WooCommerce is one of the world's most popular e-commerce platforms. It is especially beloved by open-source adepts and developers for its WordPress-based technology, and who are we to argue? After all, we also know and use WordPress technology.

However, especially for people and companies who are starting out in selling online, Sayl Retail has a number of advantages that WooCommerce does not have. While certainly, we of the soda company recommend soda, there are a number of purely rational arguments to be had here.

1 – Sayl Retail requires no prior skills

One of our taglines is that Sayl Retail lets you set up a webshop in less than 30 minutes, and that's completely true. Check the webinar below as proof: it's hosted by our marketing man, who is not a developer and as much of an amateur in design as you and I.

WooCommerce, on the other hand, does require some skill to set up. You need to have a WordPress site and basic plugin skills, and while the basic functionalities are free, once you want some advanced webshop features, you'll likely end up paying for extra modules.

2 – All-in-one solution vs 'Frankenstein' solution

This leads to the next point: Sayl Retail offers all of its functionalities straight out of the box. No searching for extra modules, no comparing prices or haggling with independent developers. It's all there: Facebook integration, e-mail integration, buttons, lay-out modules and product information.

With WooCommerce, you essentially build your own Frankenstein's monster. While skilled and clever businesses can put together something impressive from this, this can be frustrating for most other businesses. What if the module you added doesn't do what it's supposed to do? What if you need to turn to four different sources for support?

3 – Straightforward pricing

WooCommerce's biggest lure is that it's free – initially. Sayl Retail is free too, until you hit over three sales a month. For the rest, its pricing (LINK) is very straightforward and clear. With WooCommerce – not so much. Some modules are quite expensive, in fact.

Not only is the total Sayl Retail package cheaper than what you may end up paying to unlock WooCommerce's full potential, there's also no risk of a sudden shift in prices (seeing as there's just one company behind it), and controlling costs becomes easier to plan for.

4 – Assured support

Being open-source, WooCommerce essentially relies on a network of goodwill supporters and developers who come up with their own support. This is perfect for people who absolutely look for the cheapest solution, but not for businesses that don't have the time to wade through forum topics or wait for their question to be answered.

Sayl Retail offers a commercial support model and, depending on the formula chosen, can be much more direct and immediate in answering support questions. In addition, there already is an FAQ database(LINK) anyway that's fixed in one spot, rather than spread out over several websites and developer forums.

5 – Immediate multi-language support

Sayl Retail pop-up shops can be made in English, Spanish, French, German and Dutch right away. This is interesting for multi-lingual regions or multinational businesses. WooCommerce can support multiple languages, too, but through additional plugins that require a cumulative amount of work.

This hassle is absent from Sayl Retail because the shop app has already been translated into four languages (with more on the way as our user base grows). In addition, it also supports multiple currencies, delivery costs and methods to help you sell in different countries and regions. No extra work required (well, except in your set-up, perhaps).

The small proposition

Don't just take our word for it and try out Sayl Retail for yourself – no strings attached. You'll find that having a small and sweet pop-up shop that you link to whatever channel you're already using will be more cost-effective, efficient and less time-consuming that investing in an alternative that looks free, but ultimately bogs you down with overhead and hidden costs.