Wordpress WooCommerce vs Shopify - which makes sense for you?

WooCommerce or Shopify - not an easy decision.

And it doesn't get any easier when you look at the statistics.

WooCommerce vs Shopify - the statistics

At the time of publication of this article, there are a total of 10,431,605 online shops on the entire Internet.

Of these, 22 % are Shopify shops and 15 % are WooCommerce shops.

Source: https://trends.builtwith.com/shop/traffic/Entire-Internet

This clearly indicates that Shopify is favoured by webshop operators worldwide.

The question is whether it is therefore also the better or more successful shop system.

Find out everything you need to know about Shopify here.

If you look at the statistics for the TOP 1 million sites, you get the following results:

Of the TOP 1 million websites on the internet, 360,045 are webshops.

Of these 360,045 webshops, 25 % are WooCommerce shops and 20 % are Shopify shops.

The message of this second statistic could therefore be that WooCommerce is better than Shopify because it performs better in the TOP 1 million sites.

But is that true? Is this statement valid based on statistics?

Hmmmmmh... Probably not.

So now we're just as smart as before.

Let's compare some important criteria.

Our agency offers WordPress WooCommerce webshops and Shopify webshops. Therefore, we can offer a relatively good comparison of both systems based on the needs and results of our customers.

So let's get started.

WooCommerce vs Shopify - the comparison

Let's start our comparison with setting up and configuring the shop.

WooCommerce vs Shopify - setup and configuration

The general interest in Shopify seems to be greater worldwide than in WordPress WooCommerce. This is also consistent with our observations and the enquiries from our customers. More Shopify shops are currently being created than WordPress WooCommerce shops.

One of the main reasons for the strong demand and spread could be that Shopify is very quick to set up. WordPress WooCommerce requires a little more knowledge and skill as well as time or financial resources.

Take a look at the two tutorials below. They show you step by step how to open and set up a shop with both systems.

Here you can see the Shopify system:

Shopify Store Tutorial for BEGINNERS

Here you can see the WordPress WooCommerce system:

WooCommerce Tutorial German

Now that you've gained a first impression of the two shop platforms, let's take a look at the costs of the two competitors in comparison.

WordPress WooCoomerce and Shopify - costs

The two systems differ in terms of their technology. This brings advantages and disadvantages, which we will discuss later. However, it also entails different costs for operating the shop.

WooCommerce is a plugin that is installed in WordPress. This installation runs on a hosting provider of your choice.

Shopify is 100% hosted and operated by Shopify and is not downloaded or installed. (Comparable to GoogleMail)

Which would be the better online shop from a cost perspective - Shopify or WooCommerce?

The costs for creating the shop (from planning to the finished online shop) are roughly the same in our agency for Shopify and WordPress WooCommerce webshops. Both webshops can be developed by us from around €2,900.

It's the running costs that make the difference.

Let's take a look at the comparison of running costs using two examples. Online shops that we have created for our customers.

Example 1 - Small webshop

• 100 products
• 100 orders per month
• 2.000 € turnover per month

In this example, we assume that we need the basic Shopify system because only simple functions are required here. The hosting volume of the WordPress WooCommerce installation does not need to be particularly large here, as the shop only needs to handle 100 products.

In this example, the running costs for a Shopify shop are cheaper.

Example 2 - Large webshop

• 10.000 products
• 1000 orders per month
• 200.000 € turnover per month

In this example, we assume that we need the larger Shopify system because more functions are required here. The hosting of the WordPress WooCommerce installation also needs to be higher here, as the shop needs to handle 10,000 products.

In this example, the running costs for a WordPress WooCommerce shop would be significantly cheaper.

What do we learn from this?

In terms of running costs, Shopify is cheaper than WooCommerce for small shops with fewer products and low turnover.

This changes if you operate a large online shop with a large number of products and high sales. Then WooCommerce has the edge.

Want to calculate and compare the costs yourself?

No problem.

Click here for our Shopify cost calculator.

And, while we're on the subject of products. What about creating the products? With which of the two online shops is it easier to add products to the range?

Creating products with WooCommerce and Shopify

If you want to maintain your shop yourself and add or remove products, you're probably interested in how easy or complicated the two systems are in this regard.

Let's put it this way. Products are easy and uncomplicated to create in both shops. You don't need any programming skills. If you know how to use WordPress, you can also create products in Shopify and WooCommerce.

Here are instructions for Shopify.

Here are instructions for WooCommerce.

WooCommerce or Shopify - design differences between the two systems

A customised design can be programmed in both systems. Shopify has its own template language called Liquid.

There are free themes and paid themes for both systems. However, the two systems differ in the number of available themes:

• On themeforest there are 1294 themes for WordPress WooCommerce
• There are currently 72 themes available on Shopify.

Despite everything, there are hardly any Shopify shops that are too similar.

WooCommerce vs Shopify - extensions and plugins

If you want to expand your business, special functions are usually required that are not integrated in the basic version of either shop system. You can use third-party tools and services for this purpose. You can easily integrate extensions or plugins from third-party providers into both Shopify and WooCommerce.

Shopify offers a wide range of free and paid apps in all relevant categories in its App Store. You'll find everything you need to expand your shop according to your needs.

With WooCommerce, you have access to over 55,000 free WordPress plugins and numerous other paid plugins.

If you enter "WooCommerce" in the search field, around 1000 plugins will be displayed.

The integration of the plugins is somewhat more complex with Shopify and therefore more difficult to implement than with WooCommerce, but it is also feasible for inexperienced users. If you have any problems, you can find support in the Shopify Community.

Shopify vs WooCommerce - SEO

Basically, the SEO of webshops follows the rules of "normal" SEO. This means you have to take care of on-page and off-page optimisation.

With Shopify, all themes from the Theme Store are already optimised for SEO, so you don't have to worry about technical SEO.

All you have to do is fill the pages of your shop with relevant content (SEO-optimised product descriptions, category pages, etc.), create a relevant and informative meta description and an SEO-optimised page title and add relevant alt tags to the product images.

When choosing a WooCommerce theme, you should make sure that it is SEO-optimised. Find out whether it is mobile responsive and has a low loading time. As with Shopify, you also need to take care of on-page SEO optimisation. The WordPress plugin Yoast SEO is a great help with the SEO of texts.

Off-page SEO optimisation is the same as for any other website. Nobody can do the backlink building for you, our article Backlinks for search engine optimisation - importance and how to build them will help you.

In comparison, Shopify has the edge when it comes to themes, as each of the themes offered in the Shopify Theme Stores is already prepared for on-page optimisation and is SEO-ready. When it comes to SEO optimisation of texts, WooCommerce has clear advantages thanks to the WordPress plugin "Yoast SEO".

Security, support and GDPR with WooCommerce and Shopfiy

Security

In terms of security, we believe Shopify has the edge. With WordPress WooCommerce, you are responsible for the security of your shop. With Shopify webshops, the responsibility for security lies primarily with Shopify.

Both systems are currently equally popular targets for hacker attacks.

Support

WordPress WooCommerce is a free system. The manufacturer is therefore unable to offer comprehensive support. Support is available in English and an English-speaking WooCommerce community is available to answer your questions.

Shopify is not free of charge and can therefore provide good support. English and German-language support is available here. They can also help you migrate from any webshop to Shopify.

GDPR

WordPress WooCommerce has no problems with the General Data Protection Regulation.

The Shopify webshops run in a European Google data centre, so Shopify webshops are also GDPR-compliant.

With both systems, however, it is important to pay attention to which apps are used. The fact that both shop systems are GDPR-compliant does not mean that every installable Shopify or WooCommerce app is also GDPR-compliant.

More about the GDPR at Shopify (German): https://help.shopify.com/de/manual/your-account/GDPR

More about the GDPR at WooCommerce (English): https://woocommerce.com/posts/gdpr-compliance-woocommerce/

What are the advantages and disadvantages of WooCommerce?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Shopify?

Conclusion: Shopify or WordPress WooCommerce

I have now shown you the advantages and disadvantages of both shop systems. From our point of view, the question of WooCommerce vs Shopify is answered as follows.

Basically, both shops are easy to use and each has its advantages and disadvantages.

If you want to have an online shop quickly and save yourself the hassle of installation, Shopify is the system of choice. The exception to this is if you are planning a large number of orders per month or if you want your online shop to be highly customisable. Then WooCommerce is more suitable for you.

The main advantage of Shopify: As an online shop operator, you can concentrate 100% on marketing and selling products. You don't have to deal with issues such as updates, backups, etc. Your online shop runs and runs and runs. Almost indestructible.

For all those who run a WooCommerce shop and want to switch to Shopify, I will now briefly show you what to look out for when migrating.

Migration WooCommerce to Shopify

Migrating from one shop platform to another is generally a smooth process. If you know how to do it.

The following points must always be considered and transferred during a migration:

• Products and related information
• Customer data
• Order data
• Active and deactivated vouchers

If you want to carry out the migration yourself, you can use a tool called Cart2Cart.

Here you pay a calculated amount per run. This depends on:

• Number of products
• Number of customers
• Number of orders/sales

For an extra charge of 59 US dollars, you can also transfer your blog.

The tool is good, but sometimes shows its weaknesses. However, it is definitely worth a try. If the migration with the tool does not work for you or you prefer to have this task carried out by experts, you are welcome to contact us. +43 1 353 2 353 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

As a webshop agency and Shopify agency, the migration, programming, creation and maintenance of webshops is part of our daily business.

We carry out most migrations manually, using export and import options. For both shops, Shopify and WooCommerce, the data can be exported as a .csv file (Excel). Adjustments can then be made and the .csv file re-imported into the new shop system.

To avoid downtime and loss of earnings, we leave the existing shop in operation until the full migration has been completed without errors on a test environment. Only then is the new shop transferred to the domain and the old web shop deactivated.

The most common migrations we carry out are as follows:

• Other online shops to WooCommerce
• Other online shops to Shopify
• WooCommerce to Shopify

Interestingly, we have never had a migration from Shopify to WooCommerce as an enquiry. Apparently, the operators of Shopify shops are satisfied with their online shop.

FAQs - Frequently asked questions about WooCommerce and Shopify

What are the advantages of WooCommerce?

• Full access to website code / website customisability.
• Consistent costs regardless of the number of products.
• Consistent costs, regardless of the number of orders.
• Based on WordPress, a fully-fledged CMS or website system.

What are the disadvantages of WooCommerce?

• Webshop operation necessary (maintenance, backup, security, etc.).
• Slow from 10,000 products (bad for SEO).
• Updates of the webshop usually time-consuming.

What are the advantages of Shopify?

• High flexibility when expanding functions.
• Administration is very user-friendly.
• 100% availability of your own webshop.
• No maintenance tasks necessary (maintenance, backup, security, etc.).
• No updates necessary (Shopify does this automatically).
• Very fast loading times (good for SEO).

What are the disadvantages of Shopify?

• Only a few customisations possible in the checkout process.
• Costs per sale (2% - 0.5%).
• Multilingualism cannot be implemented in a roundabout way.
• Some function extensions cost money per month

Which is better - WooCommerce or Shopify?

Basically, both shops are easy to use and each has its advantages and disadvantages. If you want to have an online shop quickly and save yourself the effort of installing it, Shopify is the system of choice. The exception to this is if you are planning a large number of orders per month or want a highly customisable online shop. Then WooCommerce is more suitable for you.

How good is WooCommerce?

WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress. There are free plugins for almost all desired functions, but some are available for a fee. You can also programme some functions yourself. You should make sure that your own codes are compatible with Wordpress and WooCommerce at all times.

Who is Shopify suitable for?

Shopify can be used by small businesses to large companies. Depending on the number of sales and turnover, a suitable Shopify plan can be selected. The plans range from Basic 24 euros/month to Shopify Plus 2,000 euros/month.