Shopify Vs WooCommerce 

When it comes to building an online store, Shopify vs WooCommerce is an important decision you’ll have to make.

Shopify and WooCommerce are the most popular eCommerce platforms thanks to their stellar store capabilities and easy to use interface.

But which one should you choose? In this post, we take a look at the aspects to consider to make this all-important decision.

Your Budget

WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress, which again, is a free, open-source CMS platform. This means that you only have to pay or the essentials like domain, hosting and SSL and of course, you’ll have to hire a web design company if you aren’t going the DIY way.

Shopify, on the other hand, is proprietary software and will charge you right off the bat. However, the good news is that it offers a reliable solution right out of the box. Shopify offers different tiers of pricing plans based on features and benefits.

Moreover, Shopify charges a fee as a percentage of your transactions.

All in all, building a WooCommerce store is extremely cost-effective compared to Shopify.

Ease of Use

Shopify is a DIY website builder that features drag and drop builders and other features, making it easy to build your own website. It’s very easy to launch your eCommerce store on Shopify. Simply create your Shopify account, choose a domain, pick your theme and you’re sorted!

However, WooCommerce is not a hosted platform, which means you will have to install WordPress, WooCommerce, take backups, manage updates and ensure it’s secure. So, if you don’t have the time for the learning curve or are looking for a simplified WooCommerce solution, consider hiring a web design agency.

Control Over Functionality

When it comes to hosted platforms, Shopify is unbeatable. However, it’s no match for the control that WooCommerce offers. With WooCommerce, there’s no limit to creativity and customization. You can add custom code, build a theme from scratch and choose from over 50,000 plugins to customizse the feel and functionality of your site.

However, Shopify is limited in terms of customization. You’re going to feel limited and restricted when working with Shopify.

Control Over Data

As WooCommerce is self-hosted, you own everything. So you can dig right into your database and access all the data you want to.

With Shopify, although, you do get access to all of your data, it sis on Shopify’s servers. This means you never have complete control over your own data.

Final Word

Shopify is a great fit for those looking for an easy to use DIY web design platform. You won’t be spending a lot of time setting up the site or maintaining it. But you may have to compromise customization capabilities and features. All in all, it’s a good option so long as you’re not selling complicated products with different variations.

WooCommerce offers better control and flexibility when compared to Shopify. What’s more, even if you decide to change hosting elsewhere, you can do so with WooCommerce. Your site belongs to you no matter where you host it. When you are looking to sell things that are anything but simple, WooCommerce will be the perfect fit.

Need help building an eCommerce website? Contact Magenta Web Design today to schedule your 30-minute free consultation.