Shopify vs WordPress

What Is Shopify?

Shopify is a fully-hosted ecommerce platform that offers a wide range of features and tools specially designed for online businesses. It provides users with a wide range of features and tools to manage their store, including the ability to add products, process payments, track inventory, and fulfill orders. Furthermore, the platform also offers a variety of customizable templates, apps and plugins, and other features that can help you create a professional-looking online store with minimal technical knowledge. 

Pros Of Using Shopify Over WordPress 

Shopify is trusted by millions of online business owners all around the world. In this section of comparison, we will dive deep into the merits of using Shopify. 

1. Fully-hosted

Shopify is a fully-hosted platform, which means that it handles all the technical aspects of running an online store, such as hosting, security, and backups. This contrast with other ecommerce platform like WordPress where users have to deal with their hosting and technical maintenance. It saves you a ton of time, money, and hassle. 

2. Built-in Ecommerce Functionality 

Shopify has built-in ecommerce functionality, such as product management, order processing, and inventory tracking, which makes it easy to run an online store. With WordPress, you would need to install additional plugins to add this functionality. 

3. Customizable Templates

Shopify offers a wide variety of customizable templates that can be used to create a professional-looking online store. These templates are responsive and can adapt to different screen sizes. WordPress, on the other hand, has a limited selection of ecommerce templates and themes. 

4. Integrated Payment Processing

Shopify provides integrated payment processing, which means that it can handle all the financial transactions of your store including credit card payments and PayPal. With WordPress, you need to set up and integrate payment processing yourself. 

5. Customer Support

Shopify provides 24/7 customer support, so you can get help whenever you need it. With WordPress, customer support heavily relies on community and forums for support. If you are a newbie and looking to build your first online store and require constant help, Shopify should be your go-to solution. 

Cons Of Using Shopify Over WordPress

Now the advantages of Shopify are out of the picture, let’s take a quick look at some demerits of using Shopify as your next ecommerce platform. 

1. Higher Transaction Fee

Shopify charges a transaction fee for online sales, whereas there are no transaction fees when using WordPress and a payment gateway plugin. 

2. Limited Control Over Your Data

With Shopify, you don’t have full control of your data, such as customer information and sales history. This information is stored on Shopify’s servers, and you’ll need to export it if you decide is to switch platforms. 

3. Limited Access To Source Code

Shopify is a proprietary platform, which means that you don’t have access to the source code and can’t make changes to the underlying software.

4. Additional Costs For Apps And Themes

Shopify apps and themes can be costly, which can add up if you need multiple features for your online store. 

What Is WordPress?

WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that is used to create and manage websites. It is open-source software, which means that it is free to use and can be modified by anyone. It is written in the programming language PHP and uses a MySQL database to store information. WordPress is primarily used to create and manage websites that feature a blog or news section, but it can be also used to create ecommerce sites, portfolios, and other types of websites. 

What is Shopify?

Shopify is an managed (read more on designrush) e-commerce platform that enables businesses to create and manage their online stores. It provides a user-friendly interface that allows merchants to customize their storefronts, manage inventory, process payments, and track orders. With Shopify, businesses can also integrate with various third-party apps and marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay. Additionally, Shopify offers various features to help businesses market their products, including email campaigns, discount codes, and SEO optimization.

Pros Of Using WordPress Over Shopify

In this section of our Shopify vs WordPress comparison, we will take a quick look at some of the advantages of using WordPress as an ecommerce platform. 

1. More Customizable Options

WordPress is a highly customizable platform, allowing for a greater degree of flexibility in terms of design and functionality. You can use a variety of themes and plugins to create a unique and personalized online store. 

2. Full Control Of Your Data

With WordPress, you have full control over your data, such as customer information and sales history. This information is stored on your server, which you can access and export at any time. 

3. Access To Source Code

WordPress is open-source software, which means that you have the access to the source code and can make changes to the underlying software. This allows for more advanced customization options, and the ability to develop custom functionality. 

4. Lower Cost

WordPress is free to use, although you may need to pay for certain plugins or themes. OF you are not interested in premium themes and plugins, you don’t need to spend a buck.  Shopify on the other hand charges a monthly subscription fee and transaction fee. 

5. SEO-Friendly

WordPress is generally considered to be more SEO-friendly than Shopify, as it offers more options for optimizing your site for search engines and allows you to create and edit URLs, meta tags, and other SEO elements. You can do wonders with the help of plugins like Yoast SEO and All in One SEO to optimize your page to the full extent. 

Cons Of Using WordPress Over Shopify

After taking a look at the advantages of using WordPress over Shopify, let’s take a quick look at some of the demerits of WordPress over Spotify. 

1. More Complex Setup and Maintenance

Setting up and maintaining an ecommerce store can be more complex than using Shopify, as you’ll need to install and configure various plugins and themes to add ecommerce functionality. This can require a higher level of technical expertise and may require additional costs for development and maintenance. 

2. Less Streamlined Ecommerce Features

While WordPress offers a wide variety of ecommerce plugins, the features and functionality may not be able to streamline as those offered by Shopify, which is designed especially for ecommerce. This can make it more difficult to manage inventory, process, payments, and fulfill orders. 

3. Risk Of Security

As an open-source platform, WordPress is more vulnerable to security breaches than Shopify, which has built-in security features. This means that you’ll need to take additional steps to secure your site, such as installing security plugins and regularly updating software. 

4. Limited Customer Support

Shopify offers more robust customer support than WordPress, which can be a benefit if you’re not technically savvy or need help with specific issues. WordPress has a strong community but lacks dedicated customer support. 

Shopify Vs WordPress: Comparison

We have covered the introduction of both WordPress and Shopify along with advantages and disadvantages. In this section of comparison, we will take compare them in terms of ease of use, security, customization, payment options, and operation management. 

Ease Of Use

Shopify is generally considered to be easy to use than WordPress when it comes to creating an online store. It is easy to set up and manage an online store with Shopify, and it also offers a variety of apps and plugins to help you customize your store’s design and functionality. When it comes to WordPress, requires time and technical knowledge to set up everything you need for an online store. 

Security

Shopify is often considered a secure platform when compared to WordPress. Since it’s a hosted platform, it takes care of security issues such as software updates, backups, and server maintenance. Furthermore, it also uses secure payment gateways, so you don’t have to worry about handling sensitive customer data. The platform also has a dedicated security team that monitors and addresses potential vulnerabilities. 

On the other hand, WordPress is a self-hosted platform, which means that you are responsible for the security of your site. This includes updating your system regularly, adding an SSL certificate, and creating regular backups. You can implement exceptional security measures on WordPress but requires technical expertise.

Customization

In terms of customization for ecommerce, WordPress is generally considered to be more customizable the Shopify. WordPress’s flexibility and the vast number of themes and plugins available make it possible to create a unique and customized online store with a wide range of features. There are thousands of free and premium plugins available on WordPress that can help you customize your online store.

Shopify, on the other hand, is more limited in terms of customization options, but it is still possible to create a unique and functional store with it. Shopify also provides tons of templates and themes but is limited in number and functionality. 

Payment Options

Both WordPress and Shopify offer a wide range of payment options. Shopify offers a variety of in-built payment options such as credit cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay. Moreover, you can integrate third-party payment gateways like Stripe and Square. On the other hand, WordPress uses WooCommerce as the ecommerce plugin which supports multiple payment gateways. However, setting up payment gateways in WordPress can be tricky when compared to Shopify. Furthermore, WordPress offers more options and flexibility when it comes to payment gateway. 

Operation Management

In terms of operation management for ecommerce, Shopify is generally considered to be more user-friendly and easier to use than WordPress. It offers an easy-to-use interface for managing inventory, tracking sales, and generating reports. It also provides a wide range of built-in features for managing products, processing payments, and fulfilling orders. WordPress on the other hand offers great customizable options when it comes to operation management but it can be more complex and require technical knowledge. 

Both WordPress and Shopify are powerful platforms that can help you create an excellent online store for your business. Shopify is easy to use when compared to WordPress but offers fewer customizable options. Before starting your online store project, you need to write down your requirements and see which platforms best fit your requirements. We hope our Shopify vs WordPress comparison helped you understand both platforms better and how to take maximum advantage of them. 

Are you planning to build an online store for your business? If yes, iClickSee is ready to help you. We can schedule a call to discuss your project or simply get in touch with us via our online form.