Shopify vs. WordPress: Choose the Best Option for Your Store

QUICK LINKS
Overview of Shopify vs. WordPress
Shopify vs. WordPress: pros and cons
Ease of use and setup
Customization and design
Ecommerce capabilities
Pricing and costs
SEO capabilities
Support and community
Security and reliability
Performance and scalability
Conclusion and recommendations
FAQ

When it comes to choosing between Shopify vs. WordPress for your online store, the key differences lie in their ease of use, customization options, and built-in features. 

Shopify is a user-friendly, all-in-one solution, while WordPress offers greater flexibility and control. We will break down both platforms and their features so you can make an informed decision and select the best ecommerce platform for your business needs.

Overview of Shopify vs. WordPress

Before we start comparing Shopify and WordPress, let’s look at a quick overview of each platform.

Shopify is an all-in-one ecommerce solution. It provides everything you need to create and run an online store, including website hosting, templates, and payment processing.

It’s user friendly and easy to set up, even if you don’t have any technical skills.

WordPress is a popular website-building platform that powers over 40% of all websites on the internet. It’s not an ecommerce platform, but you can add ecommerce functionality to a WordPress site by installing a plugin such as WooCommerce.

WordPress is very flexible and customizable, but it requires more technical know-how than Shopify.

Consider the main differences between Shopify and WordPress:

• Shopify is an all-in-one ecommerce solution, while WordPress requires a plugin such as WooCommerce.
• Shopify is easier to use, but WordPress is more flexible and customizable.
• Shopify has more built-in ecommerce features, while WordPress relies more on plugins.
• Shopify can cost more than WordPress.

Shopify vs. WordPress: pros and cons

Both platforms have their advantages, but each has its challenges as well:

Shopify pros

✅ All-in-one ecommerce solution to start selling online

✅ Beginner friendly and easy to set up

✅ Reliable web hosting and fast loading speeds

✅ Secure payment processing

✅ 24/7 customer support

Shopify cons

❌ Less control over your website compared to WordPress

❌ Increased costs due to apps and plugins

❌ Added transaction fees if you don’t use Shopify Payments

❌ Limited customization options compared to WordPress

WordPress pros

✅ Highly flexible and customizable platform

✅ Lower cost than Shopify

✅ Huge library of themes and plugins to add features and functionality

✅ Full control and ownership over your website

WordPress cons

❌ Steeper learning curve and more technical than Shopify

❌ No web hosting, security, or backups

❌ Fewer out-of-the-box ecommerce features than Shopify

❌ No dedicated support, have to rely on forums, tutorials, and developers

Ease of use and setup

When it comes to setting up an online store, Shopify and WordPress are two of the most popular options. In the battle of Shopify vs. WordPress, Shopify emerges as the clear winner in terms of user-friendliness, especially for beginners.

You can register and have an online store up and running within minutes. Shopify walks you through each step, from adding products to setting up payments and shipping.

On the other hand, when considering WordPress vs. Shopify, the setup process for WordPress and WooCommerce is more involved. You’ll need to:

1. Sign up for web hosting and install WordPress
2. Choose and install a WordPress theme
3. Install the WooCommerce plugin
4. Configure your WooCommerce settings and preferences
5. Add your products and set up payment processing

While it may not seem too difficult, WordPress does have more of a learning curve. And you’ll be responsible for a lot of the setup and configuration yourself.

Shopify is more of a “done for you” solution.

Useful resources:

• How to create a contact form in WordPress (for ecommerce)
• 30 best WordPress plugins to improve your website in 2024
• 10 Shopify tips for new store owners [2024]
• The 11 best Shopify landing page builders

Customization and design

Both Shopify and WordPress let you customize the appearance of your online store. But WordPress is the winner when it comes to flexibility and customization.

Shopify provides over 100 professional themes for your online store. Some are free, while others are paid. You can customize your theme by tweaking the settings or by editing the HTML and CSS if you’re comfortable with coding.

Shopify offers a variety of professional store themes, but it locks down the core files. So, there’s a limit to how much you can customize your Shopify site.

If you want to make major changes or create a very specific design, Shopify may be too restrictive. With WordPress, though, the customization options are unlimited:

• Choose from thousands of free and paid WordPress themes
• Customize any theme by editing the code
• Use a page builder plugin for drag-and-drop design
• Hire a developer to build custom themes

With WordPress, you can customize every aspect of your site’s design. And since it’s open source, you have complete freedom and control.

This round in the battle of WordPress vs. Shopify goes to WordPress.

Helpful resources:

• The 40 best Shopify apps to sell more in 2024
• 20 best WordPress automation tools and plugins (+comparison +pricing)

Ecommerce capabilities

Shopify is specifically focused on ecommerce, so it has the edge here. It comes with all the features you need to launch your store:

• Unlimited products and product categories
• Inventory management
• Discount codes and coupons
• Abandoned cart recovery
• Over 100 payment gateways
• Automatic tax calculations
• Built-in shipping integrations

You get native ecommerce features, but if you need more, the Shopify App Store has over 8,000 apps to extend your store’s capabilities.

WordPress doesn’t have built-in ecommerce functionality. But the WooCommerce plugin for WordPress adds ecommerce features such as inventory management, discount codes, dozens of payment gateways, and more.

WooCommerce has tons of extensions to add more features to your store. And you can use other WordPress plugins alongside WooCommerce to get the exact functionality you need.

When it comes to Shopify vs. WordPress for ecommerce, Shopify has the advantage due to its built-in features. But WordPress with WooCommerce is more flexible and extendable.

Useful resources:

• 25 creative WordPress website examples for inspiration in 2024
• The 60 best Shopify stores for your inspiration
• The ultimate guide to WordPress drop-shipping in 2024
• Top 25 best drop-shipping apps for Shopify in 2024

Pricing and costs

Cost is an important consideration, so what’s the difference between Shopify vs. WordPress pricing?

Shopify has a very straightforward pricing structure. There are three plans ranging from $29 to $299 per month when billed annually. There is also a Plus plan at $2,300 a month for large ecommerce businesses.

The main differences are the number of staff accounts and access to advanced features such as gift cards and professional reports. All Shopify plans include:

• Ecommerce website and blog
• Unlimited products
• 24/7 support
• Fraud analysis
• Manual order creation
• Discount codes
• Free SSL certificate
• Abandoned cart recovery

Extra costs with Shopify:

• Premium themes – $100-$180 each
• Apps and plugins – $5-$100/month each
• Transaction fees – 0.5% to 2% per transaction, unless you use Shopify Payments
• Domain name – $14/year, if you buy it through Shopify

WordPress is free and open source, but to run your site you’ll need to pay for:

• Domain name – $10-15/year
• Web hosting – $5-$100/month
• SSL certificate – Free with some hosts, $50-$200/year otherwise
• Premium themes – $30-$100 each
• Plugins – $0-$200 each
• Developer fees – $50-$150/hour

WooCommerce is free to use, though many of the extensions come at an extra cost. Depending on your needs, you may pay anywhere from $100 to $1,000 per year for WooCommerce add-ons.

Overall, Shopify and WordPress pricing depend on your specific needs. Before customizations are added, Shopify is more expensive than WordPress on a monthly basis. But you can have fewer overall costs since you don’t have to cover hosting, themes, or plugins separately.

SEO capabilities

Both Shopify and WordPress have good SEO capabilities out of the box. But WordPress lets you extend the SEO functionality even further with plugins such as Yoast SEO or the All in One SEO Pack. These let you:

• Optimize for specific keywords
• Create custom title and meta description templates
• Generate XML sitemaps
• Get detailed suggestions for improving SEO

So, WordPress has a slight edge over Shopify when it comes to advanced SEO optimization.

Support and community

When you’re running an online store, reliable support is crucial. If your site goes down or you have a question, you need to be able to get help ASAP.

Shopify is known for its exceptional 24/7 support, including:

• 24/7 phone, email, and live chat support
• Online help center with tutorials and guides
• Community forums to connect with other Shopify users
• Shopify Experts for hiring Shopify developers and designers

With every plan, you can reach Shopify’s support team any time. They’re knowledgeable and responsive, which is a huge benefit of using the platform.

With WordPress, the support options aren’t as comprehensive. However, the WordPress community is massive and has countless resources, including:

• Blog posts and tutorials
• YouTube videos and courses
• Books and e-books
• Community forums and Facebook groups
• Developers and agencies who specialize in WordPress

So, while you may not be able to get official support, you can almost always find an answer by searching online or asking the WordPress community. It just may take more time and effort than Shopify’s direct support channels.

Security and reliability

Security is a top concern for any ecommerce site. When you have sensitive customer information and payment details, you need to keep your site protected against data breaches. 

Shopify is a hosted platform, which means they take care of a lot of the security, including:

• SSL certificate with all plans
• PCI-compliant payment processing
• Automatic security updates
• 24/7 monitoring for unauthorized access
• 99.98% uptime and fast speeds

You don’t have to worry about configuring SSL, managing PCI compliance, or constantly updating your software. Shopify handles it all behind the scenes, so you can focus on running your business.

How secure is WordPress vs. Shopify?

With WordPress, the security and reliability are more in your hands.

• WordPress software needs regular updates
• Plugins and themes need to be current
• SSL needs to be configured and renewed (some hosts include it)
• PCI compliance is up to you and your payment processor
• Uptime and speed depend on your hosting provider

WordPress requires more hands-on maintenance and monitoring.

This doesn’t mean that WordPress is inherently less secure than Shopify. With the right hosting, SSL, and security best practices, a WordPress site can be just as secure. But it does take more work and vigilance on your part.

If you’d rather not deal with the technical aspects of website security and performance, Shopify may be the better choice for peace of mind. But if you’re willing to put in the work, WordPress can be a secure and high-performing option as well.

Performance and scalability

As your online store grows, your ecommerce platform should scale with you. You don’t want to be held back by slow speeds or limited resources.

Shopify is a fully hosted platform, so it takes care of a lot of the performance and scaling behind the scenes, including:

• Unlimited bandwidth on all plans
• Unlimited products and storage on all plans
• 99.98% uptime and super fast speeds
• High traffic volume with no slowdowns

Even if you get millions of visitors, Shopify can scale right along with you. You never have to worry about outgrowing your plan or migrating to a new platform.

With WordPress/WooCommerce, scalability is more dependent on your hosting plan and environment.

• Traffic limits are based on your hosting plan
• Storage limits are based on your hosting plan
• Higher-tier hosting plans are required as you grow
• Migration to a dedicated server or cloud hosting may be required
• More hands-on optimization and management is required

You’ll need to choose a hosting plan that can scale with your business, but this doesn’t mean that WordPress can’t scale. Huge, high-traffic sites including TechCrunch, BBC America, and The Walt Disney Company all run on it.

But to scale WordPress, you need to be strategic with your hosting and work with experienced WordPress developers to optimize for performance at scale. It’s not as simple as Shopify’s automatically scalable infrastructure.

Conclusion and recommendations

So, who is the winner in the matchup of Shopify vs. WordPress  for your online store? The answer depends on your specific needs and preferences.

We recommend Shopify if:

• You want the easiest and fastest way to get your store up and running
• You don’t need a ton of flexibility or customization options
• You want a platform that’s fully hosted and managed for you
• You want the peace of mind of automatic security, backups, and updates
• You want priority support available 24/7

WordPress/WooCommerce is good when:

• You want complete control and customization over your store
• You need specific features or integrations that aren’t available on Shopify
• You’re comfortable with a more hands-on setup and management process
• You don’t mind taking responsibility for your own site security and performance
• You’re on a tight budget and want to minimize monthly expenses

Both Shopify and WordPress power hundreds of thousands of successful online stores. The key is to pick the one that best fits your business and goals.

FAQ

Is Shopify or WordPress better?

This depends on your specific needs and goals. Shopify is generally easier to navigate, with a user-friendly interface and a wide range of built-in features specifically designed for ecommerce.

WordPress is known for its flexibility and customization capabilities. It has a vast library of themes and plugins that allow you to create virtually any type of website, including ecommerce sites.

WordPress is a better option if you want to combine content and ecommerce seamlessly or if you require advanced functionality beyond the scope of a typical online store. Ultimately, if your primary focus is on creating a pure ecommerce site, Shopify may be the better choice.

WordPress is more suitable if you want greater control over the design and functionality of your website and plan to incorporate a significant amount of content alongside your online store.

What should I know about Shopify vs. WordPress pricing?

When considering Shopify vs. WordPress pricing, it’s important to understand the differences in their structures. Shopify has a higher monthly base cost compared to WordPress, but this includes essential features such as hosting, security, and customer support.

WordPress has a lower monthly cost for its software, but you’ll need to factor in additional expenses for hosting, security, and extensions. These extra costs can add up, making the total cost of running a WordPress site similar to a Shopify store.

The decision between the two platforms will depend on your specific needs and budget. If you prefer an all-in-one solution with built-in features and support, Shopify may be the better choice.

However, if you require more flexibility and customization options and don’t mind managing the additional costs and responsibilities, WordPress may be the right fit for your business.

Is WordPress good for ecommerce?

WordPress is an excellent choice for ecommerce when combined with a plugin, especially the powerful WooCommerce. WooCommerce is a feature-rich, open-source ecommerce solution that seamlessly integrates with WordPress, enabling you to create and manage a fully functional online store.

With WooCommerce, you can sell a wide range of products, including physical goods, digital downloads, subscriptions, and even services. The plugin offers a user-friendly interface, extensive customization options, and a vast library of extensions and themes to help you tailor your store to your specific needs.

WordPress/WooCommerce powers over 30% of all online stores, making it one of the most popular ecommerce platforms available. The combination of WordPress’s flexibility and WooCommerce’s robust features makes it an ideal solution for businesses of all sizes.

Should I build my website or use Shopify?

When it comes to creating an online presence for your business, you have two options: building your own website or using a platform such as Shopify. For complete control over design, functionality, and content, building your own WordPress site may be the best choice.

This approach offers the most flexibility and allows you to customize every aspect of your website to suit your unique needs. However, if you prioritize ease of use, quick setup, and a hassle-free experience, Shopify may be the ideal solution.

While Shopify offers less customization compared to building your own site, it provides a user-friendly interface, built-in ecommerce features, and a wide range of templates and apps to help you launch your online store quickly and efficiently. Ultimately, the decision between building your own website or using Shopify depends on your ecommerce requirements, technical skills, and resources.

Can Shopify and WordPress be used together?

Yes, it is possible to integrate Shopify and WordPress to create a powerful ecommerce solution. One way to achieve this is by embedding Shopify Buy Buttons into your WordPress site, allowing you to sell products directly from your WordPress pages or posts.

Another option is to use the Shopify WordPress plugin, which syncs your Shopify products with your WordPress site, enabling you to display and manage your products within the WordPress environment.

While this integration is feasible, it’s important to consider the complexity it may add to your overall setup. For most online stores, it’s generally recommended to choose either Shopify or WordPress as your primary platform to ensure a streamlined and efficient management process.

This setup can help you avoid potential compatibility issues and simplify your ecommerce operations in the long run. The decision to combine Shopify and WordPress depends on your specific business needs and technical expertise.

Source from Omnisend

Disclaimer: The information set forth above is provided by omnisend.com independently of Chovm.com. Chovm.com makes no representation and warranties as to the quality and reliability of the seller and products.