Comparing Magento, Shopify and WooCommerce

There are a lot of different eCommerce platforms out there, but Magento, Shopify and WooCommerce are certainly among the best. The more time you take to look into these platforms, the better of a decision you will be able to make. You definitely don’t want to choose just any of these platforms, but instead take enough time to select the right one to match all of your needs. While all three of these platforms certainly have their benefits, none of them are right for every single person.

Shopify 

Shopify is a hosted shopping cart, and all of the code issues are handled directly by Shopify. Nonetheless, you can expect to retain full control over the coding of your website, whether you are using HTML or CSS. This is definitely one of the more dynamic eCommerce platform solutions that exist today, so you will therefore want to take the time to look into what it has to offer.

One of the best things about Shopify is the fact that it’s so user-friendly. Most people who use this platform for the first time do not encounter any problems at all. Even those who have never used such a platform in the past shouldn’t experience any issues with this one. Shopify offers a 14-day free trial, after which you will need to purchase a monthly subscription. The prices for this eCommerce platform start at $29 for a basic plan, which really isn’t bad at all.

Another great thing that Shopify has to offer is the fact that it is SEO-optimized, including a number of features that you will no doubt find to be extremely helpful with increasing traffic to your website.

Magento 

Magento is known as being one of the most flexible eCommerce platforms in existence, and it’s definitely worth taking a close look at before deciding what you want to do. This particular platform offers an incredibly professional look and well-organized categories that you’ll be sure to love. There is also the top-notch functionality, which has earned it its reputation for being one of the best platforms for online merchants.

One of the drawbacks of Magento is that it isn’t quite as user-friendly as Shopify. You will find that this platform is a bit more difficult to get started with, especially if you have never used any eCommerce platform before. Although it may take a little bit of time to get the hang of, it is well worth the time commitment when you consider everything that you are getting out of it. Magento is completely free, but many of the plugins are only available when you pay a certain amount.

There are a wide range of templates available for Magento, so you will need to keep that in mind as well. There are currently 121 different themes available for free on Magento Connect, so you will definitely want to take the time to look through them.

WooCommerce 

There are lots of different platforms for online merchants, but WooCommerce is certainly among the better options. This particular platform is installed on 766,000 unique domains, and it has earned a reputation for being very user-friendly and effective. WooCommerce is essentially just a plugin, as opposed to a subscription-based solution like Shopify.

One of the great things about WooCommerce is the fact that it is completely free, so you won’t have to worry about spending any money on it at all. The updates for this plugin are also free, and it’s highly recommended that you always use the latest version for the best possible results.

WooCommerce is also very SEO-friendly due to a wide range of customisations as well as access to a source code of your store. With this plugin you will be able to make any WordPress theme work with your plugin.

Conclusion 

Because there are so many different eCommerce platform options to choose from, it is imperative that you review these choices before selecting one in particular. Shopify is still widely regarded as being the very best platform for online merchants, though Shopify and WooCommerce both still have a lot to offer. The platform that you should go with will ultimately depend on your specific needs, so keep that in mind.