Ultimate Comparison between WooCommerce and Shopify
With a bundle of e-commerce platforms in 2020, one might find it challenging to opt for a specific platform.
The two most popular e-commerce platforms are WooCommerce and Shopify. Both have a great list of features and can be used for several purposes.
And if you are wondering which e-commerce platform is best, here is our review of WooCommerce vs. Shopify. Read on to find out all about these popular e-commerce platforms in 2020.
WooCommerce vs. Shopify: which platform is best for creating a shopping website?
Image & data is from builtwith.com.
#1 User-friendliness
One of the main features you should consider when choosing an e-commerce platform for an online store is the ease of use.
Shopify represents a subscription-based tool. This signifies that the platform will manage several technical aspects related to the online shop creation, without the need for identifying what hosting package is needed or which platform is best. Being a closed platform, Shopify limits you from accessing several aspects you might need.
This is why WooCommerce is recommended as the go-to platform for a shopping website. It will get you access to the freedom of open source, being easy to manage and use. Getting started with WooCommerce can indeed be quite demanding, yet with the best hosting plan, you can download and install your CMS in no time. If you want to add a fully managed web hosting plan to your WooCommerce site, you can opt for the services available at LiquidWeb.
#2 Design
Another important aspect worth mentioning is the easy access to distinct design options. Shopify provides its users with readymade themes. Of course, in their store, you will find both paid and free themes. But using the free theme options in Shopify will get you access to rather traditional and basic website design. Thus, with Shopify, you will pay extra for better design features.
This is why we recommend WooCommerce as the best platform for shop creation. Because it is an e-commerce platform based on WordPress, it allows you to choose from a multitude of free themes. And there are plenty of affordable premium WordPress themes you can opt from, too.
#3 Payment method
To create the best online stores, you need access to trustworthy payment options. Both Shopify and WooCommerce allow you to choose from several configurable payment methods.
Shopify comes with PayPal Express Checkout as the standard payment method, but you can use Shopify Payments, too, only if you are from USA, Canada, UK or Australia. And when you use a third-party payment for payments from other countries, you will be charged an extra fee. We can say this is a notable disadvantage.
WooCommerce is packed with distinct payment methods to suit everyone’s needs. PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, Amazon Payments, and many more, allows users from all over the world to access their services without unnecessary extra costs.
#4 Multi-lingual features
Online stores rely significantly on the multi-lingual feature. Depending on what products or services you are selling, you will need a multi-lingual site to access an international audience.
Shopify does not feature any direct setting for creating multi-lingual online shops. You are indeed allowed to set up several sub-domains, yet this is not achievable for most small businesses. Shopify suggests making use of a third-party app to support traditional and RTL languages, but this is quite inconvenient.
Instead, WooCommerce understands its customer’s needs and allows you to choose from several WordPress plugins that permit easy access and creation of multi-lingual websites. With a reasonable price and tailored customer support, WooCommerce is the best platform for multi-lingual sites.
#5 SEO Options
The most important feature of an e-commerce platform is SEO. Your goal is to rank your website as efficiently as possible, which is why you will need access to excellent on-page SEO.
Shopify comes with a couple of standard SEO features, such as title tag, meta description, customizable URL, or alt tag for pictures. Yet the rest is dependent on your efforts. You will have to create qualitative content for impressive UX experience.
An advantage of using WooCommerce is that it doesn’t come with an integrated SEO feature. Instead, it suggests you make use of several rich SEO plugins that permit you to cover standard and advanced SEO options. And if you create original and qualitative content, those plugins will offer you the best suggestions in regards to what to do to better your ranking even more.
#6 Price comparison
When it comes to how much you will pay, these two platforms have distinct price packages. Shopify is a subscription-based service, while WooCommerce is free to use.
But depending on what plan you purchase with Shopify, you will get or not access to essential e-commerce features. Mainly, all Shopify features and options are related to a paid plan. As an example, we have the third-party shipping option, which can be accessed only if you buy the Shopify Advanced plan with a $300 monthly cost.
WooCommerce allows you to select and access any free extensions with the possibility of upgrading to paid e-commerce extensions or plugins. Their marketplace comes with a bundle of suggestions, all of which are meant to ease the online shop creation process and boost the ease of access to the platform.
Conclusion:
WooCommerce provides better accessibility with a one-time initial investment apart from hosting
So, WooCommerce seems to be the best platform for e-commerce purposes due to its cost-effectiveness. You will have to pay some initial costs, but because this is an open-source platform, you can benefit from several free WordPress plugins.
The most significant spend will be probably on a WooCommerce hosting plan. But with hosting services such as the ones offered by liquidweb.com., you can benefit from comparatively cheaper rates than their competitors. Dedicated hosting, Private Cloud, Managed WooCommerce or Managed WordPress, are all features you can access with this fully managed web hosting service at LiquidWeb.
