Shopify vs Woocommerce: Pros and Cons of Ecommerce Platforms

Choosing the right ecommerce platform for your business can be a difficult decision. Shopify and WooCommerce are two of the most popular platforms on the market, but they each have their own advantages and disadvantages. In this blog post, we will explore the pros and cons of each platform to help you decide which one is right for you.

Why choose Shopify as an ecommerce platform?

We will start by taking a look at Shopify. If you are getting started in ecommerce and don't have much web development skill, Shopify will be your friend. With over 1 million users on the platform, Shopify knows how to simplify the startup process so that just about anyone can build a store in a short amount of time. Below we have listed pros and cons for using Shopify which should help you decide if it is the right platform for you:

Shopify Pros:

• Shopify is a hosted platform, which means that you don’t have to worry about hosting your own website or managing updates and security. Shopify takes care of all of that for you.
• Shopify is very user-friendly and easy to use, even for those with no technical experience.
• Shopify offers a wide range of features and plugins to help you customize your store and make it just the way you want it.
• Shopify has built-in SEO features and tools to help you optimize your website and products for search engines.
• Shopify offers 24/7 customer support, so you can always get help when you need it.
  

Shopify Cons:

• Shopify is a closed platform, which means that you are limited to the Shopify app store for plugins and extensions. If you want to add a feature that isn’t available on the Shopify app store, you will have to hire a developer to create it for you.
• Shopify can be more expensive than other ecommerce platforms, especially if you need to add a lot of plugins and extensions.
• Shopify’s transaction fees can also add up, especially if you aren’t using Shopify Payments.

Now that you have heard about Shopify, let's compare it to WooCommerce, the second most popular ecommerce platform.

Why choose WooCommerce as an ecommerce Platform?

WooCommerce may be a bit more confusing when first getting started, but once you learn the ropes there are far less restrictions for what you can do with each webpage when you get started when compared to Shopify. Also, the base platform for WooCommerce is free, so you can get started without having to worry about a monthly bill if takes you a while to get set up. Below we will discuss the pros and cons of using WooCommerce as your ecommerce Platform:

WooCommerce Pros:

• WooCommerce is an open-source platform, which means that it is completely customizable. You can add any plugins or extensions you want, without worrying about whether or not they are available on the Shopify app store.
• WooCommerce is a free platform, so you don’t have to worry about monthly fees.
• WooCommerce is a very user-friendly platform, even for those with no technical experience.
• WooCommerce offers a wide range of features and plugins to help you customize your store and make it just the way you want it.

WooCommerce Cons:

• WooCommerce is a self-hosted platform, which means that you will have to worry about hosting your own website and managing updates and security.
• WooCommerce can be more difficult to use than other ecommerce platforms, since it is not as user-friendly as Shopify.
• WooCommerce doesn’t offer as many features as Shopify, so you may have to hire a developer to add custom features to your website.
• WooCommerce doesn’t have built-in SEO features, so you will have to hire a developer to add them to your website.
• WooCommerce doesn’t offer 24/7 customer support, so you may not be able to get help when you need it.

Overall, Shopify is the better platform if you want an easy-to-use, user-friendly platform with a wide range of features and plugins. However, Shopify can be more expensive than WooCommerce, especially if you need to add a lot of plugins and extensions. WooCommerce is a good choice if you want a free, open-source platform that is customizable and easy to use. However, WooCommerce can be more difficult to use than Shopify and it doesn't offer all the same features that Shopify will give you. That being said, Shopify will not offer the same level of customizability to each webpage the way WooCommerce can. Ultimately, the best ecommerce platform for your business depends on your specific needs and requirements.

Regardless of where you choose to set up your ecommerce store, it is important they you set up a tracking software on your platform when you begin spending money on ads. This is where REAL budgeting comes into play. You could spend $30 per month on your Shopify store or WooCommerce plugins, but then you need to spend at least $1000 per month on your FB ads in order to start turning a profit on your store. If you do not have a tracking software, you might spend your budget and have no idea which ads are driving your sales. Cometly is a tracking software that will be your best friend during this phase of running ads.

When comparing Shopify vs WooCommerce, you can rest easy knowing that Cometly will be able to track your sales back to the correct ads, so that you don't get burned by you Ads platform when trying to scale your business. Learn more about how Cometly can help attribute revenue back to the correct ads and understand where customers are coming from → Free Cometly Demo