If you’re building a website that will represent your brand online, you need to partner with the right eCommerce platform. WooCommerce and Shopify are two of the leading platforms in the eCommerce industry. Both solutions provide users and business owners with a suite of features that support website development and store management.

Shopify offers responsive templates, scalability, and an easy-to-use editor. Businesses that sell hundreds or thousands of products can efficiently manage their inventory with Shopify. While WooCommerce offers many of the same features and tools, it’s an eCommerce plugin that’s part of the WordPress CMS. To use WooCommerce, you must select a web host and domain. You’ll also need to install plugins to add functionality.

If you need a platform for your eCommerce storefront, it’s important that you choose one that meets your company’s needs. The following is a comprehensive guide that compares WooCommerce vs Shopify to help you find the best eCommerce platform.

Ease of Use

Before you select an eCommerce solution, consider your technical skills and your need for an interface that’s easy to use.

Shopify

Shopify provides businesses with a user-friendly interface that’s designed for non-technical users. Even if you don’t know how to code, you can design a functional and visually appealing website.

This platform delivers managed hosting, ample security, and regular updates. Even after you take your website online, maintaining your storefront is simple with Shopify’s intuitive interface.

Many of Shopify’s templates can be installed with the click of a button. You’ll also have access to a drag-and-drop page builder that allows you to design a beautiful website in minutes. If you’re a beginner who’s seeking a straightforward setup, Shopify is your best option.

WooCommerce

To create a WooCommerce storefront, you must be familiar with WordPress and web hosting. You’ll be tasked with finding and setting up your own domain and hosting service. Hosting costs anywhere from $5-$5,000 per month.

Since WooCommerce is an open-source plugin, it requires manual management of security and updates. It’s better suited for users with technical expertise. You might benefit from WooCommerce if you’re willing to hire developers.

Customization and Flexibility

Creating a modern eCommerce store means providing users with a seamless shopping experience. To ensure your website is unique and appealing, choose a platform that provides customization and flexibility.

Shopify

Shopify offers a wide variety of themes and apps for customization. Many of the themes are professionally designed with a focus on ease of use and quality. Keep in mind that the best themes typically need to be purchased.

If you wish to make more advanced customizations, you might need to have coding knowledge or request developer assistance. Shopify uses a templating language known as Liquid. While Shopify made this language as easy to learn as possible, using it requires some level of technical expertise.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is highly customizable because of its open-source nature. Users have access to a large library of themes as well. If you’re looking for a basic yet reliable eCommerce theme, consider Storefront. As the official WooCommerce theme, Storefront is designed to be intuitive and accessible.

You can also obtain block themes for your website. These themes offer considerable flexibility and are highly customizable. WooCommerce allows extensive modifications to store design and functionality. If you wish to create a custom theme from scratch, you can do so with WooCommerce. The main drawback to using this platform is that it requires coding skills or developer support for more complex customizations.

Cost Considerations

Shopify and WooCommerce offer numerous subscription plans at different price points. The platform you choose depends on your budget and your preferred features.

Shopify

Shopify comes with subscription-based pricing and plans that range from $29-$299 per month. If you manage a large corporation, you can also select the Plus plan, which starts at $2,300 per month and includes everything from unlimited staff accounts to custom reports and analytics.

If you choose the Basic Plan at $29 per month, you’ll still gain access to 24/7 customer support and localized global selling in up to three markets. Keep in mind, however, that you may be tasked with paying some additional costs for apps and templates. Shopify also charges transaction fees, which depend on the plan you choose.

The Basic plan comes with card rates of 2.9% plus $0.30 for online shoppers. An additional 2% fee will also be collected if customers use third-party payment providers. If you select the Advanced plan for $299 per month, the fees drop to 2.5% plus $0.30 for online shoppers and 0.6% when purchases are made with third-party payment providers.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a free plugin. However, it requires separate payments for domain registration and hosting. If you wish to extend the functionality of your website, you might also want to spend money on premium themes or plugins. Total costs can vary based on your hosting choices and additional features. As mentioned previously, hosting costs can range from $5-$5,000 depending on your desired performance, uptime, and security.

Domains cost around $15 per year. If you want to obtain an SSL certificate for your online store, there are many options to consider. Some hosting solutions provide businesses with free SSL certificates. Otherwise, a certificate can cost around $50-$150 per year. Themes are also available for up to $100. However, this is a one-time cost. As for plugins, they can cost as much as $300. Some plugins are subscription-based, which means that you’ll need to renew them every year.

Scalability

Your eCommerce business likely won’t remain the same size forever. When your business grows, you need a platform that scales well. If it scales poorly, it may not be able to handle the number of orders you receive every day. In this scenario, you’d likely lose customers and offset any growth that’s occurred.

Shopify

Shopify is designed to handle most of the technical requirements that come with running a site. They’ll take care of your web hosting needs, which means that the platform should easily scale with business growth. If your website experiences a substantial increase in traffic or sales, you won’t need to do any extra technical work.

Depending on the level of growth, you may benefit from switching to a more premium plan. Since you don’t need to hire a team of developers to manage your technical needs, you can save money with Shopify.

WooCommerce

When using WooCommerce, scalability depends on your hosting provider and technical setup. While WooCommerce users can potentially gain access to unlimited scalability, partnering with the wrong hosting provider can cause issues with future growth. If you opt for this platform, search for a host that handles unlimited traffic, products, and orders. As your WooCommerce store grows, investing in better hosting and technical support might be necessary.

Choosing a reliable hosting provider that accommodates growth will cost more. If you run a high-volume store that uses WooCommerce, consider the Woo Enterprise service. This solution provides stores with priority support, a Customer Success Manager, discounted hosting, and migration assistance. You’ll also have full ownership of your data and store.

Support and Community

Your online store will be built with the tools and features that your eCommerce solution provides, which is why you should consider the level of support these platforms offer.

Shopify

When using Shopify, you’ll have access to 24/7 customer support via phone, email, and live chat. If your website goes down or a page isn’t functioning properly, you can get in touch with support immediately. If the customer representative you speak with is unable to resolve your issue, Shopify also has extensive documentation and a large user community that might be able to help.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce offers support through community forums and documentation. If you encounter a problem on your website, it shouldn’t take too long for someone in the community to find the right solution. However, WooCommerce doesn’t have an official support channel.

Keep in mind that there are numerous blogs that use WooCommerce and provide helpful tips on how to maintain an online storefront with the platform. If you require more comprehensive support, consider hiring a developer or purchasing a support package. Some hosting providers offer 24/7 support via a ticketing system, calls, and live chat.

Conclusion

When you’re developing an online store that accommodates modern users, Shopify and WooCommerce are among the best platforms available to you. If you prefer a user-friendly, hosted solution with robust support and are willing to pay a monthly fee for convenience, choose Shopify.

If you have technical skills or access to a developer, want a highly customizable platform, and prefer a potentially lower-cost solution with more control over your store, choose WooCommerce. By understanding your needs and budget, you can make the right choice.