If you’re thinking of setting up a dropshipping store with WooCommerce, you’ll be happy to know that it’s one of the most fruitful businesses you can set up on WordPress.
Dropshipping allows you to buy products from third-party suppliers and ship them right to your customer’s doorstep, without having a warehouse or handling the inventory yourself.
In essence, you’re a middleman that connects the buyer to the seller, but as a dropshipper, you’re allowed to set your price to make a reasonable profit, own an eCommerce website, and also display products from several suppliers on your online store.
Your supplier takes it up from there whenever you have an order; you have nothing to worry about as your supplier(s) fulfills all orders coming to your store and also handles the shipping and delivery.
It’s easy to set up a dropshipping business with WooCommerce though, but only if you have the right tools to get you started.
There are a bunch of software and plugins that can help you with that, but for purposes of our comparison, we’ll look at two of the top tools you can use: Ali2Woo and AliDropship. We’ll try to be as in-depth as possible to help you make the best possible decision for your dropshipping business.
Ali2Woo And AliDropship: What Are They & How Do They Work?
Ali2Woo
This is an easy to install and simple to use dropshipping WordPress plugin that offers product customization, keeps your inventory updated, and provides price automation.
Ali2Woo lets you integrate your store with AliExpress, a Chinese-based online marketplace where you connect with dropshipping suppliers with great profit margins.
It also offers integration with AliExpress affiliate and dropship and product reviews so you can engage with your customers better.
Ali2Woo’s integration with the AliExpress affiliate program also offers you an added source of income.
That way, you can make money from affiliate commissions earned on all AliExpress products sold on your online store. This is different from profits made from dropshipping products from AliExpress.
Ali2Woo also has a Chrome extension that allows you to import, edit, and sell your products from AliExpress.
Since Ali2Woo is a premium plugin, subscribers can get reliable customer support in addition to simplified guides on getting started with your first online eCommerce store.
AliDropship
AliDropship is also a dropshipping tool that integrates with WordPress and WooCommerce. It offers a wide variety of professional services that help to automate your dropshipping business, making it more successful and profitable.
AliDropship has automation functionality that lets you search and import products using keywords, edit product information, add product descriptions, images, and price updates through the customization feature.
It’s one of the simplest plugins right now with a variety of marketing tools, including discount coupons and SEO tags.
By using it, you have an easy managing system that lets you view your entire inventory, track end sale offers and stock counts any time you want.
One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment and more. Grow your AliExpress dropshipping business today!
Ali2Woo vs AliDropship: How They Work
Ali2Woo
Ali2Woo works exclusively on WordPress but is a WooCommerce plugin that allows you to convert your WordPress site into an online or eCommerce store. This way, you can dropship from AliExpress right from your WooCommerce store.
When you receive an order on your online store, payment for the order goes to your payment account. The next step is placing an order with the supplier right from your Ali2Woo dashboard. The supplier then dropshipps it directly to the customer’s address.
AliDropship
This is also a WordPress exclusive plugin that’s compatible with WooCommerce, so it works on both. What that means is that it can change your default WordPress installation into a fully-fledged dropshipping business with AliExpress.
You can also use WooCommerce with the AliDropship Woo plugin, which is its WooCommerce compatible version.
After installation, AliDropship automates all dropshipping processes and also provides sales marketing tools for marketing your products on social media platforms using its Social Rabbit plugin specifically designed for social media marketing.
Also, a single AliDropship subscription entitles you to a lifetime of support from AliDropship teams for easy resolution of issues.
WordPress/WooCommerce Store Themes
Ali2Woo
As we’ve already seen, Ali2Woo works on WooCommerce, which means you will get options for store themes to pick from.
Ali2Woo has its theme repositories where you can select the perfect themes for your WooCommerce store.
Some popular premium Ali2Woo themes include Claue, Tokoo, Flatsome, and Shopkeeper.
These themes are embedded with eye-catching elements, functional features, elegant product pages, mega color swatch flexibility, social media integration, etc.
AliDropship
This plugin also offers store theme options that you can use through its AliDropship Woo plugin, but you can also pick built-in themes from the AliDropship plugin for WordPress though this doesn’t come with WooCommerce.
AliDropship also has its theme repositories consisting of free and paid themes compatible with WooCommerce and WordPress.
Two of AliDropship’s free themes are Da Vinci 2.0 Woo and Rubens; these two free themes have attention-grabbing sliders, countdown timers, and inspiring infographics.
Additionally, these AliDropship themes enable you to create a single or multiple product pages, compare products, create an attractive ‘about us’ page, etc.
Features of Ali2Woo & AliDropship
Ali2Woo
Product importation
You can import any products easily from AliExpress straight to your store using Ali2Woo plugin or chrome extension.
The importation feature is flexible enough to let you import products from a single product, category, or store page.
In addition, you can use a product’s URL or ID for import to your WooCommerce store.
Product variations
With Ali2Woo, you can offer different variations of your products in terms of sizes, materials, colors, and more.
AliExpress shipping methods and shipping price markups
With Ali2Woo, you can load product shipping methods straight from AliExpress and display them on your store website’s front end, or set markups if you want.
Filter AliExpress content
With this feature, you can add lists of phrases you want to be removed or replaced from any of the content you import from AliExpress
Product customization
You can edit your products to change descriptions, titles, images, and anything else you want.
Inventory and price auto-updates
Ali2Woo’s inventory and auto-price updates ensure that your inventory and pricing details are always up to date.
Built-In image editor
With this feature, you can edit images before adding them to your store from AliExpress and change their images directly from the admin panel in WordPress.
Fulfill and track orders automatically
Ali2Woo also allows you to get your orders shipped directly to customers and automatically sync their tracking codes.
Pricing automation
This feature lets you create pricing rules and also price products in bulk.
ePacket product filtering
The ePacket filter helps you import only the products that have the fastest delivery times.
Product reviews
It’s easy to engage with your customers while encouraging sales. You can also import reviews on your site right from AliExpress.
Translate
Ali2Woo’s translate feature lets you import products and reviews in multiple languages (English, Arabic, Turkish, Vietnamese, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Thai, Spanish, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Indonesian)
Aliexpress affiliate
Ali2Woo helps you sell products as a drop shipper or you can use AliExpress’ (Admitad) Affiliate Key.
Chrome extension
You can import products as you browse AliExpress using Ali2Woo’s free Chrome extension.
Multi-currency pricing
If you want to import pricing in different currencies, Ali2Woo lets you do that from AliExpress for currencies such as USD, EUR, GBP, RUB, AUD, UAH, JPY, MXN, IDR, CAD, BRL, INR, TRY, SEK)
Cash-back system
Besides earning your own money from products, you can earn an additional affiliate commission using the Admitad Network or AliExpress Portal.
Bulk orders
With one click, you can reduce your workload by automating bulk orders, and even fulfill more orders at the same time.
Split product variants
This feature lets you split product variants into different, individual products.
Add-ons
Ali2Woo has other store plugins you can add to your store, though you’ll have to pay a fee to use them.
Product imports
If you’re looking to import many products to your store, Ali2Woo limits you on the number you can import based on the pricing plan you decide to go with. There’s a wide range of products available for importation though.
WooCommerce compatibility
Ali2Woo is compatible with WooCommerce so you can easily create a WooCommerce store to start selling your products.
Updates and support
Ali2Woo offers free updates and support for only six months after which you can extend at an extra cost if you want.
AliDropship
Search & Import
AliDropship has integrated filters that let you find the products you want on AliExpress and add them to your online store.
Auto-updating
The auto-updating system in AliDropship offers to-the-minute data from AliExpress to keep your product information consistent.
Automated pricing
The advanced pricing markup formula in AliDropship’s plugin lets you apply pricing rules quickly on any product in your store.
One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment and more. Grow your AliExpress dropshipping business today!
Automatic order fulfillment and tracking
You can click the Order button and confirm your orders automatically on AliExpress instead of ordering products manually. It also checks your orders to track updates, and then sends automatic notifications via email to your clients.
ePacket shipping filter
This feature lets you offer your customers speedy and free delivery of their items using the ePacket shipping option that makes it easy to find products.
Built-in themes
AliDropship offers a wide range of professionally designed themes you can set up, swap, and customize. You can use the themes through its AliDropship Woo plugin, but you can also pick built-in themes from its WordPress plugin though this doesn’t come with WooCommerce.
Product customization and variations
You can customize your products anytime by editing their titles, images, prices, descriptions, variations, and add your own items too. You can also order different product variations including multiple colors, sizes, materials, and much more.
Image Editor
The native image editor edits images before you import them to your online store and you can make changes directly from the WordPress admin panel to your products.
Discount Coupons
With AliDropship, you can run promotions and sales by offering custom coupon codes and selecting the discounts you can offer like free shipping, dollars off or percentage off and more.
Product reviews
With this feature, you can engage your clients and encourage sales by importing reviews to your site from AliExpress. You can even import reviews from a particular country, and translate them into different languages.
This feature lets you optimize your product pages for search engines using meta tags, titles, descriptions, and keywords specific to your products.
Abandoned cart
The plugin will send follow-up emails to recover sales that you’d otherwise have lost.
Email lists
AliDropship collects customers’ emails and contact details of users who left their information on your site but didn’t complete their purchases.
One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment and more. Grow your AliExpress dropshipping business today!
Live statistics
Get detailed data on your visitors and traffic sources by connecting Google Analytics to the AliDropship plugin.
Integration
AliDropship integrates with popular payment processors like PayPal, Stripe, PayU, and others.
Inventory management
You can manage your inventory and track stock counts so you can know when to stop selling products that ran out or continue with what’s available.
Intuitive dashboard
AliDropship’s all-in-one and intuitive user dashboard help you monitor and control your sales, orders, traffic, and all activities in your store so you can make the right decisions.
Add-ons
This plugin also has several add-ons you can select – some are free to use, while others come at a fee. They include Facebook Business, Upsell, Google Merchant, Social Rabbit, Countdown Timer, Recent Sales Pop-up, Customers Gallery, and Abandoned Cart. The last two are free to use add-ons.
Product imports
AliDropship has no limitations on the number of products you can import. You have the leeway to import as many products as you want to your store.
You can search and import products in bulk right from your AliDropship dashboard using keywords or filters.
WooCommerce compatibility
AliDropship is a plugin in itself that you can use for WordPress, but it’s also WooCommerce compatible if you use its AliDropship Woo plugin version.
Lifetime updates and support
When you get the AliDropship plugin, you’re also entitled to receive future plugin updates at no extra cost, plus customer service that’s available for free for a lifetime. If you ever encounter any issues, small or big, you can always get in touch with the AliDropship team and they’ll assist you.
Ali2Woo & AliDropship Customer Support
Ali2Woo
Ali2Woo offers support for its customers through helpful resources such as a blog, support center, knowledge base, contact form, a forum, social media pages, and Ali2Woo Help on Skype.
AliDropship
AliDropship, on the other hand, offers support to its customers via a Resources Center, which offers a Help Center, forum, affiliates support center and demos.
It also has a Learning center that offers case studies, guides, niche advice, marketing tips, and a FAQ section.
A blog is also available plus success stories you can follow to find out more about how other users were able to successfully use the plugin to create profitable stores.
They also offer a dropshipping Wiki, dropshipping insights, a contact page, and social media pages you can reach out to them in case of any troubleshooting issues.
Ali2Woo & AliDropship Pricing
Ali2Woo
Ali2Woo plugin offers two pricing plans: Ali2Woo Free and Ali2Woo Premium.
With the free version, you can make unlimited monthly orders and bulk orders.
Also, users are provided with standard features like automated product pricing, inventory updates, variant splitting, bulk order, Chrome extension, etc.
On the other hand, the Ali2Woo premium plan is billed at $21 on a one-time basis while it provides users with advanced features. For instance, Ali2Woo Premium plan allows users to get up to 400 product updates and make about 500 shipping information requests every day.
There’s a cashback system that lets you earn extra cash from the affiliate system through commissions you get from using the Admitad Network or AliExpress Portal.
AliDropship
You can get the AliDrop plugin at a one-time premium fee of $89.
It doesn’t charge you extra fees or monthly recurring fees to use it, whether you buy the plugin or order a turnkey custom store. You only pay the one-time fee for the plugin, which costs $89 and gives you unlimited products and lifetime support as well.
One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment and more. Grow your AliExpress dropshipping business today!
However, there are three AliDropship custom store pricing plans costing $299, $499, and $899, each coming with its own personal manager.
AliDropship also has a cash-back system that lets you earn up to a 12-percent commission for every purchase as an extra bonus to your main dropshipping income.
Ali2Woo vs AliDropship: Similarities & Differences
Features | Ali2Woo | AliDropship |
Importing products | √ (Limited) | √ (Unlimited) |
Variation of products | √ | √ |
Customization of products | √ | √ |
Auto Sync of Pricing and Inventory | √ | √ |
Automation of products | √ | √ |
ePacket Product Filtering | √ | √ |
Offers Chrome Extension | √ | √ |
Importing product reviews | √ | √ |
Importing products (with translation) | √ | √ |
Automatic order fulfillment and tracking | √ | √ |
Affiliate system for AliExpress | √ | x |
12 percent Cash Back System per purchase | √ | √ |
Multiple Currency Pricing | √ | √ |
Discount Coupons available | x | √ |
Abandoned Cart tool | x | √ |
Native Image Editor (built-in) | √ | √ |
Email Lists | x | √ |
Updates and support for free | 6 months free; pay a fee to extend | √ (lifetime) |
Ali2Woo vs AliDropship: Pros & Cons
Ali2Woo
Pros
- Seamless integration that lets you import products from AliExpress right from your dashboard with AliExpress
- Earns you extra income with an affiliate program which serves as a form of cashback resulting from sales of AliExpress products on your WooCommerce store.
Cons
- Monthly recurring fee for its pricing plans
- Limited products to import from AliExpress
- Lacks marketing tools and multiple add-ons (free and paid)
- Doesn’t give you full ownership; products that go against set rules or importing products from unapproved marketplaces are prohibited,
AliDropship
Pros
- You can fulfill unlimited product orders and import as many products as you can from AliExpress.
- You retain 100 percent ownership of the plugin, so you can import and list any products outside of AliExpress on your store’s site.
- Marketing tools are available to optimize your store for extra conversion at no extra cost.
- You can pick other extensions from the add-ons store including any you want to add in the future
- No monthly recurring fee to pay when using the plugin
Cons
Ali2Woo vs AliDropship: Which One Is Best?
Ali2Woo and AliDropship are both plugins compatible with WooCommerce and that offer a robust set of features. However, they’re not created or developed equally, as both have features and pricing that are unique to each tool, and targeted at a particular audience set.
However, there are some important features for every drop shipper that Ali2Woo doesn’t offer, which you’d readily find with AliDropship. These include unlimited product imports, no recurrent monthly software fees, free lifetime updates, and support. AliDropship goes further to offer a plugin for WordPress and WooCommerce compatibility through its AliDropship Woo plugin.
With AliDropship, you can import as many products as you want to your store without limitations, all for a one-time fee so you don’t have to pay any recurring monthly charges. It also offers a lifetime of updates for its plugin plus support is unlimited, unlike Ali2Woo that charges a fee after 6 months of updates and support if you want an extension.
They’re both amazing plugins and though one may outperform the other, whichever you pick will depend on your business needs, goals and objectives, plus your budget.
Our Verdict
While Ali2Woo is a decent plugin for dropshipping, with many great and robust features that can help you save costs and time while running your WooCommerce dropshipping store, it isn’t the best in terms of running costs and other important things such as product importations and more.
Its overall quality is also better than other dropshipping apps, and it has thousands of units sold with a 4.6-star rating. This shows that people find it useful and its popularity is growing.
However, it falls short when compared to AliDropship and other plugins that are better and much more superior apps.
Ali2Woo began as a relatively new plugin but it’s certainly improving with time, and its developers are definitely committed to seeing it succeed, so hopefully, improvements will come with time.
For this comparison though, AliDropship is the clear winner, thanks to its powerful features, its unlimited product importation, lifetime updates and support, and its one-time plugin fee with 100 percent ownership.
Tom loves to write on technology, e-commerce & internet marketing.
Tom has been a full-time internet marketer for two decades now, earning millions of dollars while living life on his own terms. Along the way, he’s also coached thousands of other people to success.