Shopify VS WordPress: Which is Better for E-commerce in 2024

Introduction 

Shopify and WordPress stand eye to eye in the array of E-commerce platforms. Both being popular Content Management Systems, it becomes difficult for newcomers planning to join the E-commerce field on which to use. 

Every second of our time is important to us. So rather than beginning with just ANY e-commerce platform for try & error method, here is a detailed overview of both popular E-commerce Platforms to save you time and choose which fits right for you!

Comparing the two best E-Commerce Platforms of  2024

Shopify is an E-commerce platform that helps to build an online store with the ease of accessing all the plugins preloaded in the application. This application was made solely focusing on the merchant’s online business. 

Even if you have little to no technical knowledge, Shopify presents you the features with the utmost easiness, so that you can build a website with customizable templates of your own choice. It also provides you with the inventory that can manage both online & in-person sales. 

WordPress, on the other hand, was initially marketed for bloggers who would want to pen down their thoughts & publish them on this platform. But WooCommerce came into effect in 2011, after which Automattic- the parent company of WordPress acquired WooCommerce themes and plugins. 

As a result of this acquisition, WordPress expanded its functionality to a full-fledged e-commerce platform. It opened up to a wider audience, from businesses looking to grow their online presence to entrepreneurs looking to make money from their websites. 

The platform that once was just a blogging website has now become an e-commerce platform that has over  835 million out of 1.98 billion websites built using WordPress. 

However, in WordPress, you need to add the plugins or customization using manual coding, unlike Shopify which has built-in features including plug-ins. 

Pros & cons of Shopify

Pros of Using Shopify in 2024

1. All-In-One Platform:

As of 2024, Shopify has more than 1.75 million merchants using it to sell their products & services. It is the 2nd Largest E-commerce platform made from the ground up to be an All-In-One Platform for users like you who want to create their online store and have all the features & services at one point. It is a user-friendly interface with an intuitive dashboard. Using Shopify, you will have access to everything from the POS (Point Of Sale) system to the Online Store!

2. Templates: 

They have better professional templates that give users a wide range of choices. It allows them to give their website the perfect look while considering that the site is optimized for sales objectives. 

3. Easy to use:

Here, you can build your website from scratch with the help of multiple professional templates, built-in plug-ins and applications. This feature makes the site user-friendly and a perfect fit for beginners. It even enables users with no technical experience to easily build a website. 

4. Quality never compromised:

Shopify offers a great quality of add-ons and applications as compared to others. So you don’t have to worry as there will be no compromise with the quality of your website. 

5. Security: 

Shopify has the rarest of the rare moments when users face technical difficulties or security breaches. As Shopify remains the host of the website, there are few to no chances of things going wrong. It also provides you with 24/7 customer support. 

6. Speed: 

Websites made using Shopify load faster as compared to WordPress. It is an essential factor for merchants trying to sell on an online platform. The longer it takes for the site to load, the faster the audience will lose interest in your products. They will switch to a different one in no time.

Cons of Using Shopify

1. Cost: 

As compared to WordPress, Shopify is more expensive. The basic plan starts at a minimum of $29/ month and the price continues to rise. There are also times when users need to start multiple websites, so keep in mind, Shopify only gives 10% off every time you create a new website. 

2. Plug-ins and Add-ons: 

It doesn’t end there! Although Shopify comes with inbuilt plug-ins and applications, there will be times when you will desire to add more of them. At that time, the figures of your budget can go up to 10 times because of the expense of all extra tools.

3. Payment gateway:

With the Shopify transaction platform, you will get charged around 2.9% of the total sales amount you make + 30 cents for every transaction. Even when using 3rd party payment gateway, you need to pay 1% of all the credit card fees.

4. Premium templates:

Although Shopify has a lot of free templates to try, everyone will want their website to have a rich-premium look. However, the desire remains short-lived as the templates are expensive, and also the cost of developing web apps can be more if you want something extraordinary. 

5. Limited plug-ins: 

 Shopify wants their users to have a perfect professional site to display on the web, for which they provide them with professional plug-ins too. But as compared to WordPress where you have access to multiple plug-ins, Shopify’s plug-ins are limited to around 3000 plug-ins.

Pros & Cons of WordPress

Pros of Using WordPress in 2024

1. Free of cost:

WordPress is the largest e-commerce platform with over 5 million active installs. You do not need to pay an extra cost to build a website on this platform but as the host of the website will not be WordPress, then you need to pay a couple of dollars to buy the host. Although it can be a bit expensive, it becomes cheaper in the long run. 

2. Free to customize:

This platform allows users to fully customize the website as per their needs. This is not possible in the case of Shopify as it locks down some features to limit any kind of issues to arise from any mishap. If you want to fully customize your site, then WordPress is the one for you!

3. Chances of website shutdown:

There are many articles & stories present online where they say that shopify has suddenly shut down their sites. It happens in cases when you are selling things from third-world countries or if you are selling something that shopify doesn’t support or comply with (even if they are completely legal). But with WordPress, since you will be the host of the website, there are barely any such cases. 

4. Free items:

WordPress has 10,000+ free themes and plugins along with free applications. It provides us with a wide range of choices to enhance our website’s UX. A good UX is equal to making good customer relationships in the long run.

Seller community:

Unlike Shopify, it doesn’t have a 24/7 helpline but there’s a huge seller community where you can ask for help for guidance in case of any technical difficulties you run into. 

Cons of Using WordPress

1. No in-built plug-ins:

Unlike shopify, WordPress doesn’t come with ready-to-go plug-ins and apps, instead, you will have to integrate them on your own.

2. Payment gateway:

For payment transactions, you need to use either Stripe or PayPal, either way, you have to pay the transactional fees. However, you are free to look for other payment options that charge lower fees, if the other two don’t fit in your budget.

3. Technical issues:

WordPress is not at all beginner-friendly and requires a lot of maintenance as the plug-ins are not in-built. You’ll have to constantly update the integrated features to make sure there are no technical glitches & issues. 

If not attended to carefully, then the website will end up having a loophole. This loophole can be used to hack the website & cause security breaches. It will lead to customer information leaks which will further jeopardize your company. 

Conclusion

Every E-commerce platform has its fair share of pros and cons and by following the correct product development strategy that makes them apart from each other . Choosing which platform to begin with is a critical decision for you but to make such decisions, it is equally important to know about the platform you are going to work in. 

Without the proper knowledge, you can end up being confused and have chances of being completely thrown out of the track. We hope you were able to come to a final decision that best suits your needs as of 2024. 

You can also read real-time Shopify reviews and WordPress reviews before you make your final decision.