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Shopify Is Easier to Start With – WooCommerce Is a Bit TrickierShopify Gives You More E-Commerce Features by DefaultShopify Offers 4X as Many Themes as WooCommerceThe Cost of Shopify Is Easier to Predict, But Not Always Lower24/7 Support vs. Standard Ticket SupportShopify vs. WooCommerce: Which is the Best E-Commerce Store Platform?
Shopify Is Easier to Start With – WooCommerce Is a Bit Trickier
Shopify has everything you need in one package. But since WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin, you’ll need to be familiar with WordPress before you can even start learning how to use WooCommerce. ShopifyEnter in some basic account information, and your store will be created for you on Shopify. It takes just a minute or two. Once logged in, you’ll find a prompt to add your first product (or you can do that from the menu).

- A product title
- A product description
- Product images
- Tags




WooCommerce
If you’ve used WordPress before, getting started with WooCommerce isn’t too difficult. But if you haven’t, first you’ll need to either sign up for a WordPress.com account, or self-host your own version of WordPress. Then, you’ll need to install WooCommerce from the “Plugins” store. After that’s activated, you’ll see two new menu options (“WooCommerce” and “Products”), along with all your existing menu options in WordPress:



And the Winner Is…
Shopify! It’s very easy to get started with Shopify, and it includes all the essentials without your needing to install additional extensions. WooCommerce takes a bit longer to get started with, especially if you’re not used to WordPress.Shopify Gives You More E-Commerce Features by Default
While both platforms have extensive libraries of extensions you can install to add just about any functionality you need, it’s always better if important features are built-in. That way, you don’t need to worry about extra extension costs, and it saves you from spending time trying to find the right extension.The Best E-Commerce Features Shopify Has to Offer
Shopify has all the basics an online store could need from the start. Here’s what you get with any plan:- Free SSL certificate
- Support for an unlimited number of products
- Unlimited bandwidth and site storage
- Shopify point of sale (POS) for selling in-person
- Blog post and page creator
- Fraud analysis
- Finance reports
- Customer reports
- Marketing campaign creator
- Automatic tax calculations
WooCommerce’s Basic Toolbox
WooCommerce does offer a lot for a free plugin, but you’ll find that you’re missing a few important features. Here’s what WooCommerce offers:- Support for an unlimited number of products
- Unlimited site storage (on WordPress.com “Business” plan)
- Blog post and page creator
- Finance reports
- Customer reports
- Automatic tax calculations
And the Winner Is…
Shopify, again. Whatever business you’re in, you’ll find everything you need included on whichever Shopify plan you choose. While WooCommerce comes with many basics, you’ll probably have to turn to the extension store to get access to important features.Shopify Offers 4X as Many Themes as WooCommerce
Both platforms offer free and paid site themes to let you choose the layout and look of your store. Shopify’s theme store has 10 free themes, and just over 60 paid themes available. These can be filtered down in the store by industry (e.g., art, clothing, furniture, etc.), price, number of products you have, and more:

And the Winner Is…
Shopify, yet again. Shopify has a much larger selection of themes that are all designed for Shopify stores. While WooCommerce can work with third-party WordPress themes, they may not make the most of what WooCommerce has to offer, and the quality of support you’ll get can vary a lot.The Cost of Shopify Is Easier to Predict, But Not Always Lower
In terms of cost, it’s hard to say which platform is better. Depending on several factors, either Shopify or WooCommerce could be cheaper for you. So, let me break down the potential costs you may face, and you can add up the ones that apply to your business.Shopify
Shopify offers three base plans, all with a monthly fee. The higher the monthly fee, the lower the processing fees (on credit card payments). Because of this, Shopify will almost always be the cheapest option for high-volume sellers. On top of processing fees, you may have to pay transaction fees on each sale. If you use Shopify Payments, which is Shopify’s payment processor (powered by Stripe), you don’t have to pay transaction fees. But if you use a third-party processor like PayPal, you’ll also pay a percentage of each sale as a transaction fee to Shopify. The final source of ongoing costs are “apps.” Sometimes, you may need a feature that Shopify doesn’t include by default. Chances are, there’s an app you can install for it. Some popular examples of these are advanced SEO apps, email marketing integrations, and product sourcing apps.
- Your plan cost
- Credit card processing fees
- Transaction fees (if not using Shopify Payments)
- Any special functionality you need that requires an app
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is completely free by itself. However, in order to install plugins (including WooCommerce) on WordPress.com, you’ll need at least a “Business” plan. The Business plan and the base Shopify plan are about the same cost. You can integrate any major payment processor like Stripe or PayPal, and the processing fees will be similar to Shopify for low-volume sellers. There’s nothing like Shopify Payments that gives you large discounts if you’re a high-volume seller. There are no transaction fees for WooCommerce, regardless of your payment processor. The way that WooCommerce makes money is through the extension store. Extensions are the same thing as “apps” in Shopify. Unless you’re just making a basic online store, the base version of WooCommerce most likely won’t provide enough functionality. You’ll have to turn to the extension store.

And the Winner Is…
It’s situational. In most cases, they have similar costs. In general, Shopify will be cheaper because on WooCommerce, you’ll need to buy quite a few extensions. Also, for higher volume sellers, Shopify will typically be cheaper because processing rates get lower as you upgrade plans. However, if you can’t use Shopify Payments (because of preference, or you’re not in a country it supports), WooCommerce will likely be cheaper because you won’t have to pay transaction fees.24/7 Support vs. Standard Ticket Support
There will be times where you’re frustrated trying to figure out how to do something in your store, or run into unexpected issues. Good support is often a life-saver. Shopify has fantastic support options, day or night. It offers 24/7 support on all plans, and you can choose from live chat, email, phone, or even Twitter.

And the Winner Is…
Shopify, and it’s not even close. Shopify offers the type of premium, 24/7 support you expect when paying for a product.Shopify vs. WooCommerce: Which is the Best E-Commerce Store Platform?
In most cases, Shopify is the better e-commerce platform. It’s easier to use, comes with more features, better support, and can even be cheaper than WooCommerce. Read our Shopify expert review or click the button below: But there are three situations where WooCommerce can be the better choice:- You already have a business site built on WordPress. If so, it’s easy to install the plugin and you won’t have to remake your website.
- You don’t want to use Shopify Payments (or can’t), and the extra transaction fees you’ll face will make Shopify much more expensive than WooCommerce.
- You plan to blog a lot. While Shopify offers blogging features, WordPress can’t be beat when it comes to blogging.
Ease of use
Intuitive to get started with and use
Reasonably easy to use, but can be confusing if you’re new to WordPress
Shopify – quicker setup and clearer first steps
Basic features included
Has all the features most online stores need
Has most basic features, but you need extensions for some (POS, fraud analysis, marketing, etc.)
Shopify – all essentials are built-in (although you can find extensions for WooCommerce if needed)
Themes
Over 70
Only 14, but you can use other WordPress themes
Shopify – better selection of themes specifically designed for the platform
Cost
- Monthly plan cost
- Payment processing fees (lower for high volume)
- Transaction fees (waived if using Shopify Payments)
- App store if you need extra functionality
- Monthly plan cost
- Payment processing fees based on processing provider
- No transaction fees
- Expect to have to buy at least a few extensions
Depends on your needs – Shopify is generally cheaper if you can use Shopify Payments; otherwise, WooCommerce usually works out to be cheaper
Support
24/7 live chat, email, and phone support
Ticket support
Shopify – more support options and more reliable