When you’re building an online business, it’s vital to ensure that you have the right tools to best market your products and grow your audience. Choosing the wrong eCommerce platform can result in lost revenue and disappointed customers. Hence, it’s essential to do your research and make the best decision possible.
Ecwid and WooCommerce are two e-commerce platforms that make it easy to start your online store. Both Ecwid and WooCommerce are easy to install and use, making them excellent options for novice online sellers. Notably, these two platforms also feature customizable storefronts, support multiple currencies, payment gateways, etc.
However, in the end, one is better than the other, depending on your specific business needs and requirements.
If you’re deciding between Ecwid and WooCommerce, keep reading to find out which platform will work best for your business.
The table below offers insights into the differences between these two eCommerce platforms.
Comparison Table: Ecwid vs. WooCommerce
Ecwid vs. WooCommerce – Setting Up an Online Store
Setting up an online store via Ecwid or WooCommerce can be a big undertaking. You’ll want to consider hiring a developer or an agency most of the time. There are multiple advantages to using either platform over designing your site from scratch.
It is necessary to have a simple setup of an online store. For example, if you’re adding an online store to an existing website, the process is usually more straightforward & less costly than creating a brand-new web presence. You should be able to set up your online store within minutes by following some easy steps.
You need to register on Ecwid or WooCommerce, choose a template that suits your business best, and start uploading products with pictures and descriptions.
Steps to set up an online store in Ecwid:
- Install Ecwid
- Sign up for an account,
- Alternatively, sign up can be done via social media profiles too
- Choose a compatible plan, and
- Inject the resultant HTML code string into the existing website
Typically a similar process is followed in WooCommerce. However, there are multiple other ways to set up an eCommerce store in Woocommerce.
Who’s the Winner: Tie
Ecwid vs. WooCommerce – Ease of Use
Both Ecwid and WooCommerce are great e-commerce platforms with many features to help you succeed. If ease of use is most important to you when choosing a shopping cart, Ecwid appears better for your business enterprise.
The platform has fewer settings and options, making it easier to set up quickly. You don’t have as many options, so choosing what works best is more accessible without getting overwhelmed by too many possibilities.
It’s ideal if you’re just getting started or don’t want a complicated site that requires too much maintenance and support. That makes it better suited for smaller businesses or those who don’t want lots of bells and whistles in their online store.
Themes and Plugins on Ecwid are easier to use than those on WooCommerce. You can quickly get started with Ecwid as it comes with drag and drops functionality which makes it easy to use even by non-technical people.
On top of that, you will also have access to various readymade templates and designs, saving your time from creating a website from scratch. The same cannot be said about WordPress, as its interface might look complicated.
WordPress comes with a learning curve. It’s more complex and requires more time to set up. That means it’s more suitable for more established businesses that want to offer additional features on their site.
Who’s the Winner: Ecwid
Ecwid vs. WooCommerce – Analyzing the One With More SEO Functionalities
Ecwid or WooCommerce can make all of your SEO (search engine optimization) tools available with a few simple add-ons. These include an SEO-friendly URLs extension and social sharing buttons. These will make it easier for people to find your store on search engines.
Many of Ecwid’s features are free but come with optional paid upgrades that make them even more powerful. For example, their SEO-friendly URLs package has three levels that give you even more control over how things look and function on your site. It also makes it super easy to use your domain if you want. It is something you can’t do with most other eCommerce solutions.
On the other hand, WooCommerce has multiple SEO-based plugins that aim to enhance the presence of your enterprise in the search engines. The most notable ones include the following:
- Yoast SEO – 5+ Million Active Install
- All in One SEO Pack – 2+ Million Active Install
- WP Smush it – 1+ Million Active Install
With SEO-based plugins, it becomes much easier to manage a presence on the search engine. Moreover, these plugins are straightforward to install and use, adding a cherry on the top of the cake.
Who’s the Winner: WooCommerce
Ecwid vs. WooCommerce – Better Client-Service
The best part about Ecwid is that it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all their plans. In addition to that, they offer 24/7 support via phone or email. It’s one of the most significant advantages over other platforms like Shopify and Big Cartel.
On the other hand, WooCommerce does not offer any money-back guarantee, but still, it provides 24/7 support via phone or email and a live chat option on its website. Their customer service team will help you with issues related to hosting, setup, theme installation, etc.
Who’s the Winner: Ecwid
Ecwid vs. WooCommerce – Which One Offers More Number of Themes & Plugins?
The number of themes and plugins available on Ecwid is just awe-inspiring. They have a total of 15 categories with over 3000+ different designs. On their website, you will find other products under each category, including various themes and plugins.
While in the case of WordPress, there are more than 9000 themes available on the official websites. Besides that, WordPress also has many free and premium plugins that can be used to create online stores. This platform is an excellent choice if you want to create an e-Commerce website.
Who’s the Winner: WooCommerce
Ecwid vs. WooCommerce – Checking Compatibility on Multiple Platforms
WooCommerce plugin works only on WP-based websites. This plugin is limited to WordPress websites and cannot be used on any other platform like Joomla, Drupal, OpenCart, etc.
In contrast, Ecwid can be used to create an online store on multiple platforms, including Drupal, Joomla, Magento, etc. It makes it easier to manage your online store on different devices. Ecwid can be accessed from any device with a browser, including smartphones and tablets. Ecwid has mobile apps that make it easier to manage your online store while away from your computer.
For example, in WooCommerce, you need to log into the WordPress admin panel to do anything related to your store. In contrast, in Ecwid, you can access everything through your account dashboard anywhere.
Who’s the Winner: Ecwid
Ecwid vs. WooCommerce – Which One is More Popular?
Source: Statista – Global eCommerce Platforms
According to BuiltWith, an online technology tracking service, more than 455 million websites use WordPress as their CMS (content management system). On top of that, WordPress claims it powers more than 39% of all websites.
Ecwid, on the other hand, suffers from a lack of popularity among brands. It’s not as popular as WooCommerce, but it still has many users. According to BuiltWith, more than 1 million websites use Ecwid as their e-commerce platform. On top of that, Google Trends shows that interest in Ecwid has been growing steadily over time, and there’s no sign that growth will slow down anytime soon.
Final Takeaways
While both Ecwid and WooCommerce are popular ecommerce choices, they tend to overshadow each other in different aspects. For example, Ecwides shine brightly under the following categories:
- Ease of use
- Better client service
- Compatibility
On the other hand, WooCommerce has a proven track in the following sections:
- SEO Functionalities
- Themes & Plugins
- Popularity
Looking at WooCommerce numbers makes a person wonder why anyone would consider using anything other than WordPress. However, many sites don’t need to integrate with a fully-fledged website system. They need a place to sell their products and services.
If your business falls into this category, you can hire WooCommerce developers in India who will suit you better than spending thousands on custom code development!
