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If you are thinking about launching your online store, you may have heard of Shopify and WooCommerce. These two are the most popular e-commerce platforms, with millions of users earning billions between them.
However, how do you choose between the two? Worry no more; we’ve got you covered.
In this Shopify vs. WooCommerce guide, we’ll compare the two platforms and help you decide which is your perfect e-commerce partner.
Shopify is the clear winner for creating fully functional stores ready to receive orders. As a hosted e-commerce platform, Shopify does all the setup heavy lifting for you. That includes providing hosting, domain name, and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate, among others.
But with WooCommerce, you’ll first have to create a WordPress website, plus purchase a hosting package and a domain name.
When deciding which platform is cheaper, the answer is it depends! WooCommerce is more cost-effective because it’s free. There are no transaction fees, but you’ll incur other costs, including themes, hosting plans, and plugins. WooCommerce pricing for paid plugins and add-ons averages.
Shopify includes everything you need to launch your online store in its pricing plan, including themes, third-party hosting, and plugins. Shopify pricing ranges from $24 to $299 per month. You’ll also incur transaction fees for sales made through third-party payment gateways.
Payment methods
Shopify takes the lead here. Their unique payment gateway - Shopify Payments - requires zero configuration. The platform also supports other external payment gateways, but there is a caveat: you’ll incur extra costs.
WooCommerce is also flexible and has extensive payment gateways, but you’ll have to install extensions to integrate your store with Stripe, Klarna, Amazon Pay, or PayPal.
Both Shopify and WooCommerce platforms offer customer support, but Shopify has a much better system. Shopify’s customer service lines are available 24/7 through live chat, phone, social media, and email.
In comparison, WooCommerce makes it challenging for users to find the help they need. Though they have extensive information in blog posts and documentation, you’ll have to dig through community forums or YouTube videos to find answers to specific questions.
Once again, Shopify stands out as the better option. While WooCommerce is no slouch, Shopify comes straight out of the box with everything you need to make your online store run successfully. Picture abandoned cart recovery, built-in blogging, and support for multiple languages. The list is endless.
Both e-commerce platforms allow international shipments, But Shopify’s built-in partnerships with UPS, DHL, FedEx, Post, and USPS give it an edge. WooCommerce has several shipping partners but options are limited to the platform’s plugins.
Both platforms allow for drop shipping and include extra features to power your drop shipping business. However, remember that many of these product marketplaces add shipping costs, membership fees, and other expenses. These fees can eat into your already razor-thin drop-shipping profits.
Shopify is ideal for your business if you want an all-around platform that gets everything running immediately. WooCommerce, on the other hand, is best if you run a WordPress website or plan to use one. It gives you more control over your online store, plus it’s highly adaptable.
When choosing Shopify vs. WooCommerce for beginners, you must decide which platform best aligns with your business needs.
