Choosing an Online Store Platform: Shoper vs. Shopify vs. WordPress

Planning to start selling online and wondering which e-commerce platform to choose? Making that decision calls for a detailed look at your business, your industry, your growth plans, and what each platform actually offers. In this article, we explain the difference between SaaS and open-source software to clarify how the various platforms work. We also break down the costs of running a store with a few basic e-commerce features, so you can see where the price differences between setting up and maintaining an online store come from.

Table of contents

• SaaS or open source? The main differences
  • SaaS – advantages
  • SaaS – disadvantages
  • Open source – advantages
  • Open source – disadvantages
• Key features of the main e-commerce platforms
  • Shoper
  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • SureCart
    • How does SureCart differ from WooCommerce?
• How much does running an online store cost?

SaaS or open source? The main differences

Our comparison of e-commerce platforms covers popular representatives of the SaaS model (Shoper, Shopify) as well as open-source platforms (built on WordPress). How does each of them actually work?

SaaS – advantages

SaaS (Software as a Service) means, quite literally, software delivered as a service. In this model, the software is hosted in the cloud, and users get access to it by paying a monthly or annual subscription.

A major advantage of SaaS is that, as a store owner, you don't need coding skills or the ability to handle other advanced technical processes. The provider takes care of maintaining the server. Once you choose a plan, you get access to a store with ready-made templates, online payment support, and technical support.

You can launch your online store in a fairly short time and focus on selling products instead of spending time building, developing, and maintaining your own e-commerce system.

Many SaaS platforms offer a high level of data security, including regular background updates, data encryption, and compliance with data protection regulations. On top of that, SaaS providers typically store data on closely monitored servers that are protected against hacking attempts. In other words, with SaaS you don't have to worry about store security, backups, or automatic updates. Importantly, technical support at every stage is included in the subscription price, so you don't need to hire an extra specialist to handle complicated technical issues. In practice, you only pay for the features you actually use.

We also can't skip the topic of payments. SaaS providers often run attractive launch promotions, which means your first year of operation comes with low running costs.

SaaS – disadvantages

Despite its many benefits, SaaS also has downsides that may matter more or less to you depending on the nature and size of your business.

Choosing subscription-based software means you'll be dependent on the service provider. That covers not just pricing changes, but also any outages, which happen regardless of what you do and are usually global in scope.

SaaS also means limited customization options for your store. Because most platforms in this model offer a limited number of templates and features, you likely won't be able to tailor the store to your exact preferences or add fully custom, non-template solutions.

Although additional services are available in the App Stores of SaaS platforms, they're often costly or available only on the highest subscription tiers. While some entrepreneurs may find them appealing, it's worth noting that they can significantly increase the total cost of using the platform.

It's also worth being aware that after the first year, the subscription price goes up, which should be factored into your long-term budget planning. Over time, long-term subscriptions may end up being considerably more expensive for your business.

Open source – advantages

Open source means open software. In this model, you get access to a free platform with open source code that you're free to modify. The most popular example of open source in Poland is WooCommerce (WordPress).

The biggest advantage of this model is certainly the lack of limits on customization for your store. You can build a personalized site with solutions tailored to your needs. With access to the source code, you can modify the user interface, optimize performance and SEO visibility, and integrate the platform with other systems you won't find in the SaaS model. You can make modifications essentially at any time. Access to a large library of plugins and themes gives you enormous scope for tailoring your store to your own needs. And if you already have some familiarity with the WordPress CMS, you'll likely agree that it's fairly intuitive and easy to use.

Open source – disadvantages

The open-source model can, however, be fairly challenging, especially for people without technical knowledge or coding skills. One of the main drawbacks is the lack of ongoing technical support. When technical issues come up, you're forced to rely on your own knowledge and experience or hire outside specialists. The good news is that you can pick up plenty of tips and tricks from the WordPress community, which keeps growing. Numerous social media groups and forums can be a goldmine of knowledge about ready-made extensions and plugins that make it easier to customize and grow an online store.

The sheer number of plugins available for WooCommerce makes it very easy to overload a store with add-ons that hurt its performance. Every plugin you add should be well thought out, to avoid update-related problems down the line.

Choosing the open-source model means you also need to budget for your own hosting, domain, and theme. What's more, although there's no shortage of plugins, they tend to be fairly expensive. As a result, the final cost of an open-source store can be surprisingly high, especially given the amount of work required to maintain it.

Additionally, some open-source projects may not receive regular updates, which can lead to security gaps or incompatibility with the latest standards. Every manually applied update requires checking, especially with a large number of products in the store. Because of the sheer number of plugins and themes coming from different sources, open-source platforms are also more frequently targeted by attacks.

Key features of the main e-commerce platforms

Our review aims to show the most important features of each platform and plugin, along with the costs you should factor in before launching a store. We won't give a definitive answer to which solution is best, because there's no one-size-fits-all answer for every online business. Keep in mind that a lot depends on the industry you're in, your experience with e-commerce, and how much time and money you plan to invest in building and growing your online business.

Shoper

Shoper has been one of the most popular e-commerce platforms for years. It's a solid option for various types of online businesses, from small companies to large enterprises.

This full-featured SaaS software offers an intuitive CMS and ease of use. When you set up a store on Shoper, you don't need to buy separate hosting, since it's already included in the subscription price. That also means you don't need to worry about server configuration or maintenance, since the provider handles all of it.

Shoper's advantages also include fast implementation, regular updates, and ongoing technical support. You also get tools that support marketing activities and basic SEO optimization. Shoper additionally provides access to a range of templates and an App Store with various add-ons. It's a platform that supports multichannel selling and integration with the Apilo system.

Even though Shoper runs on the SaaS model, which limits store customization, it's still possible to add custom solutions to your site. One example is a photo gallery in an online store located outside the product page. Although Shoper doesn't let you automatically build a separate gallery, we offer this solution to our clients. By writing the right HTML, custom JavaScript code, and our own Python scripts, we're able to manually build a separate page with a classic photo gallery.

Shopify

Shopify is one of the largest SaaS software platforms in the world, enabling sales in 175 international markets. It's a solution that works especially well if you're planning to sell your products outside Poland. It's used by both small businesses and large-scale online stores.

Like Shoper, Shopify has an intuitive, easy-to-use content and product management system. Built-in tools also let you take care of basic SEO optimization.

Shopify enables selling through multiple channels, including social media (such as Facebook or Instagram) and marketplaces (such as Amazon or eBay). Shopify can handle high traffic and large numbers of transactions. The platform is designed to support business growth – from a small store to a global enterprise.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a free, open-source WordPress plugin that lets you turn a regular website into a fully functional online store.

Building a store on WordPress should start with choosing and purchasing hosting. You can then install the free WooCommerce plugin. Setting up a store on an open-source platform doesn't involve a subscription fee, although additional features may require separate payments. Any store functionality – product presentation, payments, shipping, third-party integrations, or forms – gets added by installing the right e-commerce plugins.

Your starting costs for a WooCommerce store should account for:

• hosting,
• a domain,
• an SSL certificate,
• additional plugins and themes,
• payment and shipping integrations,
• possible technical support.

SureCart

SureCart is a new WordPress add-on built on headless technology. That means the frontend layer (what the user sees) is separated from the backend layer (the database). By comparison, in a traditional e-commerce platform the frontend and backend are tightly integrated, so any change to the site's appearance or any new feature often requires touching both layers. What are SureCart's main advantages?

• Better store performance. Processes that would normally slow the site down are shifted to the provider's platform, avoiding extra load on your server.
• The ability to create personalized shopping experiences.
• The ability to add your own payment forms (one-time, subscription, or installment transactions).
• Data security is ensured through automatic backups on the provider's server.
• Integration with many plugins.
• A simple user interface.

How does SureCart differ from WooCommerce?

Both solutions integrate with WordPress, but WooCommerce is an open-source solution, meaning you have access to the source code and can modify it. WooCommerce can, however, be more demanding in terms of server resources, especially with a larger product catalog and heavy traffic. SureCart's headless architecture, on the other hand, delivers better performance compared to traditional plugins, but doesn't offer as wide a range of add-ons as traditional plugins do.

WooCommerce itself is free, but most extensions come at an extra cost. SureCart can offer more predictable costs, which makes it appealing to small and medium-sized businesses, as well as to people just starting out with e-commerce. That said, the exact pricing structure will always depend on the options you choose and the scale of your business.

How much does running an online store cost?

Let's look at the basic fees for running an online store in the first year across various e-commerce platforms. In this comparison, we look at prices for a 12-month subscription on the cheapest plan (SaaS) and the annual maintenance cost of a store on an open-source platform.

What the 12-month price includes:	Shoper	Shopify	WooCommerce	SureCart
Subscription for 12 months (SaaS) or hosting (open source)	PLN 3,307.47 (50k products)	PLN 1,187.28	PLN 156.21 (SeoHost)	PLN 564.43 (SeoHost)
.pl domain	PLN 68.88	PLN 68.88	PLN 68.88 (SeoHost)	PLN 68.88 (SeoHost)
InPost integration	PLN 0	PLN 939	PLN 0	PLN 0
Selling digital products	PLN 0	PLN 0	PLN 0	PLN 0
0% VAT integration (useful for cross-border sales)	PLN 0	PLN 246.84	PLN 281.67	PLN 0
Second language	PLN 0	PLN 0	PLN 534.39	PLN 534.39
Total per year	PLN 3,376.35	PLN 2,442.00	PLN 1,041.15	PLN 1,167.70
Total per month	PLN 281.36	PLN 203.50	PLN 86.76	PLN 97.31

A subscription, hosting, and basic integrations aren't everything, though. You should also factor in the fees charged by various payment gateways such as AutoPay, Tpay, and Stripe. These can vary significantly depending on your monthly order value and number of orders. For example, if you run an online store with an average monthly order value of PLN 10,000 and an average cart value of PLN 50, the Autopay fee comes to PLN 169. With TPay, the cost is PLN 237, and with Stripe it's PLN 350.

As you can see, the difference in both cost and available features is significant. Before choosing where to build your store, ask yourself the following questions:

• What's your starting budget?
• What's your budget for growth? With SaaS, it should increase in subsequent years, since subscription costs tend to rise.
• What are your growth plans? If you know you're starting with just a handful of products but your store will definitely grow, running costs may rise accordingly.
• Are you planning to sell only in Poland, or abroad as well?
• Do you also sell on marketplaces and on Allegro?
• How comfortable are you with managing a CMS and site security?
• What's your industry like, and how competitive is it? How much are you planning to spend on marketing?

SaaS platforms such as Shopify and Shoper offer quick, easy store setup without having to worry about hosting or updates. Costs may be lower at first, but they'll typically rise as the store grows. Open-source solutions such as WooCommerce, on the other hand, give you more control over the store and full access to the source code, letting you tailor it to your specific needs. They do, however, require a bigger commitment to management, security, and maintenance, which can translate into higher costs in the long run.

Thinking about building your own online store but not sure where to start? Get in touch with us – our team of experts will help you choose the right platform and support you at every step of the way.