WooCommerce is a free plug-in for WordPress. It turns WordPress sites into ecommerce stores, allowing merchants to build a website with product pages and checkout.
But WooCommerce doesn’t work for everyone. If you’re looking to expand the features of your WordPress store, or move to a dedicated commerce platform like Shopify, take a look at these eight WooCommerce alternatives.
8 alternatives to WooCommerce
- Shopify
- BigCommerce
- Wix
- Adobe Commerce
- Shopify Buy Button
- Ecwid LightSpeed
- Easy Digital Downloads
- MemberPress
This list is split into two categories: alternative ecommerce platforms, where you can migrate your store, and alternative WordPress plug-ins that you can use instead of WooCommerce.
WooCommerce alternatives: commerce platforms
If you’re not tied to WordPress, there are dedicated ecommerce website builders you can use instead of WooCommerce. These platforms are designed to include everything you need to start selling online, with optional apps and add-ons to customize your ecommerce store.
Shopify
- Price: From $29 per month
- Free trial: Yes
- Integrated sales channels: Yes (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Google, Walmart, etc.)
- Mobile app features: Yes
- Native POS: Yes
- Website hosting: Yes
Shopify and WooCommerce are both used by entrepreneurs to launch online stores. But as businesses grow, Shopify’s wider range of tools and features gives merchants more power to manage products and serve customers.
With Shopify, you can oversee every aspect of your commerce business, including website design, physical point-of-sale systems, online payments, shipping, and funding.
Shopify users also get access to industry-leading features like super-fast load times and the best-performing checkout on the web. Unlike WooCommerce, all Shopify plans include hosting with unlimited bandwidth.
There are many resources to help new Shopify users, including an active community forum and help docs to guide sellers through each stage of their ecommerce journey.
Shopify versus WooCommerce: what’s the difference?
- Shopify is a standalone platform. WooCommerce is an add-on for WordPress websites.
- Shopify has a wider range of features and tools than WooCommerce.
- Shopify plans include hosting with unlimited bandwidth.
- For high-revenue ecommerce businesses, Shopify offers enhanced capabilities.
- Shopify has no free basic plan.
Find out how to migrate your WooCommerce site to Shopify.
BigCommerce
- Price: From $29 per month
- Free trial: Yes
- Integrated sales channels: Yes
- Mobile app features: Yes (some features Android-only)
- Native POS: No
- Website hosting: Yes
Like Shopify, BigCommerce puts everything store owners need into a single platform.
Some of BigCommerce’s most-used features include search engine optimization (SEO) tools, POS integration, multichannel selling, and conversion tools. It’s a more comprehensive commerce solution than WooCommerce, but may be overkill for smaller businesses.
A BigCommerce WP plug-in is also available for WordPress users who don’t want to leave the platform.
BigCommerce versus WooCommerce comparison
- Unlike WooCommerce, BigCommerce includes web hosting.
- Both WooCommerce and BigCommerce integrate with external sales and marketing channels like Google Shopping, Instagram, Etsy, TrustPilot, and price comparison engines.
Wix
- Price: From $29 per month
- Free trial: No
- Integrated sales channels: Yes
- Mobile app features: Yes (limited functionality)
- Native POS: Yes
- Website hosting: Yes
Wix is a beginner-friendly WooCommerce alternative, with drag-and-drop editing and customizable templates. Users can make a website for free, then upgrade to one of several premium plans to remove Wix branding and access ecommerce features.
Because Wix is a full commerce platform rather than a plug-in, its premium plans include more store management tools and features out of the box. Merchants can track orders, accept payments from credit cards and via PayPal, create coupon codes, and establish tax and shipping rules without needing to install additional extensions or add-ons.
Wix versus WooCommerce comparison
- While WooCommerce is free to install, the cost of a WordPress subscription and additional paid plug-ins makes Wix’s basic premium plans more cost-effective.
- WooCommerce users can access a wider variety of third-party plug-ins and extensions for customizing their stores.
Adobe Commerce
- Price: Quote on request
- Free trial: No
- Integrated sales channels: Yes
- Mobile app features: No
- Native POS: No
- Website hosting: No
Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento) is a more technical WooCommerce alternative for large retailers with multiple brands or complex back-office requirements. The platform supports huge companies like Coca-Cola and T-Mobile.
However, smaller commerce businesses can benefit from Adobe’s passwordless checkout solution, app-like mobile experiences, and advanced web design functionality.
Adobe Commerce versus WooCommerce comparison
- Both Adobe Commerce and WooCommerce require third-party web hosting.
- Adobe Commerce is built to handle businesses with multiple brands, global customers, and complex inventory management needs. While WooCommerce does support bigger retailers, it’s better suited to solo entrepreneurs and small businesses.
- Adobe Commerce has bespoke pricing and may cost more than WooCommerce.
WooCommerce alternatives: WordPress plug-ins
If you’re not ready to migrate your store from WordPress, here are some WordPress ecommerce plug-ins to try instead of WooCommerce.
Shopify Buy Button
- Price: $5 per month
- Free trial: Yes
The Shopify Buy Button creates custom code that merchants can embed into any website or blog. With a few clicks, you can generate a Buy Button or product listing and add it to a WordPress web page.
Shopify’s Buy Button connects with Shopify’s shopping cart solution to handle checkout. Alternatively, connect the Buy Button to more than 100 compatible payment gateways.
Using the Shopify Buy Button is a quick and easy way to integrate Shopify’s powerful tool suite without leaving the WordPress ecosystem.
Shopify Buy Button versus WooCommerce comparison
- Buy Button users have access to Shopify’s business management tools, so you don’t need to rely on WooCommerce systems.
- Unlike WooCommerce, you can embed Buy Button code on any type of website, meaning you can monetize multiple sites at once (useful if you have a bunch of affiliate sites).
Try the Shopify Buy Button on your WordPress site.
Ecwid LightSpeed
- Price: Free plan available
LightSpeed’s Ecwid WordPress plug-in is compatible with all WordPress themes and supports more than 40 payment gateways, including PayPal and Stripe. The plug-in also integrates with USPS, UPS, FedEx, Canada Post, Australia Post, and other major shippers.
Like the Shopify Buy Button, you can use Ecwid to sell on social media and popular marketplaces, such as eBay, Amazon, and Google Shopping.
Ecwid offers a free plan, but most merchants need a basic subscription, which supports up to 100 products.
Ecwid versus WooCommerce comparison
- Unlike WooCommerce, Ecwid can be integrated with any website, including non-WordPress domains.
- With its store builder, you can use Ecwid as a standalone ecommerce platform.
Easy Digital Downloads
- Price: From $99.50 per year
- Free trial: No
Easy Digital Downloads is a WordPress plug-in that lets you sell digital products from your website. It’s a simple tool for anybody who creates ebooks, music, document templates, and other virtual products,
Features include a basic shopping cart and buy button, which supports Stripe and PayPal. There’s an analytics dashboard to monitor sales and downloads. Plus, you can create customer discount codes.
It’s worth noting that Easy Digital Downloads doesn’t include support for NFTs (unlike Shopify, which offers tokengated commerce).
Easy Digital Downloads versus WooCommerce comparison
- Some users report the customer support team at Easy Digital Downloads to be more responsive and helpful than the folks at WooCommerce. This is especially valuable if you’re a small team or a one-person operation.
- Easy Digital Downloads offers little SEO support. If you’re concerned about search, you’ll want to look at WooCommerce or one of the other alternatives on this list.
Add videos, songs, and graphics as products to your online store with Shopify's Digital Downloads app.
MemberPress
- Price: From $179.50 per year
- Free trial: No
MemberPress is a WordPress plug-in for recurring payments. Use it to create a WordPress store with a paywall that can only be accessed by subscribers.
MemberPress is a good WooCommerce alternative for those selling online courses, those running subscription box businesses, or other kinds of membership communities.
Features include an integrated learning management system (LMS) for hosting courses and timed content releases with expiration dates.
MemberPress versus WooCommerce comparison
- WooCommerce has its own recurring payments extension, called WooCommerce Subscriptions.
- MemberPress has a greater variety of features for managing paywalled content.
How to choose the best WooCommerce alternative
To choose a WooCommerce alternative, think about the size of your store and its current needs, as well as your future growth plans. Here are some considerations to guide you:
Platform type
Decide whether you need a dedicated ecommerce platform like Shopify or BigCommerce, or if a WordPress plug-in such as Easy Digital Downloads suits your needs. This depends on whether you want a standalone solution or prefer to remain within the WordPress ecosystem.
Ease of use vs. scalability
If simplicity is a priority, look for platforms like Wix that are built for accessibility. At the same time, don’t sacrifice simplicity for features that your store might benefit from in the future.
For example, Shopify combines a user-friendly interface with tools to expand your business into physical sales and online sales channels such as social media platforms and marketplaces.
Ecommerce features
Does your chosen platform offer the selling features your business needs? For instance, if you handle large volumes of sales, Shopify or Adobe Commerce may be the right platform. On the other hand, if you need a simple tool to handle digital sales, Easy Digital Downloads should suffice.
For merchants who prefer to run their businesses from their phone, a capable mobile app is a must.
Support
Robust support can drastically reduce management stress. Platforms like Shopify provide extensive resources and active community forums, which can be a huge help.
Cost efficiency
Evaluate the overall costs of each option. While standalone platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce may charge a higher monthly subscription fee, they come with built-in features that you may need to pay for separately if you choose a free plug-in like WooCommerce.
When does WooCommerce work well for WordPress users?
After being acquired by the parent company of WordPress in 2015, WooCommerce became the platform’s native ecommerce plug-in.
With 43% of websites built using WordPress, many online businesses are using WooCommerce to power their online stores.
WooCommerce converts the WordPress content management system into a basic ecommerce platform capable of selling products, accepting orders, and tracking analytics. From there, merchants can build complex functionality by adding WooCommerce extensions and other compatible WordPress plug-ins.
WooCommerce drawbacks
Multiple integrations
Adding extensions and plug-ins to your WordPress site creates a complicated back end. Maintaining and troubleshooting a large ecosystem of apps is time-consuming.
While WooCommerce is free, many plug-ins aren’t. Paying for multiple subscriptions makes it harder to track how much you’re spending on your store.
Third-party web hosting
With WooCommerce, you’re left to figure out web hosting alone. That adds costs and complexity to your setup—and means your site isn’t automatically payment card industry (PCI) compliant. WooCommerce also doesn’t include subdomains.
Limited file storage
As your WooCommerce store grows, you may reach the file storage limit included with the basic plug-in. You’ll then need to add a paid subscription to WooCommerce’s Amazon S3 Storage plug-in to make room for your content and data.
WooCommerce is a quick solution that works for many WordPress users. But if your business centers around commerce, WooCommerce doesn’t provide the best back-end experience or the most useful features.
Compare ecommerce platforms
Shopify is the best WooCommerce alternative
WordPress is a blogging platform that can be adapted for ecommerce using the WooCommerce plug-in.
That makes WooCommerce a good option if you want to turn your WordPress site into an online store and start selling products.
But it’s just as easy to migrate your content to Shopify—a platform dedicated to merchants and their businesses.
Shopify is built for growth, with a full suite of ecommerce tools to run your business now and in the future.
Read more
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- Introducing Shopify for WordPress
- 24 Free Shopify Apps to Help You Build, Manage, and Grow Your Store
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WooCommerce alternatives FAQ
Is there anything better than WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is a plug-in for converting WordPress websites into online stores. It’s a good option for smaller sellers who already use WordPress, but if you’re looking to grow your store, try one of these dedicated ecommerce platforms:
- Shopify
- BigCommerce
- Wix
- Adobe Commerce
Who should use WooCommerce?
You should use WooCommerce if you want an easy way to sell products from an existing WordPress site.
Is WooCommerce the same as WordPress?
WooCommerce is a native WordPress plug-in that adds ecommerce features to WordPress websites. In 2015, WordPress’s parent company, Automattic, bought WooCommerce.
Why consider WooCommerce alternatives?
If your store’s performance is lagging due to the high volume of WooCommerce plug-ins, or you find the composite costs of necessary extensions unsustainable, a WooCommerce alternative may offer a streamlined, cost-effective solution. Platforms like Shopify combine ecommerce website design, hosting, security, and selling features in a single package.
Is Shopify better than WooCommerce?
For online store owners looking for a single ecommerce solution, Shopify is better than WooCommerce. Shopify is a complete commerce platform with a greater variety of built-in features.
WooCommerce, on the other hand, must be integrated into an existing WordPress website. The WooCommerce plug-in may need to be combined with other extensions and WP plug-ins, leading to a more complicated back end.
What is the difference between Shopify and WooCommerce?
Shopify is a full ecommerce platform that gives sellers everything they need to build and run their stores from a single back office. Shopify users range from solo entrepreneurs to large retail enterprises.
WooCommerce is a WordPress plug-in that adds ecommerce functionality to WordPress websites. That means you cannot use WooCommerce without WordPress.
