Shopify is a perfect platform for anyone. You just need to paddle up (explore) to get the best of Shopify. Shopify Inc is working extremely hard and well in all the fields. Be it updates, improvements, customer service, etc., Shopify is really excelling well.
Undoubtedly you should jump into the flow. Their pricing plans are good too. However, remember that WooCommerce is open source and free. You need not pay any monthly fee. Below is the bifurcation of specifications and traits of Shopify Vs WooCommerce that may help you land on the final conclusion of which platform will suit your e-commerce domain/store:
Themes:
(Image Source: ThemeForest)
Both WooCommerce and Shopify have got tons of amazing themes. You can get one developed too. So no need to worry if you are unable to find a theme of your choice.
Explore more about the availability of themes in the official theme stores of both Shopify and WooCommerce:
Scalability:
(Image Source: small business here)
Both WooCommerce and Shopify are scalable and can handle enormous traffic.
I recently read this – Though the answer given by Tobias Lutke, CEO of Shopify has been posted 2 years back, the answer certainly solves all the doubts related to scalability traits with Shopify. In the case of WooCommerce, you can get it customized to your needs so as to handle traffic and other scalability issues.
Admin/Backend:
Admin i.e. Dashboard/Backend, of both WooCommerce and Shopify, is good and easy to manage. I find Shopify outperforming WooCommerce by a few points when it comes to admin.
There are screenshots and resources available across the internet. Shopify also offers a 14 days free trial so you may get your hands on its back end and other features.
Extensions/Apps:
Both Shopify and WooCommerce have got amazing extensions/apps to enhance your store.
WooCommerce Extensions from WooThemes
E-commerceApp Marketplace by Shopify
Not all the extensions are free; both in WooCommerce as well as Shopify.
Community:
Shopify has been adopted widely by people across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and some more. Carrying this, the community of people using Shopify is more active than people using WooCommerce. I would say, Shopify community is more social and exposed.
Customer Service:
(Image Source: voycecx)
To be honest, I have been in touch with customer service representatives of Shopify (Shopify Customer Support), and I find them prompt and helpful. I have not yet been in touch with WooCommerce representatives so I would not be consoling you with false conventions and stories.
However, WooCommerce has provided resourceful documentations and troubleshooting tips to get started and to solve problems promptly. To know more, visit- WooCommerce Support
Hosting:
(Image Source: wpreviews.net)
If you are well versed with the term ‘Self Hosted’, it may be easier for you to understand that Shopify is a self-hosted platform. If you do not acquaint with the term self-hosted- It simply means that the company will be providing you with hosting solutions i.e. they will provide you hosting in their server. You need not wander places to find a hosting partner.
You may take this as demerit too. Shopify provides hosting of your domain in their server, while with WooCommerce, you are free to choose a hosting partner of your choice.
Scalability/Enterprise Plans:
Shopify has got versatile plans for all. Be it a small sized business or a brand, Shopify has bifurcated its features and specifications into manifold pricing plans.
You may see here – Shopify Store Setup Pricing – The Best E-commerce Platform, Now Free for 14 days. This is not the case with WooCommerce. WooCommerce is an open source WordPress plugin and can be customized perpetually the way you want. In both cases, you will be needing the help of developers or development agencies.
Availability of Developers/Designers/Agencies:
WooCommerce is based on WordPress/PHP, availability of developers, thus, for WooCommerce is vibrant and in good number. Shopify is built with RoR, however, they use Liquid- a templating language, to customize individual stores. More about Liquid – Liquid Templating language
That doesn’t mean you will be finding it difficult to Find a Shopify Experts or Shopify Development Company, they are in numbers too. To make it easier for you, Shopify Inc has bifurcated the list of Shopify Experts according to demographics and expertise. These people, listed in their bifurcated groups, are termed as Shopify Partners. We are one of them- Expert Shopify Partners
However, PHP developers to are in numbers and you may not find it difficult to get in touch with one. To be honest, we have built over 200 WooCommerce online stores, and we find it extremely worthy. Similar to Shopify, WooCommerce has its experts, bifurcated demographically as WooCommerce Experts.
Epilogue:
The explanation above is completely unbiased, for we do not wish to promote anything. We wrote it out of our personal experiences, so as to make it easier for people confined by versatile opinions on WooCommerce and Shopify. Both WooCommerce and Shopify are worthy platforms to get an eCommerce store built. How you employ things, scope, and budget is what you should consider before choosing an eCommerce platform. Let us know if you need further consultation regarding e-commerce, we are always happy to help. Our mail address – sales@metizsoft.com
Great comparison! I say Shopify wins 🙂