Shopify is a SaaS (software-as-a-service) that allows merchants to create online stores easily, while WooCommerce is an open-source eCommerce platform built for WordPress.

The choice between WordPress and Shopify depends on your specific needs and the nature of your website or online store. Both platforms have their strengths, so it’s essential to consider your requirements and priorities when making a decision:

The significant differences between Shopify and WordPress can be compared as follows:

1. Designing

WordPress is the best option. It offers many WordPress themes, whereas Shopify has much fewer choices.

WooCommerce has over 50,000 plugins, most of which have a lite version that is free for a lifetime. Shopify has only 1200 apps with a seven- or 15-day trial.

You will find hundreds of WooCommerce themes on the internet, a few hundred of which are free. Shopify has 100 themes total, only 7 of which are free themes. The rest will cost you between $80-$160.

2. Customization

Customizing WordPress themes can take some time because you need to get the hang of how the WordPress dashboard and theme setup tools work. That’s why most WordPress themes have page builders like Beaver Builder, Elementor, and Divi, making customizing their pages easy for anyone with no coding knowledge.

WooCommerce has plugins like Visual Composer to customize the look of your website using a drag-and-drop builder. Shopify doesn’t allow you to customize the look and feel of your store to that extent, even after spending $100 on the theme.

Once you gain experience with WordPress, you can customize your site’s home page design and header and put video widgets anywhere on your website.

You need coding expertise if you want complete control over your Shopify theme. Therefore, it will cost to hire a pro, and the final product might differ from what you expected.

3. Payment Gateways

The platforms both have payment gateway options. This round is too close to compare, and there needs to be a clear winner. Shopify charges more, though, and might be deal breakers.

The plugin you use on WordPress can determine which payment gateways are available. For example, if you use the Simple PayPal Shopping Cart plugin, your payment options will be determined by PayPal; if you use the WP Easy Cart plugin, your options will depend on what is supported by Stripe, PayPal, and Square; and with Woo Commerce, your choice of payment gateways is limitless.

4. Fees

Shopify has its payment processing system, Shopify Payments. There is a fee if you do not use this system to process transactions. Again, there are options for merchants wanting to use their merchant account or offer PayPal settlements.

Shopify offers an in-house payment option built into the software and is competitively priced compared to other all-in-one options. The downside is that you’re charged a fee if you don’t use this service.

Unlike Shopify, these WordPress plugins do not charge extra fees on transactions. Your only payment-related fees are those set by your payment processor.

5. Sales

Shopify is the winner because it has built-in integrations with Facebook Shop, Instagram, Amazon, and eBay on its lower plans. This company allows you to sell your products through these channels and manage them in your Shopify dashboard.

Plugins like WooCommerce and Easy PayPal require add-ons to integrate with multichannel sales. These plugins can help you make the connections necessary for multichannel WordPress sales.

Your store is alive with sales. 95% of Shopify stores fail within a month of their launch. WooCommerce is much more SEO-friendly because it runs on top of WordPress, the most prominent CMS platform. WordPress is the top choice for bloggers.

38% of online stores are built using WooCommerce, and 8% are made using Shopify.

6. Cost

You can host your WooCommerce store for $21/year compared to Shopify’s $29/month.

You can host as many sites as possible with your $21/year plan. If you host two websites, it would cost $10.5/website every year. In contrast, you would pay $58 on Shopify because it hosts only one website for $29.

Up to 2% transaction fee is charged for each of your order

Lack of store customizations: Shopify only offers 80+ themes and 2,400+ plugins, while WooCommerce offers 4,000+ themes and 58,000+ plugins

7. Support System

Set up your store easily with a user-friendly interface and easy-to-understand guides.

Active 24/7 customer support via phone calls, live chat, emails

WordPress: No customer support, unlike Shopify

I recommend Shopify for its user-friendly interface and 24/7 customer support. Still, if you want a flexible platform to build a detailed website, you should consider WooCommerce.

8. Maintenance and Backups

The installation process and maintenance or backups will require some coding knowledge.

While the WooCommerce plugin is free, costs can still run high when you factor in hosting, development, maintenance, etc.

9. Security and Hosting

Shopify handles hosting and security, so you don’t have to worry about server management or software updates.

With WordPress, you have full ownership of your website and can choose your hosting provider, giving you more control over performance and security.

10. App Store

Shopify has an extensive app store with various tools and apps to enhance e-commerce functionality.

11. SEO

WordPress provides excellent SEO control, with plugins like Yoast SEO to optimize your site for search engines.

WordPress is known for its plugin ecosystem and content flexibility.

WordPress is known for its versatility. It’s a robust content management system (CMS) that can be used for websites, blogs, e-commerce, and more. You have complete control over your content and design.

WordPress offers a vast library of plugins and themes, allowing you to extend functionality and customize your site to a high degree. There are numerous e-commerce plugins, like WooCommerce, available.

Shopify is purpose-built for e-commerce. It offers a user-friendly platform designed to streamline online store management.

Shopify is known for its simplicity. It’s an excellent choice for those who want to set up an online store without extensive technical knowledge quickly.

WordPress is better if you prioritize flexibility and content control and have a diverse range of online content in addition to e-commerce. However, if you want a straightforward e-commerce solution with hosting and security managed for you, Shopify is a great option. When deciding, consider your specific project goals, technical expertise, and long-term plans.