Do you find it hard to choose between Shopify and WooCommerce for your dropshipping store?
It's not just you; many other enthusiasts, experienced ecommerce marketers, and dropshippers feel the same way. They want a convenient way to start their business that handles hosting while effectively maintaining and building their store.
Shopify and WooCommerce are on the top tier of ecommerce platforms for dropshipping. They both dominate due to the rapid choice of ecommerce marketers. But both have their own pros and cons, so many get puzzled about which one to choose.
The main difference between Shopify and WooCommcerce is that Shopify is more suitable for beginners to understand how to build a store. At the same time, WooCommerce requires domain, hosting, and security to set up your store on your own.
Let us fix your confusion, and check out our take on Shopify vs. WooCommerce for dropshipping!
Shopify vs. WooCommerce: Overview
There's no doubt that Shopify and WooCommerce are superior in the ecommerce dropshipping business. But both have differences, so let's take a quick look at these ecommerce giants.
| Shopify | WooCommerce | ||
| Pros | Cons | Pros | Cons |
| Includes thousands of third-party apps and tools | It depends on the third-party apps for currency support | WordPress is an open-source platform, and you have complete control of your store | Requires learning how to install their plugins |
| Unique and straightforward theme design | Lacks international standards in different functions | Cheap hosting, security, plans, domain price | Requires more work to build a store than Shopify |
| Easy to manage the website with simple navigation | Theme switching requires you to reformat the entire site. | More freedom in creating your dropshipping store | Lacks user support |
Shopify's pros and cons include easily manageable features with many apps. On the other hand, WooCommerce is more of an open source platform with lots of plugins as WordPress is their resource here.
Let's summarize why you may choose Shopify or WooCommerce:
We recommend you to choose Shopify if:
- You want a straightforward process that makes your work more beginner-friendly.
- You want intuitive security features and effective customer service for your store 24/7.
- You want a platform that's easy to handle and regularly updates its software to include the latest trends in ecommerce.
We recommend you to choose WooCommerce if:
- You want an open-source platform that can run lots of plugins and extensions to run features and build your store.
- You need better SEO, customization, and extensive support to build your online store.
- You want less monthly fees and freedom in creating your store.
- You want to own the whole store since you own the domain, hosting, and security.
So, take your pick! Remember, this is just a quick overview; if you want a comprehensive review of Shopify or WooCommerce, continue reading!
If you want to save it for later – check out our infographic below:
Why do you need Shopify or WooCommerce for your business?
Shopify and WooCommerce are some of the biggest names in dropshipping. While Shopify has extensive support with more than enough features for online stores, WooCommerce states they are the most widely-used dropshipping platform.
From usage statistics, there are over four million Shopify-based dropshipping sites. On the other hand, around one million stores are built on WooCommerce.
Pretty intense, right?
So, why do you need Shopify or WooCommerce?
First, these platforms help you build your online store and save you from having to develop a dropshipping store from scratch. They offer extensions, plugins, and third-party apps to help you build a fully-functioning online store.
When you choose a theme, there are many options to customize and add new features or apps. Their built-in tools make it more convenient to use the platform.
At last, their reasonable pricing plans make the platforms accessible to those who are interested.
Shopify vs. WooCommerce: Themes
First of all, looks influence a customer in the first impression. So, theme selection is significant for building an effective dropshipping store. Both Shopify and WooCommerce have a collection of paid and free themes.
Currently, Shopify includes 82 paid themes and nine free themes. On the other hand, WooCommerce offer three free themes and 54 paid themes. All themes differ in pricing, colors, formation, and styles.
Find out more differences between these two in terms of design and themes:
- WooCommerce includes 57 themes, and its theme catalog is divided into free, storefront, and responsive theme collections. The price range of paid WooCommerce themes ranges from $39 to $79. On the other hand, Shopify themes range from $180 to $350.
- WooCommerce lacks theme search options on its website, whereas Shopify has extended searching options with industries, prices, catalog size, and sorting from low to high or high to low prices.
- Compared to WooCommerce, Shopify's themes are more polished and look more professional as Shopify is a dedicated platform for ecommerce. WooCommerce themes come with a clean and smooth layout, but Shopify offers a more curated theme selection.
| Platform | Free Themes | Paid Themes | Industry Categories | Premium Theme Price |
| Shopify | 9 | 82 | 17 | $180 - $350 |
| WooCommerce | 3 | 54 | 12 | $39 - $79 |
Shopify vs. WooCommerce: Features
Shopify and WooCommerce: when comparing their features, Shopify comes forth as it has rich features and offers abandoned cart recovery that WooCommerce doesn't provide.
If you focus on building a simple and small business store with many featured products, both will provide effective built-in tools and designs to create your store.
Let's find out some differences based on their features:
- Abandoned cart recovery. One feature that Shopify includes but WooCommerce doesn't is an abandoned cart recovery system. This system prevents your customer from entering their purchase details again. Also, it sends a reminder to visitors who didn't complete their order.
- Selling on a different channel. This Shopify feature allows you to sell products on other ecommerce and social media websites such as Amazon, eBay, Facebook, or Instagram. However, WooCommerce requires $79 for social media login to connect to other channels.
- The seamless experience of shipping. Both platforms offer a unified shipping experience with free shipping and the ability to sell products globally.
While comparing the features of Shopify and WooCommerce, Shopify exceeds WooCommerce on a few sides. If you sign up for Shopify's basic plan, you will be able to enjoy these excellent features immediately.
Pro tip: If you want a quick and faster store-building experience, Shopify is the right choice. On the other hand, WooCommerce requires you to purchase hosting, security, and a domain to build the store.
Shopify vs. WooCommerce: Usability
When the question arises of which platform to choose for ease of usage, our pick would be Shopify. As Shopify is easy to use for all users, from beginners to advanced, Shopify takes the lead here. On the other hand, WooCommerce requires you to take care of web hosting and security yourself.
Shopify manages the entire technical side related to building and managing your stores, such as installing, managing, or updating software and security.
Let's look at more differences related to the usability of Shopify vs. WooCommerce:
| Shopify | WooCommerce |
| Shopify is a fully hosted platform; you don't have to install, update, or secure the store. | WooCommerce requires you to install security extensions and manage backups and updates. |
| Free or paid themes let you customize and add the product to your store. | You need to install plugins to use some features, but the rest of the tasks are easy to do. |
| Shopify has intuitive controls for drag and drops options. Manage your product page, and sales are more manageable. | WooCommerce doesn't have a drag-and-drop feature to build your store. |
Pro tip: Both Shopify and WooCommerce offer trials, allowing you to try them out for free.
Shopify vs. WooCommerce: Pricing
Shopify is way ahead of WooCommerce in terms of features or themes. But in terms of pricing, WooCommerce wins the battle! The WooCommerce platform itself is free to use, and its extensions cost around $39, whereas Shopify is paid.
As a dedicated ecommerce platform, Shopify has fixed monthly pricing plans. WooCommerce price ranges are more flexible and easy to manage. Shopify's pricing plans start from $39 per month for the basic plan and go up to $399 per month for the advanced plan.
WooCommerce itself is free to use, but you must pay for extensions, domain name, security, and hosting.
Let's have a look at the overall pricing to run an established store for WooCommerce below:
| To Buy for a WooCommerce Store | Cost |
| Domain | $10 (per year) |
| Theme | $39 - $79 (one-time) |
| Hosting | $35-$50 (per month) |
| Security | $0 - $200 (per year) |
| Extensions | $0 - $100 (per month) |
Shopify offers a free 3-day trial + pay $1/month for the first 3 months for every plan, while WooCommerce also offers a 30-day trial on some specific extensions.
On the other hand, Shopify and Woocommerce offer enterprise pricing plans available via quote and appropriate for commercial businesses.
Shopify vs. WooCommerce: Payment gateways
Shopify and WooCommerce have multiple payment gateway options. Use any payment option for your convenience.
Both Shopify and WooCommerce include various payment options.
Take a look at their standard payment options:
- Apple Pay
- Credit or Debit Card
- Square
- Stripe
- Paypal
Shopify's payment options are plenty and are likely to exceed your expectations. But you need to pay up to a 2% fee on top of the third-party payment provider's fee.
You won't have to pay additional fees by using Shopify Payments, but you must pay credit card fees of 2.9% + 30¢ USD.
WooCommerce and Shopify have some similarities in terms of payment fees, as WooCommerce also charges credit or debit card fees of 2.9% + 30¢ USD. Cards issued outside the US have an additional 1% charge.
Pro tip: Use Shopify or WooCommerce's self-developed payment gateways to eliminate additional charges.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is an online ecommerce platform that helps you to build your store with a shopping cart solution.
Since 2006, Shopify has been operating its business and helping many enthusiasts, professionals, and entrepreneurs to build their stores. Shopify's primary aspect is managing and handling everything related to your online store in a single place.
The specialty of this platform is that you can start a business without being an expert. Anyone can start a dropshipping store within seven days.
The pros of Shopify
- Easy setup. Shopify's advanced features allow you to set up your Shopify store quickly. You don't need to have any technical skills to build a store. All the facilities and software are offered within the platform.
- Flexible and versatile. Versatility is one of Shopify's top qualities, as Shopify includes several built-in tools that make your business easy to set up and offer showcasing, sale products, coupons, and different shipping options. All in one platform to build your store and maximize profits!
- Protection and security. Protecting customers' sensitive information is more prioritized in Shopify. They offer SSL certification and PCI to protect and encrypt all your data. Shopify ensures all your personal and financial information gets protected.
The cons of Shopify
- Changing Template. If you want to change the Template and switch to any other, Shopify requires you to redesign your store. This is the one disadvantage that most Shopify users face.
- Lock-in feature. Shopify also includes a lock-in feature that restricts you from migrating to another ecommerce platform as they mostly only offer backups and exports in a CSV format.
What is WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is a plugin that integrates with WordPress and mainly turns your website into a full ecommerce-based website.
Launched in 2011, WooCommerce is designed to be used in combination with extensions allowing you to build your own online store.
The pros of WooCommerce
- WordPress-based platform. Since WooCommerce is connected with WordPress, it works well with WordPress themes. Some themes are free of charge; you can select and use those right away to start your business.
- Affordable and has more freedom. WooCommerce includes more affordable themes to get you started with the online dropshipping store, while Shopify charges a huge amount in themes, apps, and building stores.
Also, WooCommerce lets you build your store with your preferable hosting, domain, and security. - Shipping convenience. WooCommerce even makes your selling easy with its diverse collection of shipping options. Different built-in features offer flat-rate, local delivery, or international shipping and provide customers a discount based on their delivery address.
- Versatile in Search Engine Optimization. As WooCommerce is connected with WordPress, your store gets a significant SEO boost. WordPress includes a lot of plugins to increase your online presence.
The cons of WooCommerce
- Costs more during the transaction. Although you're free to use some features, accepting credit card payments still requires quite a lot of money. For example, If you want to use the Authorize.net feature for accepting credit card payments, you need to pay transaction fees + $25 per month, which is quite expensive.
- Only compatible with WordPress. WooCommerce itself is a plugin that is not compatible with different websites other than WordPress. Many online businesses are not interested in using WooCommerce because of incompatibility.
FAQs on Shopify vs. WooCommerce for dropshipping
What's a better platform, Shopify or WooCommerce?
Shopify is slightly ahead of WooCommerce because of its ease of use and beginner-friendly options. At the same time, WooCommerce requires specific knowledge about hosting, getting a domain, and ensuring the security of your store.
Should I switch from WooCommerce to Shopify?
If you like WordPress, having access to lots of free plugins, and cheap deals, WooCommerce is the right choice for you. Although Shopify is more expensive, it is also the better solution for many online store owners.
Why should you not use WooCommerce?
As WooCommerce includes many plugins to install, conflicts will sometimes create site speed issues and high maintenance costs.
Do you have to pay for hosting with WooCommerce or Shopify?
You don't need web hosting for Shopify, as the monthly pricing plans include the hosting fee. On the other hand, WooCommerce is free to use but requires costs for hosting your store.
Are there alternatives to Shopify and WooCommerce?
Although Shopify has been a versatile ecommerce platform providing service since 2006, there are other options for your if you want to switch. You can use BigCommerce, ShopBase, or Shift4Shop, which are alternatives to Shopify or WooCommerce.
Conclusion
We have uncovered all the possible differences between Shopify vs. WooCommerce for dropshipping. Now, decide and choose your best option to run your store.
In our comprehensive review of the WooCommerce vs. Shopify dropshipping business, we've tried to show you who could be your reliable business resource for a successful online store.
Shopify beats WooCommerce in most cases, but many enthusiasts and experienced dropshippers still use WooCommerce for less investment in plans.
As Shopify is easy to set up and has more reliable customer support, I recommend choosing a plan that fits your budget or using the trial option to test their service.
On the other hand, WooCommerce is more of a do-it-all-on-your-own thing. You need to host, domain, and security on your own and go through more learning curves to maintain your store.
So, choose WooCommerce if you want cheaper plans and experience new dimensions of building a store.
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