The app economy is booming, and it's no surprise that many companies are jumping on the bandwagon.
With so many dropshipping apps competing for attention, not all can make it.
Oberlo, for instance, shut down completely in June 2022 as Shopify, which owns Oberlo, wanted to focus on other opportunities.
Oberlo helped you to find dropshipping products and fulfill your orders more easily. DSers currently does the same. They both offer(ed) solutions that work with Shopify, the industry-leading ecommerce platform.
Though they provide(d) similar services, there were some differences between them.
The main difference between Oberlo and DSers is that Oberlo's free plan didn't contain the bulk orders and shipment tracking features. Oberlo only worked with Shopify stores, while DSers does have these features in their free plan and can be integrated with other ecommerce platforms.
Here, we will explore the pros and cons of Oberlo and DSers to see how they compared to each other!
But before that, let’s quickly go over why you might need one of these tools for your dropshipping store.
Important note: On June 30, 2022, Oberlo shut down completely and partnered with DSers to migrate its users. This article will show you the differences between Oberlo and DSers, but you won't be able to use Oberlo anymore!
If you are interested in more information about Oberlo alternatives and how to migrate from Oberlo to those alternatives, check out this article here!
Why do you need Oberlo or DSers for your dropshipping store?
You might be looking at installing Oberlo or DSers for your online store, but why do you need them in the first place?
Oberlo or DSers are so-called dropshipping apps.
I know, that doesn't say much about what they do, right?
Well, it isn't easy to find another name for them. They are called dropshipping apps because they can help you with a number of tasks in the dropshipping process.
Remember, as a dropshipper, you are selling products that you don't have in stock. Once a customer places an order, you forward it to your dropshipping supplier, who then ships the product(s) directly to your customer.
To run a dropshipping store, some of your tasks are:
- Finding suppliers
- Adding the supplier's product(s) to your store
- Buy products from your supplier(s), according to your customer's order (a.k.a order fulfillment)
- Manage your supplier's stock levels to make sure you aren't selling products that have sold out from your supplier's inventory
- Update the tracking numbers and order statuses for the orders you have received
And guess what?
These are all things that a dropshipping app like Oberlo or DSers can either automate or make a whole lot easier!
Therefore, you need a dropshipping app like Oberlo or DSers to save yourself a lot of time when dropshipping. Trust me; it's better to spend your time on things like making your store more unique or developing the perfect pricing strategy.
Let's now look at our two highlighted dropshipping apps, Oberlo and DSers, and their pros and cons!
What is Oberlo?
Oberlo was a dropshipping app for Shopify stores that can help you find products, add them to your store, and fulfill orders.
It was one of the biggest dropshipping companies out there and was often used by people who are just starting with dropshipping.
Oberlo was acquired by Shopify in 2017, but was completely discontinued in June 2022 by Shopify as it focuses more and more on its own fulfillment network.
Both Oberlo and DSers can only import products from AliExpress suppliers.
By importing a product using the Oberlo Shopify app, you would be able to directly copy the AliExpress product description, photos, and other information to your store.
However, it definitely isn't recommended to copy everything directly from the AliExpress product page!
For the best results, you should write your own product description and use only the highest-quality photos from the AliExpress seller.
In terms of pricing, Oberlo offered the free "Explorer" plan that includes basic features like the Oberlo Chrome extension and product imports. Alternatively, you could opt for the paid "Boss" plan, which offered advanced features like bulk orders and shipment tracking.
The pros of Oberlo
Let's take a look at some pros of Oberlo!
Oberlo is part of Shopify
Originally, Oberlo was an independent company from Lithuania. In 2017, Shopify acquired the company and transformed it into a part of its business.
At one point, Oberlo was one of the most installed dropshipping apps on the Shopify app store.
It was more than just a Shopify dropshipping app
The next advantage of Oberlo is that it wasn't just a Shopify dropshipping app.
Besides helping you with practical tasks, Oberlo can be a beneficial resource for dropshipping store owners.
On their website, you will find numerous blogs, success stories, free courses, and guides about dropshipping and making money online in general. Their website is still online today, even though the Oberlo app is discontinued!
By the way, you will also find free resources about dropshipping on the DSers website; they just don't do it on Oberlo's level!
Great user interface
Compared to the DSers' user interface, Oberlo's user interface was definitely more modern and nicer to look at! (For example, their dashboard was great)
Everything was well organized, and there was no clutter from loads of buttons or menu items.
At the start, you would have access to a clear step-by-step tutorial on how to get started.
There are only four steps; connecting your Shopify store, adding your first product, going live, and making a sale!
Besides, it was straightforward to edit the description, variants, and images of the products you have added to the import list!
Excellent customer service
Ever tried using Shopify's customer service? If so, you have probably had a great experience.
Remember, Oberlo is part of Shopify, so their customer service was excellent as well!
If you ever had questions about running your dropshipping business, tracking your orders, or contacting suppliers, Oberlo offered 24/7 customer support.
Available in multiple languages
Oberlo was optimized for a global audience.
Whether you were running a global store or targeting just a specific market, Oberlo would be able to support you.
The app was available in languages like English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. Besides, it worked with multiple currencies and worldwide shipping, which allowed you to start dropshipping from anywhere in the world!
The cons of Oberlo
Nothing is perfect, and the same counts for Oberlo. Let's take a look at the cons!
Only worked with Shopify stores
As Shopify owns Oberlo, it did not work with dropshipping stores on other ecommerce platforms like WooCommerce.
To start using Oberlo, you would have to install its Shopify app, which is currently discontinued.
Reviews from app users could be better
Oberlo got an average rating of 4.3 stars based on 2,422 reviews.
This rating isn't necessarily bad, but it could be better. To give you an idea, the DSers Shopify app gets a maximum score of 5.0 stars on average from over 4,700 reviews!
It looks like most negative Oberlo reviews are concerned about the app's technical difficulties. Some users were experiencing loading issues, syncing issues, or import issues.
Bulk orders and shipment tracking were only available on the paid plan
Another con of using Oberlo is that the free "Explorer" plan is somewhat limited in terms of its features.
In Oberlo's free plan, you would get features like unlimited monthly orders, Oberlo's Chrome extension, and variant mapping.
However, you would be missing out on some awesome features like bulk orders and shipment tracking. This is unfortunate since these features are likely to be your biggest time savers!
So, to unlock them, you would need to get the $29.90 per month "Boss" plan, which also unlocked features like multiple staff accounts and Oberlo's affiliate program.
What is DSers?
DSers is a tool similar to Oberlo. After Oberlo shut down in June 2022, Shopify partnered with DSers and officially motivated Oberlo users to migrate to DSers.
DSers is a dropshipping tool used to make dropshipping with AliExpress a lot easier.
Like Oberlo, DSers offers a Shopify app and a Chrome extension that helps you import products from AliExpress into your store quickly.
The remarkable thing about DSers is that it's the official ecommerce solution of AliExpress. Therefore, it should be really well integrated with the supplier.
And guess what? It is!
According to DSers, you can save up to 96.7% of your ordering time by using their fulfillment feature compared to fulfilling your orders manually.
The pros of DSers
So, what are the advantages of using DSers as opposed to using Oberlo? Let's check the pros of DSers!
Official partner of AliExpress
DSers is, with a few other apps, an official dropshipping partner of AliExpress.
This means that DSers is working together with AliExpress, and AliExpress also promotes DSers as their official dropshipping solution partner.
In other words, AliExpress acknowledges that the DSers app works really well in combination with their platform.
Due to DSers' partnership with AliExpress, they have been able to develop their bulk order feature at a very early stage and still use it as their unique selling proposition to this day.
Just take a look at their Shopify app in the image above, where DSers shows the headline "Place 100s of orders to AliExpress in seconds".
Excellent reviews from app users
Speaking of the DSers Shopify app, it gets excellent reviews from the app users, which is a great sign.
Over 4,700 reviews on the DSers Shopify app resulted in an average rating of 5.0 stars. That's right; it's the highest score!
Most users seem to be satisfied with DSers' excellent customer support team and their lightning-quick order fulfillment feature!
Integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Wix
You will be able to use DSers with dropshipping stores on Shopify, WooCommerce, and even Wix!
This is a massive pro for those who are dropshipping using the WooCommerce or Wix platform since Oberlo is only available for Shopify stores.
Therefore, your only choice out of these two options will be to use DSers.
Awesome features on the free plan
Unlike Oberlo, DSers includes most of its features in all plans.
For example, you will always get bulk orders (most important), the DSers Chrome Extension, and the automated order & tracking number sync features!
DSers also offers an "Advanced" plan of $19.99 per month, a "Pro" plan of $49.90 per month, or an "Enterprise" plan of $499 per month.
However, there isn't a big incentive for these paid plans, especially the more expensive ones.
You will experience the most significant improvements when upgrading from the free plan to the "Advanced" plan, which will unlock automatic inventory updates, automated pricing rules, variant mapping, and Buy One Get One (BOGO)/Bundle mapping.
You can check out the full details of DSers' pricing plans here!
PayPal order tracking service
Did you ever experience problems with regards to getting banned by PayPal?
If so, it probably wasn't a fun experience.
One of the ways to minimize the risk of getting banned by PayPal when dropshipping is to upload tracking information to PayPal for all your orders.
However, if you are getting lots of orders each and every day, this can become a very time-consuming task!
Luckily, DSers offers a PayPal Order Tracking Service.
It's a service that will sync your orders' tracking numbers to PayPal.
So, once your AliExpress dropshipping supplier shipped out the product, DSers will not only automatically sync the tracking numbers to your Shopify, Wix, or WooCommerce store but also your PayPal account!
Therefore, you minimize the risk of getting banned, you can stay informed of all the order statuses directly from your PayPal account, and your customers will be notified of the order progress as well!
Supplier Optimizer
Do you have trouble with finding good suppliers on AliExpress?
If you said "yes", then you are part of the reason why DSers created their Supplier Optimizer.
It is designed to help you find better suppliers for your products. It will help you find suppliers that sell the exact same product but have better ratings and lower prices.
With just an AliExpress link and a few clicks, you may be able to find a better replacement for your current supplier!
The cons of DSers
With the pros of DSers out of the way, let's now see if the dropshipping app also has some cons.
UI may be slightly more complicated compared to Oberlo
The user interface of DSers may be slightly less beginner-friendly compared to the Oberlo dropshipping app.
Still, DSers has recently updated its user interface and made a significant improvement compared to the previous version. Besides, the DSers app will still be straightforward to use after you get used to it!
Mapping systems can be tricky and mobile friendliness can be improved
When reviewing the DSers app reviews that didn't include a five-star rating, I saw some users complain about using the mapping system, which can be tricky to get used to.
Also, a different user suggested the mobile-friendliness of the app can be improved because the order processing can't be handled on a mobile phone:
Overview: Oberlo or DSers?
So, with the details of the two options covered, let's go back to the question we started with:
Oberlo vs. DSers: what were the differences?
As a refresher and an overview, here is a table showing all the pros and cons of both options:
| Oberlo | DSers | ||
| Pros | Cons | Pros | Cons |
| Oberlo is part of Shopify | Only worked with Shopify stores | Official partner of AliExpress | UI is slightly more complicated |
| It was more than just a dropshipping app | App reviews could be better | Excellent reviews from app users | The mapping system and mobile friendliness could be improved |
| Great user interface | Bulk orders and shipment tracking were only available on the paid plan | Integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Wix | |
| Excellent customer service | Awesome features on the free plan | ||
| Available in multiple languages | PayPal order tracking service | ||
| Supplier Optimizer |
If you are still second-guessing, let me tell you what I think.
Even though Oberlo is no longer available as a dropshipping app, DSers is still a better option for most people.
It has excellent reviews from its users, it supports multiple ecommerce platforms, the free plan is fantastic, and it offers unique features like the PayPal order tracking service and the Supplier Optimizer.
However, some people may have found that they preferred Oberlo as well.
To summarize, let me give you a few examples here:
Oberlo was an excellent choice if:
- You highly valued that Oberlo is a part of Shopify.
- You just started out with dropshipping and you wanted to use the dropshipping app with the most intuitive user interface.
- English isn't your strongest point, and you appreciated being able to use an app in languages like French, Spanish, or Italian.
DSers is an excellent choice if:
- You want a dropshipping app that will offer the highest value for money, and even offers the most important features on the free plan.
- You run a dropshipping store on WooCommerce or Wix.
- You want to automate syncing your tracking information to your PayPal account as well.
If you want to save it for later – check out our infographic below:
Compare Oberlo to other dropshipping companies
Not sure yet if DSers is the right fit for your business? Check out our other comparison articles below:
And to compare more companies, visit the comparison hub!
Final thoughts
I hope this article has helped you to make a decision for your dropshipping app!
Personally, I have used both these apps in the past, and in the end, I preferred to use DSers mainly thanks to its efficient bulk order feature. You will save so much time when it comes to fulfilling your orders by using it!
Also, did you know that DSers isn't the only Oberlo alternative?
There are many more dropshipping apps out there. For example, check out our article showcasing 14 DSers alternatives here!
Spoiler alert: DSers will still be one of the best for AliExpress dropshipping, but it's still nice to see the other alternatives, right?
Besides, you might be interested in not using AliExpress anymore and dropshipping with other great suppliers. In that case, you will find alternatives like Spocket, SaleHoo, or uDroppy as well in that article.
For more information, you can even read this article about the difference between Spocket and Oberlo!
And if you're interested in learning how to increase your dropshipping sales, check out our other article here!
Let me know if you have any further questions, and have a great rest of your day!
