WooCommerce vs Shopify – Which eCommerce Platform to Choose in 2024
Running an online store or eCommerce business requires an eCommerce platform like WooCommerce or Shopify. Now the question is, which eCommerce platform is better for your business in 2024?
In the era of automation and AI, everyone is looking for a fast, reliable, and secure platform for doing their eCommerce business. Little does everyone know that sometimes just to do things a bit faster, they lose their authority in many places.
Which is a red flag right? Well, let’s just agree not to disagree with each other!
In this article, we’re going to discuss the two major players in the eCommerce industry. On the wrap-up part of mine, we’re going to decide which platform to choose in 2024.
So buckle up and read the blog till the end to know all the major facts and comparisons of these two eCommerce giants. Make sure you don’t miss out on any points.
So without further ado, let’s get started.
What is Unique About WooCommerce & Shopify
WooCommerce and Shopify are required to carry out the same kinds of responsibilities for an online store. Both of these must serve as a connection between your company and its clients.
They are necessary to incorporate payment providers, unlimited products for your store, an inventory management solution, a messaging solution, and some form of web hosting in some capacity. So, what sets them apart from one another?
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is free and open-source, making it stand apart. Due to the fact that web hosting is not gratuitous, most people will have to shell out some cash before they can launch a WooCommerce store.
The real program files can be downloaded at no cost. WooCommerce’s massive success can also be attributed to the following factors:
- WooCommerce is open-source, you have access to thousands of third-party plugins and the ability to create your own. (Don’t forget to check ours)
- You won’t believe the depth of personalization and flexibility available.
- Built using WordPress, the most popular CMS in the world.
Shopify
Shopify stands out due to the comprehensive nature of its single-solution approach. In a short amount of time, you may have your own online store up and running, complete with multiple payment choices.
Here is a rundown of some of the specific ways in which Shopify facilitates the success of new store owners:
- All plans include server space for your website and an SSL security seal.
- Since Shopify has its own built-in payment gateway, it’s easy to set up a system whereby buyers may pay for items.
- Users of Shopify will not have to go looking for templates because many come standard.
What is The Market Share of WooCommerce & Shopify
eCommerce store owners use both platforms extensively. These two platforms power 43% of the top 1 million commerce websites.
When looking at the market share of eCommerce websites all around the world, Shopify today has a 19% chunk of the market. With a market share of 24%, WooCommerce occupies the position of the market leader on a global basis.
The popularity of WooCommerce is probably because of its connection to WordPress. WordPress is huge and powers about 44% of ALL websites on the internet.
Which Big Companies Use WooCommerce & Shopify
When comparing WooCommerce vs Shopify, it’s important to note that both have a large number of well-known brands in their user base. There are tens of thousands of businesses worldwide that use one of these two systems. The following are some examples of the kinds of businesses that do well on each platform:
WooCommerce
Shopify
Many of the best-known names in digital stores have a presence on each platform. You can look at both other WooCommerce stores and other Shopify stores available.
Now that you know what sort of options are out there for you, you can make a more informed decision. Here, we’ll briefly (but not extensively) revisit the topics covered in the preceding paragraphs.
WooCommerce vs Shopify – Feature Comparison
It is time to circle back around to the elements that we discussed previously and dissect them for your benefit. Both Shopify and WooCommerce have qualities that set them apart from one another.
We will walk you through finding these so that you may select the e-commerce platform that works best for your website. Both WooCommerce and Shopify take distinctive approaches to the function of eCommerce platforms in their own ecosystems.
Facts about WooCommerce Store
WooCommerce is a self-hosted platform of WordPress. You will need to complete the following additional steps if you do not have a storefront:
- Protect the hosting of your website.
- WordPress should be installed and configured on your website.
- Install and set up the WooCommerce plugin.
- Pick a WooCommerce template to use.
- Adjust the settings for things like payment gateways, tax calculations, and other specifics.
There is no question that the learning curve for WooCommerce is more significant. The extensive WordPress community and support are both very helpful to new users as they navigate the installation procedure.
Facts about Shopify Store
When you use Shopify, everything you require is already included in the Shopify ecosystem. All of the core functionalities as well as the themes and plugins are included.
There are some functions that call for a more expensive plan, but those plans are available someplace in the system.
The following are some examples of how Shopify simplifies the process of opening a store:
- The package incorporates all of the necessary components, including web hosting, an SSL certificate, and preparatory actions for the debut of your online business.
- Once clients discover your store, it won’t be long before you start making money thanks to Shopify’s almost instantaneous payment processing for sales.
- Adding new products is a breeze, and users won’t have a hard time getting up to speed.
Things to Keep in Mind Before Choosing The Best Platform
When the most important factors are prioritized, it’s easy to settle on an eCommerce platform for your online shop.
Here’s a list of a few things to keep in mind while deciding on a content management system for your online store:
- Usability
- Themes and Flexibility
- Help & Support
- Performance
- Pricing
- SEO
- Payment Methods
- Control Over Your Data/Authority
After giving each of these 8 factors significant attention, one of these platforms will stand out as the clear winner for your eCommerce business. We’ll compare and contrast the nine criteria and the many available platforms in just a bit.
First, let’s compare and contrast the features that make each type unique. By examining actual users of WooCommerce and Shopify, you’ll get a sense of what these platforms can do for your business.
WooCommerce vs Shopify – Usability
It’s possible that you already know the outcome of this one, but just to be clear: Shopify is simpler to use than WooCommerce for the majority of individuals.
WooCommerce is Technical and Powerful
People who already have expertise working with WordPress and online stores are most suited to use WooCommerce. Users have an enormous amount of freedom at their disposal, but with this freedom comes the responsibility of being able to act in the appropriate manner at all times.
Web hosting and WooCommerce integration are two services that are provided by Digital Ocean, which are used by a lot of people and mainly newer businesses. These services make getting started much less difficult.
People who already have expertise working with WordPress and online stores are most suited to use WooCommerce.
Shopify Simplifies the Process of Managing Your Online Store.
Shopify is an all-in-one e-commerce platform that provides everything you require and explains how everything works. Shopify Compass and the Shopify Partner Academy both provide access to ongoing training opportunities.
Additional features that make life easier and are included with Shopify are as follows:
- Shopify will take care of all of the nitty gritty, technical aspects of managing your website.
- Including new products is a simple and speedy process.
- The shop builder and themes both function without the need for any additional code on the user’s part.
WooCommerce vs Shopify – Themes and Flexibility
Every business owner wants their eCommerce store to look good. Having a consistent visual style across numerous pages is impossible without the use of a theme (even hundreds of them).
Shopify gives some of its templates away for free while charging for others.
There are 10 pre-made themes available for use with Shopify. Other templates are available starting from a fee of $100. Shopify’s premium themes have a stellar reputation for quality since they are carefully curated.
Every theme ought to be compatible with any retailer, however, some tweaks may be required.
Limits on personalization are imposed by the theme’s creator as well as Shopify’s infrastructure. Despite the fact that your store may seem fantastic, most store owners know there are always things they wish they could improve but can’t.
WooCommerce gives you access to an enormous number of themes.
WooCommerce includes a sizable collection of premium and free themes.
Several variations of the Storefront theme are available. You can get store layouts and themes from WooCommerce or another vendor.
WooCommerce has an edge over the competition thanks to the large WordPress development community. You can find hundreds of WooCommerce themes on sites like Divi and Astra.
WooCommerce vs Shopify – Help & Support
Help and support are available through WooCommerce and Shopify respectively. Anyone who has attempted to develop a website or an online business is aware that they will eventually desire assistance in doing so.
WooCommerce Customer Support
WooCommerce is a little bit unique in that it gives two distinct access points to its support resources:
To begin, receiving assistance from the WooCommerce team makes it simpler to create a WooCommerce store that is flawless on the very first attempt. To successfully launch the majority of websites, all that is required is a useful support ticket system and setup guides.
Second, some hosting providers offer WooCommerce support. Namecheap offers the most all-encompassing plan of the three. Read our article on “What is WooCommerce” to find out more about WooCommerce and to watch a video that provides a setup tutorial.
Shopify Customer Service
Shopify’s customer assistance starts with the chat by phone, email, or live chat with their support team. Whenever a customer needs this level of support, they can get it from them.
Shopify provides new users with a large collection of Frequently Asked Questions pages, community training, and a setup process to familiarize them with the platform’s possibilities. With all of these services, it’s little wonder Shopify has become the platform of choice for budding entrepreneurs.
WooCommerce vs Shopify – Performance
There is a lot riding on the definition of “performance.” Please elaborate. Instead of comparing WooCommerce with Shopify feature-for-feature, it can be more useful to focus on a smaller subset of performance metrics.
Can Shopify Compete with WooCommerce as an E-Commerce Platform?
The community’s dedication to expanding WooCommerce with new plugins and extensions has made it more powerful than Shopify. It’s likely that someone else has already developed the functionality you need. To illustrate performance simply, consider personalization.
When you use WooCommerce to run your online shop, the options and variations you offer for your products are virtually limitless. There are just three options available to you on Shopify. WooCommerce’s greater adaptability makes it a better fit for shops selling a wide selection of customizable products or options.
Is Shopify Quicker than WooCommerce, or Vice Versa?
Compared to WooCommerce, Shopify is far more productive. Now that it’s out there, anyone may judge us. However, there is no requirement for a huge gap in speeds. If you choose a reliable host, tweak your site, and keep WooCommerce updated, you can get excellent page load times.
However, with Shopify, you don’t have to worry about all of that.
WooCommerce vs Shopify – Pricing
WooCommerce is a free platform for online shops. The Shopify platform has a monthly fee. It’s WooCommerce that comes out on top.
Right?
Wait a minute.
Your online shop’s unique needs will determine which platform is best for you and how much it will cost you. Your store’s size is going to have a direct correlation with the cost of these supplementary options.
Some of the Considerations Into the Platform’s Price Tag
- Hosting Costs – WooCommerce requires hosting, which is an extra cost. All you need to do to get WooCommerce up and running on your website is install it if you already have a WordPress-powered website and hosting that includes an SSL certificate.WooCommerce’s hosting cost of an average of $20 per year is a lot less than Shopify’s basic plan, which costs $19 per month.
- Theme Costs – Shopify’s themes are more expensive than WooCommerce’s, although both platforms provide them.
- Payment Costs – While using Shopify Payments is free, there are fees connected with upselling and cross-selling apps. Major companies that sell their wares online and rely on payment gateways that accept a variety of currencies stand to lose a sizable sum of money due to these costs, which can reach 2 percent for each transaction. While using any external payment processor will incur some costs, Shopify’s integration with some processors will incur additional charges.
- Plugins and Plans Costs – Shopify appears to be less expensive than its competitors due to its large set of available plugins and its relatively inexpensive pricing structure. But WooCommerce could seem like a steal until you consider in its optional extras and more expensive pricing tiers.
This price segment is now in your hands.
WooCommerce vs Shopify – SEO
SEO is an important factor in accelerating your business on top. Optimizing search engines for your products can be really effective. It’s the most lucrative way to do great in your eCommerce business.
WooCommerce is more effective at search engine optimization because of its increased capabilities for content marketing and the availability of SEO plugins (SEO).
WooCommerce is a plugin for the popular blogging platform WordPress, so feel free to blog away! Any goal you set for yourself can be realized through the medium of a blog.
While both Shopify and WordPress offer blog functionality, WordPress’s offering is superior. A Shopify blog can be integrated with WordPress, though.
Although Shopify has a built-in blog component, it is not as robust as WordPress.
WooCommerce vs Shopify – Accepting Payments
Most Shopify stores, especially newer ones, can get by just using Shopify Payments. Accepting the most common types of online payments poses no problems at all for WooCommerce.
There are other payment apps that give access to many gateways supporting various payment methods and currencies.
Credit card interest and processing fees can add up to a hefty sum when using Shopify. For an international e-commerce business, the costs of accepting payment methods other than Shopify Pay might add up to a considerable percentage of sales.
If you choose to pay with a method other than Shopify Pay, you may incur fees.
By letting you pick and choose which e-commerce plugins for payments you include in your package, WooCommerce is clearly the best option for those who want complete control over the pricing of their store.
WooCommerce vs Shopify – Control Over Your Data/Authority
There is a fundamental difference between these two platforms in how they function.
Shopify guarantees the security of its users’ information, count on us.
WooCommerce suggests, “Look after your data. It has a lot of weight.”
Since WooCommerce is an open-source platform that you host yourself, you are responsible for keeping your data safe. More work is required, but you’re also able to afford the highest quality of security. Also, you can get at your information whenever you choose.
Shopify will manage your data and provide you with many access points, such as a comma-separated values (CSV) export, API data connections, and app-based site backup (for an extra charge, of course).
Also in 2020, Shopify fell prey to insider attacks, which led to security lapses for customers. This was the result of dishonest employees who secretly sent out customer records from retail businesses.
Customize WooCommerce’s security to your needs. Shopify’s security depends on the safeguards established by third parties.
Since WooCommerce is an open-source platform that you host yourself, you are responsible for keeping your data safe.
WooCommerce vs Shopify – Accounting
Successful businesses have reliable accounting records. Profit and loss statements, inventory control, and tax computations are all crucial parts of running an online store. What are the differences between our two competitors in terms of financial reporting?
WooCommerce Accounting
Built-in accounting and bookkeeping plugins for WordPress sites are readily available. WooCommerce’s integration tools are compatible with all the industry-standard accounting packages.
This includes Sage, QuickBooks, and Xero, to name a few. Developer-created integrations make it possible to link together otherwise incompatible programs. It’s the same with inventory management.
Through the use of applications and plugins, effective inventory management is now feasible and even simplified.
If you have a small business then you could check WP Ever Accounting for a smart accounting solution. It offers WooCommerce integration which will be available soon.
Shopify Accounting
In terms of accounting software, Shopify supports a number of popular packages and offers plugin connectors for Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage.
The reports generated by these interfaces are tidy and easy to manage for accounting professionals. Inventory management is facilitated by apps like Stocky. Shopify’s Advanced Shopify POS Pro is what’s responsible for this.
Both Shopify and WooCommerce can communicate with popular accounting packages like Quickbooks, Sage, and Xero.
WooCommerce vs Shopify – Ultimate Winner
You probably want to know how the battle turned out. Can you tell me which of these platforms is the best?
Let’s get into the short snippet of
The Benefits and Drawbacks of WooCommerce
The Benefits of WooCommerce
- A completely customizable storefront that allows for a wide range of customization in terms of the site layout.
- The website owner sets the rates after taking client preferences for optional extras into account.
- WordPress’s excellent support and development stem from its massive user base.
All decisions regarding the domain’s hosting plan, security, and data storage are made by you.
The Drawbacks of WooCommerce
- WordPress novices will have a more challenging time getting started.
- Accounting and bookkeeping are more challenging without costly software.
- Costs might easily escalate with the addition of extensions.
The Benefits and Drawbacks of Using Shopify
The Benefits of Shopify
- Shopify’s monthly costs look to be fair, and the service is available at a bundle price.
- Friendliness to users is exceptional, and group coordination is a breeze.
- Domains, security, and advertising resources are all part of the plan.
- Top-notch dropshipping integrations and responsive customer service.
The Drawbacks of Shopify
- Web developers have few options for product customization or aesthetic direction.
- You have no say in where the data is kept or how securely it is protected.
- When compared to WooCommerce, its SEO performance falls short.
How You Can Benefit from WooCommerce Instead of Using Shopify
WooCommerce has nothing to do with expensive strategies. You are free to use it in any way you see fit, including incorporating new features and enhancing the functionalities. You can download the WooCommerce plugin for free.
Have fun with Open Source’s limitless customization options.
On the other hand, Shopify’s many advanced features and integrations make it a great choice for a wide variety of enterprises. In contrast, Shopify’s plan structure guarantees that your costs will increase in tandem with your business’s growth.
Seeking instant shipping quotes from third companies. The lowest-priced plan for this service costs $299 per month.
Finally, we settled with WooCommerce due to its autonomy, adaptability, and security.
WooCommerce allows you to set up your online shop and website however you like.
Wrap Up
Let’s go through the highlights of this article one more time before we wrap it up.
WooCommerce is the best option for online stores of all sizes, whether they’re just starting out or have been around for years, because of its flexibility, security, number of payment gateways, and support for many currencies.
Shopify is the best e-commerce platform for startups and established businesses alike since it allows for a lower learning curve, greater scalability, a more manageable product catalog, and less time spent on the market.
Shopify’s platform could not be flexible enough to meet your requirements, and its various pricing structures might be out of your price range. In addition, learning technical skills for using WooCommerce is much less difficult.
After all, WooCommerce is definitely not rocket science! That’s all for now. Until next time.
Adios!