選擇電子商務平臺:WooCommerce還是Shopify?

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Edwin Toonen

Edwin is simply a strategical contented specialist. Before joining Yoast, helium spent years honing his accomplishment astatine The Netherlands’ starring web plan magazine.

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Building an online store is easier than ever. Picking the close instrumentality to powerfulness your caller store isn’t. There are galore tools retired there, but for astir people, the prime volition spell betwixt the 2 marketplace leaders: Shopify and WooCommerce. Both ecommerce platforms person a comparable diagnostic set, but a antithetic philosophy. Let’s instrumentality a look astatine both.

TLDR: There’s nary cleanable solution

Let’s commencement with the conclusion. The reply to the question of which ecommerce level you should prime is those 2 words that each SEO adept likes to utter regularly: it depends! It’s astir a philosophical conflict betwixt 2 antithetic worlds: unfastened and flexible, and closed and “rigid”.

In general, you tin execute the aforesaid things connected some platforms. Both WooCommerce and Shopify are large platforms that assistance tract owners physique awesome online stores. The main quality is how they bash it and the doctrine down it.

WooCommerce gives you large flexibility and full ownership implicit your store and your data. This is simply a large enactment if you privation to power everything — and if you clasp the open-source mentality. Plus, if you already person a WordPress tract past it makes overmuch much consciousness to adhd a WooCommerce store to it than to commencement a caller store connected Shopify. And, if you privation a hosted mentation of WooCommerce, determination are plenty of large hosting providers that tin supply you that option.

With Shopify, you get a closed strategy — besides known arsenic a SaaS, oregon Software arsenic a Service. Everything is arranged for you and everything is acceptable up successful specified a mode that you tin physique and motorboat an online store successful minutes — literally. A closed model similar Shopify has galore benefits arsenic you get a strategy that is perfectly tuned to its task, which is getting you to merchantability arsenic overmuch arsenic possible. It does mean that Shopify owns your information and that you suffer flexibility. Everything you tin bash is wrong the level and its apps.

It’s not that 1 is amended than the other: prime the level that fits your goals.

What is Shopify?

Launched successful 2006, Shopify is an ecommerce level that powers astir 1.7 cardinal online stores. Shopify is simply a hosted web application, which means that its Software arsenic a Service (SaaS), cautiously fine-tuned to marque it precise casual to physique and tally online stores. It offers a ton of tools that store owners tin usage to commencement an online store.

Over the years, Shopify built galore in-house solutions to communal ecommerce problems, similar outgo systems (Shopify Payments) and fulfillment networks. Today, Shopify is simply a full-service ecommerce level that makes a batch of consciousness for a batch of people.

Shopify helps you acceptable up an online store successful an instant

What is WooCommerce?

Launched successful 2011, WooCommerce firmly has its roots successful the open-source WordPress community. WooCommerce is simply a implicit ecommerce plugin that you tin simply bolt onto your WordPress site. It’s full-featured and robust, with tried and tested performance. Since 2015, WooCommerce is portion of the Automattic family.

WooCommerce is simply a precise fashionable and cost-efficient mode of moving an online store. On this basis, WooCommerce doesn’t outgo thing and adjacent galore of the extensions are escaped to use. There’s a full system built astir WooCommerce, with thousands of services, themes, and plugins astatine assorted terms points. People worth the state they consciousness portion gathering a store with WooCommerce.

WooCommerce is simply a fashionable e-commerce level that gives you the state to bash what you want

A managed level vs. a self-hosted one

The biggest quality betwixt Shopify and WooCommerce is the mode they big your site. With WooCommerce, you tin download the escaped WordPress plugin and instal it connected immoderate fixed server. Simply prime a bully hosting program and you are bully to go. You person afloat power implicit the mode WooCommerce works and you tin standard your tech stack if your tract is doing great.

This does besides person its drawbacks, of course. For instance, you are afloat liable for each portion of your store. You request to support everything harmless and unafraid and you are the 1 making the show optimizations needed to execute well. Of course, determination are services to assistance you bash this, but still. So, portion WooCommerce is escaped to usage — it’s not without cost. Something to instrumentality enactment of. And, if you truly privation a hosted solution with WooCommerce, you tin ever motion up for the ecommerce plans connected antithetic WordPress hosting providers.

With Shopify, you motion up with them, wage them a monthly interest to big and tally your store. Everything you bash is wrong their “walls”, truthful to say. Shopify comes with restraints purposely built successful to marque definite that their stores each relation properly. Shopify takes attraction of everything, from outgo to backup and security.

If you bash privation to grow a bit, Shopify comes with an app store that features galore adjuvant tools, similar SEO apps, email marketing, inventory management, and overmuch more. These scope from escaped to a monthly added outgo that’ll rapidly summation the terms you wage for your store. Another happening to retrieve is that Shopify charges a 2% transaction interest connected the cheapest plan, erstwhile not utilizing Shopify Payment. More connected that later.

The Yoast online store is powered by WooCommerce

Comparing Shopify vs. WooCommerce

Shopify and WooCommerce haven’t go the 2 starring e-commerce platforms successful the satellite by chance. Both are precise robust, easy-to-use, secure, and full-featured. The features are comparable, and truthful is the mode deliberation astir e-commerce. The quality mostly is successful the flexibility of open-source versus the solidness of closeness. Let’s instrumentality a person look.

Pricing

Shopify is paid bundle and doesn’t travel with a escaped plan. There are 3 plans to take from, starting from $29 a period to $299 a month. The antithetic plans travel with antithetic options, for instance, the basal program doesn’t travel with reports and internationalization features. For the enterprise-level businesses, there’s besides Shopify Plus. Another program is Shopify Lite that lets you adhd products to an existing blog for a tiny fee.

The benignant of program you get, besides influences what you wage Shopify for handling transactions. For instance, the transaction interest if you are not utilizing Shopify’s ain outgo strategy is 2% for the Basic plan, 1% for the mediate plan, and 0.5% for the Advanced plan. There are besides antithetic rates for online handling of recognition cards, starting astatine 2.9% + 30¢ USD per transaction.

Shopify comes with antithetic outgo rates for antithetic plans — you’ll wage a surcharge if you’re not utilizing Shopify Payments

If you usage WooCommerce Payments, you don’t wage a interest to grip recognition cards but determination is simply a regular complaint of 2.9% + 30¢ USD per transaction. WooCommerce itself is escaped to instal and use, but volition travel with a batch of added costs. For instance, you request to wage for hosting — prime a bully WordPress host, that’s indispensable —, a domain, themes, plugins, improvement costs, et cetera. It is imaginable to support it debased fund and bash astir of it yourself, but if you can’t you request to invest.

Still, a WooCommerce store volition astir apt crook retired cheaper — particularly if you are connected much costly Shopify plans and request immoderate costly app subscriptions to get your store to tally properly.

Ease-of-use

While some products are beauteous casual to use, Shopify is connected different level. One of the biggest advantages of a hosted ecommerce level is that aft you motion up, you tin instantly commencement to enactment connected your site. Shopify is acceptable up to usher you from A to Z successful specified a mode that you tin motorboat your tract successful minutes, if necessary. You won’t spot immoderate codification and you tin conscionable click astir to get your store looking similar you want.

With WooCommerce, it mightiness instrumentality a small much to get going due to the fact that you request to spell done the process of installing it. What’s more, if you don’t person a WordPress tract you request to acceptable that up arsenic well. Luckily, determination are plentifulness of high-quality web hosts that connection all-in-one plans for WooCommerce shops. Once you’ve acceptable up everything, you tin tally done the settings, instal WooCommerce add-ons, prime a taxable et cetera, et cetera.

As WooCommerce is arrogant of its flexibility, it comes with everything and the room sink, giving you elaborate power implicit the store. What WooCommerce doesn’t person retired of the box, you tin adhd via add-ons. In immoderate case, WooCommerce is little beginner-friendly than Shopify.

Appearance: themes

Having a great, functional look for your online store is important. If your tract appears messy, imaginable customers mightiness not spot it. Luckily, some ecommerce platforms travel with ample prime to get the plan you privation for your products to basal out.

Shopify has astir eighty themes disposable successful the Theme Store, some escaped and premium. Not excessively agelong ago, Shopify announced Online Store 2.0, a wholly redesigned taxable architecture — including a cutting-edge caller default theme. This makes it a batch easier to customize themes arsenic you tin present edit each conception of your site, not conscionable your homepage. Shopify volition usage a Gutenberg-like artifact strategy to assistance you physique those pages. All of this volition assistance you get much done, without touching code.

The caller Shopify Online Store 2.0 successful enactment

WooCommerce benefits from having a monolithic marketplace built astir it. While determination are astir forty themes disposable successful the authoritative marketplace, resellers similar ThemeForest and TemplateMonster connection thousands of WooCommerce themes successful each shapes and sizes. Not to notation high-quality idiosyncratic WooCommerce-proof WordPress themes similar Astra. This being the WordPress space, you simply person a ton of options. But, of course, this tin beryllium a drawback if you are trying to find thing quickly.

WooCommerce comes with a coagulated taxable called Storefront, but determination are thousands of different options for themes retired there

Flexibility

Is it imaginable to instrumentality power of your online store and alteration small details oregon are you stuck successful a strategy idiosyncratic other controls? It’s bully to person options and, portion some WooCommerce and Shopify person ample settings to explores and extensions to add, Shopify feels a spot much claustrophobic.

Of course, offering flexibility is large arsenic it gives the idiosyncratic the powerfulness to tune the ecommerce tract to their liking. On the different hand, it adds complexity and it takes clip and effort to acceptable it up and support it moving similar a well-oiled machine.

As mentioned, Shopify is simply a closed level that is built to springiness you everything you need, but not excessively much. While WooCommerce is open, escaped to accommodate and crook into thing unique. The prime is yours.

Apps

The conception of apps oregon add-ons is well-established by now. In galore solutions, you get a programme that is acceptable up to springiness you the minimal magnitude of tools you request to get your store going. If you want, you tin enactment wrong these constraints and physique a palmy store. But, if you privation much control, much insights, much features — you request apps to widen the platforms.

Shopify has a large acceptable of apps you tin use, from precocious analytics to email marketing. Some of those are escaped to use, but the champion ones are paid services you motion up for with a monthly fee. These are not inexpensive and the terms level is antithetic from what we spot successful the WordPress space. Yoast SEO Premium, for instance, costs conscionable $89 a year, while, connected average, a Shopify app costs astir $20 to $30 a month. Sign up for a mates of apps and you are racking up the outgo of your Shopify store. Also, don’t instal much apps than you request arsenic this tin impact performance.

You tin find everything you request successful the Shopify app store

WooCommerce is WordPress, with each its pros and cons. WooCommerce comes with a batch of ecommerce tools built-in, but you tin adhd circumstantial features via add-ons. There are a ton of extensions for WooCommerce, successful each shapes and sizes — built by WooCommerce, arsenic good arsenic immoderate 3rd parties. In general, these add-ons are little costly than their Shopify counterparts. Pricing is conscionable antithetic successful the WordPress space.

Whatever you choose, some platforms fto you widen your online store with circumstantial and sometimes niche tools that assistance you marque the astir of it.

Payment providers

Accepting payments is astatine the bosom of each online store — without it, determination is nary store. It’s besides the portion wherever the costs and availability of (local) outgo providers volition play a large role. Rest assured, some WooCommerce and Shopify radiance connected this front. But, 1 is not similar the other.

Shopify is adamant of you utilizing Shopify Payments. It’s not required to usage it, but it does person a cost-benefit. Shopify offers tons of outgo options and astir each supplier successful the satellite is taken attraction of. But, Shopify would alternatively person you usage Payments arsenic that is wrong their walls. If you chose a antithetic provider, you’ll announcement that Shopify volition adhd transaction fees that mightiness rack up for you. Unfortunately, Shopify lone offers Payments successful a mates of territories, truthful successful galore cases, you person to usage a outgo supplier circumstantial to your locale. This volition outgo you extra.

Last year, WooCommerce introduces its ain mentation of Shopify Payments called WooCommerce Payments. Yes, really. It doesn’t enactment everything for each locale, but you tin widen this with add-ons for astir each outgo supplier successful the world. WooCommerce doesn’t complaint other for utilizing a antithetic outgo provider, but for the costs the supplier itself charges. WooCommerce Payments doesn’t necessitate a monthly fee, but it does incur costs per transaction.

WooCommerce Payments lets cod recognition paper payments successful an instant

Marketing

Setting up your store is lone portion of the journey, of course. Marketing volition play a large relation successful however and if you tin scope an assemblage that volition bargain successful your store. Having selling astatine your disposal close from the backend makes a batch of sense.

Shopify comes with a fig of chill selling tools, similar a Facebook channel, the enactment to merchantability connected Amazon, email marketing, acquisition paper options, income and discounts, and overmuch more. Marketing is besides wherever the Shopify apps radiance arsenic determination are galore dedicated tools that’ll purpose to get much customers — oregon to get existent customers to walk more. Shopify besides comes with an abandoned cart betterment diagnostic successful each plan.

WooCommerce comes with less selling features retired of the box, but it has a full app store afloat of selling extensions. WooCommerce doesn’t travel with its ain email selling diagnostic but does integrate with things similar MailPoet and Mailchimp.

Content marketing

Marketing your store isn’t conscionable astir writing an engaging merchandise description. It’s besides bully to find a mode to archer your communicative and to nutrient contented that volition bash good successful the hunt engines. This makes it easier for imaginable customers to find you, adjacent if they are not looking for your products yet. One of the tools you tin usage for this is simply a blog.

Shopify has a blog diagnostic and it’s beauteous casual to get started with. Unfortunately, it’s besides precise basal and bare-bones. It’s bully that it’s determination and that it gives you the option, but you shouldn’t expect this to person to powerfulness of WordPress.

Of course, WooCommerce is built connected apical of WordPress truthful it uses the block editor. Adding a blog to your tract with WooCommerce is casual and it gives you a precise almighty instrumentality to archer your story. You’ll besides get to usage each those chill tools, similar the Yoast SEO plugin to marque definite that the contented is well-written and acceptable for the hunt engines. What’s more, the artifact exertion volition fto you physique adjacent much chill stuff, similar landing pages and the like. WooCommerce adjacent comes with its ain blocks for the artifact editor.

SEO

SEO is indispensable successful bringing successful customers. Of course, SEO is much than conscionable mounting up permalinks and moving connected your tract structure. It besides contains idiosyncratic experience, contented writing, show optimization, and overmuch more.

Shopify comes with a default setup that is beauteous SEO-friendly. You tin enactment connected your meta descriptions, canonicals are generated automatically, redirects enactment decently and you tin adjacent edit your robots.txt file, if necessary. If you privation to bash more, determination are respective SEO plugins successful the Appstore that tin assistance you. Of course, not everything is cleanable and determination are surely improvements to marque to the default setup. For instance, duplicate contented tin crook retired to beryllium a nasty contented successful Shopify.

WooCommerce has a large advantage: it is built connected apical of WordPress and that means you tin bash a batch to amended your WordPress SEO. WooCommerce is beauteous bully astatine SEO, but you get a batch much power implicit it — particularly if you instal a plugin similar the Yoast WooCommerce SEO add-on. WooCommerce SEO helps you acceptable up the metadata for your products properly, including the indispensable structured information markup. It besides optimizes the merchandise XML sitemap for your tract and helps you visualize your products successful Google.

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Performance

A accelerated tract offers a bully idiosyncratic acquisition and a bully idiosyncratic acquisition helps crook visitors into customers. It’s important to absorption connected improving the show of your online store arsenic overmuch arsenic possible. Again, Shopify and WooCommerce bash this successful antithetic ways.

As Shopify is simply a managed web app, show optimization is successful their hands. There are not that galore things you tin bash to heighten it, but for making definite that everything is acceptable up decently and that you bounds the usage of apps, person a well-built theme, and optimize your images. Luckily, show is 1 of the focal points for the Shopify improvement squad and they are rolling retired enhancements each the time. Another chill happening is that Shopify comes with a Fastly/Cloudflare CDN by default. If you request much power implicit the performance, you tin ever upgrade to the enterprise-level Shopify Plus plan.

With WooCommerce, you tin power the show successful large detail. That’s awesome, but it’s besides a drawback arsenic you are liable for the performance. This means you person to take wherever to big it and to marque definite that everything is acceptable up properly. You request to prime a accelerated theme, negociate your plugins, optimize scripts, get a CDN, et cetera, et cetera. This is awesome due to the fact that you get to take which knobs to turn. Of course, it is simply a batch little beginner-friendly. Luckily, with great WordPress hosting, your WooCommerce store volition astir apt execute beauteous good without having to finetune excessively overmuch stuff.

SiteGround is 1 of the champion hosting providers retired determination and besides connection a WooCommerce plan

Security

Security is paramount for an online store. You wouldn’t privation your store to leak your customers’ recognition paper details, bash you? It makes each the consciousness successful the satellite to instrumentality other attraction of security. Security is simply a large spot origin and if your customers tin spot your site, they won’t bargain anything.

Because of their antithetic approaches, Shopify and WooCommerce are not adjacent regarding information retired of the box. Shopify is simply a web-based work truthful it controls everything it does. They instrumentality attraction of the hosting and information of your site. All the modular information things are disposable close away, similar SSL certificates and 2-factor authentication. Shopify is besides PCI-DSS compliant close retired of the box, meaning you tin judge recognition cards close away.

With WooCommerce, things are different. WooCommerce arsenic bundle is precise secure, but you request to instrumentality attraction of it yourself. You instal it connected a server that you request to maintain, you’re liable for getting an SSL certificate, support your bundle updated et cetera. Of course, determination are galore tools and services that tin assistance you unafraid your tract successful a nonrecreational way. None of this is truly hard, but it is thing to instrumentality enactment of.

Shopify vs WooCommerce conclusion

There are nary answers to the question of whether Shopify oregon WooCommerce is better. Both are awesome tools to powerfulness your ecommerce store. Both person their merits and drawbacks, but the main quality is however it runs your online store.

With Shopify, you unrecorded and respire connected its platform, portion WooCommerce lets you instrumentality power implicit everything. WooCommerce mightiness beryllium much cost-effective, but Shopify is simply a much lean-back solution. It’s not that 1 is amended than the other, it’s conscionable a prime you request to marque depending connected the skills, budget, and goals you have.