You want to create an online store, then you start looking for alternatives and you find everywhere that in the e-commerce world there are two camps: Shopify vs WooCommerce. And how do you know which one to choose? These are the two platforms that best suit the needs of ecommerce experts and inexperienced. To give you an idea, of the 10,000 most influential stores, only 6% use WooCommerce, while 23% use Shopify. However, it is not enough to know the best practices of the competition. In Teipe Digital we think it is important to have concrete data and deepen into the characteristics of each one to choose the most suitable platform for the needs of your business. Let's get to know them!
Shopify vs WooCommerce Features and Differences
Although both platforms will help you to create and manage your own e-commerce, each one has unique features that you should take into account.
Ease of use
This is one of the most important points, since an e-commerce that is too difficult to use will be an e-commerce that you will not use.
WooCommerce is a self-hosted open-source platform. This means that when you start it from scratch, you have to set up the hosting, connect your SSL certificate and domain name, install WordPress, adjust the settings, install WooCommerce and all the other plugins you need, install your theme, and much more. This translates into time, resources, hiring a coding expert, and relying on them for everything you want to do.
With Shopify, on the other hand, it's easy to get the expertise you need as you get deeper into setting up the site. It's a very simple and intuitive platform, so anyone can understand what to do almost immediately. Setting up a store can take just a few hours with Shopify.
Integrations
At this point Shopify has the advantage over Woocommerce thanks to its built-in multichannel integration. This feature will allow you to promote and sell your products through Facebook, Instagram, eBay, Walmart, TikTok, among others.
Integrations are also possible through Woocommerce. But you have to know that for this you will have to install additional plugins for each of them. Again, this platform requires a bit of knowledge and dedication to make things work.
Store design
Both platforms offer designs and themes to convey the spirit of your business in the digital world.
On Shopify you'll find a slightly narrower range of themes. However, each of the themes is well curated and has a neat and professional final look.
In Woocommerce you have hundreds of options, although many of them are not neat enough. So you will have to spend time to choose the best theme for your online business.
On both platforms you will find free options and premium options. Depending on what your business needs are, you will have to evaluate if you need an advanced design or if you can solve it with a simpler page.
Payment methods
The more payment methods a platform can support, the better. The better your chances of selling, no matter what corner of the world your buyer is in.
WooCommerce supports all major gateways, including Stripe, PayPal, Square and Authorize.Net. Also with regional gateways, such as PencePay, which focuses on emerging markets.
That's right! Keep in mind that some of these gateways require you to purchase an additional WooCommerce extension.
PencePay.MyShopify has its own payment gateway that requires no setup. Plus if you use Shopify Payments, you won't be charged transaction fees.
Shopify also supports a wide range of external payment gateways.
However, you need to know that the platform charges additional fees for using these gateways. This fee is 2%, 1% or 0.5% for Shopify Basic plans, Shopify and Shopify Advanced plans, respectively. For this reason, if you opt for Shopify, we suggest you consider using their payment gateway.
How much does each cost?
Shopify's base prices are transparent, so it's easy to evaluate upfront how much it will cost you to have your e-commerce on this platform.
Depending on your subscription, you will also pay up to 2.9% plus 30¢ for each transaction. You can reduce these fees to 2.4% plus 30¢ by purchasing the Advanced Shopify plan.
WooCommerce is a bit more complicated. You can download the WordPress core and WooCommerce plugins for free. If you want to minimize running costs, you will find free WooCommerce themes and plugins in the WordPress repository.
However, you may have to pay for premium WooCommerce themes and some official WooCommerce extensions. If you don't already have a WordPress site, you will also need to purchase hosting and a domain name.
These variables make it difficult to calculate the total price of a WooCommerce store, especially when compared to a fixed Shopify subscription. However, the wide variety of free and premium add-ons translates into plenty of room to make WooCommerce as affordable or expensive as you want.
At Teipe Digital we prefer to work with Shopify because we prioritize that our customers have predictability on their costs and autonomy in the management of their online store, always with our support, management, and advice. Contact us now and activate your online store with us!
