Shopify and WooCommerce are the two most popular eCommerce platforms currently on the market, and each one of them has its strengths. The question you must ask yourself is which platform will better suit your unique needs and will allow you to build the best online shop for your business.

Which is more affordable, which one has better features, and which is more user-friendly?

We will answer these questions, and then some, in this in-depth analysis we will address which platform is best for you: Shopify or WooCommerce?

e-commerce website credit cards on computer

Shopify

Shopify is known for offering an all-inclusive package for your eCommerce store. Their tools will help you create your online platform quickly, while still giving you the option to include useful features and applications. If you are looking for an all-in-one solution that will let you hit the ground running, Shopify is for you!

Pros

Here are some of the biggest benefits of using Shopify:

  • Shopify handles everything for you, including security and hosting
  • Launch your store in minutes
  • Access to thousands of themes and applications to build out your platform
  • Straightforward and fair pricing

Cons

Shopify is not perfect, though, and has its drawbacks:

  • Less control over your website and fewer customization options
  • You commit to a monthly payment that may increase later

WooCommerce

Customization options and complete control is where WooCommerce shines. If you have an existing WordPress site and are comfortable taking additional control over the development of your store, then WooCommerce should be your choice!

Pros

WooCommerce offers the following benefits:

  • Maximum control over your online store
  • Significant customization options with endless plugins and themes
  • It doesn’t cost anything to get the WooCommerce plugin
  • Configure your site easily on WordPress, which has a significant online community

Cons

The following are some of the drawbacks to using WooCommerce:

  • WordPress is a bit complex and will require additional time to get setup
  • Additional plugins and themes are priced separately and can be more expensive
  • You are responsible for everything, including hosting, maintenance, and security

 

e-commerce website design

Comparing Design Features

Shopify

The themes available on Shopify are very high quality, and their design features are one of the biggest selling points for their platform. They have over 50 store templates and 10 of them are free, plus each one of the templates has unique variations to help you further customize your site.

These designs are fashionable and modern and are compatible with mobile devices. They are easily adjusted as well – all it takes is a button click to adjust colors and styles. If you are an advanced developer, you can even use the platform’s coding language to make significant adjustments to suit your brand’s needs.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce has significantly improved design features and allows you to customize your site to match your ideal brand aesthetic. The downside to this is that its not pre-packaged for you – you will have to put in the time to build your e-commerce site the way that you would like it.

 

e-commerce website credit card

Which one is Cheaper?

Pricing is one of the biggest differences between Shopify and WooCommerce. Shopify offers straightforward and easy to understand pricing, whereas the costs of using WooCommerce are not as clear upfront. WooCommerce is the more inexpensive solution, but it can get increasingly expensive as you start to incorporate add-ons – not to mention the cost associated with the time it takes you to set the website up.

Shopify

Since the goal of Shopify is to provide a pre-packaged solution, their cost structure is very conventional. The packages offered increase on a sliding scale, ranging from Lite at $9 per month to Advanced Shopify which costs $299 per month.

While this may be the simpler solution upfront, you can end up paying more in the long run because of the ongoing monthly expenses.

WooCommerce

The WooCommerce plugin is a free open source software, but there are additional costs for themes and plugins. It costs about $29 per month to run a WooCommerce store when you include domain, SSL, and hosting expenses. Extensions for things like SEO are purchased separately as one-time fees and can range from $49 to $79.

 

e-commerce website design features comparison

Features Comparison

When it comes to features, Shopify and WooCommerce are just about equal. Both platforms offer everything you need to run your eCommerce business, including online support, multiple payment options, web design themes, optimization tools, and more.

There is no clear winner in this category – even though Shopify may be more functional and easier to use, WooCommerce has just as many features and capabilities.

e-commerce website design which is easier to use

Which Platform is Easier to Use?

While Shopify is more user-friendly and easier to use when creating the site, WooCommerce is just as simple when it comes to managing the platform daily.

To get WooCommerce up and running, you must first obtain a domain name and sign up for hosting, then install WordPress and select a theme. After you have done this you can install the WooCommerce plugin and begin configuring your store.

This is a lot more work than launching a Shopify store, but again when it comes to maintaining the platform afterward, they are both equally as simple.

 

e-commerce website design seo

Which Platform is Better for SEO?

SEO features are essential when it comes to an eCommerce platform, and both have helpful tools available for this.

If we have to choose an overall winner in regards to SEO it is Shopify, mainly because of the high speeds and the fact that you do not have to worry much about optimization. However, WooCommerce offers a much higher volume of SEO features.

Shopify

As long as your business is producing high-quality content, you should be able to see great results and user engagement with Shopify. It has a very clean code and a natural linking structure that helps provide a seamless user experience and enhances rankings.

Shopify is also very fast because its platform has a massive infrastructure that ensures rapid page loading. This means Shopify stores will stand a better chance of reaching customers through SEO.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is perhaps one of the most renowned eCommerce platforms when it comes to SEO as there are so many tools and features at your disposal. Content can be easily added and edited, and metadata can be incorporated to help your site rank with specific keywords.

You also have greater control of SEO-related details with WooCommerce, as you can add plugins like Yoast SEO that offer highly optimized features.

Where WooCommerce lacks in the SEO space is speed – since that is all dependent on the hosting you decide to go with.

 

e-commerce website credit card

Payment Processing and Fees

An important consideration to make when choosing what platform to use for your eCommerce site is what payment processing options are available, and what are the fees to use them. Both Shopify and WooCommerce are very reliable and flexible, so it is a close call on which one is better.

If you are looking for a platform that offers the most payment processing options, then WooCommerce is the winner. They offer card processing services by default, and you can purchase add-ons to enable PayPal and Stripe. While these are the most common solutions, WooCommerce will let you add even more options through plugins. You can also leverage WooCommerce for in-store transactions!

While you may not pay WooCommerce processing fees, you will be paying the payment processors though, and these fees will vary by provider.

Shopify has a built-in payment service and also offers additional options through their app store – however, if you choose to use an alternative processor, you will have to pay for it! As a result, card payments will tend to cost more on Shopify than they will on WooCommerce.

 

e-commerce website design which is better for me

Bottom Line, Which is Better: Shopify or WooCommerce?

At the end of the day, you will have to choose which platform best suits your needs. Only you can determine what your unique branding needs are, but here are some additional considerations.

Consider setting up your eCommerce site with Shopify if you prefer to be more hands-off and like the idea of paying a monthly fee to make sure everything is taken care of. Shopify offers plenty of optimization features without the additional setup time and will work exactly as expected across mobile and desktop devices. Shopify has the perfect balance between flexibility and user-friendliness.

If you want to be in full control of your store, then WooCommerce is the right choice for you. Larger businesses will benefit from this control as it will allow you to access thousands of plugins and designs to get the most out of your site. Similarly, if you don’t mind spending time to set up the platform – or can pay someone to do this – then WooCommerce will be a better fit since you can achieve better customization.