Shopify and Woocommerce are both leading global Ecommerce platforms. They have revolutionized shopping and business for millions of people. As they have a huge active user base, they are also serving the customers who are shopping from the stores on these Ecommerce platforms. In the times of such intense competition, if these are the ultimate champions then who is the winner among them? Vxplore Technologies an Ecommerce Web Development Company in Kolkata, India explained the differences between these two Ecommerce Websites in detail. This will help us answer the above mentioned question.
So here are the major differences between Shopify and Woocommerce:-
| Factors and Winner Results | Shopify | Woocommerce |
| Free Trial Period Duration | Shopify has a 14 days free trial period | Woocommerce is free to use |
| Ease of Use | Shopify is easy to use as it has both its security and hosting features in-built | Woocommerce requires some coding expertise to get started, therefore it is not for everyone |
| Transaction Fees | Shopify has three affordable packages in India that include a lot of benefits. | Woocommerce requires a hosting partner and a domain name, which has to be bought from external sources, therefore the prices may vary |
| Design and Themes | There are many free themes available on Shopify with also an option for better paid themes. | Woocommerce has the option to code, therefore there’s availability of limitless customization |
| Marketing Tools | Shopify has Multichannel integration therefore one can sell on other channels like Amazon, Facebook, eBay and Pinterest as a built-in feature. | Marketing tools aren’t integrated but can be added with the use of plugins and extensions |
| Choice of Plugins | There’s a vast choice of addons on Shopify but they are nowhere near the number or quality of options on Woocommerce platform | With over 55000 options for plugins and extensions, there’s no bounds for Woocommerce, as an open-source platform. |
| SEO Tools | Shopify offers decent SEO tools and options | WooCommerce is code-optimized for SEO with plugins and guides that add more to the already great platform. |
| Supported Payment Methods | If you don’t use Shopify payments then you have to pay a transaction fees on all other third party gateways on Shopify | WooCommerce does not have transaction fees for third-party gateway payments |
| Supported Platforms | Closed platform, only allows for drag and drop, as well as additional plugins | Open source and can be modified to the code (no limitations) |
| Hosting | Included | Hosting is not included |
| Sub Domains | Shopify has unlimited amount of subdomains | They have unlimited amounts of subdomain as well |
| Security | SSL Certificate and PCI-DSS Compliant by default. | One has to acquire the security claiming certificate by oneself |
Free Trial Period Duration:
If you aren’t sure which platform to choose between Shopify and Woocommerce, you can always try them for yourselves. Shopify offers a 14-day free trial period with full functionality; on the other hand, Woocommerce is completely free. woocommerce seems like a better deal for beginners and people who might give up easily, as there is no investment involved.
Ease of Use:
The Woocommerce Expert and Shopify Expert In India at Vxplore Technologies regard Shopify as an easier-to-use platform than Woocommerce as it has integrated security and hosting features. The highlight of Shopify in this regard is that it doesn’t require coding expertise, unlike Woocommerce. woocommerce requires at least an intermediate level of coding knowledge to get started, says most Woocommerce Expert In India at Vxplore.
Transaction Fees:
Shopify has its payment gateway, Shopify Payments. If one chooses to use other payment gateways, then Shopify charges a transaction fee. While Woocommerce charges nothing like that, you can use every payment gateway available on the platform, and this makes Woocommerce a better value-for-money option.
Design and Themes:
Shopify has a plethora of themes to choose from, all of these themes are attractive and offer uniqueness to all the stores. There are both free and paid options. However, despite Shopify’s theme options, it can’t stand against the unlimited customization option through the power of coding on Woocommerce. One can create better and one in many themes if they know to code like any of the Best Woocommerce Expert In India.
Marketing Tools:
Shopify offers integrated Marketing Tools, which are a necessity in today’s era to reach as many customers as possible. On the other hand, Woocommerce offers similar tools but in the form of plugins.
Choice of Plugins:
Shopify does have the option for applications, but they are not nearly enough or as high in quality as the 55000+ options of plugins on Woocommerce.
SEO Tools:
SEO is a widely used Digital Marketing technique and is highly beneficial in generating traffic to a store. The platform of choice needs to offer SEO tools that provide value to SEO campaigns. Shopify and Woocommerce offer SEO tools, but it wins here just because Woocommerce has more options in the form of SEO plugins.
Supported Payment Methods:
In this case, both Shopify and Woocommerce support over 100 payment methods including their own platforms. However, Shopify charges a 2% transaction fee if you use any platform other than Shopify Payments, while Woocommerce charges no such cost. Therefore, Woocommerce becomes a better option for selling as it is a value-for-money platform.
Supported Platforms:
According to the Woocommerce Expert In India, it is one of the best platforms as there is plenty of cross-platform support available because it is an open-source platform. Shopify has no such options except for plugin integration and drag and drops features, which are again highly restricted as it is a closed platform.
Hosting:
Hosting is a crucial step when you are launching a website. Shopify allows hosting from its platform itself, which again adds to its easy-to-use functionality; in contrast, Woocommerce has no hosting feature. One has to purchase a hosting facility from some third party and then integrate it into Woocommerce, which is not that convenient for users.
Security:
It’s mandatory for all websites to have a robust security system, and it becomes further necessary if it is an ecommerce website. A shopping website is prone to be attacked by hackers. In that case, the target is generally the financial and confidential data of the clients. This can create huge complications and trust issues for the brand.
Shopify takes care of all the security protocols pretty well, as it has integrated hosting features. It takes full responsibility for protecting your store from external breaches. Woocommerce is unable to protect your site by itself. However, you can rely on the third-party hosting partner you hire for hosting on Woocommerce.
Bottomline:
It is unavoidable that every platform has some plus points and flaws, and it depends on you and your priorities on which platform is the best for you. Summarizing below according to the Woocommerce Expert and Shopify Expert In India at Vxplore Technologies.
If you need an all-rounder, easy-to-use platform for your store with all the necessary functionalities, then you can go for Shopify.
Or you have the required knowledge in coding and the time to put into the excessive customization and variable options offered by Woocommerce, then you can also go for it.
In case you need assistance in managing any of the two, you can always reach out to Vxplore Technologies, an Ecommerce Web Development Company in Kolkata, India.