WooCommerce vs. WordPress

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
WooCommerce
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
WooCommerce is an eCommerce plugin for WordPress, developed by WooThemes (recently acquired by Automattic). Like WordPress, it is designed to be an extendable, adaptable, open-sourced platform. WooCommerce allows merchants to sell physical products, downloadables, or services.N/A
WordPress
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Wordpress is an open-source publishing platform popular with bloggers, and a content management system, known for its simplicity and modifiability. Websites may host their own blogging communities, controlling and moderating content from a single dashboard.N/A
Pricing
WooCommerceWordPress
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
WooCommerceWordPress
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsContact sales team for pricing
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
WooCommerceWordPress
Considered Both Products
WooCommerce
Chose WooCommerce
Nine times out of ten it came down to ease of use and ease of deployment. So many people have experience with WordPress these days, that basing the site on that platform just made sense - and WooCommerce is a logical extension from there. My clients found the competing …
Chose WooCommerce
We were pretty sure we wanted a WordPress site so that we had more control over the site itself, having been burned by third-party vendor sites before. The fact that WooCommerce integrates so well with WordPress was a big selling point for us. Magento would have been too heavy …
Chose WooCommerce
I maintained our online store using hardcoded Paypal shopping cart buttons for years. I have also used the MarketPress e-commerce plugin for WordPress, and currently, maintain one client store using the eStore plugin for WordPress. WooCommerce is far superior to any of these …
Chose WooCommerce
From a functional perspective this can do everything that the others can do and for many developers it is the preferred platform for online stores that require a high level of customisation. It is an open source platform with a strong community of developers behind it who have …
Chose WooCommerce
One single word: cost!
Most WooCommerce alternatives have very high monthly or annual costs. WooCommerce permits to have an implementation cost (low or high based on customization) and a very low maintenance cost.
Even if some plugins are very expensive, the maintenance cost is a …
Chose WooCommerce
WooCommerce has been great to us for SEO. By using YoastSEO we have been able to add more targeted parameters for each product page.
Chose WooCommerce
Very similar in comparison, depending on the tech stack and developer’s experience these may be quite interchangeable but I hadn’t experienced other systems extensively to make a full comparison. I’ve used other completely custom solutions which required much more costly and …
Chose WooCommerce
I evaluated a couple of other e-commerce software before settling on WooCommerce. My main reasons for choosing it over the others was 1. all the flexibility and functionality offered in customizing the store to my needs, 2. easiest to use, and 3. while expensive, it was not as …
Chose WooCommerce
In the past, I have used Easy Digital Downloads as I was only selling digital resources, but as I started to branch out and grow my business I wanted to add physical products such as planners, cups and t-shirts. I found I had to add another plugin to manage my new product …
Chose WooCommerce
We chose WooCommerce over Shopify mainly for pricing, you can start using WooCommerce for free in just a few steps while Shopify will always have a subscription attached to it. That said, you will probably have to buy some plugins to add functionalities missing from the stock …
Chose WooCommerce
I chose WooCommerce because it was free. I haven't used Shopify. There is a monthly fee.
Chose WooCommerce
I love WooCommerce, the ease of use, installation and configuration place this far above the competition. The performance is exceptional. I really recommend it to all the people who want to make a virtual store. Its competitors are good, but they do not offer the simplicity of …
Chose WooCommerce
WooCommerce stands out from its competitors for being very simple. I have used PrestaShop and I can say that WooCommerce is easier to use and install, the themes that can be installed are much more professional and compatible with all mobile devices. It has really been very …
Chose WooCommerce
WooCommerce stacks up very nicely. While there is a learning curve involved, it more than makes up for the challenge when it comes to cost. You won't find yourself spending money each month to keep your site live or pay for your ecommerce platform like you do with others. Once …
Chose WooCommerce
I have used Easy Digital Downloads. While this platform is specifically geared towards digital only shops, it only integrates with Paypal on their free version. I personally don't like Paypal as a payment gateway, and opted for an option that would be more flexible. The product …
Chose WooCommerce
WooCommerce is just simply quicker to get an e-commerce website built and up and running than either OpenCart or X-Cart....overall administration is easier for website owners as well. WooCommerce allows much better customization as a self-hosted option to BigCommerce. I …
Chose WooCommerce
Sadly I haven't tried any other alternatives to the WooCommerce, simply because I did extensive research and I've listened to the people's opinion. There is no alternative that is possibly even close the WooCommerce level. Not to mention that WooCommerce has a 50% price drop …
Chose WooCommerce
For our clients using WooCommerce for ticketing events, we have looked at Eventbrite and Constant Contact Events. Both of these work well, but there is something great about having the entire process in house. Specifically, being able to receive reports of orders very …
Chose WooCommerce
Much easier to set up than any other basket I have used which makes it my first choice - it also goes straight into a WordPress site so can easily be added to a blog that is already set up. The costs are only what additions you have so it is easy to budget for as well.
Chose WooCommerce
WooCommerce lacks the customization oomph that Shopify offers, but excels in its data and analytics capabilities. If users can get by with the native templates - or have the resources to code their own - WooCommerce should check the remaining boxes.
Chose WooCommerce
No other WordPress eCommerce system compares to WooCommerce's extensibility or simplicity.
Chose WooCommerce
It is more comprehensive and user extensible. I was able to make it do precisely what I intended with little headache. Through the WooCommerce suite of products, I was able to make a visually appealing experience that was simple for non-techy types to maintain. It has been …
WordPress
Chose WordPress
Not as user friendly, and much more bloated than these other lighter-weight CRMs, but the available integrations and total customization available from WordPress is unmatched in the industry.
Chose WordPress
All these plugins and technology helped me to make our website more standing and add more functionality.
Chose WordPress
I prefer Wordpress because it is open source and has a huge community of users and developers. So it is incredibly flexible already because of the plugins available, and it can be further customized to any extent by readily available developer talent.
Chose WordPress
In my opinion, WordPress has the best documentation compared to the rest. If the built-in functionality is not enough, WordPress has a great variety of plugins, which is not always the same for competitors.
Chose WordPress
I chose to compare Shopify to WordPress because I develop a lot of ECommerce websites for my customers. WordPress, by far, offers more functionality. The WoCommerce plugins can be a little challenging to set up but is well worth the effort with the extensions they offer. …
Chose WordPress
We have selected WordPress for simplicity of use and installation. We have not had any major problems with its use and best of all, it is free and has a large amount of documentation and user communities around the world. We have not had expenses with the use of this platform, …
Chose WordPress
We selected WordPress because of the community, flexibility, and cost. With the main reason being the community and support system that exists. This means we can find talent to make custom plugins, customize themes, and maintain the website easily and on a reasonable budget.
Chose WordPress
While Drupal and Joomla! are good platforms with dedicated followings, I've found them not quite as intuitive and easy to customize as WordPress. The designer, developer and user community of WordPress has grown quite a bit and that has led to better plugins, themes and even …
Chose WordPress
There are plenty of other open-source content management systems out there.

Why did we go with WordPress?
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
WooCommerceWordPress
Online Storefront
Comparison of Online Storefront features of Product A and Product B
WooCommerce
7.9
88 Ratings
1% above category average
WordPress
-
Ratings
Product catalog & listings8.687 Ratings00 Ratings
Product management8.088 Ratings00 Ratings
Bulk product upload6.370 Ratings00 Ratings
Branding7.376 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile storefront8.980 Ratings00 Ratings
Product variations6.780 Ratings00 Ratings
Website integration9.288 Ratings00 Ratings
Visual customization8.184 Ratings00 Ratings
CMS7.966 Ratings00 Ratings
Online Shopping Cart
Comparison of Online Shopping Cart features of Product A and Product B
WooCommerce
7.6
84 Ratings
1% below category average
WordPress
-
Ratings
Abandoned cart recovery7.655 Ratings00 Ratings
Checkout user experience7.784 Ratings00 Ratings
Online Payment System
Comparison of Online Payment System features of Product A and Product B
WooCommerce
8.7
77 Ratings
5% above category average
WordPress
-
Ratings
eCommerce security8.777 Ratings00 Ratings
eCommerce Marketing
Comparison of eCommerce Marketing features of Product A and Product B
WooCommerce
5.8
86 Ratings
28% below category average
WordPress
-
Ratings
Promotions & discounts6.583 Ratings00 Ratings
Personalized recommendations4.468 Ratings00 Ratings
SEO6.675 Ratings00 Ratings
eCommerce Business Management
Comparison of eCommerce Business Management features of Product A and Product B
WooCommerce
6.8
85 Ratings
16% below category average
WordPress
-
Ratings
Multi-site management5.442 Ratings00 Ratings
Order processing7.883 Ratings00 Ratings
Inventory management7.482 Ratings00 Ratings
Shipping6.376 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom functionality7.079 Ratings00 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
WooCommerce
-
Ratings
WordPress
8.8
131 Ratings
8% above category average
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.8131 Ratings
Platform & Infrastructure
Comparison of Platform & Infrastructure features of Product A and Product B
WooCommerce
-
Ratings
WordPress
8.4
107 Ratings
10% above category average
API00 Ratings8.597 Ratings
Internationalization / multi-language00 Ratings8.281 Ratings
Web Content Creation
Comparison of Web Content Creation features of Product A and Product B
WooCommerce
-
Ratings
WordPress
8.3
137 Ratings
7% above category average
WYSIWYG editor00 Ratings8.5124 Ratings
Code quality / cleanliness00 Ratings7.4123 Ratings
Admin section00 Ratings8.9135 Ratings
Page templates00 Ratings8.7132 Ratings
Library of website themes00 Ratings7.1134 Ratings
Mobile optimization / responsive design00 Ratings8.9133 Ratings
Publishing workflow00 Ratings8.7128 Ratings
Form generator00 Ratings8.6106 Ratings
Web Content Management
Comparison of Web Content Management features of Product A and Product B
WooCommerce
-
Ratings
WordPress
8.5
135 Ratings
14% above category average
Content taxonomy00 Ratings8.3115 Ratings
SEO support00 Ratings8.7121 Ratings
Bulk management00 Ratings7.7102 Ratings
Availability / breadth of extensions00 Ratings8.7124 Ratings
Community / comment management00 Ratings9.3124 Ratings
Best Alternatives
WooCommerceWordPress
Small Businesses
Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus
Score 9.1 out of 10
Divi
Divi
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus
Score 9.1 out of 10
Image Relay
Image Relay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
IBM Digital Commerce
IBM Digital Commerce
Score 9.0 out of 10
RWS Tridion Sites
RWS Tridion Sites
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
WooCommerceWordPress
Likelihood to Recommend
7.8
(88 ratings)
8.6
(173 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(3 ratings)
10.0
(37 ratings)
Usability
7.1
(3 ratings)
8.8
(20 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.5
(3 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
8.6
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
5.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(11 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(10 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
WooCommerceWordPress
Likelihood to Recommend
Automattic
[WooCommerce] does really well for simple stores that don't have a lot of products. It's really easy to set up and get products added so people can purchase them online. It's not the best for really complicated stores with products that need a lot of customization; you have to find 3rd-party plugins to add additional functionality to your store and sometimes those can create conflicts between one another.
Read full review
Automattic
If your business relies heavily on content creation, and particularly on blog posts, then WordPress is really the best option you have. But if you don't have a blog, you only need static pages, or you want to build an eCommerce site, then you might want to explore other alternatives.
Read full review
Pros
Automattic
  • Keeps track of product inventory, including details of product variations such as colors and sizes if required.
  • Keeps track of orders so that the shopkeeper has one place to log in and see the status and history of orders to her shop.
  • Creates shop-related pages automatically. Once you add one or more products, they will automatically appear on your shop home page. Additionally, pages for viewing shopping carts and for checking out are automatically created.
Read full review
Automattic
  • WordPress is incredibly easy to set up and get running with little to no technical knowledge. Most web hosts will do it for you, since it's so easy.
  • With thousands of themes available for free and for low cost, WordPress can accommodate any design you can imagine.
  • The community behind WordPress is generous, and there are loads of educational opportunities both online and in person to learn and connect with other users.
Read full review
Cons
Automattic
  • Because of how the Wordpress database is structured, WooCommerce isn't great for large or complex e-commerce sites.
  • More out-of-the-box options would be nice within the base software.
  • Because add-on plugins are developed by 3rd parties, sometimes you get conflicts that break things.
Read full review
Automattic
  • WordPress breaks often so you need to have someone who understands how to troubleshoot, which can take time and money.
  • Some plugins are easier to customize than others, for example, some don't require any coding knowledge while others do. This can limit your project if you are not a coder.
  • WordPress can be easily hacked, so you also need someone who can ensure your sites are secure.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Automattic
Despite very rare glitches, more connected to an excessive number of plugins, that affect the speed of the site, we are extremely satisfied with the platform, the ability to import and export products, even though we just export them, as we have our proprietary system for updating inventories. We love the ease of upgrading, enhancing, innovating, and the freedom we have to do whatever we want, which is a plus, when you consider Shopify can take down your whole store as they please, if they think you aren't abiding to their TOS or their ever changing set of rules.
Read full review
Automattic
My rating is based on the knowledge I have of the community that WordPress has had built around it for years now. It's as solid as it comes when you talk about community involvement and expansion. There's no other CMS out there that can match-up with it, hands down.
Read full review
Usability
Automattic
I gave it lots of points for being a simple product that instantly gives you a store. Very intuitive and simple for the client to update or implement. Loses LOTS of points when you want to do anything besides just sell stuff (coupons, etc) then it makes you pay big money for the add-ons and makes it difficult and time-intensive to develop your own.
Read full review
Automattic
It's a sophisticated but easy to use piece of software. Many of the content addition pieces are familiar from other pieces of software so there isn't a huge learning curve. And for new areas, there is a lot of info on WordPress.org as well as other WordPress help sites.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Automattic
No answers on this topic
Automattic
Anyone can visit WordPress.org and download a fully functional copy of WordPress free of charge. Additionally, WordPress is offered to users as open-source software, which means that anyone can customize the code to create new applications and make these available to other WordPress users.
Read full review
Performance
Automattic
No answers on this topic
Automattic
Mostly, any performance issues have to do with using too many plugins and these can sometimes slow down the overall performance of your site. It is very tempting to start adding lots of plugins to your WordPress site, however, as there are thousands of great plugins to choose from and so many of them help you do amazing things on your site. If you begin to notice performance issues with your WordPress site (e.g. pages being slow to load), there are ways to optimize the performance of your site, but this requires learning the process. WordPress users can learn how to optimize their WordPress sites by downloading the WPTrainMe WordPress training plugin (WPTrainMe.com) and going through the detailed step-by-step WordPress optimization tutorials.
Read full review
Support Rating
Automattic
not muh support
Read full review
Automattic
WordPress itself only has community service so your experience will depend on where you turn. Online, through forums and community boards, support is rudimentary but effective. You can easily turn to your local community and find exceptional individuals who know and use WordPress regularly for more advanced, inexpensive, support. I'm rating this less than 10 because of the lack of any formal support provided by a company.
Read full review
In-Person Training
Automattic
No answers on this topic
Automattic
Varies by the person providing training. High marks as it's incredibly easy to find experienced individuals in your community to provide training on any aspect of WordPress from content marketing, SEO, plugin development, theme design, etc. Less than 10 though as the training is community based and expectations for a session you find may fall short.
Read full review
Online Training
Automattic
No answers on this topic
Automattic
It is very easy to find online resources to learn how to do just about anything with WordPress.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Automattic
No answers on this topic
Automattic
WordPress is not a great solution if you have: 1) A larger site with performance / availability requirements. 2) Multiple types of content you want to share - each with its own underlying data structure. 3) Multiple sites you need to manage. For very small sites where these needs are not paramount, WordPress is a decent solution
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Automattic
We were pretty sure we wanted a WordPress site so that we had more control over the site itself, having been burned by third-party vendor sites before. The fact that WooCommerce integrates so well with WordPress was a big selling point for us. Magento would have been too heavy of a lift for our small dev team and we didn't want to rely on Shopify or BigCommerce (though all of those products could have their merits for other projects or clients).
Read full review
Automattic
We have considered and operated within Shopify and Squarespace. Both serve their purpose for niche clients, but we do recommend WordPress as being the superior option. We find that WordPress is easier to use and offers maximum scalability while the others are more challenging to design, code, configure and launch.
Read full review
Scalability
Automattic
No answers on this topic
Automattic
WordPress is completely scalable. You can get started immediately with a very simple "out-of-the box" WordPress installation and then add whatever functionality you need as and when you need it, and continue expanding. Often we will create various WordPress sites on the same domain to handle different aspects of our strategy (e.g. one site for the sales pages, product information and/or a marketing blog, another for delivering products securely through a private membership site, and another for running an affiliate program or other application), and then ties all of these sites together using a common theme and links on each of the site's menus. Additionally, WordPress offers a multisite function that allows organizations and institutions to manage networks of sites managed by separate individual site owners, but centrally administered by the parent organization. You can also expand WordPress into a social networking or community site, forums, etc. The same scalability applies to web design. You can start with a simple design and then scale things up to display sites with amazing visual features, including animations and video effects, sliding images and animated product image galleries, elements that appear and fade from visitor browsers, etc. The scaling possibilities of WordPress are truly endless.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Automattic
  • Positive: low cost to start up, and allowed us to start selling right away.
  • Negative: better plug-ins have a high cost of entry. For example if you want to do subscriptions you need a paid plugin for it.
  • Positive: easily integrates with PayPal and Stripe.
Read full review
Automattic
  • WordPress helps us reduce website management costs because we can oversee updates in-house.
  • WordPress is easy to use, reducing the amount of time we spend on website management.
  • The ease of use enables us to offer website management for clients, helping us grow our capabilities/business.
Read full review
ScreenShots