WooCommerce is by far the most popular e-commerce plugin. However, the plugin has some worthy competitors in form of WordPress plugins as well as standalone content management systems.
When you want to build your store, it is best to understand the pros and cons of each plugin/platform in order to choose the best option for your unique needs.
In this article, we will look at the top 5 alternatives to WooCommerce with an aim of demonstrating the best scenarios to use any of these.
1. Shopify
Setting up an e-commerce store can be a daunting task for a beginner. You have to buy a domain name, buy hosting, install WordPress, install and customize a good theme, and then install the WooCommerce plugin.
Shopify simplifies this process by providing all the above under one roof. After signing up, the user can buy the domain name, customize the store and import products into the store right from one dashboard.
You do not need any technical know-how for you to set up your first store and Shopify also has lots of free and premium plugins that can help you achieve a lot. This platform would be the best to use for building a drop shipping business.
If you’re wondering which would be best if you compare this service to WooCommerce, the WooCommerce vs Shopify debate is always hot, so you might want to visit some articles to understand which would be best for you.
2. Magento
Built by eBay, Magento is an open source e-commerce platform targeting business that need to have lots of flexibility and control of their e-commerce stores.
Magento will give your customers awesome shopping experience and this is probably one of the reasons why it is popular amongst established businesses.
The software allows you to customize how you want media content and inventory is handled. There are lots of helpful plugins that have been developed by the community which can help improve the administration and marketing of the store. It is, therefore, a good platform to go with when building branded stores.
The biggest demerit for Magento is you will have to learn the entire CMS and this learning curve tends to deter most beginners. When it comes to ease of use, WooCommerce would beat Magento hands down. It’s usually best to pick up a Magento experienced user or developer to help you out, this article is great in that regard.
3. MemberPress
If you are looking to build a membership site, MemberPress would be a great alternative to WooCommerce.
Some of the interesting features include drip content, management of subscribers, and aesthetically appealing pricing pages. This WordPress plugin removes the hassle out of manually setting up a membership site.
Even though it is still possible to build a membership site with WooCommerce, MemberPress has the advantage of live support which can come in handy if you need some assistance. Yes, WooCommerce has decent documentation that answers most questions but that still doesn’t beat talking to a real person.
4. Easy Digital Downloads
Just as the name suggests, the Easy Digital Downloads plugin transforms any WordPress website into a digital goods store.
The Plugin has inbuilt features for creating the store, accepting payments as well as marketing. Additionally, there are lots of extensions that you can purchase to add more functions like software licensing, frontend submissions, etc.
Even though WooCommerce can be used to build a digital shop, the configurations of the store can be somewhat confusing and exhausting. Additionally, the WooCommerce plugin doesn’t have a dashboard that is configured for a digital downloads store.
5. WP eCommerce
WP e-commerce is another interesting WooCommerce alternative and it is actually the original e-commerce plugin for WordPress. It might not be as popular as WooCommerce but they are currently powering over 36,000 stores worldwide.
The plugin integrates seamlessly with your WordPress installation and converts it into a powerful store. Some important features include easily adding of products, advanced reporting, and monitoring of sales, the configuration of taxes and shipping, lots of payment gateways, etc.
The plugin has some powerful modules that you can use to build different types of stores. For instance, the gold cart addon adds more gateways to the store, the MP3 Audio Player addon makes it possible to preview Mp3s on your website and the membership plugin makes it easy to deploy a membership site. The developers also are available for customizing solutions, like say adding a custom payment gateway. AUQ
Concluding: Alternatives to WooCommerce
In as much as WooCommerce is a powerful e-commerce plugin, it is best to, first of all, consider what kind of store you are building before deploying it. That’s because it might not always be the ideal choice for all types of stores.