How to decide between Shopify and WordPress?

Proper steps for guidance on how to decide between Shopify and WordPress 

Startups are gradually making a huge contribution to the present business landscape. However, the online platforms for establishing an e-commerce business are becoming competitive and crowded as a result of many startups entering the scene. So, it becomes important to find the appropriate tools that can ensure appropriate and structured business presence that can be appealing to the target audience.

The comparison of two renowned e-commerce website building platforms such as Shopify and WordPress has been illustrated in the following discussion for helping out aspiring business personnel to get an idea about effective options to serve the needs of their business productively.

Comparing the definitions

Before comparing Shopify and WordPress, it is mandatory to look at the definitions of these two tools. Shopify is a web application that has been tailored particularly for enabling merchants to develop and launch their online store. The different templates on Shopify could be customized easily according to specific business and branding requirements along with the facility for selling physical as well as digital goods.

The primary idea that was associated with the formation of Shopify is the facility for users to create an online store without having to rely on coding. On the other hand, WordPress was designed for blogging and gradually evolved into a tool for building websites. The two distinct options available with WordPress include hosted and self-hosted WordPress.

The hosted WordPress alternative can be accessed like Shopify with available features to create and maintain a website. The self-hosted WordPress is an open-source platform where the code could be found directly, and necessary adjustments can be made to the code for accomplishing the desired website.

Checking the differences

To evaluate the functionality of Shopify and WordPress for building e-commerce websites, it is essential to reflect on the difference between them. The primary difference between the two tools is that WordPress is individual software while Shopify is an online service. Users do not have to exert much effort with Shopify to create an e-commerce store as it provides a simple procedure by signing up and creating an account.

After the account is created, users could complete a quick setup, and then the e-commerce store could be made live. However, WordPress requires users to go through some steps to create an e-commerce store with a lot of attention required for themes, buying domain and web hosting account as well as the configuration of the e-commerce store. You have to be worried about different concerns with WordPress such as the use of themes.

The dilemma between two distinct options of hosted and self-hosted WordPress is also translated into the confusion between free and custom themes of WordPress. On the contrary, a clear reflection on the advantages and disadvantages associated with free and custom themes could indicate the possibilities that can be derived from WordPress for your e-commerce website.

Winner of a tough competition

It can be observed that the competition between Shopify and WordPress as reliable e-commerce store building platforms is tough and there is no clear winner. You could find that Shopify and WordPress could be used in unison with each other. For example, Shopify provides an option for users to embed products as well as mobile-friendly shopping cart that could be used effectively with various content management systems.

The choice is tough, but everything depends on your preferences and requirements in the end. You can, however, depend on the versatility and adaptability of open source platforms like WordPress albeit being sure of the continuous updates of online services like Shopify for creation of e-commerce stores.