eCommerce Platform Guide by Successful Marketers: Shopify, Magento, Woocommerce, Prestashop or Opencart – What are They and Which Ecommerce Platform is Best for Your Needs

Blog Overview

Which eCommerce platform is right for you? Shopify, Magento, Woocommerce, Prestashop, or Opencart are all great options. But which one is the best for your needs? 

There are a lot of choices out there when it comes to selecting an eCommerce platform. We’ve put together this guide to help you make the best decision possible. In it, we’ll cover what each of these platforms has to offer, such as a comparison between Shopify vs Woocommerce differences and which one might be the best fit for your business needs. So let’s get started!

Shopify

Shopify is the most user-friendly option for those that want an eCommerce site but don’t feel like they’re ready to build one from scratch. It’s also great if you’re looking for an easy way to expand your product offerings and sell more than just physical goods. You can easily list your products on third-party sites such as Amazon with the integrated “Shopify Link” feature. This allows customers to purchase your items without ever leaving the page they are currently on.

Shopify is great for those who want their online store to stand out from the crowd. The themes they offer are mobile-friendly, feature parallax scrolling, and other features to provide a unique user experience. It’s also one of the more affordable options available, with monthly plans starting as low as $29/mo for basic functionality.

Magento 

Magento is usually an option that requires a little more budget, but this platform is worth considering if you’re looking to build something that stands out from the competition. One of their main advantages over the other platforms mentioned here is that they integrate with virtually any payment processor or gateway you can think of. This means that if you implement development on your website, chances are it’s possible.

Furthermore, Magento is perfect for those looking for customisation options and the ability to expand their product offerings quickly. Plus, this platform has many more tools out of the box, including “Marketing Automation”, which automatically allows you to design email campaigns based on customer behaviour, so you don’t waste time creating custom content for every new customer.

Woocommerce

Woocommerce is another excellent option if you’re looking to set up a dedicated eCommerce store. With a plan starting at just $9/year, this platform is affordable and offers many features that Shopify does, including easy integration with payment processors and mobile optimisation. 

One feature that sets Shopify vs Woocommerce different from other options on this list is the availability to add “Offers”. It allows you to easily add discounts or coupons to your website so customers can get in on sales without having to search around on different sites for deals. 

Prestashop

Prestashop is another superb option if you’re looking to set up an online store. It’s completely free so that anyone can get started with their website. However, it does come with a few limitations vs the other options mentioned here. 

The biggest downside of Prestashop is that it doesn’t have nearly as many features or “out of the box” tools available out of the box than the other platforms mentioned here, though this leaves room for them to be customised by developers.

Opencart

Opencart is another platform that doesn’t require a monthly payment, making it the cheapest of all the options. It’s also highly similar to Prestashop in terms of features and functionality, which means most developers can be expected to know how to use this platform without needing specific knowledge around one platform vs another. 

You can also read Top 10 Marketplace Software Platforms on the Market for other platforms.

Which eCommerce platform is best for your needs?

Shopify, Magento, Woocommerce, Prestashop, and Opencart are all great options for hosting your eCommerce site. Which works the best will depend on what your needs would be. It’s impossible to tell everyone that one platform is “best” over another, so we’ll focus on the key differentiators.

Pricing

Shopify and Woocommerce win in this category because they don’t require an upfront payment. At the same time, Shopify plus has a higher monthly minimum but allows you to manage multiple stores from one central location.

Extensions

Shopify wins here again because of their developer marketplace, which means most extensions can easily be added with just a few clicks. Shopify vs Woocommerce difference is that Shopify App Store has a more comprehensive range of extensions to choose from and tighter quality control on the extensions listed.

Apps

Shopify wins this category because it has all the apps they offer integrated into their Shopify App Store vs Shopify Plus. It has them available via their app store or through 3rd party developers.

Features

Shopify, Magento, and Woocommerce have the most features “out of the box”, with Prestashop being very similar, so if you need more than what’s offered by Shopify, there’s a good chance that one of these will work for you without needing to purchase an extension. Opencart is similar to Prestashop in this regard but doesn’t have anywhere near as many extensions available at the moment. 

Developer Resources

Shopify offers a Shopify Academy with many free videos and a Shopify Partner Program for developers. Woocommerce offers extensive documentation, tutorials, and support from the community, as well as the ability to hire consultants or Woo experts/specialists if you’re looking to take your eCommerce site to the next level.

Frequently Asked Questions

Shopify vs Shopify Plus – What’s the difference? 

Shopify and Shopify plus are the same platforms. It’s just Shopify plus can manage multiple stores from one place. This is useful for those that need to run numerous brands or locations under one site. Shopify has an agency plan that allows you to create sites and manage Shopify platforms for clients. 

What languages does Woocommerce support? 

Woocommerce supports dozens of languages and can easily be translated if you need it to. Woocommerce offers localisation for English (Default), French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Italian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Swedish, Turkish, Hungarian Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and more.

Is Shopify secure? 

Security is critical to Shopify, so it’s no surprise that they use the highest level of security (SSL) available for Shopify sites. Shopify shops use secure encryption when sending data over the internet, including when processing credit card payments. 

Conclusion

Shopify, Magento, Woocommerce, Prestashop, and Opencart are all eCommerce platforms with different features. The best choice for you will depend on your specific needs. Magento is great if you need advanced features, Woocommerce if you want to save money upfront, Prestashop if you need something well-built but straightforward, and Opencart if you need it at a low price point. Shopify offers the most features out of the box, making it the best choice if your needs match what it provides.