There are many eCommerce options available on the marketplace for you to choose from with the number of available platforms making it difficult to find the right pick. Magento 2 and WooCommerce are two well-known, open-source options to choose from. When considering some of their key features and functions, you will be able to find the right fit for your business in no time.
Accessibility and Ease of Use
WooCommerce is open-sourced and offered as a plugin to WordPress for free. This will require the user to have some previous knowledge and experience with WordPress to configure and maintain its operation. Magento 2 is an open-source eCommerce platform that allows its users to create a store and accept payment online with cloud hosting and support. Both platforms offer various extensions and design templates making them easy to use out of the box.
Getting Started
WooCommerce is easy to install and resides on your hosting provider within your WordPress folders. Setup is guided with tips on creating pages, integrating your payment gateway, and establishing shipping and tax options. More than 400 additional add-ons and extensions are available to leverage its capabilities. Magento 2 is an open-source platform that comes with a remarkable set of features out of the box to get set up. Some may require advanced knowledge-base to properly leverage the 4,000 available free and paid extensions.
Security and Shipping
WooCommerce users have access to a wide range of plugins and enhanced security features as updates are released by WordPress and depend largely on your website hosting provider and SSL support. WooCommerce offers a variety of shipping options with configuration and management settings allowing customisation of costs. The shipping rates are calculated by shipping zones and region tax charges. Magento 2 is known for its level of security as its primary concern. Security patches are regularly released, and potential vulnerabilities are tested. SSL certificates are made available to the user. You can monitor your store’s security, unauthorized access, and malware detection. There are a wide variety of shipping methods made available to users by default. Rates are automatically downloaded with the shipping integration.
Drawbacks to WooCommerce and Magento 2
WooCommerce is largely known to suffer drawbacks where a large number of products and categories exist on a website. This can make your site operation slow, suffering from serious performance issues. It is recommended to use a professional developer if you expect to encounter this issue. While WooCommerce is free to install and maintain, its cost will be felt with the addition of extensions and templates available on the marketplace.
Without some basic skills or knowledge, Magento 2 can become difficult to set up your eCommerce site. A professional web developer will help any business to profit from the number of features available with Magento. The free version of Magento does not offer any coding, customisation, or hosting services. Premium versions are available that target Enterprise level organisations with a large user base. Its cost depends on the company’s gross sales revenue.
Final Thoughts
Both platforms are suitable options for businesses with their own set of advantages. It is difficult to state one is better than the other as they both have their strengths. WooCommerce is best suited for small businesses or new start-ups operating with limited resources. Magento 2 is a great choice for businesses that are scaling and looking at a global reach. Your best pick is going to be the one that is right for your business in its current state.