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Launching an eCommerce store these days is easy with all the available options on the market. If you’re planning on launching an eCommerce platform, we’re more than certain that you’ve come across WooCommerce or Shopify as they are the two most popular eCommerce platforms out there.
Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses, which makes choosing one of them a tough decision. To see which one would fill your specific needs better you have to ask yourself the following questions: Which has the features that I need? Which one offers better pricing? Which is more customizable? Which one is better looking?
We will try to answer some of your questions in this comparison between the two platforms. Hopefully, after reading it, you will know which platform to choose based on your individual needs. So let’s get on with comparing Shopify vs WooCommerce.
First, let’s have a look at the pros and cons of each platform:
Shopify Pros and Cons
Starting off with the Pros:
Cons of using Shopify:
WooCommerce Pros and Cons:
Cons:
Where Shopify has excellent support, WooCommerce lacks phone support, you can only submit tickets or try to find answers to your problems on the forum. WooCommerce tends to let its users to figure out how to sort the issues themselves.
Whether WooCommerce or Shopify is right for you comes down to a few core differences. Shopify has everything set up from the start, it’s hosted from the moment you subscribe to it and you can open a store in a couple of minutes. When it comes to WooCommerce, you have to figure out the hosting solution, you have access to the code ( with this you have great customizable options) – but it means that you are responsible for the technical aspects of your store.
If you are not tech-savvy and you don’t want to worry about the technical aspects of your sore, Shopify is the way to go. And it’s the same answer if you want eCommerce tools that you can use straight away. If you prefer a more hands-on approach, then WooCommerce is the platform for you.
To use WooCommerce, you first have to have an account with WordPress. So if you already have a site with WordPress you can install WooCommerce in a couple of minutes.
Feature-wise – both provide the features you need to build an effective online store- if you are looking to sell products on the internet or get a small business online – neither of these platforms will let you down.
Let’s have a look at a couple of features that these platforms offer Shopify vs WooCommerce:
Shopify offers:
Shopify includes some basic features that would cost you money in WooCommerce extensions – example: Accepting payments from Authorize.net
On the other hand, WooCommerce offers flexibility because it is an open-source platform, meaning that developers can add custom-built plugins to the store. You can find a lot of addons on the WooCommerce extensions store, but this means that you will have to invest time and money in buying and setting them up.
Main WooCommerce features:
For abandoned carts – both platforms offer the possibility for the customer to complete an abandoned order without having to fill out their details again. Shopify offers this feature from the moment you sign up, while on the other hand, WooCommerce needs a separate extension for this feature.
Overall, both platforms are great, but the final decision depends on you – you need to decide which platform is best for you. You can try out the platforms – Shopify offers a free 30-day trial while WooCommerce offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Make sure you use these periods to test the platforms, try customizing the websites or try adding payment options, have a play with the SEO – see how easy you find the platform to use.