Shopify vs WordPress – Which Is Better for You in 2024?

I often get questions when comes to an e-commerce platform to start an online store “Shopify vs WordPress, which is better E-commerce for you”

Online shopping is convenient, time-saving, and offers complete value for money. That is one of the reasons more brands are jumping on the bandwagon of E-commerce.

Brands with online stores look for a platform providing the best E-commerce features. Regardless of web hosting, there are many other features to look for.

Most companies choose Shopify as the number one choice for E-commerce. In the last few years, Woocommerce has also been an ideal choice. 

It is often tricky to choose between Shopify and WordPress (Woocommerce). Let’s decode which one is the best so you can choose the one for your business.

Let’s drive in!

Shopify vs WordPress – Which Is Better for E-commerce in 2024?

When comes to deciding between Shopify Vs WordPress (Woocommerce), it is quite a big decision. 

I must say that both of them are excellent for building e-commerce sites but making the right choice depends on your e-commerce needs and goals.

However, To make things easier, we’re breaking down what you need to know to choose between Shopify vs WordPress to build your next online store.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is a popular E-commerce platform that helps you create an online store from scratch. Users can get domains and other tools through the platform itself.

Ideally, you don’t have to install the platform – you can start creating an online store quickly.

Moreover, it offers a plan – Shopify Lite, which helps to convert your website into an eCommerce store. 

Simply put, Shopify is an in-one E-commerce platform that creates an E-commerce store, manages inventory, and makes payments – all from one platform. 

The best part is that you don’t need to worry about the tech aspects of managing an E-commerce store with Shopify.

Note: to save extra on your total bill use this discount link: Sign up for a free trial and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for $1/month on select plans.

What is WordPress (WooCommerce)?

WordPress is a popular CMS platform, and Woocommerce is a famous eCommerce plugin offered by WordPress.

Apart from online store features, it can fully transform your WordPress site into an eCommerce store. 

The Woocommerce plugin is simple to integrate and free. Beyond this, it’s available – with many extensions and core shopping functions to help manage an online site. 

Because it is open source, you can customize every function of your E-commerce store. Plus, you can add custom extensions to make your store look different. 

Contrary to Shopify, you can use Woocommerce as a hands-on solution, which requires you to purchase a separate domain and hosting provider. 

Note: To start your Woocommerce store and save extra on your total bill use this discount link of Woocommerce Hosting.

Shopify vs WordPress (WooCommerce): Differences 

UI design 

User interface design is the primary aspect of an eCommerce website. Shopify offers a plethora of styles and templates you can choose from. 

Expert web designers have created these templates to give an exclusive look to online stores.

Besides matching themes, there are customization options to choose from. But, with Shopify, you can match your store and theme exactly. 

With a Woocommerce store, you can choose from hundreds of templates that can give your WordPress store a different look.

Some templates are free, but you might have to pay for exclusive ones. Also, the cost of developing a web app can be higher if you want something exceptional. 

E-commerce features 

After signing up with Shopify, you will get access to its core features –blogging feature, POS, unique marketing tools, analytics reports, and mobile apps.  

Moreover, Shopify’s app store has an exceptional collection of paid and free applications. You can install those apps to expand the E-commerce store functionality. 

WordPress (Woocommerce) has a set of E-commerce tools for the online setup of the store.

Plus, it offers complete storefront customization, order management, analytics and reports, and open development. 

Additionally, it offers a rest API that helps manage products and orders on the E-commerce site. Both Shopify and Woocommerce are flexible and allow further store customization.  

Setup 

Shopify is perfect for new sites and stores, while professionals lean more towards WordPress (Woocommerce).

The dashboard feature of the platform is simple, and it lets you add new products to the list with new intuitive features. Also, it has an easy-to-follow guide for new site users. 

Woocommerce has a steep learning curve, so you’ll need to understand the process before you begin the setup.

As it’s not a subscription-based platform, you can integrate it with other features. 

For instance, getting a domain and finding a hosting account is a must. More so, installing a WordPress theme is significant in the setup process. 

Themes 

The best part about Shopify is that it offers more than 70 free themes. Though paid ones are available, free articles are also polished. You can purchase a theme from the store with a one-off fee. 

Woocommerce has many themes you can automatically use with WordPress sites. Plus, most themes are mobile responsive. Choosing a theme depends on what kind of platform you are creating. 

Also, if you need customized themes and layouts, Woocommerce is an ideal choice.

Regardless of the theme, you must choose a design to highlight your site and give you online visibility. Both platforms offer excellent themes. 

Platforms and subdomains 

Shopify is a closed platform, unlike Woocommerce. But, it allows for drag-and-drop features to create a customized E-commerce store.

Also, it supports added plugins. With Shopify, you can get unlimited subdomains, which is a plus.

Woocommerce is an open-source platform but code-modified. It has no limitations, so you can easily tweak it. However, hosting is non-inclusive in the platform. 

In addition, WordPress websites allow for unlimited subdomains, and you can expand your site reach.

As WordPress Woocommerce is free to use with WordPress, most people still prefer it for E-commerce, but you can customize Shopify for search within a few hours. 

Also Read – 15 Things to Do After Installing WordPress on Your Website

SEO 

Search engine optimization is the most vital aspect of E-commerce. How will people find your online store if you don’t optimize it for SERP? 

Shopify features built-in SEO plugins that have SEO tools for optimization. Beyond this, Shopify sites load faster than WordPress sites, which can help in better ranking. 

As Woocommerce is an integrated channel of WordPress, it is primarily a blogging platform.

Following this, it allows users to work on SEO basics like altering URLs, meta descriptions, meta tags, on-page elements, etc. 

Woocommerce is a better platform for those who know about SEO basics. In the end, ranking matters the most. 

Drop Shipping 

When building the front end of your site, drop shipping is significant. Site users can add products to the cart, make payments, and choose checkout. 

Shopify can integrate with popular dropshipping apps like – Printify and Ali Express. However, these marketplaces can have membership fees.

Woocommerce is a better choice for dropshipping because of its flexible dropshipping plugins. With this, you can import products, fulfill orders, and find simple extensions. 

Ideally, you can create a site like eBay with this feature. The dropshipping feature of Woocommerce is better than Shopify. 

Integrations 

Shopify allows you to purchase third-party add-ons from its app store. For instance, you can integrate with OptinMonster integration for lead generation. 

Besides free tools, you can also buy paid ones. Compared to Woocommerce, Shopify has fewer add-ons.

Woocommerce is an open platform and gives access to 50,000+ plugins. Plus, you can use these add-ons for SEO, lead generation, payment gateways, social media integration, etc. 

All the third-party tools can seamlessly integrate with your online store. Ideally, Woocommerce offers better integration tools and add-ons. 

Scalability 

As Shopify takes care of the technical store part – you don’t have to worry about scalability. If your business grows, you can upgrade your Shopify plan.

Besides flexible infrastructure, the platform takes care of backups, updates, and downtimes. Plus, it offers enterprise services as a part of the plan. 

Woocommerce is self-hosted, so you need to look into security, updates, and scalability.

However, since WordPress gives you complete control, you can manage your site growth. Despite WordPress control, small companies still prefer Shopify for this feature. 

Support 

Shopify is not self-hosted, which means you can expect complete support with your site. Besides 24/7 email and phone support, it provides chat and Twitter support to its users. 

Plus, the platform offers comprehensive documentation, how-to guides, video tutorials, etc. However, it does not provide third-party app support. 

Woocommerce offers 24/7 chat support with forums, tutorials, documentation, guides, etc. If you are stuck with a site issue, you can get help from the Woocommerce support team. 

For third-party extensions, developers will provide support if an issue arises. Shopify offers better support than Woocommerce. 

Security 

E-commerce websites need proper maintenance and updates about security patches.

Shopify conducts the updates and keeps your website secure. With relevant security features, it prevents the site from network attacks. 

Woocommerce is open source, so it needs manual updates on security patches. Ideally, you can use web developers to support the updates or update plugins in the user dashboard. 

Both platforms have an equal level of security. However, Woocommerce needs manual security updates, which can be a hassle. 

Pricing 

With Shopify, you have different plans – you can choose a plan based on features and budget.

Besides, it also takes transactional fees depending on the plan. Shopify extensions may require usage fees based on installation. 

The Woocommerce plugin is technically free for WordPress users, but you need to pay for a yearly subscription.

The cost of developing a web app or site depends on the usage. However, for new users, Woocommerce is a cheaper option. Shopify is ideal with a pre-budget in mind. 

Ease of use 

You can instantly set up a Shopify website and use the platform support library and templates. Unlike Woocommerce, Shopify does not require an intensive approach to set up a site.

For setting up a Woocommerce site, you need a hosting provider, domain name, and SSL certificate. 

It means you need to build your Woocommerce platform from scratch. That said, it’s simple to build an E-commerce store in WordPress. 

But, Shopify wins hands down – when it comes to ease of use and E-commerce store setup.

From updates to installation, the platform takes care of all the aspects of the store. Managing the content and look of the website is identical for both platforms. 

Pros and Cons of Shopify and WordPress

Pros of Shopify:

Shopify works on monthly billing and plans, making it easily affordable. It offers SSL certificates and hosting when you sign up with the platform.

You can choose from hundreds of professional themes to make your online store shine. 

Most importantly, the setup is quick – even a non-technical person can create an online store.

Shopify offers a POS system and integration with plugins and social media tools. 

Also, the dropshipping feature is exceptional, and you can start in no time.

With a preset list of payment gateways, Shopify is the most reliable E-commerce platform. The best part; branding your online store is easy. 

Cons of Shopify:

Shopify is not self-hosted, so it provides limited control over online stores. Also, it has limitations on how web designers can customize an online store. 

Though Shopify stores are simple to create, you can’t expect creative freedom.

Besides, the payment gateway options in Shopify are limited, which may restrict a website. 

For startups, monthly plans of Shopify may be on the expensive side.

Plus, it can get more costly as your business grows or you need to scale up your online store. Plugin options are limited in Shopify, which is a disadvantage. 

Note: To save extra on your total bill use this discount link: Sign up for a free trial and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for $1/month on select plans.

Pros of Woocommerce:

The Woocommerce plugin offers complete control over the customization and design of online stores.

Plus, it has extensive online support and many themes to choose from. You can easily integrate with an add-on to give your site a striking look. 

Moreover, you can set it up quickly with a WordPress website. The best part is you can connect it virtually to any payment gateway.

Also, there are no set monthly plans for Woocommerce, which eases the budget. Woocommerce is perfect if you wish to customize your online E-store. 

Cons of Woocommerce:

In contrast to Shopify, which offers site control – Woocommerce requires manual control from site owners.

From security features to tools and added updates – you ought to stay alert on every feature. 

Also, it has a deep learning curve – it can be demanding for new users with no particular tech background.

Setup can take time in Woocommerce, but once you start building the site – it becomes simple.

Moreover, you’ll need to update the plugins to maintain the store security. 

Note: To start your Woocommerce store and save extra on your total bill use this discount link of Woocommerce Hosting.

Conclusion- Which one to choose?

Shopify vs WordPress Woocommerce – both platforms are robust and offer exceptional features to build an E-commerce store.

However, it depends on your site preference and scalability. 

Shopify is quick, easy to set up, and managed by the platform. You can upgrade depending on plans, but you don’t have control over your site. 

If you want to start your online store with the Shopify platform then sign up for a free trial(discount link) and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for $1/month on select plans.

Woocommerce is open source, so it offers complete site control. If you are familiar with the WordPress platform, it is easier to tier with Woocommerce. 

Apart from scalability, it offers wonderful themes, add-ons, and plugins to customize your E-commerce store.

Or if you want to start your Woocommerce store and save extra on your total bill use this discount link of Woocommerce domain and Hosting.

However, For a professional setup – Shopify is the best, and for a cost-effective option – Woocommerce is ideal. 

I hope you find this article (Shopify Vs WordPress) helpful in making sound decisions.

Also, let me know in the comments below, which platform you use for your e-commerce business