Shopify VS. WordPress
Starting an online business is as exciting as it is daunting and at some point, you will probably find yourself asking the question which is better Shopify or WordPress? And don’t worry because you are not alone as this is a very common question.
So, to help make your decision just that bit easier and eliminate any confusion, we're going to break down all the key differences between Shopify and WordPress to help you decide which is the best platform for your business.
Now let’s get into it...
WHAT IS WORDPRESS?
First of all, it's important to know that there are two different versions of WordPress available, self-hosted WordPress and hosted WordPress.
With hosted WordPress, which you sign up through wordpress.com, you pay a monthly fee (see pricing below) which in turn grants you access to a wide range of features for you to build and manage your website. In addition to creating a website it allows you to incorporate e-commerce set up using third-party tools, even for Shopify and to add any other e-commerce features.
Self-hosted WordPress (wordpress.org) is free initially and you can install it on your very own web browser, its extremely flexible and customizable allowing you to create any design you wish. With the right plugins and website developer, you can get very creative. If you plan on building the website yourself, then some coding skills are required.
WHAT IS SHOPIFY?
Shopify is aimed at people who want to build and launch their own online store, whether you have coding skills, or not but (you actually don’t need any coding skills to use Shopify).
Shopify offers its users a variety of tools and templates allowing them to fully customise their stores to meet their branding requirements.
Both physical and digital products can be sold on your Shopify store.
If you have trouble remembering the difference, just remember that Shopify e-commerce is “goods” orientated whereas WordPress is more website and content-based.
In essence, WordPress websites are built around content where you can publish as many blog posts, pictures videos. The Shopify platform also has a blogging feature which is very important even for e-commerce.
THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WORDPRESS AND SHOPIFY
Shopify provides a service, in exchange for a monthly fee so you can use their tools and features.
However, with WordPress, it's more of a standalone software where everything you use you install yourself.
For example, to set up Shopify, you open and set up an account on shopify.com and once that is done your e-commerce store is up and running and you can use templates to customise it however you wish, yes it is that simple.
If you're looking to use WordPress for your e-commerce platform, then it requires a few more steps.
For one, you need to purchase a domain and web hosting.
Secondly, you need to design your website by choosing a theme and selecting from a hand full of plugins in order to take care of your social media integrations, SEO, emails and so on. You also need to apply a plugin that is going to provide you with the features you need for an e-commerce website, as those are not directly built into WordPress, and you will need to configure your e-commerce store which can be a time-consuming task in itself because you have to put in the products, the store details, the payment gateway integrations etc.
SUPPORT
If you have no coding skills and have never set up a website before, you need support in case something goes wrong Shopify gives you exactly that.
They have a 24/7 support feature that will help you resolve any problems you might encounter with the platform.
As for WordPress, it depends on whether you use hosted or self-hosted WordPress. Even the most basic plans on hosted WordPress has live chat support.
While there's no support with self-hosted WordPress per se, there is a lot of online forums where most of your questions are likely to be answered. Additionally, there are also many free videos and some cheap courses that guide you step-by-step on how to set up and design your WordPress website.
PRICING
The cool thing about Shopify is that they offer a free 14-day trial so you can really get a feel for the platform and if it's the right option for your business and honestly, 14 days is plenty of time to learn the ropes of the platform.
Shopify offers five pricing plans:
Lite - $9 per month
Basic - $29 per month
Shopify - $79 per month
Advanced - $299 per month
Plus - which starts at $2,000 per month but is negotiable.
Hosted WordPress fee are:
Personal - $3 per month, billed yearly
Premium - $9 per month, billed yearly
Business – $25 per month, billed yearly
eCommerce - $45 per month, billed yearly
Self-hosted WordPress is much harder to determine because there isn't a set pricing plan and even though it's a free solution initially, it will cost money to build.
You may need to pay for a web developer if you don't have good technical skills (web developers can be extremely costly) some templates and themes for the website all have different price ranges, as well as other features so overall you are more likely to end up spending more money than you would with Shopify.
IN A NUTSHELL
Shopify stands out for being the tailor-made e-commerce solution for everyone, including those who have no coding skills giving you the ability to create a great online store all by yourself on one platform and perhaps the best part is, it helps you set things up like shipping, taxes, inventory etc and essentially it's quite an affordable solution.
WordPress is a powerhouse in itself it gives you the ability and capacity to run literally any type of website and the cool thing about it is that you can get extremely creative with it.
THE BOTTOM LINE
So now that you know the key differences between Shopify and WordPress you should have a better idea to help make an informed decision.
If you are up for the challenge then WordPress is great, however, if you are looking for e-commerce then Shopify is definitely your best option because you can literally do everything within the platform, you can even start a blog on Shopify.
Whether you an entrepreneur or looking for a side hustle, Shopify makes everything just that little easier.
