The popularity of dropshipping continues to grow. By the year 2026, the value of the dropshipping market is expected to reach over 470 billion dollars.
Many entrepreneurs see dropshipping as an easy way to start an online business. Instead of investing in products from manufacturers in bulk and storing them until orders come in, you act as a middleman between the consumer and the manufacturer.
You take care of the marketing and selling aspect, without pre-ordering any products. When an order does come in, you forward it to the manufacturer or another source, who takes care of the storing, shipping, and handling.
A common source for dropshipping purposes is AliExpress. Unlike Alibaba, which is owned by the same parent group, products from AliExpress can be ordered in a quantity of one, which makes it perfect for dropshippers.
A number of services and plugins have been developed to make it easier to set up a dropshipping business while using AliExpress as your source. Today, we will take a look at two of them – AliDropship and WooDropship – and see how they compare.
Both of them are WordPress plugins that are designed to automate the process of importing product details from AliExpress to your online store.
What Is WooDropship?
WooDropship is a dropshipping plugin that is compatible only with WordPress CMS. It directy integrates with the AliExpress marketplace and allows users to import dropshipped products automatically to their WooCommerce store.
Apart from facilitating dropshipping process, WooDropship enables merchants to fulfill all orders to their customers without hassles.
Also, it automatically updates prices, customize products descriptions, edit product images, and add price markups to your store.
Not to mention, it also has a Chrome extension that allows merchants to sort, filter, and import products from AliExpress.
What Is AliDropship?
AliDropship is an innovative WordPress plugin which helps you to build your own AliExpress dropshipping business.
WIth this tool, you’ll be able to easily import products from AliExpress directly into your online store, edit them and ship them directly to your customers.
It’s a perfect solution for those who want to build their own dropshipping website but don’t want to spend too much money and time on it.
One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment, and more.
Just like other WooCommerce plugins for dropshipping, AliDropship also has a Chrome extension.
The AliDropship plugin allows you to run your dropshipping business without worrying about the need to connect with suppliers or set up complex importing procedures.
Core Features
Let’s take a look at the core features of both plugins.
AliDropship
- One-click importing: Immediately import any product from AliExpress with one click. This will fill out all of the details of the product listing automatically, including images and the description. You can also import reviews from AliExpress.
- Customization and editing: You can edit the images before they are imported to your site with the built-in image editor. You can edit the product details at any time as well.
- Search: Find products on AliExpress to import by using filters (such as for shipping options) and search terms.
- Compatible with WooCommerce: There is a separate version of the plugin for those who have WooCommerce installed on their WordPress site and want to use AliDropship with it. This means that you can continue to use WooCommerce themes and add-ons.
- Auto-updating: Product information will update on your site automatically if any changes are made to the listing on AliExpress.
- Auto-pricing: Set a pricing markup that will automatically be applied to all products you import.
- One-click ordering: When an order comes in, you can forward it to AliExpress with a single click.
- Auto-tracking: All orders will automatically be tracked and updates will be sent to your customers via email.
- Unlimited products: Sell and fulfill as many products as you want.
- Product variations: Sell different variations of the same product (for example, different sizes, designs, or images).
- Offer discounts: You can offer discounts and promotion codes to customers.
- Email marketing: Send email newsletters or reminders to previous customers or people who abandoned their carts.
- Statistics: Get real-time statistics about your visitors, as well as your inventory and sales.
- Cash-back system: Use AliDropship’s cash-back system to make up to an additional 12 percent cash back on each item you pay for on AliExpress when you fulfill orders.
WooDropship
- WooCommerce compatible: This plugin is designed to work with WooCommerce stores.
- Import products: Import products easily from AliExpress.
- Customizable pricing: Set specific prices for individual products or for many products at once.
- Auto-pricing: Set pricing rules to automatically add a markup to products you import.
- Auto-updating: Product details will be automatically synced with the product details on AliExpress. In addition, your price will be updated as well if the price on AliExpress goes up or down, depending on the markup rules you have set.
- Image editing: Use the built-in app editor to edit images before they are imported from AliExpress. You can use this editor to remove watermarks from images.
- Product customization: All product details can be fully customized.
- Simple order fulfillment: Fulfill orders by adding a product to your AliExpress cart. The customer’s information will also automatically be added to the customer details order form on AliExpress.
- Product variants: Add different product variants for a single item.
Chrome Extension
Both AliDropship and WooDropship have a Chrome extension to make things easier.
AliDropship
The AliDropship Chrome extension is free to use when you purchase AliDropship. It allows you to import products directly from AliExpress when you are browsing products on AliExpress.com.
You can also use it to automatically fulfill orders with a single click, as well as filter products for ePacket shipping options.
WooDropship
The WooDropship Chrome extension does similar things. You can:
- Add products to the list of products you want to import to your site directly from AliExpress.com
- Filter for products that have an ePacket shipping option
- Fulfill orders on AliExpress so that information from your store is automatically synced to the shopping cart
Custom Stores
Both AliDropship and WooDropship offer options for those who want to use AliExpress for dropshipping but do not have the time or expertise to set up a store by themselves.
AliDropship
You can get started with a free consultation if you are interested in the custom store service.
Once you place your order, you will be contacted by a personal manager, who will help you decide on a niche that can be profitable. The AliDropship team will then set up a custom store just for you, with products already imported from AliExpress.
One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment, and more.
Once the site is finished, it will be ready to do business right away.
The service includes:
- Niche and market research
- Domain name (.com domain)
- Custom design
- Mobile responsive site
- Google analytics set up for you
- The AliDropship plugin
- On-site SEO optimization
- Social media marketing
There are three packages you can choose from:
- Basic @$299: With this plan, you will get a site with 50 products. Social media marketing will include a Facebook page. The store will be ready in 10-15 business days.
- Advanced @$499: You will get 100 products on your ready-to-go store. You will get Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter profiles. Delivery time will be in 18-20 business days.
- Ultimate @$899: You will get 200 products on your site. You will also have a Youtube channel set up for you and an article for your store’s homepage. Included will be a special promotional video as well as a social sharing tool that will allow you to share your products directly to your social media profiles. Delivery time will be in 20-25 business days.
You can add their hosting service to all plans at an extra $48/year so that you do not have to get your own hosting provider, but it is not automatically included.
You will get lifelong support for your store.
WooDropship
WooDropship also has a custom store option. Its starting price only costs $199, which is cheaper than AliDropship’s cheapest option.
The service includes:
- Setup: Complete store set up in the niche of your choice
- WooCommerce: WooCommerce will be installed and set up on your site
- Hosting: One-year free shared hosting with 100 GB of storage will be automatically included
- SSL: Your hosting will include a free SSL certificate
- Domain name: A free .com domain name will be automatically included (you can choose which one you want as long as it’s available at a standard price)
- Customized logo: You will get a free custom logo for your store
- Payment gateway: Supply your PayPal information to set up payments with PayPal
WooDropship custom store package has three pricing plans:
- Essential: With this plan, you will get an online store with 1 professional email address, 150 products, and other essential eCommmerce store features.
- Advanced: This plan allows you to have about 5 professional email addresses and 250 dropshipped products.
- Pro: You get 10 professional email addresses with 500 products with this plan.
Turnaround is much quicker than AliDropship – your store will be ready in only 48 hours.
Add-ons, Plugins, and Tools
Here, we’ll take a look at any add-ons or extra tools that may be available when using either plugin.
AliDropship
“Social Rabbit” Plugin
There are a number of add-ons, both free and premium, which are available from AliDropship. Most are compatible with WooCommerce stores.
Here is a short list of some AliDropship add-ons:
- Sezam ($99): This is a Woo plugin that allows customers to dropship products from the Alibaba marketplace.
- GA Enhanced Ecommerce (Free): Get detailed analytics about your ecommerce store’s performance in Google Analytics.
- Abandoned Cart (Free): Send email reminders to customers who abandoned their carts.
- Customers Gallery (Free): Add a gallery with testimonials from happy customers.
- Reviews Page ($29): Add a reviews section to your products.
- Promo Banner ($19): Add promotional banners at the top of your site to showcase specific products or sales.
- My Suppliers ($17): Get a list of all of the suppliers you are working with, along with crucial stats and data that will allow you to see which relationships are worth your time.
- Upsell ($37): Display additional related products to customers when they are buying a product.
- Google Merchant ($27): Advertise your products on the Google advertising network.
- Social Rabbit Plugin for WordPress ($69): Promote and share your products on social media. It also helps you promote your Instagram account and find popular curated content to share on social media.
- Urgency ($29): Add a countdown timer to offers to create urgency.
- Recent Sales Pop-Up ($29): Display a popup on your site that shows visitors the most recent purchases. This creates social proof.
You can also get the Add-On Bundle for $145. This bundle includes the following add-ons:
- Countdown Timer
- Facebook Business
- Recent Sales Pop-Up
- Google Merchant
- Upsell
- Social Rabbit
By getting the Add-On Bundle, you will save $63.
WooDropship
WooDropship does not offer any additional add-ons. However, since it is compatible with WooCommerce, you can use WooCommerce add-ons and tools.
Themes
AliDropship
AliDropship offers seven free themes that you can use with your store and the AliDropship plugin. For those using the WooCommerce version of the plugin, they offer two free themes and seven premium themes (of course, you can also use any WooCommerce themes).
WooDropship
WooDropship also offers a number of themes you can use. You can also use your own existing theme.
Services
Let’s take a look at other services provided by AliDropship and WooDropship, other than setting up a custom store and hosting.
AliDropship
Here are the services offered by AliDropship:
- AliDropship Plugin Setup ($99): This is useful for those who do not have the time to set up the AliDropship plugin themselves. This service includes setting up email notifications, the currency converter, a pricing markup formula, and more.
- Social Rabbit Plugin Setup ($79): They will set up the Social Rabbit plugin, including connecting it with the major social media platforms, uploading images to your media gallery, setting up sharing times and frequencies, and more. This does not include the actual plugin.
- Add-Ons Setup ($10): Includes setting up and configuring an add-on other than the Social Rabbit Plugin.
- Product Data Entry ($2 per product): Includes finding good suppliers, uploading products, and editing product descriptions and images.
- Custom Design ($30 per hour): Custom design for logos, images, social media posts, websites, and more.
- Theme Switching ($89): Includes setting up a theme, adding categories and menus, including widgets and other elements that were present in your previous theme, and professional design.
- Website Installation ($37): Includes setting up a website, including installing a database, AliDropship, WooCommerce, and more.
- Custom Development ($30 an hour): Any additional customizations to your website.
- Social Media Setup ($19): Includes setting up and integrating your social media profiles, along with custom design.
- SEO Starter Pack ($89): Includes basic SEO services, such as an article for your website, on-site optimization, backlinks creation, and more.
- SEO Copywriting (Starting at $40/article): Includes professionally-written SEO content.
- Promo Video Creation ($69)
- Banner Ads Design ($45)
- Facebook and Instagram Ads ($59)
- Email Marketing Setup ($89)
- Deep Niche research ($49)
- Website Checkup ($69): Includes a professional review of your site, along with recommendations for improvements.
- Marketing Services Bundle ($279): Includes a review of your store, advertising services, and email marketing setup.
One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment, and more.
WooDropship
WooDropship does not offer any additional services, other than setting up a custom store for you.
Hosting
AliDropship
AliDropship offers hosting to people who are using the plugin on their site. The hosting service is optimized for websites that have the AliDropship plugin installed.
AliDropship’s hosting uses a cPanel and PHP 7.4. All plans include a Free SSL certificate and unlimited bandwidth.
Plans are as follows:
- $48/year: 3GB disc space, 20 email addresses, up to five websites
- $86/year: 8GB disc space, 40 email addresses, up to 10 websites
- $129/year: 12GB disc space, 40 email addresses, up to 10 websites
- $220/year: 17GB disc space, 80 email addresses, up to 30 websites
Various hosting-related services are offered, starting at $20/hour. For server related services and configurations, the price starts at $40/hour.
WooDropship
WooDropship offers one year of shared hosting for free when you purchase a custom store. This includes 100 GB of storage.
Support and Resources
AliDropship
AliDropship has an extensive knowledge base with articles covering common topics and issues that will come up when installing and using the plugin.
In addition, there is the AliDropship Dropshipping Forum. This is a place where dropshippers come together to discuss topics related to the plugin and dropshipping in general.
AliDropship also has a number of helpful guides, quizzes, and articles with useful information to help you succeed with dropshipping.
AliDropship is also available in Spanish.
To contact the support team, you can send them an email via the contact form on their website.
WooDropship
WooDropship also has a help center with useful articles, as well as a blog with tips and tutorials.
To contact the support team, you can either send them an email or chat with them via the live chat box on their site.
Pricing
While we have discussed pricing options for various add-ons and additional services, here we will see how much the actual plugins cost.
AliDropship
AliDropship costs a one-time fee of only $89. This includes unlimited products and lifetime support and updates.
One-click import, process automation, unlimited product choice, free updates, number of tools, one-time payment, and more.
Although there is no free trial available, you can see a live demo of both the regular version and the WooCommerce version of the plugin, along with add-ons installed.
WooDropship
Previously, WooDropship had three pricing options; however, at the moment, WooDropship has only one pricing plan billed at $49 for lifetime usage.
Additionally, users can make unlimited product imports and orders. Also, they are provided with prirority support.
WooDropship vs AliDropship: Pros And Cons
WooDropship Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Free image editor for editing images
- Automated price and inventory updates
- Easy product management
- Automated invoice generator
- Reliable store statistics
- Google Chrome extension
WooDropship Cons
- No extra add-ons
- Few resources for customer support
AliDropship Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Imports unlimited products and product details from AliExpress
- Integrates with WooCommerce
- Automated coupon generation
- Multiple payment options
- Lifetime payment
- Free lifetime support
- Automatic updates
AliDropship Cons
- You need to be familiar with WordPress to use AliDropship
- No free Webhosting
AliDropship vs WooDropship: Similarities And Differences
Similarities
- Both AliDropship and WooDropship are compatible with WordPress CMS.
- They both have automatic product import features that let you import unlimited products from AliExpress
- Both WooDropship and AliDropship have automated inventory and price update features
- Orders are fulfilled automatically on both platforms
- Both dropshipping plugins offers free updates
- With either AliDropship or WooDropship, you are provided with Google Chrome extension
Differences
- You can import product ratings and reviews from AliExpress; this feature is not available on WooDropship
- AliDropship offers automated order tracking; this feature is absent on WooDropship
- AliDropship offers users a vast theme repository; unlike WooDropship, with limited themes available in its repository
- WooDropship is availed at $49 for a lifetime subscription, unlike AliDropship which costs $89 for a lifetime subscription
- WooDropship offers you free web hosting for custom store; however, you have to pay for hosting fees if you choose to use AliDropship.
AliDropship vs WooDropship – Which Is Better?
AliDropship is the clear winner here.
They offer a one-time fee, which will save you money in the long run.
In addition, they have more features and many different add-on tools and services that you can purchase to take your store to the next level or outsource your store setup or marketing.
The benefit of WooDropship is that in the beginning, it will require a lower startup fee, both for the plugin itself and for the custom store (which includes hosting for one year).
Thus, it may be a better option for smaller businesses who are just starting out. In addition, some may find their interface easier to use.