Battle of the Ecommerce Platforms: WooCommerce vs. Shopify vs. Magento [INFOGRAPHIC]

If you do a Google search for anything related to “best Ecommerce platform” or “Shopify versus WooCommerce,” you’re likely to get a TON of results intended to help you make decisions on which Ecommerce platform to build your store on. At the end of the day, however, it usually comes down to which Ecommerce platform or software will fit your online store’s needs, while not completely breaking the bank at the same time.

We’ve created a helpful infographic that outlines some of the pros and cons of the top three Ecommerce platforms currently in use: WooCommerce, Shopify, and Magento. We hope this infographic provides you with enough ammunition to make a smart choice when it comes to establishing the foundation for your Ecommerce business!

The Breakdown: WooCommerce vs. Shopify vs. Magento

WooCommerce

• Been around since: 2011

• Developed/Founded by: WooThemes

• Usage numbers (The Entire Internet):

• • • • 10.8 million downloads.

• • • Powering roughly 30% of all online stores globally.

• The Lowdown: According to their website, WooCommerce is “the world’s favorite eCommerce solution that give you complete control to sell anything.” WooCommerce is actually a WordPress plugin, rather than a standalone Ecommerce platform. This allows users to take full advantage of the vibrant open source community that WordPress is known for. Since officially launching in 2011, WooCommerce has been on a tear, going from 0 to 10 million users and gobbling up 30% market share among all Ecommerce shops worldwide.

• The Good:

• • • • Huge open source community of experts who are willing to help.

• • • • Mountains of helpful resources and documentation available.

• • • • Integrates seamlessly with WordPress, which accounts for 50% of all sites using a Content Management System (CMS).

• • • • Pllenty of free and paid themes to choose from, as well as hundreds of plugins and extensions that allow site owners to extend the functionality of their online stores.

• • • The plugin itself is completely free to use!

• The Bad:

• • • Cost of additional plugins and extensions can start to add up.

• • • Your site must already be built with WordPress in order to use WooCommerce.

• • • Installing and configuring WooCommerce may be a little tricky for non-techies.

• • Doesn’t include some advanced features out-of-the-box that come standard with more robust Ecommerce platforms.

Shopify

• Been around since: 2006

• Developed/Founded by: Tobias Lütke, Scott Lake, and Daniel Weinand

• Usage numbers (The Entire Internet):

• • • • 200,000 active Shopify stores.

• • • • $12 billion worth of online sales.

• • • Powering roughly 4% of all online stores globally.

• The Lowdown: Shopify was originally built to enable its creators to sell snowboarding equipment online. From there, the Canadian outfit has grown to over 500 employees, around 200,000 active users, and online transactions totalling roughly $12 billion. Shopify’s laundry list of features, combined with a low barrier to entry and ease of use, have it made it the Ecommerce platform of choice for large and small retailers alike.

• The Good:

• • • • Robust, end-to-end Ecommerce platform.

• • • • Easy to get up and running without much technical knowledge required.

• • • • 24/7 support via phone, email, or online chat.

• • • • 100+ free and paid templates available to customize your store’s look and feel.

• • • • Mobile-ready and SEO-friendly.

• • • • No transaction fees if you use ‘Shopify Payments.’

• • • Offer a free 14 day trial.

• The Bad:

• • • Not open source, which can sometimes mean slower iterations of bug fixes and feature updates.

• • • Not free to use. Monthly pricing plans range from $9/mo to $179/mo.

• • • The ‘Lite’ plan doesn’t allow users to create an online store.

• • • ‘Credit Card Rate’ fees range from 2.9% and 2.4% of each credit card transaction, plus $0.30.

• • Third party payment gateways incur additional transaction fees.

Magento

• Been around since: 2008

• Developed/Founded by: Varien, Inc.

• Usage numbers (The Entire Internet):

• • • • 250,000+ online stores using Magento.

• • • • Over $50B in gross merchandise volume transacted annually.

• • • Powering roughly 8% of all online stores globally, with a larger market share among the top 100k and 10k Ecommerce sites on the web.

• The Lowdown: Magento is unique in that it offers distinct platforms and experiences based on the needs of the user. They offer two primary products: Magento Community and Magento Enterprise. The Community platform is open source, free to download, and offers community-based support. On the Enterprise side is a complete Ecommerce solution for large and fast-growing retailers that includes premium technical support, tons of features, and hundreds of available extensions.

• The Good:

• • • • A product offering and price point to fit just about every Ecommerce retailer’s needs.

• • • • Solid reputation among some of the top Ecommerce sites operating today.

• • • • Extremely scalable: start small and grow BIG with Magento’s various offerings.

• • • • Extensive documentation, support forums, training, and certification resources available.

• • • Free demo available.

• The Bad:

• • • Magento Community requires solid development and programming skills to fully utilize.

• • • Magento Enterprise is cost-prohibitive to all but the largest Ecommerce retailers. Pricing for the Enterprise platform starts at over $15,000/year.

• • Platform support is all or nothing. Community users only have access to the Magento forums and user community, not Magento support staff.

Do you have any experience with WooCommerce, Shopify, or Magento? Care to share your thoughts on these Ecommerce platforms, or add another to the discussion? Feel free to leave us a comment below. Thanks!