Shopify or WooCommerce: what do you choose as a small business in Belgium?

Anyone wanting to start a webshop soon runs into the same choice: Shopify or WooCommerce? They're the two most popular platforms, and both can work just fine. The right choice doesn't depend on which platform is "best", but on what suits you. Below we lay it out honestly.

What's the difference?

In one sentence: Shopify is a ready-made, hosted solution; WooCommerce is an open-source plugin that adds webshop functionality to a WordPress site.

• Shopify handles hosting, security and updates for you. You pay a fixed monthly fee and can go online relatively quickly. You give up some freedom in design and functionality in exchange for convenience and reliability.
• WooCommerce gives you full control: you choose your own hosting, themes and plugins, and can customise almost anything. The flip side is that you (or your builder) are responsible for updates, security and maintenance.

When do you choose Shopify?

Shopify is usually the better choice if:

• You want to sell quickly and worry-free, without diving into tech.
• You don't have a WordPress site and don't want to maintain one.
• You like that hosting, security and updates are handled automatically.
• You want a reliable checkout with local payment methods like Bancontact, without assembling plugins yourself.

For Belgian SMEs looking for an all-in-one, worry-free shop, that's often exactly what they need.

When do you choose WooCommerce?

WooCommerce comes out stronger if:

• You already have a WordPress website and want to integrate your shop into it.
• You want maximum freedom over design, functionality and data.
• You have a large or unusual range that calls for specific custom solutions.
• You're willing to do maintenance yourself or outsource it.

That freedom has a price: the initial build and the maintenance usually take more time than with Shopify.

And the costs?

Roughly summarised: Shopify has lower start-up costs but a fixed monthly subscription; WooCommerce is free in itself, but you pay for hosting, themes, plugins and maintenance. With both, also count on a domain name and, if you have it built, the build cost itself. Which is cheaper in the long run depends on how big and complex your shop becomes.

What do we recommend at Kattenberg 118?

Kattenberg 118 is a web studio in Borgerhout, and in practice we end up with Shopify for most small businesses. Not on principle, but because it's the fastest, most reliable path to a shop that simply works — including Bancontact and correct international shipping.

For Our House a full Shopify webshop went live in four days that way, with international rates that are automatically correct as far as Australia and Japan. For De Wereld van Smaken we migrated an outdated platform to Shopify and built a popup shop with Shopify POS on top. Each time because it fit what the client needed.

The honest conclusion: there's no universally right answer. Not sure which platform fits your plans? Get in touch — a short conversation usually makes it clear which way to go.