Future-Proofing Your Online Store: WooCommerce vs. Wix

Are you gearing up for a new ecommerce quest? How exciting! 

Here are WooCommerce and Wix—two crucial tools for your journey, each with its charm and set of powers. 

As we lay out the strengths and nuances of these two platforms, our goal is to help you make a choice that meets your current needs and aligns with your future aspirations. 

Whether you’re just starting in the digital marketplace or you’re an experienced ecommerce veteran looking to adapt and grow, let your goals guide you. Consider this WooCommerce vs. Wix comparison as your guide, equipping you with the knowledge to navigate your decision-making path confidently.

WooCommerce vs. Wix at a glance

WooCommerce offers deep customization and a rich plugin ecosystem, ideal for those ready to tackle the technical side of ecommerce. Wix, however, provides an accessible, user-friendly platform that’s great for entrepreneurs and small businesses looking to quickly establish an online presence without delving into complex technical details.

Read also: Wix vs. Shopify: Choosing the Right Platform for Your Online Store

Who is WooCommerce best for?

WooCommerce is an open-source ecommerce plugin designed for WordPress. WooCommerce is a popular choice when it comes to building ecommerce sites. It has 500M+ active installations and the plugin gets downloaded at least 30K times daily.

Think of an open-source ecommerce plugin like a customizable shopping cart that you can attach to your website. It allows you to display products, manage inventory, process payments, and handle other shopping-related functionalities. Since it’s open-source, you can tweak and change how it works to better fit your needs. Alternatively, you can rely on a community of developers who use and improve the software for everyone’s benefit.

The strength of WooCommerce lies in its extensive Wordpress plugin ecosystem and the ability to tailor every aspect of the store to your precise requirements. From product displays to checkout processes, WooCommerce can be finely tuned. However, this high degree of customization requires a more hands-on approach in setup, maintenance, and optimization, which might necessitate a basic understanding of web development or the budget to hire a developer.

WooCommerce is ideal for people with a WordPress website or those familiar with WordPress and looking to extend their site’s capabilities into ecommerce.

It’s also a good choice for those who:

• Are willing to learn. While WooCommerce is user-friendly, there’s a learning curve involved in mastering its features and extensions.

• Seek a community-driven solution. The large community of WooCommerce and WordPress users means ample access to forums, tutorials, and plugins developed by other users. This community can be a valuable resource for newcomers navigating their first ecommerce venture.

• Want ownership and control. Since WooCommerce stores run on WordPress, store owners own their site and data. That contrasts with hosted platforms, where you might have less control over your store’s data and functionality.

• Plan to scale over time. WooCommerce grows with your business. It supports everything from a single product to thousands of items, making it perfect for those who aim to expand their product lines and customer base gradually.

• Value flexibility and customization. WooCommerce offers unparalleled flexibility in designing and scaling an ecommerce store. Users can modify every aspect of their site to meet specific needs or preferences, from the storefront appearance to the checkout process.

Who is Wix best for?

Wix is highly regarded for being beginner-friendly. It’s the world’s largest hosted website builder, with over 220M users.

Designed with the non-technical user in mind, it offers an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that makes it simple for anyone to create and manage a website without knowing how to code. 

With Wix, you get a wide range of templates and customizable design options, allowing users to easily create professional-looking websites.

Additionally, Wix includes various tools and features that support different website needs, including ecommerce, blogging, and booking services, all integrated into its platform. Its user-friendly approach extends to its customer support and extensive knowledge base, which are great resources for beginners to get help and learn how to make the most of their Wix website.

Wix is best suited for small business owners looking for an easy-to-use, all-in-one website builder that allows them to quickly launch and manage their online presence. It’s ideal for those with little technical expertise or resources to invest in website development. Wix offers user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, a wide range of templates, and a comprehensive suite of tools for ecommerce, blogging, and more.

Wix is great for creating professional-looking websites with minimal effort. It’ll fit:  

• Non-technical users. If you prefer a straightforward platform that doesn’t require coding knowledge, Wix is designed with you in mind.

• Small business owners. Wix offers an all-in-one solution if you’re looking to quickly establish an online presence without extensive investment.

• Creative professionals. If you prioritize design flexibility and want a visually appealing site without investing time and money in learning website design or hiring designers.

• Entrepreneurs testing the market. If you’re starting a new venture and need to launch a site quickly to gauge interest, Wix allows for a fast and easy setup.

• Retailers seeking simplicity. If you want to manage an online store without getting into the complexities of ecommerce systems, Wix’s ecommerce tools are user-friendly.

WooCommerce vs. Wix: an in-depth comparison

Choosing between WooCommerce and Wix for your ecommerce venture is a decision that hinges on understanding their unique strengths and how they align with your business needs. 

Let’s explore the distinct features and user experiences that WooCommerce and Wix provide. This knowledge will help you make a choice that best suits your needs and will fuel your business’s growth and operational efficiency.

Ease of use and setup time

WooCommerce is a powerful ecommerce plugin for WordPress, offering extensive customization options and control over every aspect of your online store. However, this flexibility comes with a steeper learning curve, especially for those new to WordPress. 

The setup time will depend on your WordPress knowledge, technical skills, and budget.

Setting up a WooCommerce store involves:

1. Creating a WordPress account

2. Choosing a hosting service

3. Installing the WooCommerce plugin

4. Configuring your store’s settings (like adding products, setting up payment and shipping options, and customizing your store’s design) 

The process is more hands-on and can take longer, particularly for users who desire a highly customized store or are less familiar with WordPress site. The upside is that WooCommerce allows for deep customization, making it possible to tailor the store to precise specifications. As discussed, this makes WooCommerce ideal for users with specific visions for their store or a plan to scale significantly.

On the other hand, Wix is known for its simplicity and speed of setup.

It operates as an all-in-one platform with hosting included, eliminating the need for separate hosting services. Wix offers a drag-and-drop website builder, making it incredibly easy for anyone to design and launch their store without technical knowledge. Users can choose from a wide range of pre-designed templates that are fully customizable.

Setting up a store on Wix can be as simple as selecting a template, customizing it to your liking, adding products, and setting up payment options—all of which can be done within a few hours. That makes Wix exceptionally appealing to beginners, small business owners, or anyone looking to quickly launch a store with minimal fuss.

In comparison, while both WooCommerce and Wix are designed to facilitate ecommerce, they serve different user needs and skill levels. 

WooCommerce offers a more granular control and flexibility suited for those with specific ecommerce requirements and a willingness to engage with the technical aspects of setting up and running an online store. Wix, conversely, provides an intuitive and quick solution for users seeking simplicity, speed, and ease of use, sacrificing some level of customization for convenience and a more straightforward setup process.

In summary, the choice between WooCommerce and Wix for ease of use and setup time largely depends on the user’s technical comfort level, the need for customization, and how quickly they wish to get their store up and running.

How much do they cost?

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a free plugin, but as it’s developed by WordPress, it only works on this web content management system. 

You can build a website on WordPress.org or WordPress.com. Understanding the differences between each is crucial for deciding where to host your blog.

WordPress.org offers more freedom to customize your website and access a broader range of plugins and themes, some of which may not be available on WordPress.com. That’s why WordPress.org can be particularly beneficial for a print-on-demand store that may require specific functionalities to showcase products effectively. You can use WooCommerce to build your store or choose from other WordPress ecommerce, membership, and learning management system (LMS) plugins.

Even though WordPress.org is a free, open-source software, you’ll have to pay for a domain, hosting premium themes, and WordPress plugins. For example, WooCommerce covers the basics, but you might need extensions for additional features like advanced shipping options, payment gateways, or inventory management. 

If you’re a beginner, the best option is to pick the Entrepreneur plan, which includes all the features needed to start an ecommerce store.

If you’re planning to use WooCommerce for your store, WordPress.org is the clear choice. While WooCommerce can also work on WordPress.com, it requires a Business plan or higher, which may not be as cost-effective for some store owners.

WordPress.com offers a managed hosting environment. That means it takes care of the technical aspects of your site, including speed, security, and performance optimizations. For business owners who prefer to focus on their store rather than the technicalities of website management, this can be a significant advantage. 

An ecommerce plan for WordPress.com starts at $300/year, a considerable investment if you’re just starting.

 Here’s a breakdown of the potential costs.

If you’re trying to save money, you can set up a working store by paying for a domain name and hosting, which might cost as little as $135 annually. 

However, a starter ecommerce store generally costs $500–$3K. This investment offers great value, providing a strong, adaptable, and user-friendly platform.

Wix

Wix’s prices are shown annually, which might be a bit tricky if you’re hesitant about committing immediately. However, when you compare it to other website builders, Wix offers good value for the price. Plus, every premium plan includes a 14-day free trial, allowing you to reconsider your decision.

Free plan: Although Wix has a free plan, it’s unsuitable for ecommerce stores. That’s because you can’t use your own domain name, Wix ads will appear on your site, and you won’t be able to process online payments.

For online business owners needing ecommerce capabilities and payment options, the Core and Business plans are ideal. These packages offer a custom domain, a suite of modern marketing tools, and a comprehensive array of business resources.

Businesses experiencing high traffic and requiring specialized functionality should consider the Business Elite and Enterprise packages. These options provide access to Wix’s most sophisticated features and infrastructure, allowing for the creation of multiple sites that support various languages and currencies, integration with custom API solutions, and ensuring exceptional uptime and customer support.

The price plans will depend on the location/region you’re based in. Here are the average prices in the US:

• Light: $16/month

• Core: $29/month

• Business: $36/month

• Business Elite: $159/month

If you choose the Light plan, you must make an upfront yearly payment of around $192.

Themes and design

WooCommerce

You can choose free and premium themes from WooCommerce or the WordPress repository.

The beauty of WooCommerce themes lies in their diversity and flexibility. They cater to a broad spectrum of industries, from fashion and beauty to electronics and home goods, ensuring that every store can find a design that resonates with their brand identity and meets their needs. Themes vary significantly in style, layout, and features, allowing store owners to select a theme that looks appealing and enhances their customers’ shopping experience.

Key features of WooCommerce themes include:

• Responsive design. Ensures your online store looks great and functions smoothly across all devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

• Customization options. Many themes come with extensive customization options, allowing you to adjust colors, fonts, layouts, and more without writing a single line of code.

• Pre-designed page templates. Themes often include a variety of page templates for product pages, categories, shopping carts, and checkouts, making it easier to set up your store.

• Widget areas. Dedicated spaces for adding widgets that can enhance your store’s functionality, such as product filters, search bars, and promotional banners.

• SEO optimization. Themes are designed with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind to help your store rank higher in search results, driving more traffic to your site.

For WooCommerce sites, normally, if you want to make significant changes, you’d have to write code or choose a different theme. If you want to make your customization easier, use WordPress plugins like SoreCustomizer, for example, that let you edit or remove elements and add or edit text and other settings on all WooCommerce pages. 

Wix

Wix is praised as one of the most intuitive website builders, and for a good reason. 

You can choose Wix for designing a site that’s ready in just five clicks. This option is called Wix ADI.

All you have to do is answer a couple of questions, and Wix ADI will do its magic, automatically designing a beautiful site. Once you add your content and products, your site is ready to go.

Alternatively, you can pick the second option, “customize a designed template” and choose from a whopping 880+ options. These templates are designed by professionals (although there are some outdated ones, too), which means you get a user-friendly, beautiful website you can make your own. All you have to do is drag and drop content blocks and fill them in with your brand’s content. 

By the way, Wix keeps up with the times and offers you an option to let AI do the heavy lifting for you.

To edit your site, you can drag and drop new content blocks like it’s a fun online puzzle game. The editor has everything you need to fully customize the template so it’s completely unrecognizable from your potential competitors who could happen to use the same template. The site doesn’t have a grid system, which means once you add an element like a new title, you can inch it anywhere you wish, pixel by pixel. 

If you want to learn more about designing sites with Wix, they have a blog with in-depth tutorials.

Apps, plugins, and integrations 

When it comes to expanding the functionality of your online store, both WooCommerce and Wix offer a plethora of options through apps and integrations. These additional tools are vital for enhancing your store’s capabilities, improving customer experience, and streamlining your business processes.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce, being an open-source platform built on WordPress, benefits from an incredibly rich ecosystem of plugins and integrations. This vast selection allows you to add almost any functionality imaginable to their site. The possibilities are endless, from advanced analytics tools to intricate shipping options and marketing integrations. Key areas where WooCommerce shines include:

• SEO and marketing. Plugins like Yoast SEO, Mailchimp for WooCommerce, and Google Analytics Integration help optimize your site for search engines, execute effective email marketing campaigns, and track your site’s performance.

• Payment gateways. WooCommerce supports many payment solutions, including PayPal, Stripe, and Square, ensuring you can offer your customers their preferred payment methods.

• Shipping and logistics. Solutions like ShipStation and WooCommerce Shipping offer advanced shipping options, real-time rates from carriers, and streamlined label printing processes.

 The open-source nature of WooCommerce means developers worldwide continually contribute new plugins, keeping the platform at the forefront of ecommerce innovation.

 WooCommerce also offers smooth integration with Printful, allowing you to easily integrate Printful’s robust print-on-demand and dropshipping services into your WooCommerce store. Download Printful plugin for free.

 Read more: WooCommerce + Printful: How to Set Up Your Online Store

Wix

Wix uses apps instead of plugins. Through its Wix App Market, users can access various apps designed to work seamlessly with Wix websites, including ecommerce stores. These apps cover a broad range of functionalities, from enhancing your site’s design to adding sophisticated ecommerce features. Highlights include:

• Marketing tools. Wix offers apps for email marketing, social media integration, and customer reviews to help you promote your store and build a relationship with your customers.

• Sales enhancements. Apps like Wix Stores, Wix Bookings, and Wix Events expand your ability to sell products, book appointments, and manage events directly from your site.

• Business management. Integrations with platforms like QuickBooks and various CRM (customer relationship management) systems help streamline the administrative side of an ecommerce business.

 Wix’s curated app market ensures that each app meets a high standard of quality and compatibility with Wix websites, providing a user-friendly experience for store owners.

You can add the Printful app to your Wix store, directly connecting to your Printful account. This integration seamlessly imports Printful products to your store and automatically fulfills incoming orders, streamlining your Wix Stores to Printful connection.

Learn more: How to Set Up an Online Store with Wix Stores and Printful

Payment processing

When setting up an ecommerce store, one of the most critical components is how you’ll handle payment processing. Let’s look at the payment processing capabilities of WooCommerce and Wix.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce offers a flexible and extensive approach to payment processing, allowing store owners to choose from various payment gateways. The platform has built-in support for popular payment solutions like PayPal and Stripe, enabling easy acceptance of credit card, debit card, and PayPal payments right out of the box. 

Additionally, WooCommerce can integrate with numerous other payment gateways through plugins, including but not limited to:

• Direct bank transfer, checks, and cash on delivery (for those who prefer traditional payment methods)

• Country or region-specific gateways (such as Alipay, Payfast, and others, catering to global ecommerce stores)

• Subscriptions and recurring payments (with extensions like WooCommerce Subscriptions, offering additional flexibility for businesses with subscription models)

The main advantage of WooCommerce in payment processing is its adaptability. You can customize the payment experience to match your business requirements and customer preferences.

Wix

Wix provides a streamlined payment processing setup through Wix Payments, its own integrated payment solution. Wix Payments allows you to accept credit and debit card payments directly on your site, with competitive processing fees and straightforward management directly from your Wix dashboard. In addition to Wix Payments, the platform supports:

• Global payment solutions like PayPal, Stripe, and Square, covering a broad spectrum of payment methods.

• Region-specific options, ideal for businesses targeting customers in specific geographical locations.

• Multiple currencies, enabling sales in various currencies to accommodate international customers.

 Wix’s payment processing is designed for simplicity, offering an all-in-one solution that’s easy to set up and manage, making it ideal for small businesses and those new to ecommerce.

 WooCommerce stands out for its flexibility and extensive range of supported payment gateways, making it suitable for businesses with unique payment processing requirements or those looking to expand globally. On the other hand, Wix offers a more streamlined, user-friendly payment setup with Wix Payments, ideal for those looking for simplicity and ease of use. 

 Both platforms provide secure, reliable payment processing options, but your choice will depend on the level of customization you need and your preference for managing payment gateways.

Search engine optimization (SEO)

WooCommerce

WooCommerce benefits greatly from being built on WordPress, renowned for its awesome SEO capabilities. With WooCommerce, you have complete control over every aspect of your website, allowing for deep SEO customization. 

 Key SEO advantages of WooCommerce include:

 Customizable URLs. Easily create SEO-friendly URLs for your products and categories, which is crucial for search engine ranking.

• Rich snippets. Utilize plugins to add structured data to your site, making it easier for Google to understand your content and display rich snippets like product ratings and prices directly in search results.

• Content marketing. Enjoy WordPress’s superior blogging capabilities to create compelling content that can drive traffic and improve SEO rankings.

• Advanced SEO plugins. Access powerful SEO plugins like Yoast SEO, which provides comprehensive tools for optimizing your site, from meta tags and keywords to readability and social media integration.

 WooCommerce’s flexibility and access to an extensive array of plugins make it an excellent choice for those who prioritize SEO and are willing to invest time into optimizing their store.

Wix

 Wix has significantly improved its SEO capabilities, offering a more user-friendly approach to SEO than WooCommerce. 

While traditionally seen as less customizable from an SEO standpoint, Wix now provides a solid foundation for good SEO practices, including:

 Wix SEO Wiz. A step-by-step plan tailored to your site, helping you set up SEO basics like meta tags, descriptions, and custom URLs.

• Mobile optimization. All Wix sites are automatically mobile-friendly, a critical factor in SEO ranking.

• Site speed. Wix has improved loading times, which is a key Google ranking factor.

• Integrated tools. Features like social media integration, email marketing, and on-page SEO tips are built into the platform, simplifying the optimization process.

 Wix’s SEO features are designed to be accessible, making it easier for beginners to implement basic SEO strategies without the need for extensive technical knowledge or plugins.

 WooCommerce and Wix offer viable paths to optimizing your ecommerce store for search engines, but they cater to different user needs and skill levels. WooCommerce, with its decadent array of customizable options and plugins, is ideal for those with specific SEO strategies in mind and who wish to fine-tune every detail of their site. It’s especially well-suited for users who are already familiar with SEO principles or are willing to learn them.

Support

When running an ecommerce store, encountering challenges and needing assistance is inevitable. Whether it’s a technical glitch, a setup query, or optimization advice, the level and quality of support you receive can significantly influence your store’s success and overall experience with the platform.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce relies on a community-driven support model. In addition to the official documentation and forums provided by WooCommerce, there’s a vast ecosystem of users, developers, and enthusiasts ready to offer help. 

WooCommerce support includes:

Documentation. Comprehensive guides and tutorials are available through the WooCommerce website, offering a solid starting point for troubleshooting and learning.

• Community forums. Places to seek advice and share experiences with other WooCommerce users, which can be invaluable for solving common issues.

• Developer resources. Since WooCommerce is open-source, there’s a significant number of developers specializing in WooCommerce sites. Hiring a developer for customization or troubleshooting is a standard route for those seeking professional assistance.

• Third-party resources. An abundance of blogs, online courses, and YouTube channels dedicated to WordPress and WooCommerce can provide additional insights and solutions.

While WooCommerce offers a wealth of resources, finding the right solution might require some digging and potentially incurring additional costs if professional help is needed.

Wix

Wix provides a more centralized support structure designed to assist users directly through various channels. Its approach aims to simplify the process of getting help, making it more accessible, especially for those less tech-savvy. Wix’s support features include:

24/7 support. Direct assistance is available via chat, phone, or email, ensuring help is always at hand, regardless of your location or time zone.

• Help center. An extensive library of articles, tutorials, and FAQs offers step-by-step guidance for using Wix’s features and troubleshooting common problems.

• Free Wix training academy. A collection of free online courses and video tutorials to help you get the most out of your Wix site.

• On-platform tips. Interactive tips and guidance are integrated into the Wix editor, providing real-time assistance as you build and manage your site.

Wix’s structured support system is particularly beneficial for beginners or those who prefer a straightforward way to resolve issues without seeking external resources.

Product pages

When deciding between WooCommerce and Wix for your ecommerce store, consider the level of customization you need and your technical expertise. WooCommerce offers unparalleled flexibility and best suits those with a specific vision for their product presentation. Again, it’s suited for those who plan to scale and diversify their product offerings over time.

 On the other hand, Wix provides a more accessible and user-friendly approach with a more straightforward, more guided design process. Its templates and drag-and-drop editor make it easy to create attractive product pages without the need for extensive technical skills.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce streamlines adding, organizing, and overseeing your inventory with straightforward steps. It grants you the freedom to list an extensive array of products, letting you upload countless images for each item while offering flexibility in how you curate your online store’s offerings.

 Here’s a how-to video tutorial.

Wix

Wix simplifies the product management experience, making it easy for store owners to add, categorize, and manage their inventory through an intuitive interface. With Wix, you can quickly set up your product pages using beautiful templates that ensure your items are presented in the best light possible.

The platform enables you to easily showcase various products, supporting multiple images and videos for each product to create an engaging and informative shopping experience.

Here’s a how-to video tutorial.

WooCommerce vs. Wix: who won?

As you stand at the crossroads of WooCommerce and Wix, having chosen your path, remember that the true essence of your journey lies not in the platform but in the heart and soul you pour into your online store. 

Whether you’ve embraced the vast customization of WooCommerce or the sleek simplicity of Wix, your decision is a testament to your vision and ambition. Blend your passion with the unique capabilities of your chosen companion to create an ecommerce experience that resonates and endures. 

Here’s to navigating the digital marketplace confidently and building a presence that stands out in the bustling ecommerce landscape!

Read also:

• Shopify vs. WooCommerce—Which Is Best for Your Online Store?
• WooCommerce vs. BigCommerce: The Ultimate Comparison