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Are you looking to build an online store to take your business to the next level? If yes, have a look over two solutions for creating a complete online store. Shopify and WooCommerce are the top eCommerce website builders in the game. Well, the question is how to choose between both the websites? To help you choose the best option for an eCommerce store, we have made a detailed comparison of  Woocommerce vs Shopify to make you confident when you make your final decision. Here, we are going to discuss Woocommerce vs Shopify differences.

Here, also check out a few things to note before designing eCommerce website.

Check Out The Difference between Woocommerce And Shopify!

A perfect solution to build an eCommerce store, WooCommerce and Shopify have everything you need to start selling online. Before you jump into the comparison, let’s have a look over the basics of both websites.

Know About Shopify

An all-in-one eCommerce platform that you need to start selling online, Shopify is the best platform that helps you create an online store, manage inventory, and accept payments. You can get access to thousands of apps to extend your store. Shopify handles everything from hosting to security. To further classify it, we have mentioned some of the pros and cons of it:

Pros (Advantages of Shopify):

• Know the actual amount you are going to pay
• Get the Beautiful themes
• Takes a few minutes to launch your store
• Better support system

Cons (Disadvantages of Shopify):

• Less control over the site with Shopify
• Can get stuck with monthly payments
• The customization feature is not good on this platform

Why is WooCommerce unique?

Coming to WooCommerce, it’s slightly different from Shopify. WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that you can add to your site to enable the functions of eCommerce. Also known as self-hosted software that gives you unlimited coding customization. However, it requires a lot of knowledge of how to get a store up and running. For better understanding, here are some of the pros and cons:

Pros (Advantages of WooCommerce):

• Get complete customization control.
• Grab the endless themes and plugins.
• Simple configuration.
• You can get the WooCommerce Plugin for free.

Cons (Disadvantages of WooCommerce):

• It’s quite expensive due to themes, plugins, and hosting.
• You can get stuck in managing everything.

WooCommerce vs Shopify: Know the Difference here!

Have a look at google reviews, you will find a lot of opinions for Woocommerce and Shopify from different business owners. You need to focus on your requirements and pick the one that is easiest to work with. To clarify all your doubts, we have brought an in-depth comparison of the best eCommerce platforms for developers. 

You might also like to checkout the benefits of WordPress.

Comparison of designs

Well, designs play an important role in websites. People only trust websites that have tight aesthetics and functions. Coming to Shopify, it is one of the greatest selling points for the visual quality of its themes. You can get 54 different templates 9 out of which 10 are free. With unique variations, you get more than 100 separate designs. The themes offered by Shopify are extremely polished. The reason for this? They are a dedicated e-commerce platform and are designed in a way that helps you sell. 

Moving on to WooCommerce, the themes and designs depend on you. The hours you are willing to put in will determine how good and polished your design looks. This is beneficial in a way because the outlook of your design will depend on the hours you are putting in. You have more than 1000 commerce themes to choose from. Fascinating, isn’t it? Between WooCommerce v/s Shopify, Shopify is more likely to win the battle in designs. The main reason behind this is that the designs available for you are sleeker and more polished than the ones available on WooCommerce. 

Cost Factor of these two amazing platforms | WooCommerce vs Shopify

For e-commerce website owners, one of the most important things while deciding a platform cost. This consideration is rightly so because you will be spending valuable money every month or year according to your plans. Let’s start talking about the cost you will incur in Shopify. You will be able to start your online store easily. Under the basic plan, you will get access to all features except third-party tools and add-ons. If you want to take your store to the next level, making use of third-party tools and add-ons available in advanced and premium plans is beneficial as they will help reduce transaction costs for you.

 WooCommerce, on the other hand, is a freely available WordPress plug-in. But this does not mean that you won’t be paying anything. You will need a domain name, SSL certificate, and a hosting account in WordPress. However, even if you pay for all this, the cost you will incur will be lesser than what you spend on Shopify. So, between Shopify or WooCommerce, WooCommerce takes the flag here. 

User-friendly or not?

Even if you are not a web designer or developer, you will still need a platform for your work with basic knowledge about its concept. The ease of use of your chosen platform is one of the first considerations you should take in mind for a better and efficient experience. Let’s start talking about WooCommerce first. WooCommerce is not a hosted platform. You will have to download it and complete all necessary steps, all the while ensuring proper security for your website. Although it is super flexible and you can customize your website to 100%, there is no built-in drag and drop design-builder. You will have to get more hands-on with your team or add additional features which will add to the cost you incur.

 With Shopify, you do not have to worry about these things. You do not have to install, manage, or update any software as it is completely a hosted platform. You will also get to pick a design for your website as soon as you sign up. Though you can use only built-in add ons, with the wide array of selections you get, Shopify is definitely the best eCommerce platform for developers in terms of usage. 

Protecting your website…Security aspect! 

This goes without question that security should be one of your foremost concerns while choosing a platform for your website. Security should not only be a concern because you are handling your business online, but also because you are making valuable payments and holding personal information about your clients. While you might be confused between Shopify or WooCommerce, Shopify wins for sure in security aspects. This is because Shopify takes care of security for you because it is originally a hosted platform. 

WooCommerce on the other hand is self-hosted and you will have to install it while ensuring that you are buying SSL certificates, domain name, etc. Your site will be completely safe from hackers and will be protected from security breaches in Shopify. In WooCommerce, you will have to handle the security aspects on your own or hire another hosting provider to do so for you. This means extra cost. You can easily avoid extra charges and ensure the best for yourself here by making a wise decision. 

Payment options (WooCommerce vs Shopify)

It is undoubtedly important for you to choose a platform that provides you with various payment options. This conclusion is made by keeping in mind not only your needs but also those of your clients. When it comes to the best eCommerce platform for developers, there is a clear tie between Shopify and WooCommerce. When we talk about Shopify, we are talking about a platform that offers plenty of payment options. Not only does Shopify provide you with third-party payment gateways, but they also have their own payment solutions, Shopify Payments. But, a major disadvantage can be the extra fees the payment gateways charge. However, if you have an advanced Shopify plan, this problem can be solved. 

Talking about WooCommerce, PayPal and Stripe’s payments are provided to you by default. Through add-ons, you can use other payment methods that are popularly used too. A major advantage you will get that there is no fee charged by the website. You will only have to pay the transaction fees as offered by your bank. 

Who will win the final verdict between WooCommerce vs Shopify!

Between Shopify and WooCommerce, there are many aspects that have to be taken into account before deciding the final verdict. While Shopify is a great option for security, design, or user-friendly wise, WooCommerce is a great option when it comes to themes, payment options, or cost factors. The final verdict in reality depends on your needs and requirements. You have to keep in mind your needs and requirements and select the one that best suits and fulfills them. We have made all major comparisons for you to keep in mind in order to choose the best for your online business. This comparison of different important aspects will help you in making the best decision possible. Good luck and Happy choosing! 

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