Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, WooCommerce Compared

Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Wix are all popular CMSs that offer different features and benefits to users. Here are some of the common reasons why people use these platforms and their arguments for each:

  1. Shopify:

Shopify is a popular e-commerce platform used by businesses of all sizes. It is a hosted solution that offers an easy-to-use interface, a range of customizable themes, and powerful tools for managing your online store. People use Shopify because:

  • It is easy to set up and use, even for beginners with no coding experience.
  • It offers a range of powerful features, including inventory management, order tracking, and marketing tools.
  • It provides reliable and secure hosting, so you don’t need to worry about managing your own servers or security.
  • It has a large community of developers and users, which makes it easy to find support and resources.
  1. BigCommerce:

BigCommerce is another popular e-commerce platform that offers similar features to Shopify. It is a hosted solution that offers a range of customizable themes, powerful tools for managing your online store, and a variety of integrations with third-party services. People use BigCommerce because:

  • It offers a range of powerful features, including advanced product options, real-time shipping quotes, and abandoned cart recovery.
  • It provides reliable and scalable hosting, so you can grow your business without worrying about technical issues.
  • It offers a range of developer-friendly tools, including a powerful API and integrations with popular developer tools.
  • It has a large community of developers and users, which makes it easy to find support and resources.
  1. WooCommerce:

WooCommerce is a popular e-commerce plugin for WordPress, which is one of the most popular content management systems for building websites. It is a free and open-source plugin that allows you to turn your WordPress site into a fully functional e-commerce store. People use WooCommerce because:

  • It is free to use, so it can be a cost-effective solution for small businesses.
  • It offers a range of powerful features, including inventory management, payment processing, and shipping options.
  • It is highly customizable, with a range of plugins and themes available to extend its functionality.
  • It is built on WordPress, which is a popular and well-supported CMS with a large community of users and developers.
  1. Wix:

Wix is a popular website builder that allows you to create a website without any coding knowledge. It is a cloud-based platform that offers a range of customizable templates and drag-and-drop tools for building your site. People use Wix because:

  • It is easy to use, even for beginners with no coding experience.
  • It offers a range of customizable templates, so you can create a unique and professional-looking website.
  • It provides reliable hosting and security, so you don’t need to worry about technical issues.
  • It offers a range of integrations with third-party services, such as payment processors and marketing tools.

People use these CMSs because they offer a range of powerful features and benefits for building and managing an online store or website. Depending on your needs and budget, one platform may be more suitable than others. We have performed a research to make it easier to choose a platform that fits your specific requirements.

General Comparison of Pros and Cons for each CMS

Feature Shopify BigCommerce WooCommerce Wix
Ease of Use

Pros: Intuitive interface, easy to set up and use, great customer support.

Cons: Limited customization options.

Pros: Intuitive interface, easy to use, flexible customization options. Cons: Limited design options, high transaction fees.

Pros: Flexible, customizable, works well with WordPress.

Cons: Requires some technical knowledge to set up and use, may be less user-friendly for beginners.

Pros: Easy to use, drag-and-drop interface, customizable templates.

Cons: Limited payment options, may not be ideal for large e-commerce stores.

Pricing

Pros: Reasonably priced plans, no transaction fees for using Shopify Payments.

Cons: Additional fees for using third-party payment providers.

Pros: Reasonably priced plans, no transaction fees for using certain payment providers.

Cons: Higher transaction fees for using some payment providers.

Pros: Free to use, but requires hosting and domain name.

Cons: Additional costs for hosting and domain name, may require additional plugins to fully function.

Pros: Reasonably priced plans, includes hosting and domain name.

Cons: Transaction fees for using third-party payment providers.

Design and Customization

Pros: Large selection of high-quality templates, easy to customize with drag-and-drop interface.

Cons: Limited customization options for some templates.

Pros: Flexible customization options, can create custom themes.

Cons: Limited design options.

Pros: Highly customizable, can be integrated with WordPress themes.

Cons: May require some technical knowledge to fully customize.

Pros: Drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to customize, includes a wide range of templates.

Cons: Limited design options.

Features

Pros: Offers a wide range of features, including abandoned cart recovery, gift cards, and shipping discounts.

Cons: Some features are only available on higher-priced plans.

Pros: Offers a wide range of features, including abandoned cart recovery, gift cards, and product ratings and reviews.

Cons: Some features are only available on higher-priced plans.

Pros: Offers a wide range of features, including product reviews, coupons, and customer management.

Cons: Some features may require additional plugins.

Pros: Offers a wide range of features, including social media integration, email marketing, and abandoned cart recovery.

Cons: Some features may be less robust than other platforms.

Payment Options

Pros: Offers its own payment gateway (Shopify Payments), as well as third-party options.

Cons: Additional fees for using some third-party providers.

Pros: Offers multiple payment options, including its own payment gateway (BigCommerce Payments).

Cons: Higher transaction fees for using some payment providers.

Pros: Offers multiple payment options, including PayPal and Stripe.

Cons: May require additional plugins for some payment options.

Pros: Offers multiple payment options, including PayPal and Stripe.

Cons: Transaction fees for using some third-party payment providers.

Comparison of International SEO Features

Feature Shopify BigCommerce WooCommerce Wix
Multilingual Support Pros: Offers built-in multilingual support with third-party apps. Cons: Limited language options for some themes, may require additional plugins or development. Pros: Offers built-in multilingual support. Cons: Limited language options for some themes, may require additional development. Pros: Offers built-in multilingual support with plugins. Cons: Plugins may not be as robust as other platforms. Pros: Offers built-in multilingual support with the Wix Multilingual app. Cons: Limited customization options for some templates.
Hreflang Tag Implementation Pros: Offers built-in support for Hreflang tags. Cons: Limited customization options for Hreflang tags. Pros: Offers built-in support for Hreflang tags. Cons: Limited customization options for Hreflang tags. Pros: Offers built-in support for Hreflang tags with plugins. Cons: Plugins may not be as robust as other platforms. Pros: Offers built-in support for Hreflang tags. Cons: Limited customization options for Hreflang tags.
Currency Support Pros: Offers built-in support for multiple currencies. Cons: Limited customization options for currency formatting. Pros: Offers built-in support for multiple currencies. Cons: Limited customization options for currency formatting. Pros: Offers built-in support for multiple currencies with plugins. Cons: Plugins may not be as robust as other platforms. Pros: Offers built-in support for multiple currencies. Cons: Limited customization options for currency formatting.
International Payment Options Pros: Offers multiple payment options, including popular international payment providers. Cons: Additional fees for some payment providers. Pros: Offers multiple payment options, including popular international payment providers. Cons: Higher transaction fees for some payment providers. Pros: Offers multiple payment options, including popular international payment providers. Cons: May require additional plugins for some payment options.

Pros: Offers multiple payment options, including popular international payment providers.

Cons: Transaction fees for some third-party payment providers.

International SEO Plugins Pros: Offers a range of third-party plugins for international SEO, including multilingual SEO and Hreflang tag management. Cons: Additional costs for some plugins.

Pros: Offers a range of third-party plugins for international SEO, including multilingual SEO and Hreflang tag management.

Cons: Additional costs for some plugins.

Pros: Offers a range of third-party plugins for international SEO, including multilingual SEO and Hreflang tag management.

Cons: Plugins may not be as robust as other platforms.

Pros: Offers built-in support for international SEO, including Hreflang tags and multilingual SEO.

Cons: Limited customization options for Hreflang tags.

Comparison of Development and Support Costs

Let’s take a look at comparison table of the pros and cons of Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Wix in terms of development and support expenses:

Feature Shopify BigCommerce WooCommerce Wix
Platform Cost Pros: Offers affordable pricing plans for small businesses.
Cons: Higher transaction fees for some payment providers.
Pros: Offers affordable pricing plans for small businesses.
Cons: Higher transaction fees for some payment providers.
Pros: Offers a free base platform with low transaction fees.
Cons: Additional costs for some plugins and themes.
Pros: Offers affordable pricing plans for small businesses.
Cons: Higher transaction fees for some payment providers.
Design and Theme Costs

Pros: Offers a range of free and premium themes.

Cons: Premium themes can be expensive.

Pros: Offers a range of free and premium themes.

Cons: Premium themes can be expensive.

Pros: Offers a range of free and premium themes.
Cons: Premium themes can be expensive.

Pros: Offers a range of free and premium themes.

Cons: Limited customization options for some templates.

Development Costs

Pros: Offers a user-friendly interface for easy website customization.

Cons: Limited customization options for some themes.

Pros: Offers a range of developer-friendly tools for custom development.

Cons: Higher development costs.

Pros: Offers a range of developer-friendly tools for custom development.

Cons: Higher development costs.

Pros: Offers a user-friendly interface for easy website customization.

Cons: Limited customization options for some templates.

Support and Maintenance Costs Pros: Offers 24/7 customer support and a large community for assistance.
Cons: Limited support for some third-party apps.
Pros: Offers 24/7 customer support and a large community for assistance.
Cons: Limited support for some third-party apps.

Pros: Offers community forums and support for some plugins.


Cons: Limited support for some third-party plugins.

Pros: Offers 24/7 customer support and a knowledge base.

Cons: Limited support for some third-party apps.

Our recommendation for those who cares about SEO results

If you are looking for an e-commerce platform with excellent architecture for categories and product relations, we highly recommend choosing WooCommerce with a custom developed theme. WooCommerce is a free and open-source plugin that seamlessly integrates with WordPress, which is one of the most popular content management systems for building websites.

WooCommerce’s architecture for categories and product relations is highly customizable, which allows for excellent search engine optimization (SEO) results. With a custom developed theme, you can tailor your store’s design and functionality to suit your specific needs and brand identity, resulting in a unique and highly optimized online store.

In addition, WooCommerce offers a range of powerful features, including inventory management, payment processing, and shipping options. With its open-source code, it is highly customizable and extendable with a wide range of third-party plugins and integrations. Plus, it has a large and supportive community of users and developers, making it easy to find support and resources.

Overall, if you prioritize SEO and want a highly customizable and scalable e-commerce platform, we highly recommend choosing WooCommerce with a custom developed theme. With its robust architecture and extensive range of features, you can create a highly optimized and successful online store that meets your business goals and exceeds your customers’ expectations.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, when choosing a CMS for your online store or website, Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Wix are all popular options with their own unique advantages and disadvantages. Shopify and BigCommerce are both hosted solutions that offer powerful e-commerce features and reliable hosting, while WooCommerce is a free and open-source plugin that allows you to turn your WordPress site into an e-commerce store.

Wix is a popular website builder that offers an easy-to-use interface and a range of customizable templates. Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses, depending on your specific needs and budget. To make the best decision, it’s important to evaluate each platform’s features, ease of use, customization options, scalability, and pricing.

Ultimately, choosing the right CMS can make a significant impact on the success of your online business. It’s worth taking the time to research and compare different options before making a final decision. Regardless of which platform you choose, building a strong online presence takes time and effort, but with the right tools and strategy, you can create a successful online store or website that meets your goals and serves your customers effectively.