When you’re choosing an e-commerce solution, there’s a lot on the line. You’ll want to be sure the platform enables you to easily build and scale your website, while also giving you tools to manage sales and market to a growing number of customers. WooCommerce and Wix are two of the most popular e-commerce hubs, but each has its own set of strengths and weaknesses.
Fortunately, you won’t have to compare the two on your own. In this article, we’ll provide an in-depth comparison of WooCommerce and Wix. We’ll discuss the differences in ease of use, scalability, features, pricing, and more. Let’s dive right in!
Wix: A Brief Introduction
Wix is a popular website builder that allows you to create a fully functioning site with no coding or technical knowledge. In 2012, Wix surpassed 200 million users:
In a nutshell, Wix is an all-in-one solution for straightforward website creation. When you sign up for Wix, you’ll get the website builder, a domain name and web hosting all bundled together. It also offers an e-commerce specific option.
WooCommerce: A Brief Introduction
WooCommerce is an e-commerce plugin for WordPress, which is a widely-used open source Content Management System (CMS):
In fact, WordPress powers nearly two-thirds of all websites on the internet. And, at the time of writing, 6.3 million of those WordPress sites use WooCommerce as their e-commerce solution.
WooCommerce seamlessly integrates with WordPress, transforming it into an e-commerce hub. The plugin enables you to sell products, manage payment gateways, coordinate shipping, automatically calculate taxes, and so much more.
It’s important to keep in mind that unlike Wix, WordPress does not include a domain name or hosting. Meaning, you’ll need to select a hosting provider to get the server resources you need to run your site. Some web hosts include domain services as well, but if yours doesn’t, you’ll need to purchase a domain from a registrar.
Ease of Use: Wix vs. WooCommerce
When you’re deciding on which e-commerce solution is right for you, ease of use should be a key factor. After all, if you can’t comfortably navigate your e-commerce platform’s interface, you’re unlikely to get much done. So, let’s see how Wix and WooCommerce compare in terms of usability.
Firstly, the Wix Editor uses drag and drop technology. That means you’ll never have to touch a line of code:
Thanks to pre-made website templates with subpages like “home” and “shop,” you can create your online store in just a few minutes.
Meanwhile, with WooCommerce, you’re able to use pre-designed WordPress themes and “starter sites” to fast-track the website creation process:
Overall, WordPress will give you a lot more variety when it comes to themes and customization. In fact, Wix only has about 800 templates, whereas you can choose from over 11,000 free WordPress themes (that’s not counting any paid options).
However, only block themes allow you to use the WordPress Site Editor, which offers an intuitive, coding-free experience. So, if you’re a beginner and you’re not using a block-based theme, there’ll be a steeper learning curve when it comes to editing your site.
You’ll either need to get your hands dirty with some code, or install a page builder plugin to give you a more visual editing experience. But again, you can avoid this by choosing a block theme.
Additionally, since WordPress is a CMS, it includes extensive features for publishing content. Therefore, if you want to add a blog to your online store, it will be super easy. You’ll even be able to use the user-friendly block editor to create your posts.
Scalability: Wix vs. WooCommerce
Next, let’s put Wix and WooCommerce head to head in terms of scalability.
WooCommerce, like WordPress, has the ability to scale all the way up to enterprise-level business operations. Essentially, WooCommerce’s potential is more determined by your web hosting plan than anything.
That’s because your server resources determine how much traffic and orders can flow through your digital storefront. Basically, choosing a higher-level plan can allow you to accommodate more traffic and transactions.
From a customization perspective, you can extend the functionality of your WooCommerce site by installing WooCommerce extensions. For example, you can use extensions to track your site’s analytics, accept cryptocurrency, or even adopt a multichannel strategy by integrating with an online marketplace.
Similarly, Wix can scale up to Wix Enterprise. This plan allows you to manage large streams of traffic and orders. However, depending on the plan you choose, your website’s storage space, video content, analytics, and marketing tools may be limited in scope. For example, unless you have Wix Enterprise, sales tax will only be automatically calculated on the first 500 transactions.
Features and Integrations: Wix vs. WooCommerce
As we mentioned, you can extend WooCommerce using extensions. Likewise, you can extend the functionality of WordPress (and your WooCommerce store) using plugins.
There are nearly 60,000 free plugins available for WordPress, and tons of premium (paid) options. For instance, you can use Mailchimp’s plugin to integrate your email marketing strategy, or MemberPress to turn your site into a subscription site:
However, it’s important to note that WordPress plugins are made by third-party developers, and they’re not all built equally. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure you do your research before installing them on your site. Look for credible developers, positive user reviews, and a respectable number of active installations.
When it comes to Wix the platform manages a large App Market:
Only Wix can add new apps to their library. This means that there’s a level of professionalism and security with each option. Of course, they all integrate perfectly with any Wix site.
The downside here is that you have fewer options, so you might not be able to find the app you’re looking for to fulfill a specific need.
Pricing for Wix vs. WooCommerce
Finally, let’s see how WooCommerce and Wix face off in terms of pricing.
WooCommerce itself is a free plugin, but you’ll need to set up a WordPress site first, which requires web hosting. The cost of your e-commerce website will depend on your needs. You can shop around for web hosts so you can determine the best match in terms of pricing and features.
You’ll want to look for WooCommerce hosting providers that offer security features and the ability to scale with a growing business:
Generally, web hosting is pretty affordable. In fact, some of the most popular hosting providers offer plans starting under $3 per month.
If you want to purchase any premium WordPress plugins, WooCommerce extensions, or themes, this can also drive up the overall cost of your WooCommerce store. Essentially, WordPress and WooCommerce offer a more à la carte experience, so running your store can be as affordable or as expensive as you choose.
Meanwhile, Wix pricing is a little more straightforward. The website builder offers four tiers of plans, ranging from $16 to 159 a month:
It also offers enterprise services. But, within the basic plans, each tier builds on the features of the previous one, increasing the number of collaborators on a website, the amount of cloud storage, and the templates and automated marketing tools you have access to.
Conclusion
Both WooCommerce and Wix are powerful e-commerce platforms, so deciding between them can be challenging. With this in mind, consider that Wix offers an all-in-one solution, including a website builder, domain, and hosting. On the other hand, WooCommerce requires you to set up a WordPress site and find hosting, but it offers a greater depth of features and customizability.
Do you have any questions about our guide to Wix vs. WooCommerce? Let us know in the comments section below!
Image credit: Rubaitul Azad
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