External Store for Shopify vs Simple Catalog for WooCommerce (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

External Store for Shopify

External Store for Shopify

3.4(5)

3.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 month ago
View External Store for Shopify
VS
Simple Catalog for WooCommerce

Simple Catalog for WooCommerce

5(8)

1.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 11 months ago
View Simple Catalog for WooCommerce

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Simple Catalog for WooCommerce has a higher user rating (5/5 from 8 reviews) while External Store for Shopify leads in active installations (3.0K+ vs 1.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. External Store for Shopify has accumulated 97K+ total downloads while Simple Catalog for WooCommerce has 28K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
3.4/5External Store for Shopify
Simple Catalog for WooCommerce5/5
Total Reviews
5External Store for Shopify
Simple Catalog for WooCommerce8
Active Installs
3.0K+External Store for Shopify
Simple Catalog for WooCommerce1.0K+
Total Downloads
97K+External Store for Shopify
Simple Catalog for WooCommerce28K+
Support Resolution
100%External Store for Shopify
Simple Catalog for WooCommerceN/A
Last Updated
1 month agoExternal Store for Shopify
Simple Catalog for WooCommerce11 months ago
First Released
2018External Store for Shopify
Simple Catalog for WooCommerce2016
Age
8 yearsExternal Store for Shopify
Simple Catalog for WooCommerce10 years
WP Requires
4.3+External Store for Shopify
Simple Catalog for WooCommerce4.6+
PHP Requires
false+External Store for Shopify
Simple Catalog for WooCommerce5.6+
Business Model
FreeExternal Store for Shopify
Simple Catalog for WooCommerceFree
Latest Version
1.6.0External Store for Shopify
Simple Catalog for WooCommerce1.5.0

Rating Breakdown

External Store for Shopify

3.4/5(5 reviews)
5
60%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
40%

Simple Catalog for WooCommerce

5/5(8 reviews)
5
100%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%

Recent Reviews

External Store for Shopify Reviews

by bbdm

Great plugin and support

Fahad has been incredibly helpful in getting the plugin setup and working best for our website. So appreciative!!

by wobfan

Not well documented

The documentation for this plugin is below all standards. The default reocmmendation when you click on the only help symbol in the plugin is a 1.5 min video where the author basically explains nothing

by LexGear

Working with the help of support

Had some issues to begin with but Fahad came to the rescue and resolved my issue very quickly. Would be nice to have some warnings to indicate that there is a connection issue, but other than that, I

Simple Catalog for WooCommerce Reviews

by spala

very good, however i detected an error

i want give it 5 stars but there is a problem… variation i mages no longer change after hide the “add to cart” button, it does change if you dont add gallery pictures, but if you add gallery images… a

by ZnetGuru

perfect

just perfect … 1000 thxs to develloper This topic was modified 7 years ago by ZnetGuru.

by arleydaza

Perfecto!

Funciona de maravilla y totalmente compatible con las últimas versiones de Woocommerce y WordPress (May/2018). Many Thanks!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is External Store for Shopify or Simple Catalog for WooCommerce more popular?
External Store for Shopify has 3.0K+ active installations while Simple Catalog for WooCommerce has 1.0K+. External Store for Shopify is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — External Store for Shopify or Simple Catalog for WooCommerce?
External Store for Shopify has a 3.4/5 rating from 5 reviews, while Simple Catalog for WooCommerce has a 5/5 rating from 8 reviews.
Are External Store for Shopify and Simple Catalog for WooCommerce free?
External Store for Shopify is free and Simple Catalog for WooCommerce is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — External Store for Shopify or Simple Catalog for WooCommerce?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
External Store for Shopify was last updated 1 month ago and Simple Catalog for WooCommerce was last updated 11 months ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.