Ecwid vs WooCommerce: Analyzing Pros and Cons

Ecwid vs WooCommerce – The ultimate battle for supremacy. You likely already know a lot about WooCommerce, and with a 36.68 percent market share, understandably so. It is, after all, the second leading e-commerce software platform worldwide. Have you stopped to consider that maybe – just maybe – there could be a better solution out there? Enter Ecwid: the lesser-known WooCommerce alternative. Which of the two is better? This Ecwid vs WooCommerce review explores everything you need to know.

Ecwid vs WooCommerce: Pros and Cons

Here’s a list of Ecwid pros and cons.

Ecwid Pros

• Built-in security settings.
• Dedicated customer support.
• Works with all website builders, including WordPress.
• Simple, easy-to-use interface.
• Supports multi-channel selling.

Ecwid Cons

• It doesn't offer free themes.
• Product limit on lower tiers.
• Selling on Ecwid isn’t free.

Here’s a list of WooCommerce pros and cons.

WooCommerce Pros

• Dozens of professionally designed themes with unlimited customization options.
• It is a free e-commerce solution with zero transaction fees.
• Offers hundreds of apps and extensions.
• Robust SEO framework.
• Unlimited scalability when selling on WooCommerce.

Ecwid Cons

• It doesn't provide dedicated customer support.
• It doesn't support cross-platform sales.
• The plugin is only limited to WordPress websites.

Ecwid vs WooCommerce: Key Aspects Comparison

Ease of Use

One of the critical things we looked at in this WooCommerce vs Ecwid review is the ease of use. How simple is it to set up a fully functional online store if you have little to no coding background? Do you need to bring out the big guns and have a web developer create your online store for you? Here’s what we found.

Ecwid

To create an online store using Ecwid, you first need an existing site – WordPress or otherwise. You’ll then need to create an Ecwid account, choose an appropriate pricing plan based on your retail demand, and then embed the resulting HTML code into your website to start selling.

The Ecwid dashboard has everything you need to set up your store. You’ll be able to add and define your products, upload their respective images, set attributes and prices, and so forth. All the Ecwid reviews you come across will tell you that the interface is refreshingly simple.

When you're done with the setup, you can then connect your Ecwid account with your existing website. It involves installing the plugin before activating it on your website. It's all pretty straightforward stuff.

WooCommerce

The process of setting up a WooCommerce online store isn't that different from what we’ve just outlined above. You will need to use the WordPress dashboard, though. Keep in mind that the server hosting your website will need to:

• Support HTTPS.
• Run PHP version 7 and up.
• Run MySQL version 5.6 and up or MariaDB version 10.
• Have a minimum of 128 MBs worth of WordPress memory.

If your existing hosting plan satisfies the above criteria, you can install the WooCommerce plugin on your WordPress website and then activate it to begin the setup process. Some of the details you need to provide include general store information, product information, tax, shipping, checkout details, and so forth. Once you do, your online store will now be ready to go live.

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The Verdict

Overall, when it comes to usability, most Ecwid vs Woocommerce reviews agree on one thing: The two platforms are neck and neck. Both don’t require you to type in a single line of code, so they are pretty easy to use.

The setup wizard in both cases is simple, intuitive, and user-friendly, with straightforward controls to have your online store up in no time. They are both winners in that regard, although WooCommerce does have a steeper learning curve.

Pricing

The ease of use for both platforms is great and all, but the real question is – how much is it all going to cost you? Here’s an overview of both.

Ecwid Plans

It is worth noting that there's a free plan available on Ecwid touted as “free forever.” While you can use it to set up an online store, this particular Ecwid pricing plan doesn’t support any sale channel like Facebook, Instagram, or Amazon. The digital products you can sell on it are also capped at 10.

In short, it's an excellent plan if you're dipping your toes into the online retail space, but not ideal for long-term selling if you intend to scale your business at some point. The higher up you go on the tiers, the more features you get.

WooCommerce Plans

WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress websites. It means there are no associated costs with converting your existing website into an online store. However, you will need to pay for WordPress hosting, a domain name, and an SSL certificate.

The precise cost ultimately boils down to your hosting provider. Some hosting companies even offer specialized plans for WooCommerce pricing. Fees range anywhere between $12.95 /mo - $24.95 /mo.

You also need to think about the cost of installing third-party plugins to enhance the functionality of your online store. It's easy to see how fees can start racking up despite WooCommerce being a free plugin. The plus side is – there’s no limit to the number of products you can sell once you have your online store up and running.

The Verdict

If we had to pick a winner, and we do, it would have to be WooCommerce, on the basis that there's no cap on the number of products you can sell on the platform. We also like that all the basic functionalities you get with the higher-tiered Ecwid plans are also available on WooCommerce without the added cost.

You may have to purchase some plugins to enhance your site's functionalities, but those costs are nowhere near the month-to-month fees on Ecwid’s unlimited plan.

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Apps and Integrations

When it comes to extensions and integrations, the Ecwid App Market features dozens of free and paid extensions in a wide range of categories. These include Ecwid payments apps, integrations for marketing, accounting, shipping, catalog and order management, and more. The platform also offers API access for direct integration with other well-known platforms.

The WooCommerce Extensions Store has a massive collection of app integrations. These range from WooCommerce payments apps like PayPal and credit card providers, merchandising apps, shipping, delivery, and fulfillment apps, marketing apps, conversion apps, you name it.

The sheer volume of available integrations on the WooCommerce platform is hard to beat, making it the clear winner in this category. Although both platforms have a wide array of extensions designed to enhance the functionality of your store's functionality and drive growth, WooCommerce has a more diverse collection.

SEO Features

One of the great things about Ecwid SEO is that it runs on Google's AJAX specification for indexing. If this sounds like SEO gibberish to you, AJAX refers to specific techniques used in client-side web development. These techniques are supported by all the major search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

As a result, every product page on your online store will be properly structured based on Google’s microdata – an SEO-friendly format. That way, Google can pick and create rich snippets (the copy that appears on your website) and place them on search engine results pages to drive traffic to your online store.

WooCommerce is also quite impressive when it comes to SEO, mainly because it has WordPress as its foundation. In addition to the built-in SEO features it comes with, the platform gives you access to more sophisticated SEO tools like Yoast, which you can use to optimize your online store to make it visible to search engines. These will prompt you to edit meta titles, meta descriptions, alt tags, URLs, product pages, and so forth for better ranking on Google.

As impressive as Ecwid is, the WooCommerce SEO framework is superior in every way. Let’s put it this way: Anything Ecwid can do to enhance your online store’s SEO capability, WooCommerce can do it as well, and then some.

Security

Online stores access lots of sensitive consumer data. The very last thing you want is to start fighting a lawsuit over unauthorized third-party access to customer credit card information.

Ecwid and WooCommerce both come with foolproof security settings. The glaring difference between the two is – Does the platform take care of it for you, or do you do it yourself?

Ecwid handles all security matters related to your online store on the backend. They take care of the SSL certificates, upgrades, server configuration, and hosting-related issues. That way, you can focus on what matters – running your store.

WooCommerce requires you to be hands-on. You’ll need to set up the security features and install all the relevant security plugins to keep your online store safe. Keep in mind that most of these third-party security extensions come at a cost, so that’s an extra out-of-pocket expense you’ll need to factor in.

Overall, Ecwid has the edge over WooCommerce as far as security configuration is concerned.

Customer Support

Ecwid has a dedicated support team that is on call Monday through Friday. You can reach them 24/5 via Live Chat or use the feedback form on the website to send in your query. Their response time is 24-48 hours, which isn’t all that bad by industry standards.

Users on the Venture, Business, and Unlimited Plans enjoy priority support with almost immediate responses. If you prefer to speak to a support representative directly, you need to make a call-back request via chat. Unfortunately, this feature is only available to users on the Business and Unlimited plans.

If you would rather go the self-help route, the Ecwid Help Center is chock full of FAQ resources you can use.

WooCommerce is an open-source platform, and like most open-source solutions, it doesn’t offer dedicated customer support. Nonetheless, this Ecwid alternative has a rich resource library of FAQ pages, videos, tutorials, and blog posts you can use to search for the answer to your specific issue.

Alternatively, if you still can’t find a solution, you can consult WooExperts or the vibrant online community of users. While there is an option to submit an email ticket, whether or not you get a response is up in the air.

All in all, Ecwid takes the crown on the customer support front.

The most comprehensive WooCommerce review

Ecwid vs WooCommerce - FAQs

Which is better Ecwid or WooCommerce?

The answer depends on your business goals. If you're starting a larger store with little budget, WooCommerce makes the most sense. Integration with WordPress and tons of resources make it an excellent choice. Ecwid is a better choice if you want features such as an online store builder, dedicated customer support, and the ability to sell on places other than WordPress.

Does Ecwid work with WooCommerce?

If you install the Ecwid Ecommerce Shopping Cart plugin on your WordPress site, you can easily add an Ecwid online store. When you install the plugin, an online store will be created for your customers. You’ll be able to manage it right in the WordPress backend.

Conclusion

What is the takeaway in this WooCommerce vs Ecwid review? Which of the two is the better platform? The reality is – they are both exceptional in their own right. It all comes down to your business goals. Here’s what we mean by that.

If you have several products but limited startup capital to set up a sophisticated online store, going the WooCommerce route is a no-brainer. Remember the product limits that exist on the lower tier Ecwid plans? You can see why that would be a problem if you have a larger store, to begin with.

There’s also the fact that WooCommerce runs on the rich WordPress dashboard. This grants you access to tons of integrations and resources you need to enhance the functionality of your online store.

If you have slightly more wiggle room in your budget and would much rather be hands-off when it comes to the security and configuration of your online store, Ecwid might be the better solution for you. Unlike WooCommerce, it supports cross-platform selling on Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon. If you encounter any hiccups while using the platform, it helps to know there's a dedicated support team on call to address your queries.

If you’re thinking of changing from your current e-commerce platform, ensure you use a handy automated data migration tool like Cart2Cart. That way, you don’t have to worry about losing precious customer, order, or product data when making the switch. Sign up today for a free demo.