Shopify vs WooCommerce: which is best for dropshipping?
Shopify or WooCommerce for your dropshipping store? We compare costs, hosting, ease of use, automation, marketing and support to help you decide.
Why the choice matters
Dropshipping lets you sell products without buying in bulk, without holding stock and without large upfront investments. That is a big reason the model has become so popular, and several e-commerce platforms make it easy to get started.
Two of the most popular choices among webshop owners are Shopify and WooCommerce. Below we compare them on costs, functionality, tools and the knowledge you need to run each one, so you can see which fits your dropshipping plans.
Price and hosting
Shopify works with monthly subscriptions in several tiers. Plan names and prices change from time to time and differ between monthly and annual billing, so check the current prices on shopify.com. In most cases the Basic plan has everything you need to start dropshipping, including a wide selection of free and paid themes, so you do not need design skills or technical knowledge to launch a store.
WordPress and WooCommerce are open source and free to use. That sounds appealing, but running a real store still costs money, and some of those costs are already included in Shopify. With WooCommerce you arrange your own web hosting, and a decent package quickly runs to around 15 euros per month, excluding a domain name.
For dropshipping you usually need more than the cheapest hosting package. You want to automate processes and keep your site fast when traffic spikes, and that takes enough server capacity. With Shopify, hosting is included in your monthly fee, also on the Basic plan.
Setting up your webshop
Shopify lets almost anyone set up a webshop quickly and without technical knowledge. WooCommerce is open source and is better suited to entrepreneurs who already have experience with web hosting, web design and web development.
On both platforms the sign-up itself is simple: you register an account, verify your email address and can get started. With WooCommerce you also need to arrange your hosting and install the WooCommerce plugin first.
Want to get started quickly, without much technical knowledge? Then Shopify is the better fit.
Dropshipping apps and automation
Both platforms offer plenty of dropshipping apps and plugins. Shopify has a large number of dropshipping apps, including the GOGETTERS app. WooCommerce has fewer, but there are still solid options to build a dropshipping store.
In WooCommerce, how well those plugins perform depends on your hosting. Importing products and automating stock updates, order processing and track & trace all use server capacity, something you do not have to worry about on Shopify. You can see all the platforms GOGETTERS works with on our integrations page.
Marketing and URLs
Shopify puts a lot of effort into online marketing tools. It has sales channels for Facebook and Google, among others, and in the Shopify App Store you will find connections with marketplaces and a large range of marketing apps. Shopify also comes with built-in analytics reports.
With WooCommerce you rely on several plugins for marketing. These are built by third parties rather than the WooCommerce team, and they can slow your site down. One advantage of WooCommerce, though, is control over your URL structure. Shopify uses a fixed structure, so a product always sits under the /products/ subfolder, and the same applies to collections, blogs and checkout.
| Area | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Included | You arrange it yourself |
| Technical knowledge | Minimal | Recommended |
| Marketing tools | Built-in and App Store | Third-party plugins |
| URL control | Fixed structure | Fully customisable |
| Support | 24/7 chat | Community forums |
Customer service
WordPress and WooCommerce do not offer dedicated support. You cannot open a ticket with WooCommerce directly, but there is a large community, and experienced developers often help out on forums.
Shopify, by contrast, offers 24/7 support via chat. If you want a reliable point of contact when you start your store, that is a good reason to choose Shopify.
At GOGETTERS you can always count on our support too. Whether your shop runs on WooCommerce or Shopify, we are happy to help at support@gogetters.nl.
The best choice
The best platform for a dropshipping webshop depends on a few factors. For starting entrepreneurs we usually recommend Shopify.
- Choose Shopify if you want ease of use, 24/7 support and an all-in-one system.
- Choose WooCommerce if you have more technical knowledge and want more room to customise.
Already working with CCV Shop or PrestaShop? GOGETTERS works there too. See the integrations for all platforms.
Whichever platform you pick, compare the plans on our pricing page to see what fits your store.
Frequently asked questions
Once you factor in hosting, the two are close. WooCommerce is free, but you pay for your own hosting, which quickly runs to around 15 euros per month. Shopify includes hosting in its subscription; check the current prices on shopify.com. If you don't use Shopify Payments, Shopify charges an extra transaction fee per order.
Shopify. You can launch a store without technical knowledge, using free or paid themes and included hosting. WooCommerce suits people who are comfortable with web hosting, design and development.
Yes. GOGETTERS works with Shopify, WooCommerce, PrestaShop and CCV Shop, and our support team helps you no matter which platform your shop runs on.
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