Magento vs. WooCommerce: What You Need to Know

Choosing the right eCommerce platform for your business is a big deal. Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to what works best for your business. That’s why it’s vital to choose an eCommerce platform with the right set of features and payment plans for your business.

Magento and WooCommerce are both popular platforms to power your online business, boasting a combined 5 million websites worldwide.

Features like built-in functionality, multiple payment features, and endless customization opportunities are some of the reasons why people choose Magento. On the other hand, WooCommerce offers zero transaction fees, complete customization control, and more. So, though both platforms are excellent choices to power your online store, your choice of platform depends on your eCommerce needs.

In this blog, we’ll go over the key differences and similarities between Magento vs. WooCommerce.

The Differences: Magento vs. WooCommerce

Magento and WooCommerce are different when it comes to pricing, performance, and even security.

Magento is a customizable eCommerce platform designed for larger eCommerce businesses. While you’ll have access to benefits like complete customization control and other advanced features, you’ll pay a premium for your subscription.

By contrast, WooCommerce is an open-source eCommerce plugin designed for WordPress websites. WooCommerce is inexpensive, but costs can add up as you purchase additional features and extensions for your store.

Here are some key differences between the two popular platforms:

• Price: WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress sites. By contrast, Magento starts at $2,000 for an entry-level membership
• Ease of use: WooCommerce requires some expertise to set up your online store, though it’s easier to use once up and running. On the other hand, Magento is an enterprise-level eCommerce platform with a set of advanced features that require more of a learning curve to maximize
• Multiple themes: WooCommerce has over 2,000 free and paid themes to choose from and complete control over customization. Magento falls short when it comes to theme choice and offers only 76 themes
• Security: Both WooCommerce and Magento offer security features for your eCommerce store. However, Magento is the clear winner with the Magento scan tool to help detect security risks

WooCommerce takes some expertise to get your store up and running, but it’s free to use. You’ll get all the same bells and whistles as Magento users, like complete customization control, but it takes an ad hoc approach to make your store, since you’ll add these plugins yourself. So if you’re looking to save some cash and skilled with WordPress, WooCommerce is a great choice for your business.

Magento is an enterprise-level eCommerce platform for multi-channel sales, offering the best in features and security, but a price tag to match. The hitch is, you’ll need some extra assistance setting up your online store unless you’re a web developer 一 making Magento a valid option if you have the budget and resources to get your Magento store up and running.

Pros and Cons of Magento

Magento’s global eCommerce sales totaled $224 billion in 2020. Here’s why people choose Magento to scale their business globally.

Pros

• Built-in functionality for international stores: Scale your business globally with access to the latest features already inside your platform.
• Multiple payment features: Allow customers to pay with whichever payment method they prefer for greater sales, including PayPal, Braintree, and Authorize
• Unlimited customization opportunities: Create an online store tailored to your needs with limitless customization but oddly fewer themes than in WooCommerce. Magento has over 70 options to choose from in comparison to the thousands of themes WooCommerce offers
• Powerful SEO features: Magento offers advanced built-in SEO capabilities that can help you rank higher. Features like SEO-friendly URLs and rich snippets make it easy to increase the quantity of traffic to your eCommerce site

Cons

• Complex to set up: Beginners to eCommerce may have a hard time if they lack advanced technical skills. Users can opt to hire a Magento developer, but you’ll pay even more fees on top of the high subscription costs
• Costly subscriptions: You’ll pay a whopping $2,000 per month for the Magento Commerce Starter plan. Plus, Magento Commerce Pro costs nearly $3,500 per month
• Lacking full support: You’ll rely on Magento forums for assistance unless you’re paying for the Magento Enterprise plan. Only Magento Enterprise users receive full-fledged support via email and live support

Pros and Cons of WooCommerce

There are over 4.5 million live WooCommerce websites with multiple free tools at every merchant’s disposal. Here’s why people trust WooCommerce to power their online eCommerce business.

Pros

• Affordability: WooCommerce is entirely free for WordPress sites. However, you can expect to pay $10 on average on add-ons for your online store. Plus, you’ll pay anywhere between $0 to $100 for WooCommerce themes
• Access to WordPress tools: Enjoy full access to more than 55,000+ free WordPress plugins and themes for your WooCommerce site. This makes it easy to customize your WooCommerce store exactly how you want
• Unlimited customization: WooCommerce users can customize their store regarding your store’s product type, marketing, payment options, shipping options, or even your store management. This way, it makes it easy to grow your business and reach new customers
• Thousands of themes: Choose from over 2,000 WooCommerce themes to start your online store. You’ll pay anywhere from $0 to $100 per year for WooCommerce themes
• Thousands of plug-in features: There are over 6,000 WooCommerce plugins to choose from. Some popular choices include Yoast SEO, Stripe, Mailchimp, Multilingual Press, and thousands more

Cons

• Premium themes and extensions add up: You pay anywhere from $25 to $89 for plugins. Plus, themes range from $0 to $100.
• Usable only on WordPress platforms: WooCommerce is a plugin that works exclusively with WordPress sites and requires some expertise if you’re an existing eCommerce store not using WordPress. However, WooCommere is entirely free to use
• Limited customer support: Customer support is limited with WooCommerce if you find yourself in a pickle. There is no number or direct email to connect, but customers can submit a contact request via their website

Shipping with Magento vs. WooCommerce

Shipping is a vital part of the eCommerce shipping experience. You’ll want a platform to help make shipping stress-free and hassle-free. Here’s how.

Shipping with Magento

Magento offers its users two ways to ship: shipping integrations like Easyship or self-service shipping.

Unfortunately, Magento no longer offers Magento shipping because of the technology provider behind Magento shipping. However, all existing Magento shipping accounts can continue to ship away, though new users can longer opt for this shipping option.

Shipping integrations

Magento integrates with shipping couriers like DHL, FedEx, USPS, UPS, and hundreds of other shipping and fulfillment options.

• Reduce shipping errors when integrating with a shipping company or platform
• Improve customer satisfaction when integrating with a shipping company
• Save time and money with pre-negotiated discounted rates when integrating your Magento site with a shipping platform like Easyship

Dropshipping

Magento dropshipping may be a great option for your eCommerce business. Instead of keeping products in stock yourself, your customer’s order is transferred to your supplier, who then delivers your item to the customer.

• Magento offers a wide range of dropshipping apps like SaleHoo, Megagoods, AliExpress, and many more
• An economical option for eCommerce businesses of all sizes
• Save time and stress from sending products yourself domestically or internationally

Shipping with WooCommerce

WooCommerce offers its users three ways to ship, including WooCommerce shipping, shipping integrations, or dropshipping.

WooCommerce shipping

There is no need to spend valuable time doing manual labor, such as filling in order details. WooCommerce shipping is already built-in to your dashboard 一 making it easier to ship your orders out to customers.

• WooCommerce shipping is free for all existing and new customers
• Get access to discounted shipping rates with shipping couriers like DHL and USPS
• Spend less time on filling out order details and print straight from your WooCommerce dashboard

Shipping integrations

WooCommerce integrates with major shipping companies like UPS, FedEx, USPS, and more. So say goodbye to filling out order details yourself when you choose to integrate with a reliable shipping company or platform.

• Improve customer satisfaction when you integrate with a shipping company
• Reduce shipping errors when integrating a shipping company
• Save up to 89% discounted shipping rates on 250+ couriers when you integrate your WooCommerce site with Easyship

Dropshipping

WooCommerce dropshipping may be a great fit for your eCommerce business, depending on your shipping needs. Once a customer places an order via your WooCommerce site, the product is delivered from the manufacturer to the customer’s address.

• WooCommerce offers users a range of dropshipping apps like WooCommerce dropshipping, DropshipMe, AliDropship, and many more
• An economical way to ship your products for online merchants
• Reduce the stress from sending your products yourself when connecting with a dropshipping app

Takeaway: Businesses of all sizes can benefit from choosing a reliable shipping integration like Easyship. Easyship helps merchants, big or small, save up to 89% off shipping costs on 250+ couriers. Plus, our automated tools and advanced features can grow your business internationally.

How Easyship Can Help

Magento and WooCommerce can help you grow your eCommerce business to new heights. However, though the robust platforms offer a unique set of features and capabilities, it’ll cost you a pretty penny to set up your Magento store.

WooCommerce is great if you’re a newbie to eCommerce. You’ll get all the features you need without any of the stress when it comes to setting up your online store. Plus, it’s an excellent option for users looking to save money on monthly subscription fees.

On the other hand, Magento is an excellent option if you’re a larger eCommerce company. Though your monthly subscription costs may cost you an arm and a leg, you can rest assured that you’ll receive advanced features tailored to larger businesses.

Regardless of the eCommerce platform you choose, you’ll receive the cheapest and best rates available when you integrate your Magento or WooCommerce account to Easyship. Plus, you’ll save up to 89% off discounted shipping rates on 250+ couriers.

Ready to try Easyship? Easyship is 100% free for the first 50 shipments per month. Sign up today for a free account!

If you found this article informative, you may enjoy the following:

• BigCommerce vs. WooCommerce: Choosing the Best Platform for Your Store
• The Magento Merchant’s Guide to Shipping
• Easyship Feature: Checkout Plugin for Shopify and WooCommerce