Any business big or small, definitely needs a website platform or at least the urge to build one! And why would that be?
To make the fishing of clients easier and sectioning their needs in return over a display on this very web platform! If you’re an existing brand or business or you’re a start up and you’re looking to build a website, you sure would like to go through a couple of service providing platforms that suit your requirements.
This short comparison by Workiy, as service providers, we believe might be a start to finding the right website building service for your business!
What we will do first, is setting our requirements straight so it gets easier to embark on a venture as this!
As users, we generally prefer a rich digital experience, flexible web management and a cost-effective ecommerce platform. But with every platform comes its own pros and cons and the breakdown here will help you understand the service providers better.
But what could be possibly be different between these ecommerce platforms? Both of these provide the same deliverables and somehow one is always ahead of the other and is a sure pattern.
The answer to every question in mind right now, lies in the features you think you need for your ecommerce platform and once the requirements become clear, the move can be made!
What is Woo Commerce?
WooCommerce is a free WordPress ecommerce plugin that turns a website into a powerful ecommerce store. So WooCommerce is not really an ecommerce platform. It is an open-source plugin that turns every WordPress application into a fully functioning ecommerce store. So once you install the woo commerce plug in, we have an application in motion!
WooCommerce is for selling products and services. Specifically, it makes doing these things affordable and accessible. You can sell digital and physical products, manage inventory and shipping, take secure payments, and sort taxes automatically.
This plugin helps You keep 100% control over all your data, there’s support for mobile devices, and the potential to scale your sites is limitless.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is an ecommerce platform you can use to build an online store, where you can sell products and services. It allows you to sell both online with your own website and/or in person using a point-of-sale app, likewise. Shopify is easily accessible and is for anyone who’s looking to build a business, both beginners and big businesses. Shopify provides with the foundation to run an ecommerce business like any other platform. It lets you open a storefront, showcase products, engage with customers, accept payments, and more. Shopify offers all the tools you need to manage each of those activities.
But unlike woo commerce, Shopify doesn’t come for free. The closest it offers is a free trial to run a trial check on the process!
WooCommerce vs Shopify: Comparison (Source – Google)
|
Points of Difference (PoD) |
WooCommerce |
Shopify |
|
Number of Users |
3,300,000+ |
1,300,000+ |
|
Number of Themes |
Unlimited |
60+ |
|
Getting Started/Installation |
Intermediate |
Very easy |
|
Features |
||
|
Blog |
Yes |
Yes, but limited |
|
Mobile Version |
Depends on the theme |
Yes |
|
Email Newsletters |
Yes, but with a plugin |
Yes |
|
HTML Compatibility |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Help and Support |
Very active community |
Phone, chat, email, |
|
SEO |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Product Editor |
WordPress Editor/Blocks |
WordPress-type editor |
|
Storage Space |
Depends on server size |
Unlimited |
|
Ecommerce |
||
|
CSV Catalog Import |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Payment Gateways |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Offline Payments Tracking |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Marketplaces Connection |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Catalog Size |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Inventory Management |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Prices |
||
|
Trial Version |
No |
14-day trial (without a credit card) |
|
Sales Commissions |
No |
From 0.5% to 2% |
|
Paid Offers (monthly price) |
WooCommerce is a free plugin |
Shopify Lite: $9/mo *Prices are subject to vary |
The chart is here is gist of what both these platforms offer, on pay & on a free basis. The comparison is subject to change every now and then based on the upgrades these two platforms undergo to keep up with the progress around. Some of the key features to keep in mind while building the website are,
- Step 1 – Getting to know your platform
Woo Commerce – Since it’s a plugin and not the actual mother platform, the only step that you will be required to do is installing the plug in and yes, maintenance of the web platform!
Shopify – It is an easy web platform to use as it provides guidance from the very beginning. So, we just have to follow!
- User-experience
Woo Commerce – When a website is built, we have a priority list of tasks to focus on and hence, we need a web platform that can support us in management across various sections & woo commerce has limitless support services, for free!
Shopify – Shopify performs similarly but at a price.
- Third-Party Integration
Building a website and selling a service or a product is not just limited to a platform that will let you create one. Particular number of tools and services are required to support, like email marketing tools and social media tools. It is important that the ecommerce platform you choose to integrate with these tools like WooCommerce integrates with MailChimp. Support applications and services play an impactful role in a website and woo commerce offers the same for free, making it more accessible.
- Scalability and Growth
Think of your ecommerce platform as your business partner that will make it easier for you to grow your business rather than throw hurdles down your path. Many platforms are either not compatible with a growing business or they restrict your business’s growth by taking control of crucial aspects like customization or scalability. Make sure that your ecommerce platform provides you the freedom to grow your business the way you like.
- Customization
The user interface (UI) plays a major role in any website or application, as it’s the face of the business at hand.
WooCommerce does not have its own theme store. However, you can find themes at marketplaces that are appealing for users and responsive too.
- Payment Gateways
Payment options are an important part of WooCommerce and Shopify Platforms. The availability of different options and gateways plays a major role as it determines the target clientele and clientele building.
Shopify offers native Shopify Payments powered by Stripe and third-party payment gateways, such as PayPal, Amazon Payments.
- SEO Optimization
With woo commerce, with the installation of one plugin, you have access to free seo optimization.
For Shopify, it offers impactful SEO optimization with no additional plugin or application.
On the whole, woo commerce allows us to gain more control over how I want to run my operations. Woo commerce enables us to have complete control over the website, as it’s open-source, which gives us the power of personalization. Payment gateways become more streamlined with woo commerce. It has the option of integrating with niche payment mechanisms used across the world, all of this free of cost.
Woo commerce proves to be a better option to choose over, if
- The business is multilingual and multi-currency
- The business requires more customization
- Requires larger integration of the website
- Require additional support softwares or application
- Based on a budget
In Summary
The Woo commerce is introduced on Workiy to provide feature rich content management system & valuable services to our clients. We put our best foot forward when we assure you results & with our expert team at play, we promise you nothing less than what your business deserves.
Connect with our team today to discuss opportunities, possibilities & how you can acquire our services to make business the one!
