Freedom of choice is good, but it usually confuses us. Especially when it comes to choosing the right platform for an online business (considering the myriad of available eCommerce solutions on the market). That's why we decided to compare the carts that are so similar at first glance, but different at the same time - Volusion vs Magento. Read on to find out which platform is best for your web store!
Volusion and Magento: let's find out the pros and cons
To make it short, we will present you a list of the main advantages and disadvantages of both platforms.
Volusion review
This California-based shopping cart has been in the market since 1999. Currently, 9,946 live websites use Volusion as a home for their online businesses. The platform has a variety of features that contribute to its success among web store owners. Hence, we have singled out the following benefits:
- Hosted all-in-one shopping cart
- Suitable for small e-shops
- Easy to get started a once
- Great customer service
- Has in-built applications for marketing, SEO, selling, etc.
- Offers different pricing plans for business specific needs
- No additional fees for using partner payment processors
- Provides integrated Fraud Score service for credit card protection.
Unfortunately, nothing is perfect and Volusion is no exception. Its drawbacks include:
- Limited number of themes
- Not suitable for medium to enterprise-level stores
- Restricted design and blogging options
- A bit complicated backend.
Magento review
As one of the leading eCommerce providers, Magento currently hosts 198,120 live websites. This universal solution has many advantages:
- You can download it for free
- Highly-adjustable self-hosted solution
- Extremely scalable with numerous customizations for selling
- Features an extensive user community and a large volume of technical material
- Integrated SEO features.
Are you ready to give your business a fresh start on a completely different platform with limitless possibilities? Run the free demo now!
When it comes to Magneto's weaknesses, they are as follows:
- Requires a high level of programming knowledge and is not suitable for beginners
- No fixed price
- Expensive extensions
- You need to hire a developer to manage the store.
Which solution has the better SEO?
Since Volusion is less customizable, it has only basic SEO options compared to Magento. The marketing tools include Facebook and Twitter, limited promotions, etc. Magento, on the other hand, supports third-party API, extensive promotions options, and built-in SEO features for large eCommerce enterprises.
Which shopping cart is easier to use - Volusion or Magento?
In case you lack coding skills, it is better to choose Volusion for your eCommerce store. It doesn't require any technical customization and is really easy to install and use. However, if you want to create an exquisite shop with tons of special aspects, - go for Magento. Even though it requires a certain amount of know-how, the result won't disappoint you.
Magento | Volusion | |
Easy of Installation | Can be complex for those who don’t have web skills; one-click features depend on the host. | Easy to set up as it is hosted through Volusion. |
Ease of Use | Easy and powerful for more advanced users, can be complex for beginners. | A very basic eCommerce platform — easy to use, but the backend is tricky. |
Search Engine Friendly | Extremely SEO-friendly! | Extremely SEO-friendly! |
Integration Ecosystem | Simple and straightforward integration with most major players. | Integrates with a variety of services and platforms, particularly social media networks. |
Cost to Maintain | Initially free, plus the cost of hosting. Many features are built in. Businesses can pay for extensions and developers to install them as the business grows. | Plans at different price points, plus the cost of add-on modules and any paid theming. |
Customizability | Highly customizable, especially for those with the skills, or with the budget to pay someone for customization. | Not very customizable — users are limited by free and paid themes, and whatever work they can and want to do on the backend. |
Hosted vs Self-Hosted | Self-hosted — more work, but more freedom. | Hosted through Volusion; less work but less freedom. |
Target Market | Large businesses with high-volume stores and agencies managing multiple stores.descriptions and meta titles | Target customers with built in promotion options including a daily deals tool. |
Features of Magento and Volusion that you can benefit from
We recommend that you filter out the specifics of the future shopping cart that you will need the most and make the weighted decision before installing the solution.
Volusion features
- Edit your current store on the go. With the easy-to-use drag-and-drop tool, you can change the layout, fonts, images, etc. without any additional knowledge required.
- No limit on the number of products, images, categories, etc. that can be added to the e-store.
- Ability to view customer information and order history, use quick contact option.
- Support for Stripe, PayPal, and built-in payment gateways with zero transaction fees.
- Third-party apps integration to extend built-in functionality (social media, sales, marketing, taxes, etc.).
- 24/7 customer support online and by phone. Also, the company has a help center, tutorials, and blog.
Magento features
- The ability to customize the platform's code to your own needs.
- An admin panel for various stores and websites.
- Payment processing through third-party gateways.
- Support for worldwide selling in multiple currencies and countries.
- Constant security updates and improvements by the Magento team.
- Large community of developers to help you with any issues that arise.
Volusion vs Magento - FAQs
How does the market share of Magento and Volusion compare in the Ecommerce Platform market?
In the Ecommerce Platform market, Magento has a 3.07% market share in comparison to Volusion’s 0.31%. Since it has a better market share coverage, Magento holds the 3rd spot in Slintel’s Market Share Ranking Index for the Ecommerce Platform category, while Volusion holds the 14th spot.
How many customers are acquired by Magento and Volusion in the Ecommerce Platform segment?
Magento has 55229 customers and Volusion has 5543 customers in the Ecommerce Platform segment. Magento has 49686 more customers than Volusion in this category.
Final words
So, those are the main strengths and weaknesses of both eCommerce solutions. As you can see from the Volusion vs Magento comparison, these solutions are designed for different types of stores. If you want to build a small webshop without much effort, the Volusion platform is for you. But in case you want to create a multifunctional store with limitless possibilities, you should download Magento. It's up to you to decide!
If you are planning to migrate your current store to Magento or Volusion, you should check out our free demo migration. Take advantage of this long-awaited opportunity to grow your eCommerce business!