Forbes Magazine’s Shopify vs. WordPress Article: A Misleading Take on eCommerce Platforms

I recently came across a highly misleading article on Forbes comparing Shopify and WordPress for eCommerce stores. Unfortunately, the content falls short of providing an accurate or balanced analysis of these two platforms. There is a disclaimer in the article that reads, “Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors’ opinions or evaluations.” However, I strongly disagree with this assertion, given the clear distortion of facts presented in the article. The misleading nature of the content makes it hard to believe that editorial independence was maintained, especially considering the significant financial interest involved.

Since my comment was rejected, I’m posting my thoughts here for anyone looking for actual facts on the matter. I believe my opinion on this matter counts for something having been in the industry since 1995.

The Reality vs. The Article: A One-Sided View

You can read the original article here: Forbes Shopify vs. WordPress. It’s disheartening to see such a reputable outlet misrepresenting the eCommerce landscape in this way. I can only assume that Shopify compensated them well for the overly favorable coverage.

Shopify History

The reality is that Shopify operates like the “Amway” of online stores: while it offers an all-in-one solution, users are locked into its ecosystem with limited flexibility. Shopify was launched in 2006 by Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand, and Scott Lake. The platform started as an online store for selling snowboarding equipment, but the founders realized that the eCommerce software they had built could be useful to other businesses. This led to the development of Shopify as a full-fledged eCommerce platform. Since then, Shopify has grown into one of the largest and most popular eCommerce platforms in the world. Shopify is a publicly traded company (NYSE: SHOP, TSX: SHOP), meaning it has stock available on the market for investors. I have shopify stock, it is a fanastic investment.

WordPress History

WordPress was first released on May 27, 2003. It was created by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little as a fork of an earlier project called b2/cafelog. Over the years, WordPress evolved from a simple blogging platform into the world’s most popular content management system (CMS), powering a wide variety of websites, including blogs, eCommerce stores, portfolios, and more. It has remained the leading website solution for years because it isn’t controlled by a single company. Instead, it’s the result of countless brilliant minds worldwide coming together to create adaptable, innovative solutions for the global web. WordPress is not a publicly traded company, so it does not have stock available for purchase. It is an open-source software platform that is managed by the WordPress Foundation, a non-profit organization. While Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, is a for-profit entity, it is not publicly traded. Automattic provides paid services related to WordPress, but the WordPress software itself remains free and open-source. Wish I could buy Automattic stock, if it ever goes public I will be onboard!

What to Consider

As a result of being open source WordPress provides unmatched freedom and scalability. Websites built on WordPress can be moved, replicated, and hosted anywhere—features Shopify cannot offer. If you leave Shopify, you must start over on another platform, which isn’t the case with WordPress.

By the Numbers: WordPress vs. Shopify

For perspective, as of 2024, there are 861 million WordPress sites, accounting for over 43% of all websites globally. Shopify, in comparison, powers only around 4.45 million online shops. This speaks volumes about WordPress’s enduring popularity and versatility.

Platforms like Wix and GoDaddy offer solutions more comparable to Shopify, as they also impose vendor lock-in and limited flexibility. It’s disappointing that the Forbes article failed to acknowledge these important distinctions.

Platform Flexibility and Control

• WordPress: As an open-source content management system (CMS), WordPress offers users extensive flexibility. It allows for complete customization through a vast ecosystem of plugins and themes, enabling users to tailor their websites to specific needs. Additionally, WordPress sites can be hosted anywhere, providing owners with full control over their data and site management.
• Shopify: Shopify is a proprietary platform that offers an all-in-one solution for online stores. While it simplifies the setup process, it also means that users are confined to Shopify’s ecosystem. Migrating away from Shopify can be challenging, often requiring a complete rebuild of the website on a new platform.

Market Share and Usage Statistics

• WordPress: As of 2024, WordPress powers approximately 43.6% of all websites globally, translating to over 488.6 million websites. This widespread adoption is a testament to its versatility and the collaborative efforts of a global community of developers.
• Shopify: In the same period, Shopify supports around 4.95 million active eCommerce stores, accounting for about 27% of all eCommerce websites worldwide. While Shopify has experienced significant growth, its share remains considerably smaller compared to WordPress.

Community and Development

• WordPress: One of WordPress’s strengths lies in its open-source nature, which fosters a collaborative environment where developers worldwide contribute to its continuous improvement. This collective effort results in a platform that evolves to meet diverse user needs, offering a wide range of plugins and themes developed by the community.
• Shopify: As a proprietary platform, Shopify’s development and feature set are controlled by the company. While it provides a robust infrastructure for online stores, customization options are more limited compared to WordPress, and users are dependent on Shopify’s roadmap for new features and updates.

Comparisons with Other Platforms

• Wix, Squarespace, Big Commerce and GoDaddy: These platforms offer website-building solutions similar to Shopify, providing user-friendly interfaces and integrated hosting. However, like Shopify, they come with limitations in terms of flexibility and control compared to open-source solutions like WordPress.

Storage: A Key Difference

WordPress:

• Unlimited Potential Storage: Since WordPress.org is open-source software, there are no inherent storage limits. You have complete freedom to choose a hosting provider with a plan that meets your storage needs. Hosting plans can range from shared hosting (10GB to unlimited) to scalable cloud hosting solutions (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud).
• Managed Hosting: Managed WordPress hosting services, such as WP Engine or Kinsta, typically offer storage limits that depend on the plan you choose, with lower-tier plans ranging from 10GB to 50GB, and premium plans offering hundreds of gigabytes or unlimited storage.
• Storage Add-ons: Many hosting providers allow you to purchase additional storage if needed.

Shopify:

• Unlimited Storage for Most Plans: Shopify does not explicitly cap the amount of storage for products, images, or content, but there are file size limits. For example:
  • File Upload Limits: 20MB per file for products, collections, and blog posts; 5GB for downloadable files.
  • Media Hosting: Shopify’s unlimited storage does not extend to hosting large video libraries, so merchants often need to use third-party services like YouTube or Vimeo.

Comparison: WordPress offers far more flexibility in storage and hosting, allowing users to choose hosting providers and scale as needed, whereas Shopify’s storage limitations and vendor lock-in could restrict larger stores with complex storage needs.

The Integration Myth

The Article’s Claim: The article states that Shopify has 8,000 integrations, while WordPress has only 840 integrations. This is categorically inaccurate.

• Shopify: While Shopify has over 8,000 apps in its App Store, these apps are primarily designed for eCommerce functionality—payment gateways, shipping, marketing tools, and more.
• WordPress: WordPress, as an open-source platform, boasts a repository of over 58,000 plugins. These plugins cover a far broader range of features beyond eCommerce, including SEO, security, content management, performance optimization, and more.

Conclusion: The Forbe’s Article comparison of 840 integrations for WordPress is misleading. WordPress has far more plugins and integrations than the article suggests.

Summary

In conclusion, both Shopify and WordPress have their place in the eCommerce world, but they cater to different needs. Shopify is an excellent option for small to medium-sized businesses looking for an easy, all-in-one solution. On the other hand, WordPress is ideal for those who require complete flexibility, scalability, and control over their store’s design and infrastructure. If you’re serious about long-term growth and customization, WordPress is the clear winner.

Key Considerations

• For Shopify:
  • Ideal for small to medium businesses (do it yourselfers) that don’t require advanced storage configurations or need unlimited flexibility.
  • Storage is built into the platform, so you don’t have to manage hosting or technical setup.
• For WordPress:
  • Perfect for those who need complete control over storage and hosting.
  • More scalable for enterprises or users with large media libraries, unique file requirements, or custom data storage needs.

If your business needs go beyond Shopify’s built-in limits (e.g., handling massive product catalogs or hosting custom large media files), WordPress offers significantly more flexibility.

To enhance your WordPress store’s funcationality even more consider BigCommerce integration for WooCommerce.