With e-commerce witnessing a rapid growth, there is a simultaneous rise in the demand for e-commerce development. Whether you are a new entrant to this domain or a seasoned seller, the choice of the platform really matters as it determines the look and feel of the online store. While there is a wide choice that you have, some platforms emerge as real winners and Magento and WooCommerce are two of them. If you are considering the two options, it is important to study them in detail to understand which one is the best for your requirements. Let’s make a comprehensive magento vs woocommerce comparison with some key parameters in consideration.
Features of Magento
Magento is an open-source platform that facilitates the creation of e-commerce stores of various sizes and types. It comes with a wide array of features such as:
- Enables merchants to add unlimited products to their online store
- Multiple themes and extension that make the platform customizable
- Advanced security features and patches to deal with vulnerabilities
- Requires a certain degree of technical skill in the platform
- Availability of Magento support service from a worldwide developer community
The platform is available in two editions, the free Community edition and the premium Enterprise edition. The latter is more suitable for large businesses with complex requirements as it has certain add-on features. Another aspect worth mentioning is the latest version, Magento 2, which comes with even better features to make shopping experiences better than ever before.
You can also read this article : Magento vs Opencart 2018: Which one to choose?
Features of WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a popular, WordPress plugin, rather than a full-fledged CMS platform, that serves as a simple and easy to use e-commerce solution. The feature list of WooCommerce includes the following:
- Like Magento, this platform too is free and renders a simple and multi-feature shopping cart
- Comes with a wide range of woocommerce themes free and premium
- Offers multiple extensions to enable customization of the website
- Provides only basic security features which makes it less secure as compared to Magento
- WooCommerce comes with extensive documentation that can be used to resolve any issues with the platform
Simplicity is where this platform scores higher, though it is outshined by Magento in terms of rendering stores that have high requirements in terms of technical features and attributes.
What about speed and performance?
Another parameter that you need to consider while comparing the two platforms is speed and performance. After all, it determines the capability of the store to make the visitors stay and explore the site long enough to drive conversions. With Magento, there is usually a complaint of compromised speed, though it can be addressed with some relevant measures. WooCommerce too can be plagued by speed issues though it is more about the external factors such as your web hosting company, image optimization, use of redundant extensions, etc that impact the store’s performance. Once the store is optimized for performance, Magento definitely wins the race because of the unmatched features it has.
Price matters too!
Now that the features and performance of the platforms have been compared, it is crucial to consider the pricing factor. While Woocommerce is a free option, Magento is available as free and premium and you can choose according to your budget and requirements. If you choose WooCommerce or the Community Edition of Magento, the only cost upfront will be on the web hosting service. Since Magento is a technical platform, you may need to avail the services of a professional magento development company as you need to start up or enhance your online store.
Magento vs woocommerce 2018: Which one is better?
After all that has been explained about both these platforms, the decision becomes easier. At the same time, it greatly depends on your individual circumstances and needs as a business. Seeing that Magento is superior in terms of the functionalities it offers, it is more apt for larger and more established businesses with complex requirements. WooCommerce, on the other hand, is a better choice for merchants with simpler needs and smaller stores. Consider your business, its unique needs, and budget to understand which of the platforms serves as the ideal solution for building a dependable online presence.