With the aid of the specialized ecommerce platform Shopify, you can create your own online store. It provides you with all the tools you require and hosts your website for you. WordPress, in contrast, is an open-source platform. You must host your own website and set up plugins for e-commerce tools, such as WooCommerce. Despite the fact that they serve quite distinct needs, both companies are titans in the web design industry. Therefore, in this article, we will make comparisons between WordPress vs Shopify so that you can have an overview and choose the best platform to start your ecommerce website.
Shopify vs WordPress definition
Shopify
It is a platform which was created exclusively to help business owners create and run their own online stores.
You don’t need any coding experience to utilize Shopify. Because it allows users to construct their own stores without any technical or design expertise.
But, Shopify does let you alter the HTML and CSS of your website, so those that are proficient in coding will be able to further customize their stores.
Shopify is a software as a service (SaaS) application. This means you must pay a monthly charge to utilize it rather than owning a copy of the program.
As Shopify is a web application, you can manage your online store anywhere as long as you have access to the Internet and a web browser.
WordPress
WordPress is actually available in two separate versions:
- Hosted WordPress
Like Shopify, hosted WordPress is a software as a service (SaaS) platform that is accessible through wordpress.com.
You can access a variety of tools that let you create and manage a basic blog, website, or e-commerce site for a monthly or annual charge.
- Self-hosted WordPress
Self-hosted WordPress is one that you get from wordpress.org and set up on your own web server. Because it is open source, anyone may access and quickly modify the code that powers it.
In actuality, this means that WordPress-powered websites may be greatly changed because the platform is so adaptable and can be tailored to fit the needs of almost any web design project with the help of the competent website developer or the installation of the appropriate plugins.
WordPress can be installed on your server for free. Howver, there are hosting fees, domain registration fees, and possible development expenditures to take into account.
Shopify vs WordPress pricing plan
Shopify pricing plan
The least expensive package is Basic Shopify, which costs $25 per month. It has many features that small business owners may find helpful. If you pay yearly, this pricing plan only costs you $19 per month. You also have access to tools like manual order generation, discount codes, abandoned cart recovery emails, basic performance report and a free SSL certificate with the Shopify Basic account.
The most popular package, Shopify, costs $65 per month. It includes practically all of Shopify’s capabilities. If you pay monthly, this pricing plan only requires $49 per month. For large-inventory enterprise ecommerce firms, the Advanced Shopify plan is the best option. It costs $399 per month if you pay monthly, and $299 per month if you pay yearly.
Find out more about Shopify pricing plan here.
WordPress pricing plan
Because there are so many factors at play, it is significantly harder to estimate the cost of developing a WordPress site. It’s a frequent misperception that WordPress is a completely free solution, but this isn’t always the case, especially where company websites are concerned.
Although the WordPress content management system (CMS) software is free, you’ll frequently need to pay for the following in order to launch a website powered by WordPress:
- Ecommerce integration: the inclusion of tools that will help you sell things online
- Plugins: programs that can be added to your site to add extra functionality. Hosting: server space on which to install the WordPress
- CMS and store your site’s content.
Of course, you may also need to pay a developer to help you with the build depending on your goals or technical proficiency.
WordPress hosting is the one thing you’ll always have to pay for because without it, you can’t install WordPress anywhere. There are several choices accessible on this front, but the fundamental decision you must make is whether you want to use:
- a general-purpose or “shared hosting” business (like HostGator or Hostpapa);
- a “managed WordPress” hosting company that focuses solely on hosting WordPress sites (like Kinsta or WP Engine).
Shopify vs WordPress themes
Shopify themes
This platform has a respectably large selection of templates to choose from; as of this writing, there are 111 paid and 11 free themes accessible in the Shopify theme store.
However, many of the premium themes, which cost between $180 and $350, have two or three variations, increasing the number of templates offered beyond what the aforementioned numbers imply.
With these templates, you can essentially be certain of strong support (from Shopify in the case of the free templates, or a Shopify-approved supplier in the case of the paid-for ones).
If you feel like you need more templates, you can purchase them from independent Shopify theme designers. Reputable choices in this regard are Shoptimized and Theme Forest.
WordPress themes
The quantity of available Shopify templates is simply outnumbered by the enormous selection of WordPress templates.
The number of WordPress themes, both free and paid-for, is difficult to quantify, but we can certainly say that there are thousands of them.
You can purchase WordPress templates from independent merchants like Template Monster or the WordPress theme directory.
The Shopify designs are a little bit easier to customize because Shopify was created with non-technical users in mind, but setting a well-built WordPress template shouldn’t need that much of a learning curve.
Interface and usability
The basic design of the Shopify and WordPress interfaces are comparable in that you may choose content to modify or settings to adjust from a menu on the left side of the screen. Nonetheless, Shopify’s is unquestionably a little more modern and ‘clean’ in look.
The editing and publishing of content on both platforms follows a similar process. After finding and editing your content in the back end, you can preview or publish it.
Shopify vs WordPress SEO
SEO, or search engine optimization, is essential to a website’s effectiveness.
You may find it difficult to generate significant traffic or sales without strong visibility in search results.
Shopify SEO
Shopify has certain SEO-related restrictions. In actuality, Shopify members are limited in how much they may alter their URLs. This is because certain parts of your store’s URLs cannot be changed due to Shopify’s inflexible URL structure. In addition, building sub-categories on this platform is rather challenging.
But, Shopify includes all the essential tools you require for ecommerce SEO, and they are typically very simple to use. The ease of installation and use of SEO software for Shopify is also well known.
WordPress SEO
The biggest benefit of WordPress in terms of SEO is that you can customize its technical SEO configuration however you like.
A prime illustration of this is hosting. A WordPress site can be hosted on any server, allowing you to select a lightning-fast one for lightning-quick “page speed”. Shopify, while also using fast servers, does not provide you this flexibility. Also, because WordPress is open source, you may code it to completely adhere to Google’s SEO standards.
The conclusion regarding SEO in a Shopify vs. WordPress argument is that technically, WordPress can be the victor — but only if you’ve configured your site properly and are using premium hosting.
Shopify has less technical SEO flexibility and gives users no control over hosting. But overall the platform is quite strong in terms of search engine optimization.
Email marketing
Shopify email marketing
Shopify has released a tool called “Shopify Email” that, as the name implies, enables you to carry out email marketing operations directly from the Shopify user interface. There are 29 e-newsletter templates available, which may be customized to fit your branding needs. The tool is also rather simple to use.
The cost of the Shopify Email feature, however, is its best quality. Your Shopify plan includes a free email sending cap of 10,000. If you send more than that, you will be charged an extra $1 for every 1,000 emails.
Find out more information about referral marketing here.
WordPress email marketing
WordPress doesn’t currently have any built-in email marketing solutions accessible for the platform.
But using a variety of plugins, it’s simple to integrate any of the top email marketing platforms with it (including GetResponse, AWeber, Campaign Monitor, etc.).
Shopify vs WordPress site maintenance and security
Shopify maintenance
Users of Shopify don’t need to worry too much about website upkeep.
The business handles all the technical facets of maintaining a website (software upgrades, hosting, server configuration, etc.).
WordPress maintenance
Although some of this can be handled automatically, you should still keep a careful check on it. Because if you use an outdated plugin or version of the WordPress software, your site is likely to be hacked.
Shopify security
The majority of the burden for security with hosted systems like Shopify lies on the businesses who provide them. In other words, Shopify essentially bears the burden of ensuring PCI compliance (Payment Card Industry) for transactions and the absence of significant security flaws on your website.
WordPress security
If you’re using WordPress, you are ultimately responsible for all security if you aren’t paying a developer or agency to maintain your website.
This implies that it is your responsibility to make sure that WordPress, any plugins, and any themes you are using are all current.
A WordPress site is extremely vulnerable to hacking if this part of site upkeep is neglected. (which can have very serious implications if you are operating in the ecommerce sphere).
Additionally, you must be aware that some WordPress plugins and themes may include harmful code, which could jeopardize the security of your website. As a result, you must be extremely selective about which ones you install.
Shopify and WordPress content
Generally speaking, if you use WordPress, you have complete control over what you post on your website. If you use Shopify, you should be aware that if any content violates their acceptable use regulations, Shopify has the right to remove it (or perhaps your entire website).
It’s true that a firm you paid to host your WordPress site could remove it if it didn’t like the content you were posting or the products you were offering, but in that case, you would have more options. For instance, you could switch to a hosting company that is more tolerant.
Ultimately, WordPress allows consumers greater power over their content than Shopify does, so depending on the type and scope of your website, you should be aware of this issue.
Shopify and WordPress customer support
Shopify customer support
In terms of support, Shopify outperforms WordPress rather handily, especially if you are developing your own website.
You purchase a Shopify plan and customer assistance is included. All options come with live chat, email, and phone assistance; however, the “Starter” plan only offers live chat and email help. There are also numerous internet resources available for support.
English is the only language in which live help is offered around-the-clock. Other languages may be accessible depending on your location. The Shopify help center’s online documentation is available in 21 different languages.
All of this implies that you have a resource you can use if something seriously goes wrong with your Shopify store.
WordPress customer support
With WordPress, it’s not always clear who to contact if your website run into problems.
You can find yourself looking for assistance in a variety of places, such as the WordPress forums, a hosting provider, a plugin provider, a buddy who is familiar with WordPress, etc.
Therefore, the best way to acquire adequate WordPress help is to enter into a support agreement with a WordPress designer or an organization that specializes in WordPress development and maintenance.
Conclusion
Popular e-commerce platform Shopify was created specifically to assist users in setting up their own online stores although you need the help of web developers in some steps. WordPress, on the other hand, requires a plugin like WooCommerce to enable online sales but offers complete control over your store. It’s an effective platform, especially if you’re tech-savvy. In the end, if you are completely new to the world of website creation and want to your own online store, you can seek the help from Scuti. We are a professional ecommerce agency with years of experience in building Shopify stores for business in Singapore. With 7+years of experience, we’ve created a global presence and work with clients in many different industry sectors. We place a strong emphasis on scope discovery to accurately identify client goals and objectives. We assist our clients in reducing operational complexity and putting innovative ecommerce solutions for businesses of all sizes, from startups, SMEs to large enterprises.