If you're setting up an online shop, two names you're likely to encounter very quickly are Shopify and WooCommerce.
I've designed, built, modified and supported ecommerce sites using both platforms. There isn't a universally right answer, and if your business already has a successful WooCommerce or Shopify store, I certainly wouldn't recommend rebuilding it purely for the sake of changing platforms.
If I'm starting from scratch, however, my personal preference for most small and medium-sized businesses is Shopify.
The main reason isn't that WooCommerce is bad. Far from it. It's because Shopify removes quite a lot of the technical responsibility involved in operating an ecommerce website.
What's the fundamental difference?
Shopify is a hosted ecommerce platform. You pay Shopify a subscription and it provides the ecommerce software, hosting, infrastructure and administration system as one service.
WooCommerce is an open-source ecommerce system built on WordPress. The core software itself is free, but you need somewhere to host it and you're responsible for the WordPress installation, WooCommerce, your theme and any plugins or extensions you add.
That distinction affects almost everything else: cost, maintenance, security, flexibility and how much technical involvement your store requires.
Shopify is generally easier to look after
This is probably the biggest reason I tend to recommend Shopify to businesses that simply want to get on with selling.
Shopify looks after the underlying platform and hosting for you. You don't have to maintain a server, update Shopify itself or make sure a new version of the core ecommerce system still works with your version of WordPress.
Apps and custom functionality still need sensible management, of course, but there's generally less routine technical maintenance for the business owner to worry about.
A WooCommerce site has more moving parts. WordPress needs updating. WooCommerce needs updating. Your theme may need updating. Plugins, payment gateways and extensions need updating.
Most of the time that's perfectly manageable. But updates can occasionally conflict with each other, so a well-run WooCommerce store should be backed up, maintained and ideally have significant updates tested before they're pushed onto the live shop.
If you have somebody looking after the site, that isn't necessarily a problem. But it is a cost - whether that's measured in your own time or somebody else's.
What about cost?
This is where WooCommerce can initially look very attractive.
WooCommerce itself is free and open source. Shopify charges a monthly subscription.
But comparing the price of WooCommerce with the Shopify subscription isn't really a like-for-like comparison.
A WooCommerce shop also needs hosting. Depending on what you need, you may pay for premium plugins, extensions, backups, security services and maintenance.
Shopify bundles much more of the underlying infrastructure into its monthly fee.
So I'd look at the total cost of running the shop, rather than simply asking which platform has the cheapest headline price.
For a relatively simple store with inexpensive hosting and few paid extensions, WooCommerce can certainly be very economical.
For a business that would otherwise be paying someone regularly to maintain its WordPress stack, the difference can become much less clear.
Don't forget payment processing fees
The platform subscription or hosting bill isn't the only cost to consider. If you're selling online, payment processing fees matter too - particularly as your turnover increases.
Shopify has its own integrated payment system, Shopify Payments. The processing rate depends on factors including your Shopify plan and the type of payment being processed.
Shopify also supports other payment providers, but depending on how your payment setup is configured, additional Shopify transaction fees can apply when using third-party processors.
WooCommerce gives you considerable freedom over which payment provider you use. The provider itself will charge processing fees, but WooCommerce doesn't take an additional percentage of your sales simply for using the platform.
This means it's worth doing the maths for your particular business rather than choosing a platform based solely on its monthly cost.
A difference of a fraction of a percentage point might not matter much to a new shop, but it can become significant once you're processing a large volume of orders.
Which gives you more design freedom?
Technically, you can create highly bespoke ecommerce experiences with either platform.
WordPress and WooCommerce are extremely flexible because you have access to the entire application and its underlying code.
Interestingly, though, I personally really enjoy building Shopify stores.
Shopify themes use a templating language called Liquid alongside HTML, CSS and JavaScript. I find the theme architecture a particularly nice environment for creating something fresh rather than simply adapting an off-the-shelf ecommerce template.
Products, collections, metafields, sections and reusable blocks give you plenty of scope to create interesting merchandising and buying experiences while keeping the store manageable for the people who actually have to use it afterwards.
That's important to me. A good ecommerce site shouldn't just look good when the developer hands it over. The business should be able to run it.
Does Shopify sell more than WooCommerce?
I wouldn't choose a platform based on claims that one automatically sells more than the other.
Both platforms are widely used by UK businesses. Current technology data from BuiltWith identifies hundreds of thousands of UK ecommerce websites using Shopify and WooCommerce.
More importantly, simply choosing Shopify doesn't give you a successful shop - and choosing WooCommerce doesn't give you an unsuccessful one.
Your products, pricing, photography, proposition, website speed, navigation, product information, checkout experience, customer service and marketing are all likely to matter far more than the logo on the ecommerce software running underneath.
That's why I'd concentrate on creating the best buying experience for your customers rather than worrying too much about which platform appears in a market-share chart.
When would I choose Shopify?
For a new ecommerce business, I'd normally lean towards Shopify when:
- Ecommerce is the primary purpose of the site.
- The business doesn't want to manage hosting and software updates.
- You want a straightforward administration system for products and orders.
- You want to minimise ongoing technical maintenance.
- You want the hosting, checkout and ecommerce infrastructure handled as part of one service.
- You want plenty of scope for a bespoke, professionally designed storefront.
When would I choose WooCommerce?
There are plenty of situations where WooCommerce makes more sense.
I'd seriously consider WooCommerce when:
- You already have a good WordPress website.
- Ecommerce is only one part of a larger content-led website.
- You need unusual functionality that is easier to implement within WordPress.
- You want complete control over your hosting and application.
- You have an existing WordPress development or maintenance setup that works well.
- You have payment-provider requirements where WooCommerce's flexibility makes financial or operational sense.
Already using Shopify or WooCommerce?
Then there's another option: don't change anything.
If your existing store works, your customers can buy from it and there's no compelling commercial reason to move, changing ecommerce platform can create a lot of work without necessarily creating much value.
I'd much rather improve an existing store than recommend an expensive rebuild simply because I personally prefer another platform.
I work with both Shopify and WooCommerce, so I can make changes, fix problems, improve the design, build new functionality and help improve the customer journey on whichever platform you're already using.
So, Shopify or WooCommerce?
If you asked me to build a new ecommerce site for a typical small or medium-sized business today, I'd probably start the conversation with Shopify.
I like the fact that the underlying platform, hosting and much of the infrastructure are taken care of. I like developing with Liquid, and I think it gives us an excellent foundation for concentrating on the bit customers actually care about: creating a great-looking store that's simple and enjoyable to buy from.
But that's a preference, not a rule.
WooCommerce remains a powerful and extremely flexible ecommerce platform, and in the right circumstances it can absolutely be the better choice.
The useful question isn't really "Which platform is best?"
It's: "Which platform makes the most sense for this particular business?"