Shopify vs. WooCommerce

Is Shopify better than WooCommerce? Detailed comparison of Shopify and WooCommerce e-commerce platforms. Including pros and cons of both in a comprehensive table.

The amount of people starting their own online business is growing every year. In 2020, this was even accelerated due to pandemic situation. And many of them turn to Shopify platform thanks to its simplicity and scalability.

In December 2022, there were over millions of merchants around the World using the Shopify platform to empower their business. According to the Built With data there are almost 4 million live Shopify stores and over 5 million stores using WooCommerce. The actual numbers may vary, but it is true that there are more WooCommerce stores than Shopify store.

According to the latest statistics

The Shopify's GMV in 2022 reached more than $197B

Vast majority of customers are using their mobile devices for online shopping. That means your online store must be fully ready to deliver the best possible experience on mobiles and tablets. And that's another big advantage of Shopify. Not just the storefront but also the admin are designed in a mobile-first approach.

On top of that, Shopify offers a
free mobile app available for both iOS and Android, using which you can easily manage your orders, products, view reports, and so on. Basically all your day-to-day operations related to running an online business.

WooCommerce is an open-source platform running on the WordPress engine. It's basically an add-on (plugin) for WordPress. Its main advantages are low (free) price and a high level of customization. On the other hand, it requires a lot of technical knowledge for setup and maintenance.

Comparison table

basic overview

Starting price (per month)

$32

Free*

Transaction fee

2.9% + $0.30

2.9% + $0.30

Unlimited products

Embedded payment gateway

24/7 Free Support

Number of apps

8 500+

58 000+

Number of free apps

4 000+

58 000+

features

Blog CMS

Built-in SEO

Global CDN storage

Hosting

SSL Certificate

Subscription sales

Paid app

design

Drag & drop editing

Theme customizations

Theme backups

Paid app

Number of store themes

100+

1 300+

global reach & expansion

Multi-language

Free app

Multi-currency

Paid app

Multi-inventory

Free app

Automatic translations

Free app

Local payments

Analytics & reporting

Live dashboard

Paid app

Marketing reports

Paid app

Finances reports

Inventory reports

Paid app

Product analytics

Paid app

Visitor behavior reports

Paid app

Google Analytics integration

Free app

Payments

Credit & debit cards

Google Pay

Free app

Apple Pay

Free app

Amazon Pay

Free app

PayPal

Crypto (Bitcoin, Ethereum)

Free app

Klarna

Free app

iDEAL

Free app

Wire transfer

Cash on delivery

Summary

Features

100%

40%

Design

100%

70%

Global reach & expansion

100%

55%

Analytics & reporting

100%

61%

Payments

100%

80%

*WooCommerce subscription is free, but it doesn't include hosting, domain, and SSL costs.

Conclusion

Both Shopify and WooCommerce are similar e-commerce platforms targeting the same audience (SMBs), but it really depends on whether you are looking for low costs or stress-free maintenance.

Our verdict

WooCommerce is a great solution for a technical person, but if you are not or want peace of mind, go with Shopify.

WooCommerce is a great choice if your budget is tight but you have some technical knowledge. It's not a typical SaaS solution, so you need to get your hosting, SSL, and CDN up and running. Also, the maintenance is quite stressful, and with every plugin update, there is a risk something will go wrong.

Compared to Shopify, WooCommerce offers a much higher level of possible customization. But again, such customization requires coding skills.
Shopify should be your choice if you want to focus on marketing, e-commerce, and sales rather than the technical side of the store. It will come up at a higher price, but it very likely pays off in the future.

The platform has everything you would expect from an e-commerce solution in 2022. And if something is missing, you will for sure find it on the Shopify App Store (via a paid app, though).

We definitely encourage you to try both and see which one is the best for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Shopify unique compared to other e-commerce platforms?
How much does it cost to run Shopify store per month?
What countries and languages is Shopify available in?
What currencies and payment methods are available on Shopify?
Do I need any technical knowledge to manage a Shopify store?
Is Shopify suitable for larger stores with thousands of products?
How can I migrate to Shopify from another e-commerce platform?
Can I use my existing store domain and connect it to Shopify?

Let’s kickstart your Shopify business together

All our stores are beautifully designed (#eyecandy). More importantly, though, they’re optimized to sell. Customer love, guaranteed. Just don't tell the competition.

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