xml, where you can list your product pages, and also help you generate a robots.txt file, where you can mention your rules for Google and other search engine crawlers.
These Files are the main factors of SEO regarding higher rankings.
So Shopify provides all the necessary features to make an online store SEO friendly.
WooCommerce SEO
WooCommerce, on the other hand, allows you to install different Free Plugins for your WordPress store that can help you do the same for free without any complications.
Some of the major Plugins for SEO are Yoast, AIO SEO plugin, RankMath, etc.
I love these because I have several blogs, and each one has its unique features.
Winner: Tie
So these are some points you should look for when choosing between WooCommerce and Shopify.
I tried my best, and based on my five years of experience with these two for my digital marketing journey, I can conclude that if you don’t want technical concepts in your e-commerce journey, then I recommend you go with Shopify.
If you are a good developer with a good understanding of WordPress and PHP, you can go with WooCommerce because it is cheaper overall than Shopify.
Yes, we can discuss many other things, but I said I would provide you with “to the Point” information, so you should know this when choosing an E-Commerce platform for your business.
Related Post: You can also check E-commerce niches to start your online business in 2024.
WooCommerce And Shopify Shortcodes
Both platforms come with several shortcodes that can be used to insert content inside posts and pages.
WooCommerce Shortcodes
Shortcodes make copying and pasting your designs to various pages and posts easy, so you don’t have to design anything from scratch.
Here are some of the most used Shortcodes of WooCommerce.
WooCommerce Page Shortcodes
- {Woocommerce_cart} – Cart page
- {Woocommerce_checkout} – Checkout page
- {Woocommerce_my_account} – My Account page
- {Woocommerce_order_tracking} – Order tracking page
Sometimes, shortcodes are automatically added by the onboarding wizard and do not need to be customized manually.
WooCommerce Cart Shortcodes
The cart shortcode handles the interface for discount codes and other cart components and the presentation of cart material.
[woocommerce_cart]
There are many shortcodes for woo-commerce websites; you can go through them to better understand them.
Shopify Shortcodes
I have not found the shortcodes feature in Shopify, so you have to design your pages manually, post them, and then copy them easily to other pages.
However, I found the GitHub repo just for Shopify shortcodes with the tutorial so that you can go through it.
So here are some of the shortcodes that you can try for your ecom store.
Conclusion on WooCommerce Vs Shopify
So, I hope you are now well aware of both platforms. I am sure you will make an informed decision now about choosing between Woocommerce and Shopify.
Both platforms are good; you can choose any platform according to your skills and business needs.
If you have a technical background, WooCommerce is perfect because it is cheaper than Shopify. However, you have to manage everything, from Security to backups, etc.
If you want an easy-to-use platform without complications, then go with Shopify because they manage all the stuff for you, and you don’t have to worry about your store’s Technical side.
It’s your decision now because I tried my best for new entrepreneurs to choose between them.
Now, it’s your choice what to do and which platform to choose. So, I wish you the best of luck on your digital journey.
If you like my tutorials and guides about digital entrepreneurship, you might find my newsletter the best option to learn all the secrets about the digital journey.
I help entrepreneurs with everything from Niche selection to Digital Marketing and Social media marketing so that they can build businesses, not only blogs or YouTube channels.
So, Stay happy, and I wish you the best of luck for your entrepreneurial journey.
We partner with awesome companies that offer products that help our readers achieve their goals! If you purchase through our partner links, we get paid for the referral at no additional cost to you! For more information, visit my disclaimer page.
Like!! I blog quite often and I genuinely thank you for your information. The article has truly peaked my interest.
Thank you very much
Very informative post.
Thanks