eCommerce platforms help you create a user-friendly online store to sell physical and virtual products. By using eCommerce platforms, you can create an attractive website with just a few clicks. Among the most popular platforms, the name WooCommerce, Shopify, and Magento stand out.
These 3 platforms consist of all the necessary tools and plugins you need to customize your website according to your brand style. But how to know which one is best for you? Thus, we have created this ultimate comparison guide of Shopify vs. WooCommerce vs. Magento to find out who’s the winner.
Let’s get started!
Shopify vs. WooCommerce vs. Magento: Let’s Compare Nuts and Bolts
We are going to be comparing the 3 platforms on some of the most important and basic features required from an eCommerce platform to give the best results.
Checkout WooCommerce VS Magento and WooCommerce VS Shopify for a more detailed evaluation of these three platforms on different aspects, including the ones mentioned below.
1. Pricing
If you are a small business owner or a startup, chances are you need to work within your budget. Let’s find out which one of these is the most cost-effective.
Shopify
Shopify is a premium eCommerce platform and consists of different pricing plans, starting from $29/mo. It provides many out-of-the-box features to create a website. Each plan consists of different levels of plugins and extensions to add functionality to your website. Overall, in terms of pricing, Shopify is a costly option, but it does take care of any technical issues and errors itself.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an open-source eCommerce plugin for WordPress that is available for free. It is a budget-friendly option for small business owners as it allows them to create and add plugins according to their needs and requirements. WooCommerce, although it has limited out-of-the-box features, the additional plugins cost around $30-150, which is still less than using a premium service.
Magento
Magento is also an open-source eCommerce platform that is available for free. It comes with many features to get you started with basic websites. But when it comes to upgrading, Magento is difficult to work with, and their options for plugins and extensions are also limited. Magento also has an enterprise-level premium version, which is quite expensive.
In terms of pricing, WooCommerce is the clear winner. It is easy to use, has features to create a basic website, and can be easily upgraded with the thousands of plugins available. Its level of customization is also unparalleled. Although Magento is also budget-friendly, it lacks customization.
2. Customer Service
Shopify
Shopify offers 24/7 customer support, along with live chat, calls, and emails. Its customer service is very efficient, and experts are available to help you through any technical issues. You can also find a help center, detailed blogs, and community forums in their resource section.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce, although does not offer any live chat or call support, you can find help in their community forums and help centers. As it is the most popular platform, its many experts are available to help you through any installation or plugin related issues. You can also find detailed documentation regarding each plugin on its official website. WooCommerce customer service is also dependent on your hosting providers.
Magento
Magento also offers live call and chat support on their website for queries against any technical issues. You can also find detailed blogs, guides, and expert help on their community forums and help center.
Customer service is the key to the success of your business, and thus in this round, Shopify and Magento take the lead with their live chat and call support.
3. Theme and Design
Shopify
When it comes to your store’s look and feel, this is where you need to excel. Shopify offers an intuitive user interface that lets you create and customize the theme without any prior experience in coding. The Shopify store is equipped with hundreds of themes, both paid and free, which are suitable for selling every type of product. Shopify themes are priced at roughly $150 or above.
WooCommerce
When it comes to options, WooCommerce takes the lead. WooCommerce is equipped with hundreds of themes and designs which you can find at the WordPress directory or even third-party sites like ThemeForest, ThemeIsle, etc. The best thing about WooCommerce themes is that they are unique, user-friendly, easy to navigate, allow customization, and are compatible with plugins and extensions.
Magento
Magento also has a marketplace for themes and plugins. Its themes can range from $30-$500 and thus can be quite expensive if you are on a budget. You can find themes from third-party sites as well. But in terms of options, Magento has very few options as compared to the other two platforms. Customization is also tricky, and you need to hire a developer to do some tweaks.
Regarding themes and options, WooCommerce and Shopify are clear winners. They provide freedom of customization and integrate easily with third-party sites as well. You can also easily find themes within your budget.
4. Payment Options
Shopify
Shopify payment options and fees are a bit complex to understand, so let’s take this slowly. Shopify accepts multiple payment methods such as bank transfer, major credit and debit cards, Google Pay, Apple Pay, etc. Although, if you are using third-party apps as a payment gateway, Shopify charges 2-0.5% depending on the plan you choose on top of the processing charges.
For transactions with credit cards, Shopify charges: 2.9% + 30 ¢ USD (Basic Plan), 2.6% + 30 ¢ USD (Shopify Plan), and 2.4%+ 30 ¢ USD (Advanced Plan).
But if you use Shopify Payments, you don’t have to pay any additional fees, and it will allow easy management of transactions.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce offers Stripe and PayPal out-of-the-box and is compatible with hundreds of other payment gateways such as Square, Authorize.Net, Google Pay, Apple Pay, CyberSource, etc. WooCommerce accepts major credit and debit cards, bank transfer, cash, eChecks, and credit. WooCommerce also has its payment gateway, called WooCommerce Payments, that allows easy management and integration.
Moreover, WooCommerce does not charge any additional fees when using third-party apps.
Magento
Magento has PayPal and Authorize.Net built-in. You can also use third-party payment gateways like Skrill, Stripe, and much more. It also accepts multiple payment methods such as bank transfer, cash, money order, etc.
In terms of payment options and fees, WooCommerce provides the most simplistic approach. It is compatible with multiple payment options; thus, you can choose according to your preference, and it also does not charge any extra fees.
5. Plugins and Extensions
Shopify
Shopify offers thousands of plugins and extensions which you can browse from Shopify’s marketplace or third-party sources. Shopify does not have customization freedom and does not integrate all plugins and extensions due to security measures. Shopify Instagram plugins are quite popular. Thus, before choosing any plugin, you need to see if it is compatible with your platform.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce takes the lead here. It is compatible with over 50,000+ plugins and extensions, which you can easily find in the WordPress directory and third-party websites. You can find plugins for both free and paid, available in all ranges. WooCommerce also allows easy customization and seamless integration of plugins with each other and the platform.
Magento
Magento offers around 3000+ plugins and extensions on its Marketplace. You can find plugins regarding sales, payment, security, analysis, reports, marketing, economics, etc. you can find both free and paid plugins there. Although, when it comes to customization, Magento requires professional help to get the job done.
Plugins and extensions are important to increase the functionality of your website, and thus the more options available, the better. Therefore, we have to side with WooCommerce here as it allows easy integration, multiple options, and customization.
Conclusion
Choosing the best eCommerce platform for your business is the key to its success. eCommerce platforms provide you with all the tools and help you create and manage a website as best as you can.
Thus, we picked the top 3 platforms, Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento. All three of these platforms have their strengths and weaknesses. There is no clear winner here. But when it comes to a user-friendly platform, WooCommerce wins the crown. WooCommerce provides ease to the users. You can add multiple plugins and extensions and do not have to worry about compatibility issues or compromise on speed and performance. It is a versatile platform and is suitable for small to large businesses. The major difference between WooCommerce vs. Shopify and Magento is the freedom of customization, which cannot be challenged.
In the end, the decision depends entirely on your budget, developing experience, and needs. We hope this article will help you find the best eCommerce platform for your business.
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