WooCommerce and Magento are two of the most popular platforms available if you are thinking about launching an ecommerce website. Both platforms come with a host of features and functionalities to help you get around the daily operations of an online store. As such, choosing the ultimate winner between two or more ecommerce systems can quickly become subjective.
In most cases, there is no single ideal pick for everyone. Your choice should be informed by your unique business goals. When comparing ecommerce platforms, it is important to review all aspects especially those that directly affect your operations. Never oversight important elements like feature set, security, performance, pricing and usability. Below is an unbiased comparison of WooCommerce and Magento with keen emphasis given to ecommerce budgeting.
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WooCommerce
If you use WordPress, then you are probably already familiar with WooCommerce. This ecommerce platform is specifically designed for users of WordPress websites and exhibits most of the benefits associated with its host. It is very user friendly and usually the recommended choice for beginners or small business owners.
WooCommerce is a free open-source platform that anyone can download and install in their website. Although it is built for WordPress sites, you can still integrate it with any CMS (content management system). That being said, there are various costs associated with building an ecommerce website. While the platform is free, it does not come with hosting services so you will still need to find a reliable web hosting service to host your WooCommerce website.
The cost of hosting varies greatly depending on the plan and provider you choose to contract. Web hosting companies offer different packages and prices range from $5 to $200 per month depending on the scale of your operations. Aside from hosting, other costs you may incur from building a WooCommerce website include those for;
a) Premium extensions
Although WooCommerce has a large extension system with numerous free extensions, the system library does not contain everything. If you want better performance and added functionalities, then you will need to look into premium extensions. Unfortunately, premium WooCommerce extensions tend to be very expensive especially if you need several of them. It is important to review your business and determine your need for premium extensions. This will help you calculate how much you may end up paying.
b) Custom web design
Designing a WooCommerce website is generally less technical compared to other options. It is beginner-friendly and benefits from the WYSIWYG module predominant in WordPress. However, the platform still allows you to make minor changes and customize the site to your preferences. Custom web design prices vary from one developer to another. It also depends on what you want to add to the site and the nature of your business operations.
c) Maintenance
All platforms need regular maintenance and WooCommerce websites will require occasional upgrades and troubleshooting. Nonetheless, most developers are already familiar with WordPress sites and charge cheaper compared to Magento.
Magento
When WooCommerce is primarily community based, Magento is designed for companies, particularly medium and large establishments. It is the ideal solution for web developers and requires more than basic knowledge to create a compelling ecommerce website especially if you choose premium editions. Nevertheless, beginners can still get around the steep learning curve to create successful online businesses with the free offer. There are two main editions of Magento; Community Edition and Enterprise Edition. The community edition is a free open-source platform that can be downloaded and, installed and customized. Like WooCommerce, you do not have to pay for anything apart from web hosting fees.
You can build a great ecommerce website with minimal web development knowledge using this platform. It also provides supports for extensions and third-party applications. Magento also uses its unique theme and layout system and has an intuitive administrator interface. If you are looking for a robust platform that houses every feature you need to start your ecommerce website, you can’t go wrong with Magento. Unlike WooCommerce, you do not need to understand the workings of WordPress to fully utilize the platform. However, Magento is more suited to businesses that need quick scaling.
The enterprise edition offers a comprehensive list of features and functionalities that generally cover everything you need ranging from site security to traffic management and transaction processing. However, this is a premium edition that costs a lot to install and maintain. You can lookup magento commerce pricing for more information regarding installation and implementation costs. A live chat session with their sales team will also provide more insights about pricing especially since each plan is customized to the unique needs of your business. Premium options also come with hosting included in the plan, but you will still need to pay for premium extensions, custom web design and maintenance.
Best platform for your ecommerce business budget
Both Magento and WooCommerce offer a viable solution to building successful ecommerce websites provided you have your priorities straight. There are no major differences in terms of performance and out of the box features if you consider what can be accomplished. Magento is generally more advanced and requires a skilled web developer to navigate. It is ideally the best solution for large enterprises that receive thousands of customers and orders.
The premium editions offer you a robust feature set that can be customized to smoothly run a global enterprise. You can still achieve the same with WooCommerce, but you will need more premium extensions to adequately scale your operations. With regards to budgeting, Magento is obviously costlier. Developing and hosting a custom Magento ecommerce site will cost more compared to other alternative. Web developers also charge more to configure and code Magento sites. Nonetheless, you can still use the free community edition to cut back expenses. It works just fine for small businesses and shares many similarities with the premium options.
Conclusion
If you are a new entrepreneur planning to launch your first ecommerce site, then you will find WooCommerce easier to use and more appealing especially if you own a small business. It is less complicated to integrate and most features are familiar if you know how to navigate WordPress sites. Magento offers a slightly advanced platform for ambitious business owners who intend to rapidly expand their business and operations. There is no ultimate pick when choosing ecommerce platforms. Every decision is predicated on your unique business needs and goals. It is therefore advisable to spend more time planning and evaluating your business to exhaust all fundamental requirements before choosing a platform. Once you know exactly what the business needs, you can proceed to compare existing offers and choose the most ideal solution.
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