WooCommerce vs Shopify is the two most popular gladiator in the e-commerce industry. Shopify currently powers more than 620000 business, while WooCommerce is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms.
Both of these platforms have their merits, which makes it really tough to choose between these two platforms. However, to help you choose the right platforms for your e-commerce business, we will discuss in-depth about these two platforms “Woocommerce vs Shoppify” digging out which one best. Hopefully, this post will help you to make a final decision.
Main Difference Between This Two Platform
Both of this platform is powerful. But which one is right for you, depends on your circumstances. WooCommerce is for people who already have a WordPress website. WooCommerce is mainly a plugin that helps you to turn your existing website into an online e-store. On the other hand, Shopify is for you if you need all in one package. Using Shopify, you can create and publish your own custom online e-store.
WooCommerce is more flexible but it is not beginner friendly while Shopify is totally opposite. It is beginner-friendly but has some limitations.
Currents Ecommerce Market Share
It’s really interesting to have a look at the e-commerce market share. Because you should know which simply has more popularity. According to Forbes as of March 2019 currently, 21% of web use WooCommerce platforms, while 14% of web use Shopify. The graph below shows the details.
WooCommerce VS Shopify | Which platform is easy to Lunch an E-Store
For lunching or creating WooCommerce store you need to do 2 separate things. Firstly, you must install a WordPress Interface. Secondly, you need to install WooCommerce plugins and configure them properly. You must also learn how nitty-gritty details about configuring payments getaway.
Shopify
On the other hand, for creating an e-store at Shopify you must create an account at Shopify. Purchase a domain or sync an existing domain. Choose your theme (not all themes are free). However, by using Shopify’s own payment getaway you can easily accept master card /credit card payment.
I think both of this platform is great from their own aspect. However, if you have already an existing WordPress website, I would recommend you to use WooCommerce. If you are not familiar with using WordPress, I will recommend you to use Shopify.
How Much It Costs for Using WooCommerce and Shopify Platforms
It’s really hard to estimate the exact cost of using the WooCommerce store. But comparatively WooCommerce is much cheaper in terms of its capability. The fixed cost for launching a WooCommerce store goes not:
- Web Hosting
- Domain Name Registration
- WordPress Premium Theme
- Premium WooCommerce Plugins.
Shopify
Unlike WooCommerce, Shopify pricing is transparent. They have various types of packages with different pricing rates for different functionality. However, there are certain things that can increase the cost of your e-store.
- Premium themes.
- Premium Apps – requires monthly payments.
- 7% to 2.9 % credit card rates applied for using Shopify’s payment getaways. The use of other payments getaway can costs higher.
Why Should You Choose WooCommerce Over Shopify?
One of the main reasons to chose WooCommerce over Shopify is control and flexibility. If you want to sell simple product that does not have high variation, you don’t need that flexibility.
However, if you want to sell products that have high variation like – pricing structure, checkout process, your own payment getaway, etc. Because of this capability, you will definitely appreciate the flexibility of WooCommerce.
Conclusion
I think each of the e-commerce platforms has benefits for some specific situations. For example: if you value ownership and flexibility then WooCommerce is the best platform for you. However, if you like simplicity then Shopify is probably the best platform for you. So which platform you think is best when it comes to WooCommerce vs Shopify.