That’s it, after several weeks you are finally ready to start and create your own e-commerce site. You must now make a choice that will guide the rest of your business: your e-commerce solution. There are dozens of different solutions on the market, but we will focus on the two most popular of the moment; Shopify and WooCommerce (based on WordPress). Each of these two solutions has its advantages and disadvantages. So what is the best solution for you? In which case use Shopify and in which case to take WooCommerce?
Whats is WooCommerce ?
WooCommerce launched in 2011 is a WordPress plugin that is an open source CMS for blogging. The success of this plugin and platform has since been growing and used by millions of e-commerce shops.
If you want to do dropshipping with WooCommerce, you will probably need more WordPress and WooCommerce plugin AliDropship. This plugin will allow you to automate your product imports from AliExpress and ordering from the supplier. This plugin is paid but you will be essential for daily management of your shop WooCommerce dropshipping. Discover the in click here.
If you want to do Print on Demand, the majority of the big suppliers are on WooCommerce. The choice is on the other hand more varied on Shopify which became the reference for Print on Demand. If you do not know what Print On Demand is, check out our article on the subject by clicking here.
Whats is Shopify ?
Unlike WordPress, Shopify is an integrated SAS solution. Everything is included and turnkey. You do not have to worry about the technical part, but just the configuration of your shop. Shopify has become in recent years one of the leading solutions for creating an e-commerce store.
If you want to do dropshipping with Shopify, you will need Oberlo, which is a plugin that looks like Alidropship for WooCommerce, and allows you to import and manage your product imports and orders more easily on AliExpress.
Almost all of the big suppliers of Print On Demand (Printful , Tunetoo , Printify) have their application on Shopify. Shopify has become the benchmark in Print On Demand.
Comparison of WooCommerce and Shopify
Below is a comparison chart between WooCommerce and Shopify.
| Features | WooCommerce | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Themes | Hundreds, free and paid | Hundreds, free and paid |
| Easy to Install | Intermediate | Very easy |
| Blog | Yes | Yes but limited |
| Mobile version | Depend of theme | Yes |
| Newsletter | Yes with plugin | Yes |
| Help and support | Active community (forum and blog) | Phone, chat, email, documentation, forum, support. Shopify support is very powerful and accessible. |
| Domain name | You have to buy yours | Domain in .myshopify.com included |
| Secure Socket Layer (SSL) | You must obtain your own certificate | Included |
| SEO optimized | Yes | Yes |
| Storage space | Depends on the size of the server. | Unlimited |
| CSV catalog import | Yes | Yes |
| Payment service | Yes | Yes |
| Unlimited products | Yes | Yes |
| Inventory Management | Yes | Yes |
| Trial version | No | 14 days free (without credit card information) |
| Sales commissions | No | From 0.5% to 2% |
| Monthly price | WooCommerce is a free plugin | Basic : $29 Normal : $79 Advanced : $299 |
Price
For many people the price is a preponderant element in their decision. We could say at first that WooCommerce is cheaper than Shopify since it is a free plugin, but the situation is more complex than it seems. You will often need to purchase many additional modules on WooCommerce, so the price can be significantly closer to the price of Shopify depending on the case. The price should not necessarily be such an important criterion in your choice.
Advantages and disadvantages of WooCommerce
Advantages
- Unlimited admin / moderator account
- Creation of a blog within the e-commerce site which will be very complete and very well referenced
- Free during installation, no license to pay
- Thousands of plugins available on the Internet
- Hundreds of free themes to download
- Fully customizable with computer skills.
- Number of variants per unlimited product
Disadvantages
- You manage your e-commerce site yourself. You must find accommodation.
- Updating your site and all these plugins is up to you. If you do not do this, you may see your website hacked.
- No dedicated support, but there is a strong community
- For a basic site you will not need technical skills. If you want more advanced things, you may have to pay someone to help you.
- Inventory management is not ergonomic
- No POS and ERP synchronization
- Everything is not included in WooCommerce, it is necessary to plan the hosting, domain name, SSL certificate and various additional plugins if you wish
- The WooCommerce plugin is not compatible with all WordPress themes
- The customization of WooCommerce requires coding skills.
Advantages and disadvantages of Shopify
Advantages
- Ease of use
- Ergonomic
- Many templates and applications
- Integration with many services
- Excellent support
- Creating a first online site in minutes
- Everything is included (SSL certificates, hosting, etc …)
- Multilingual
- 100% responsive and mobile compatible
Disadvantages
- Some themes and applications are paying (but can be quickly profitable with some sales)
- Paid solution
- Possibility in terms of blog creation relatively small.
WooCommerce or Shopify, which one choose to start ?
If you want to do dropshipping or Print on Demand, I strongly recommend Shopify, even if the solution is not free. You will find tons of articles, tutorials, helpers of all kinds to optimize your shop. There are also dozens of free and paid apps making your life easier for dropshipping and POD.
The ergonomics and ease of handling of Shopify, you will configure your first shop very quickly without any particular computer skills.
If you have computer skills, can spend some time before starting your shop and if you want a 100% control of your e-commerce store. In this case you can go to WooCommerce, then you save the costs of Shopify but may lose time in part and pay other plugin to have the same functionality.
Conclusion
Shopify and WooCommerce are both very good e-commerce solutions with their advantage and disadvantages. As previously written, I recommend Shopify , which I also use elsewhere on my various e-commerce stores. There is certainly a cost but the ease of handling is very much worth the price for me.
In any case, whether you choose Shopify or WooCommerce, get started! Do not wait to open your shop and start generating your first income.
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