Magento vs. WooCommerce vs. Drupal Commerce:  The Great eCommerce Race

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eCommerce is the fastest growing industry worldwide. Total sales reached over 2.3 billion dollars in 2017 and it is expected that in just a few years they will reach almost 5 billion dollars.

Millions of experts contribute to the industry. But the HR efforts are helpless without proper software solutions. More and more discussions concerning Magento vs. WooCommerce vs. Drupal commerce are appearing; software specialists, as well as business owners, are hesitant about which tool to choose to get their web store to the highest level of performance possible.

This is a really serious choice. The quality of the software platform, language or tool you choose for your business purposes has a great impact on the results you get in the long run. You must decide carefully on the capabilities, features, and functionality you need. You should look thoroughly for a great solution to make all your business plans a reality. So, let’s directly compare these top 3 developers’ tools to find out more about each and get closer to the right choice!

Magento vs WooCommerce vs Drupal Commerce: Basic Facts and Features You Need to Be Aware of

You cannot make the right choice unless you have a full picture of the tool you will potentially use. So let’s see what Magento can give us.

Magento

  • Written in PHP
  • First released in 2008
  • Over 900 contributors

Its open-source nature makes Magento accessible for any software engineer, both beginners and experienced gurus. With it, you can either modify the existing code or contribute to improving the overall platform. What were the key reasons for launching Magento? Its creators, formerly Varien Inc., initially wanted the tool to fulfill the following tasks:

  • Enhance engagement
  • Provide intuitive navigation
  • Increase conversions, etc.

The result of all those improvements was obvious. Magento was aimed at positively impacting the user experience and the company’s revenue. And the founders achieved their first goals. In 2017, the vast majority of top 3 leading eCommerce software platforms lists included Magento.

So far, the latest version is Magento 2.2.6, launched in autumn, 2018. The upgraded features surprised – Magento started to provide even more opportunities for business improvement:

  • Better page caching
  • Perfect scalability, which serves the enterprise business needs
  • New optimized ways to structure data
  • Unlimited customization features
  • Better structure of codebase, etc.

In general, Magento websites demonstrate lovely performance. It works well with relational databases like MySQL. Website owners can store an unlimited number of products in their Magento e-shop, and run a blog to demonstrate their professionalism and improve SEO.

Drupal Commerce

  • Written in PHP
  • First released in 2011
  • 69 contributors

This year, Drupal CMS joined the list of the most loved technologies among software developers worldwide. But Drupal is not just about high-quality website development on its own; it is also a good fit for eCommerce business improvement. Drupal Commerce is a whole separate platform that extends the functionality provided by Drupal.

Drupal Commerce powers more than 60,000 eCommerce websites and the number keeps growing annually. Due to its CMS origin, Drupal Commerce is quite easy to use. The Drupal commerce vs. Magento comparison demonstrates the considerable simplicity in set up, integrations, and the whole development process. All you need to do to start running a web store is install the specific module or create a profile and configure your commerce as you wish. Drupal Commerce easily integrates with multiple services like Google Analytics, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.

Drupal websites feature:

  • Seamless and intuitive checkout
  • Documentation tracking
  • Great SEO capabilities
  • Automatic URL generation
  • Customization features that are limited to modules and themes

Drupal Commerce works well with MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, etc. As a side note, this framework requires good Drupal knowledge. But the usage of Drupal will cost you nothing except the hosting fee. Support and maintenance is strictly a server provider’s responsibility.

Read also: Drupal for eCommerce: Review, Prices, Features

WooCommerce

  • Written in PHP
  • First released in 2011
  • 748 contributors

WooCommerce is one more renowned open-source solution you can build the new website with. It was created by the WordPress theme development specialists more than 8 years ago. And now, 30% of websites globally run on WooCommerce. Millions of installations prove its reliability and great popularity among users.

To set up a WooCommerce website, you just need to have a Wordpress plugin running on your PC, and setup takes just a few minutes.

WooCommerce features you should be aware of:

  • Free basic functionality
  • Simple installation
  • Over 1,100 powerful themes for customization
  • Nice discount functionality
  • Editable URLs and meta tags for better SEO
  • Integration with numerous financial services including PayPal and Amazon Payments
  • Free hosting

MySQL data storage is used for WooCommerce websites.

The WooCommerce vs. Magento battle shows that WooCommerce is much easier to start with, while Magento is a robust solution for more advanced, in-depth development. WooCommerce vs. Drupal commerce security analysis shows that Drupal is more reliable. Also, WoCommerce is considered to be easier to learn and begin with. Also, if you want whichever tool is cheaper, you'd better stick to WooCommerce.

Some Brief Information about Similarities and Differences

The Drupal Commerce vs. WooCommerce race is fascinating. And when Magento joins the show, the temperature rises. Let’s take a look at some similarities and differences.

All 3 tools are:

  • Open source
  • Flexible
  • Cross-browser and mobile-friendly
  • Featured with myriads of extensions
  • Supported by huge communities
  • Great for SEO purposes
  • Free to download

Also, all of them have convenient dashboards and integrate with numerous external solutions. Well documented APIs are available in all cases too.

And what about the differences? We have compared the tools, and this is what we have.

Magento

Drupal Commerce

WooCommerce

E-commerce industry standard”

“Great for online social commerce”

“Nice tool to start with”

Helly Hansen, Missguided, Christian Louboutin

Lush, Cartier, Olsson and Gerthel

Porter and York, Blue Star Coffee Roasters, Striiiipes

Last update: Magento 2.2.6; September 18, 2018

Last update: Drupal Commerce 2.8; July 17, 2018

Last update: WooCommerce 3.4.4; July 25, 2018

Limitless customization opportunities;

Templates for customizable design;

Limited customization features, but a huge number of themes;


 

Superb level of security;

Powerful adaptability;

Weak security capabilities;

Convenient dashboard;

Complex content management system;

More convenient for management purposes;

Integration with ERP services;

Simple integration with social media;

Simple built-in CMS;

Powerful tools for building statistics and reports;

Excellent product visualization;

Easier to set up and handle;

Strong development skills required;

Out-of-the-box mobile responsiveness;

Cheap maintenance;

Final Thoughts

Each of those 3 tools has found its audience and gained popularity among thousands of eCommerce software developers worldwide. As you can see, they have quite similar functionality. But, at the same time, they differ in many aspects. So, how do you pick the right solution? Comparing them, we came to the following conclusions:

  • Magento is one of the best tools for eCommerce B2B businesses, and it perfectly fits large enterprise needs;
  • Drupal Commerce is suitable for small businesses and large corporations; besides, it's easy to attract new customers with Drupal Commerce because of powerful social media targeting features. Choose it if you are skilled in Drupal;
  • WooCommerce is a nice tool for developing small to medium size web stores quickly and easily. There's no better option than WooCommerce if you are familiar with the WordPress CMS.

Still, the choice may be difficult. Comprehensive research of your project requirements is a must if you want to pick the right solution. The best way to handle this task is to contact our team. We are here to provide you with detailed answers and the best services. Just drop us a line using the form below or click here to schedule a call, and let’s get closer to the eCommerce dream together!

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