Shopify vs WooCommerce. Which is the best option?

You want to create an online store, so you start looking for alternatives and you find everywhere that in the ecommerce world there are two sides: Shopify vs WooCommerce . And how do you know which one to choose? These are the two platforms that best adapt to the needs of experts and novices in ecommerce. 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 good practices of the competition. At Teipe Digital we think it is important to have concrete data and delve into the characteristics of each one to choose the most convenient platform for the needs of your business. Let's get to know them!

Features and differences between Shopify vs WooCommerce

Although both platforms will help you create and manage your own e-commerce, each has unique features that you should take into account.

• Ease of use
• Integrations
• Store design
• Payment methods
• How much does each one cost?

Ease of use

This is one of the most important points, since an ecommerce that is too difficult to use will be an ecommerce that you will not use.

WooCommerce is an open-source, self-hosted platform. This means that when you start from scratch, you have to set up hosting, connect your SSL certificate and domain name, install WordPress, adjust settings, install WooCommerce and all the other plugins you need, install your theme, and much more. This translates into time, resources, hiring a code expert, and relying on them for everything you want to do.

With Shopify , on the other hand, it's easy to get the experience you need as you get into setting up your site. It's a very simple and intuitive platform, so anyone can figure out 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 multi-channel 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 should know that you will have to install additional plugins for each of them. Once 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.

You'll find a slightly more limited range of themes on Shopify, but each theme is well curated and has a polished, professional look.

There are hundreds of options available to you in WooCommerce, but many of them are not comprehensive enough. So you will have to spend time choosing the best theme for your online business.

On both platforms, you'll find free and premium options. Depending on your business needs, you'll need to evaluate whether you need an advanced design or if you can get by with a simpler page.

Payment methods

The more payment methods a platform can support, the better. The greater your chances of selling, no matter where in the world your buyer is located.

WooCommerce supports all major gateways including Stripe, PayPal, Square, and Authorize.Net. It also supports regional gateways such as PencePay, which focuses on emerging markets.

However, keep in mind that some of these gateways require you to purchase an additional WooCommerce extension.

PencePay.MyShopify has its own payment gateway that doesn't require any setup. Plus, if you use Shopify Payments, you won't be charged any transaction fees.

Shopify also supports a wide range of third-party payment gateways.

However, you should be aware that the platform charges additional fees for using these gateways. This fee is 2%, 1%, or 0.5% for the Shopify Basic, 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 one cost?

Shopify's base prices are transparent, so it's easy to estimate in advance how much it will cost to have your ecommerce on this platform.

Depending on your subscription, you'll 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 the WooCommerce plugin for free. If you want to minimize running costs, you'll 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 have a WordPress site yet, you'll also need to purchase hosting and a domain name.

These variables make it difficult to estimate 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 means plenty of scope to make WooCommerce as affordable or expensive as you want.

At Teipe Digital we prefer to work with Shopify as we prioritize our clients having predictability over their costs and autonomy in managing their online store, always counting on our support, management and advice. Contact us now and activate your online store with us!