When starting an online business, one of the first questions that might come to your mind is whether to use Shopify or WooCommerce.
It is actually a comparison that many people want to know, as they’re both valid and reliable platforms.
However, there are some differences between the two that might be crucial to the success of your eCommerce site. A wrong choice can cause a loss of time, money, and effort. This is the key reason behind this blog post. Throughout this guide, we’ll show you a described comparison of Shopify vs. WooCommerce outlining five major differences.
Here we go!
Table of Contents
1. Design and Templates
The first thing we think of when realizing an eCommerce website is its design. We want to make sure it’s outstanding, user-friendly, and differentiates from the competition.
However, to have such a design, unless you’re an experienced web designer, you might need ready-to-use templates. Luckily, both Shopify and WooCommerce provide refined themes you can use for your eCommerce straightforward. In any case, let’s see the differences between the two platforms.
WooCommerce themes
With WooCommerce, you can choose from a wide range of themes. The best part is that many WordPress themes are compatible with WooCommerce, too. Thus, you can take advantage of free themes as well.
Most of the WooCommerce themes are modern, responsive, user-friendly, and optimized for search engines. As such, you can expect maximum results. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKXDDYWYhS4
Shopify themes
From Shopify’s website
Shopify offers 100 free and premium professionally designed eCommerce templates. You can browse through niche themes of different types. As a result, you can easily find a template that fits your business type and needs.
Most of the templates have plenty of useful features and are optimized for mobile devices and search engines, guaranteeing you the best performance.
As opposed to WooCommerce’s template library, Shopify’s is limited. As a result, you may need to purchase a theme from external platforms.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJHFKv_VZQY&t=4s
2. Ease of use
When you’re just starting out with an online business, you may be looking for a platform that’s easy to use and has a friendly interface.
Let’s compare Shopify and WooCommerce from the perspective of ease-of-use.
WooCommerce ease of use
Installing WooCommerce might be quite a challenge if you don’t have any experience with WordPress installation and usage. In fact, as you may already know, you need to install the WooCommerce plugin onto your WordPress platform.
However, it’s not as complex as it seems, and by following some video tutorials and guides, you’ll be able to install it correctly.
If you’ve completed the installation, the interface will be very intuitive, and you’ll be able to find any function easily.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wut_yEncLfA&t=15s
Shopify ease of use
Shopify is the winner when it comes to ease of use. By being a built-in online store, you can easily manage and set up your business, even if you have no experience at all.
The only thing you need to do is choose a plan, log in to the platform, follow the basic instructions, do the editing, and then you’re ready to sell.
3. Apps and plugins
After you’ve built your eCommerce store, at some point, you may want to enhance its functionality in order to improve the user experience, execute your marketing strategy, and provide unique services.
In order to do so, you will need to integrate some apps and plugins. The great news is that both WooCommerce and Shopify offer a library of apps and plugins.
Let’s look at the differences between the two.
WooCommerce plugins
From WooCommerce’s website
Users of WooCommerce have access to endless WordPress plugins. You can choose from hundreds of free and premium plugins that add any type of functionality you may need to your store.
Along with the WordPress plugin library, WooCommerce also offers many extensions designed specifically for eCommerce sites.
Shopify plugins
From Shopify’s App Store
Shopify offers an app store where you can choose from thousands of apps to integrate into your online store and add features such as product reviews, product recommendations, email marketing, tracking system, etc.
Compared to WooCommerce, most Shopify apps are premium, so they may be more expensive.
4. Inventory management
Inventory management is a crucial activity for any online store. Thus, you need to make sure you’ll be able to perform it smoothly.
Let’s compare Shopify and Woocommerce from this perspective.
WooCommerce inventory management
WordPress provides you with a great deal of flexibility for managing your inventory. You can generate insightful reports on the platform and make any changes to your product, title, description, price, or any other attribute.
However, to manage your store perfectly, you may need to integrate some third-party apps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beUn-t8bA2g
Shopify inventory management
Shopify users also have full control and flexibility to manage their store inventories. You can access orders, product lists, reports, and so on.
As with WooCommerce, you will be able to update any information related to your products, such as images, prices, and more.
It’s possible to integrate some apps to add extra features and optimize management.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG72plgIn_A
5. Security
If you run an online business, you’ll likely be dealing with sensitive information about your customers, such as credit card information.
Thus, it is important to take care of the security of your eCommerce site.
Let’s look at how Shopify and WooCommerce differ in their security offering.
WooCommerce security
When you use Woocommerce, you’re responsible for your website’s security. In a nutshell, you will need to purchase and install an SSL certificate, hosting service, activate all the necessary security and anti-spam plugins, and so on.
Shopify security
Shopify will take care of your online store’s security, unlike WooCommerce. With its built-in SSL certificate and hosting services, it will provide you with the highest level of security. All your users’ data will be encrypted, ensuring maximum protection of their sensitive information.
Wrapping up
It is not easy to choose between WooCommerce and Shopify. They are both valid, secure, and reliable platforms that allow anyone to start an online business easily and effortlessly.
However, as discussed in the blog post, they differ in a few important ways.
By comparing these differences and determining the needs of your eCommerce site, you will be able to make an informed decision that will enable you to run your online business smoothly.
If you need help with the customization of your store, check out TemplateMonster’s services, and let a team of experts handle the project for you.
