eCommerce has grown exponentially in recent years, with technology evolving rapidly and new platforms emerging. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or an established business owner, choosing the right eCommerce platform is crucial. In this post, we’ll compare three major players: two industry giants—Shopify and WooCommerce—and an up-and-coming contender, SureCart.
Meet the Contenders
Shopify
Shopify is the most popular eCommerce platform in North America. It’s a fully hosted, vertically integrated solution with a vast ecosystem of developers creating custom apps to extend its functionality.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce holds the largest global market share among eCommerce platforms. As a WordPress plugin owned by Automattic (the company behind WordPress), WooCommerce is open-source and free in its basic form. Its large developer community has created numerous plugins to enhance its capabilities.
SureCart
SureCart is a newer eCommerce solution that, like WooCommerce, runs on WordPress. It offers different pricing tiers, including a free plan for basic store functionality. Unlike WooCommerce, SureCart has built-in premium features across all plans. However, since it’s a newer platform, it lacks the extensive third-party developer community of its competitors.
1. Pricing
Shopify
- Subscription Costs: Starts at $39/month for Basic, $105/month for Shopify, and $399/month for Advanced.
- Transaction Fees: Charges up to 2% per transaction unless using Shopify Payments.
- Additional Costs: Paid add-ons and themes (ranging from $100–$300) can quickly increase expenses.
- Hosting: Included with the subscription.
WooCommerce
- Subscription Costs: Free to install, but costs arise for hosting, themes, and extensions.
- Transaction Fees: No platform fees; only standard gateway fees (Stripe, PayPal, etc.).
- Additional Costs: Premium plugins for features like subscriptions or advanced shipping can add up.
- Hosting: Can be expensive for larger stores, as WooCommerce requires strong hosting.
SureCart
- Subscription Costs: Free tier available; paid plans range from $99/year to $499/year.
- Transaction Fees: 1% transaction fee for free accounts; standard payment gateway fees apply.
- Additional Costs: Some premium features require a paid plan.
- Hosting: Uses cloud-based processing, reducing the need for high-end hosting.
Winner: WooCommerce is the cheapest upfront, but SureCart offers the best balance of affordability and built-in features.
2. Performance
Shopify
- Front-end: Fast, optimized hosting ensures quick load times.
- Back-end: Streamlined interface, though complex stores may experience slowdowns.
WooCommerce
- Front-end: Performance depends on hosting and caching optimization.
- Back-end: Can slow down with too many products or plugins.
SureCart
- Front-end: Lightweight and fast, as payment processing is cloud-based.
- Back-end: Modern and efficient interface with minimal resource usage.
Winner: Shopify and SureCart perform best out of the box, while WooCommerce requires optimization.
3. Scalability
Shopify
- Handles large-scale stores efficiently.
- Shopify Plus ($2,000+/month) offers enterprise-level scalability.
WooCommerce
- Can scale well with strong hosting but requires additional server resources for large stores.
- Performance may degrade with too many plugins or large catalogs.
SureCart
- Cloud-based infrastructure allows seamless scalability.
- Works well with WordPress caching and CDN optimization.
Winner: Shopify is best for enterprise scalability, but SureCart scales well within WordPress.
4. Features
Shopify
- Large app store with thousands of add-ons.
- Many advanced features require paid apps.
- Built-in abandoned cart recovery and multi-channel selling.
WooCommerce
- Largest library of extensions.
- Requires third-party add-ons for features like subscriptions and memberships.
SureCart
- Focuses on simplicity and essential tools.
- Includes built-in subscriptions, digital downloads, and automation tools.
- Fewer add-ons compared to Shopify and WooCommerce.
Winner: Shopify has the most features, but WooCommerce is the most flexible with third-party plugins.
5. Support
Shopify
- 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone.
- Large community and extensive documentation.
WooCommerce
- No official support; relies on community forums and third-party plugin developers.
- Some hosting providers offer WooCommerce-specific support.
SureCart
- Direct support through the SureCart team.
- Smaller but growing community and knowledge base.
Winner: Shopify provides the best support, while SureCart offers better direct help than WooCommerce.
6. Customization
Shopify
- Uses proprietary Liquid code, limiting customization.
- Many themes available, but custom design options are restricted.
WooCommerce
- Fully customizable.
- Works with any WordPress theme and page builder.
SureCart
- Integrates seamlessly with WordPress themes and builders.
- More customizable than Shopify but with fewer plugins than WooCommerce.
Winner: WooCommerce offers the most customization, followed by SureCart. Shopify is the most restrictive.
Final Verdict
Shopify
- Best for: High-volume stores that need scalability and extensive app options.
- Not ideal for: Businesses on a budget or those needing deep customization.
WooCommerce
- Best for: Small businesses, highly customized stores, and those wanting full control.
- Not ideal for: Those who need dedicated support or who dislike managing plugins and hosting.
SureCart
- Best for: Stores with simple product and shipping needs that want an affordable, high-performance solution.
- Not ideal for: Stores with complex product requirements or advanced fulfillment needs.
What’s My Choice?
As a web designer and developer, I prefer full control over the look and feel of my stores, so I personally avoid Shopify. I primarily work with WordPress and have built many stores using WooCommerce, making it my go-to platform. However, I’m keeping an eye on SureCart and will use it when it’s a good fit. It’s still new but has great potential as it matures.