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Shopify vs WooCommerce – Who Tops the List?

As more and more businesses are looking to open an online store to directly connect with their customers, the platform on which one should build it should be thoughtfully opted after going through all the pros and cons. If you connect with any company providing e-commerce web development services you will hear the two most popular platform names are WooCommerce and Shopify.

As a business, you need to understand your unique needs and choose the platform wisely that does justice to your business and helps to upscale it further. Let’s dive into the details of these two different platforms and understand their positives and negatives, thoroughly.

1. Ease of Use

Shopify:

It is quite unlikely that the one who has started an e-store is fully equipped with the knowledge of e-commerce development services. It could even be an ordinary person. Hence, it is a must that the platform is user-friendly and not complex. 

As Shopify is subscription-based, you just need to sign up, go through a basic setup wizard and you are halfway done. Shopify will guide you through the entire process and give you tips that align with the nature of what you are going to sell. After getting through the initial wizard you can create your store thoughtfully with a  Shopify website development company, add new products and explore other things. Even adding new products, handling orders and sales is convenient as all the panels are in the same place. 

WooCommerce:

WooCommerce is as easy to use as Shopify but setting up the e-store can be a hefty task. Without a professional in WooCommerce website development, it might get a bit uncomfortable as WooCommerce is not a subscription-based model like Shopify. Before beginning to work on WooCommerce to need to do the following: 

  • Get a domain name
  • Sign up for a hosting account
  • Install WordPress
  • Find and install a WordPress theme

But once the installation is done and your store is set, then there is not much difference in both platforms. But in the initial phase of setting up the store, Shopify does win the game.

2. Pricing

These two platforms have quite different strategies for pricing. While pricing for Shopify is fixed, WooCommerce is more flexible. WooCommerce is free but everything else that you buy like the plugin, domain name, security comes with a price tag. With Shopify, it is easy to track your spending.

You can easily upgrade your website on both platforms. WooCommerce is technically cheaper, but buying every additional extension can increase your price. But the silver lining is that you can only buy them when you need them.
Last but not the least, there are certain transaction fees charged by both platforms for selling your products.

3. Design

If you ask any person involved in e-commerce development services, the one feature which is very important in a website, the design would be one of the most popular answers. Customers really don’t like a website that is not aesthetically pleasing or just does not function as well as it should.

Shopify:

One of the most important selling points of Shopify is that it has more than 54 visually attractive store templates, of which 10 are absolutely free. Every theme has many different variations; it collectively has more than 100 individual designs. With more and more people surfing through mobile, the great advantage of Shopify is that it is mobile responsive. With the help of a Shopify website development company, you can create attractive layouts with different colours that attract new-age customers. You can even customize the website.

WooCommerce:

In WooCommerce the design of your website is directly proportional to how many hours you are going to put in plus your technical knowledge. Since WooCommerce is a plugin created by developers for WooCommerce, it allows you to incorporate most of the themes available in the market. For someone selecting themes for WooCommerce website development, the sky’s the limit because brilliant designers keep adding wonderful themes for you to peruse.

4. Payment Methods

Payment Gateways helps in accepting online payments. It is important to choose a platform that is suitable for you and your customers. Different payment gateways come with different transaction fees. In Shopify for instance- 2% per transaction is charged when you use a third-party getaway. You can opt for an upgraded plan to reduce this or completely eliminate it by choosing the Shopify own payment gateway- Shopify Payments.

One big plus of WooCommerce is that, unlike Shopify, it doesn’t charge its own transaction fees when you use a third party payment gateway. Bank charges and charges from payment are still applicable. If you are looking to sell a large volume of products, choose your own merchant account and third party gateway, then you can save a lot of money with WooCommerce.

5. Integrations

Every e-commerce platform needs third-party tools to expand its e-shops. On both platforms, one can easily add extra functionality as per the business requirements. As WooCommerce is an open-source platform, it majorly depends on Plugins and you can get access to over 50,000 options to choose from. There are comparatively fewer plugin options on Shopify. Submitting a plugin for WordPress is even easier than submitting WooCommerce than submitting an app to the Shopify store.

With the guidance of a company providing e-commerce web development services, you can select the most suitable plugin for your online shop.

Shopify vs WooCommerce: Conclusion

Both the platforms are excellent and robust to successfully start your e-commerce store. Shopify comes with super easy features to use and you can get started easily. With little technical know-how, you can start the journey.

On the other hand, WooCommerce is for those who are ready to invest a lot of time and give their touch of personalization. With technical competence, you can have a great command over the site’s design and host.

You would need to look into your requirements before selecting the platform. If you are looking for any company with website design and development services that offers you great customization designs, responsive features, then reach out to us. With more than 10 decades of experience and a competent team, we can help you create a website that helps you expand your boundaries.

FAQs

Is WooCommerce as good as Shopify?

Both the platforms are good. It largely depends on the business requirements and your unique needs. WooCommerce platform however has more flexibility, customization options and control when compared to Shopify.

Is WooCommerce good for e-commerce?

WooCommerce can be a very effective platform for building your e-commerce website. The platform is flexible, which allows you to incorporate advanced features and plugins, gives you full control and lets you customize your website the way you like.

What is Shopify web development?

Shopify web development is creating a user-friendly website that aligns with the objectives of having an e-commerce store for a brand. It is to make sure that website is up-to-date, has the right plugins and extensions and is search engine friendly and optimized.

How much does it cost to build a website on Shopify?

On average a basic Shopify website can usually cost $3,500 to $5,000, which will have the following feature:
  • One year of website hosting 
  • Basic five field contact form 
  • Up to 25 products can be accommodated 
  • Up to 10 pages with professionally written content 

How much does it cost to build a WooCommerce website?

WooCommerce platform is completely free. However, a domain name can cost around $12/year, and hosting service is needed-($5-$25 monthly. There is an additional cost as well for themes, plugins & extensions and developers fees. The cost may vary depending on the type of website you are aiming to build.

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