Written as a ghostwriter for a private client. The original publication is no longer available. Shared for portfolio purposes only.
12 March 2021
Dropified Vs Oberlo
When it comes to running an effective eCommerce business, there are a whole host of things you need to think about. And while a dropshipping business takes away the pressure of finding a warehouse or actually shipping the items to customers yourself, there are still plenty of things that can go wrong.
With a quality dropshipping app, you can streamline your eCommerce business. These apps provide a much-needed link between your online store and the suppliers who create, store, and ship products for you.
While there are plenty of dropshipping apps out there, two tend to stand out time and time again: Dropified and Oberlo.
Dropified and Oberlo are two of the most popular e-commerce apps out there at the moment. They were developed within about 6 months of each other and both are designed to help streamline dropshipping to make your online store work more efficiently and profitably than ever before. They are both compatible with Shopify, and include a whole host of features to make it easier to find products, import them to your store, and aid you with order fulfilment.
But while Oberlo and Dropified both aim to make your dropshipping life easier, with so many similarities between the two can make it tricky to decide which one is best for your eCommerce business. So, we’ve decided to help you make that all-important decision with this comprehensive, unbiased (pretty rare on this particular subject) Oberlo vs Dropified review.
In this review, we’re going to look at Oberlo and Dropified and the services offered by each in detail. We’ll be looking at the similarities and differences between the two, and end with a detailed conclusion on which is likely to suit your business best… And why.
Oberlo vs Dropified: What are they?
Before we look into the differences between the two dropshipping apps, let’s take a moment to understand what each one offers, so you can start selling with confidence.
What is Oberlo?
Oberlo was one of the first dropshipping apps to make waves in the e-commerce industry. It was founded by a group of friends in 2015, and almost immediately hit the #1 spot in the Shopify app store, retaining its status as a trusted platform to this day. To date, over 100 million products have been sold using the Oberlo app and over 700,000 users have downloaded the Chrome extension from the Google app store.
Oberlo works uniquely with Shopify and acts as a go-between to help you easily import products from AliExpress suppliers directly to your Shopify store. The Chrome extension allows you to easily import products directly from the AliExpress website, or you can use the Oberlo marketplace – where you can find verified suppliers and tools to help with your product research.
It’s also easy to customize products using Oberlo, with the ability to add and amend product images, write your own product description, adjust the title, fix pricing, and much more.
Oberlo also aids with order fulfilment, making it almost effortless to organize customer orders and send products in just a few clicks.
The Oberlo starter plan is completely free of charge, and their most expensive subscription plan is $70.90. There’s a 90-day free trial that lets you test the perks of the Pro Plan, and you can use Oberlo at your chosen price point for as long as you need.
What is Dropified?
Dropified incorporates many of the same features that Oberlo offers, but one of the key distinctions is the range of e-commerce platforms that are supported by the Dropified app. These include:
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- BigCommerce
- GrooveKart
- CommerceHQ
- eBay
- AilExpress
Dropified also connects dropshippers to a wider variety of suppliers, so you can import products from more sources to fill your eCommerce store. What’s more, Dropified can be used with multiple stores, so you don’t need to log in and out if your business works over multiple platforms and online shops.
Similarly to Oberlo, Dropified offers the ability to quickly and easily launch a new eCommerce store, find products, import products, and fulfil orders in a few simple clicks. Dropified also offers a downloadable Chrome extension to make importing products quick and easy, plus a range of extra features and add-ons to make running your online business even simpler – it can even help with marketing.
At the time of writing, Dropified boasts of over 44,714 satisfied customers, and their Chrome extension has been downloaded over 40,000 times.
Dropified’s cheapest plan starts at $17 per month, and their most expensive plan, Dropified Black, costs $297 per month. They do offer a discount for businesses who pay annually, which can save up to $567 per year on the Black plan. If you want to dip your toes in the water, Dropified also offers a 14-day free trial to any of their subscription services.
Oberlo vs Dropified: Comparisons
Now we’ve seen an overview of what Oberlo and Dropified are, it’s time to dive a little deeper into the services and features offered by both. To help you come to an informed conclusion on which is best, we’ll be covering the following:
- Which eCommerce platforms are compatible with each app.
- Where you can connect with product suppliers.
- Dropshipping pricing and whether they offer a free plan.
- Customer support.
- How to find and import products.
- Product customization options.
- Whether you can import existing product reviews.
- How to fulfil orders and automation options.
- The Chrome extensions offered by each platform.
- Extra features and applications.
- Useability
- Learning guides and resources.
Dropified vs Oberlo: eCommerce Platforms
One of the first things any dropshipping business is going to want to know about Oberlo and Dropified is which e-commerce platforms they support. There’s no use in paying for a dropshipping app that doesn’t work with your chosen online store.
Oberlo
Oberlo works exclusively with Shopify, making it quick and easily to import products to your Shopify store. You can get started with Oberlo directly via the Shopify app store, or link your account in seconds via the Oberlo admin page.
It is worth noting that a single Oberlo account only supports one Shopify store at a time; there is no way of managing multiple stores with one account.
Dropified
Dropified offers a much boarder selection of dropshipping platforms for you to sell products from. In addition to being compatible with your Shopify store, you can also use Dropified with WooCommerce, BigCommerce, GrooveKart, eBay, AliExpress, and CommerceHQ.
Dropified vs Oberlo: Suppliers and Products
Almost as important as which platform you use to sell products, sourcing your products from reputable suppliers is vital for a successful dropshipping business. The sites supported by the dropshipping service will dramatically influence your product research and will make the difference between successful automatic order fulfilment and hours of wasted time.
Oberlo
Oberlo and its downloadable Chrome extension both work exclusively with AliExpress for product import. Using the extension, you can import directly from the AliExpress website (the Chrome extension will turn blue when you’re on a page with an importable product) in just a couple of clicks.
The Oberlo marketplace also works with AliExpress, allowing you to find products and bundled products to import into your store almost instantly. The marketplace offers the additional benefit of making it easy to find bestselling products, plus future bestsellers, and high-potential products.
Dropified
Just like Dropified offers more selling platforms, it also works with more suppliers to provide you with more product import options. In fact, Dropified allows you to import from over 75 different sites, including:
- AliExpress
- eBay
- Etsy
- Walmart
- SammyDress
- Overstock
- Wish.com
- And many more.
These sites all support Dropified’s one-click ordering and importing process and is even easier with the Dropified Chrome extension.
In addition to this selection of product boards, Dropified customers also have the option to source products from the Dropified US product database, which offers faster shipping to US customers.
Dropified vs Oberlo: Pricing
Whether you’re a dropshipping enterprise or a first-time small business, finding a package at the right price point can make a huge difference to the profitability of your business.
You can pick up a 14-day free trail with Dropified. Oberlo, on the other hand, offers a 30-day free trail plus an always-free starter plan to help you start selling without huge upfront costs.
Dropified Pricing
Dropified offers three different pricing levels to suit a range of business models and requirements. The cheapest option is the Builder Plan, which starts at $47 per month, while the most expensive option is the Supplements on Demand Plan, which costs $197 per month. Dropified also offers a Black subscription plan, costing $297 per month, which includes a whole host of bonus features and a free subscription to the Dropified Black magazine.
If you choose to pay annually, you can benefit using Dropified, as they offer discounts for annual subscriptions that can save you up to $96 per year on the Builder plan. You can also try any of the plans out free for 14-days.
Oberlo Pricing
Oberlo is a hugely accessible platform, with affordable price plans to enable dropshippers to benefit from their services without even spending a cent! Oberlo’s cheapest option is their free starter plan, which costs absolutely nothing and includes a surprisingly comprehensive range of features and benefits.
Oberlo takes a user-friendly, no-pressure approach to dropshipping, so users who select the starter plan won’t be under any stress to upgrade until or unless it suits their business model.
Oberlo’s most expensive option is the Oberlo pro plan, which costs $79.90 per month and includes more advanced features, such as:
- Variant mapping
- Bulk order processing
- Real-time order tracking
- Access to the Oberlo affiliate program
- Order fulfilment monitoring
- CAPTCHA solver
Oberlo doesn’t offer any discounts for annual subscriptions. If you’re thinking of taking advantage of Oberlo Pro, you can try this plan free for 30-days without needing to enter your credit card or billing information until or unless you wish to subscribe to a paid plan.
Dropified vs Obero Customer Support
Whether you’re having problems with your Google product feeds or need help understanding your monthly orders profit dashboard, we all know that a good customer support team is vital to smooth operations and happy customers.
Dropified
The Dropified customer support team is on-hand to answer any of your queries during regular office hours (Monday to Friday, 8am-5pm Central US time), although they do have a reduced staff to assist on evenings and weekends, too.
You can contact the Dropified support team via email, live chat, or Facebook messenger.
To further assist customers, Dropified also contains a vast selection of training videos, detailed blogs, and a thorough FAQ section.
Oberlo
Oberlo’s customer support is available 24/7 via email or live chat, so they do take the prize when it comes to easily accessible support and help. Plus, the Help Centre is filled with really useful blogs, guides, advice, and answers from the Oberlo team.
In addition to their Help Centre, Oberlo also has a huge selection of online resources to help users navigate the features and services offered by the dropshipping app. The ‘Oberlo 101 course’ is particularly useful, and you’ll find plenty of how-to videos at every turn.
Dropified vs Oberlo: Find and Import Products
Creating a high-quality product inventory for your customers to browse is probably the most important aspect for any successful store. If you’re dropshipping, it’s even more essential to pick the highest quality products to import and sell.
Finding items to sell on supplier websites and import them into your store is really the whole point of a dropshipping app, so if this isn’t quick and easy, you’re wasting your money!
How to create a product inventory with Oberlo
Oberlo works exclusively with suppliers listed on AliExpress to provide you with an import system that takes just a few seconds to master, and a couple of clicks to complete. You can shop via the Oberlo marketplace, or download the Oberlo Chrome extension to import directly from AliExpress.
Once you’ve found an item you like, click “Add to import list” (or “add to Oberlo” if you’re using the extension on the AliExpress website). From there, you’ll be able to customize your product images, description, title, and pretty much every other aspect to make the listing perfect for your store image and SEO.
How to create a product inventory with Dropified
The easiest way to import with Dropified is via the Chrome extension. To do this, you’ll need to head to the main menu in your Dropified account, then click on “products” followed by “Import product.”
From here, you’ll be able to see the suppliers who support Dropified’s full automation services, and a green button that links to a training guide for how to import using this system.
Scroll down this page for a list of other one-click supported supplier websites. Click on the supplier you wish to import from to be taken to their website and search for a product you want to import. Once you’ve found an item you like, click the extension button at the top of your browser and you’ll find all the product information has been automatically completed in the extension. Make any changes you like, then choose “send to my store” or “save for later.”
Dropified vs Oberlo: Product Customization
When dropshipping, you’ll probably notice that not all of the product titles and descriptions are quite what you’d like them to be. Often, suppliers will use mass keywords in an attempt to gain maximum SEO points, or write in poor English that simply doesn’t look great on a professional website.
Thankfully, Oberlo and Dropified both provide the option to edit and customize your product listings before posting them, so you can keep your site looking neat, tidy, and professional.
Oberlo customization options
With Oberlo, you can customize and edit pretty much every aspect of a product directly from the import list. Some of the things you can customize from this screen include:
- The product title.
- The description.
- The images.
- Product price and weights.
- Types and tags.
- Add the product to a specific collection.
You can also bulk update multiple product price points manually or automatically. This option allows you to set a new value for multiple products at once, or you can enter a multiplier value to increase or decrease the value across the board.
Dropified customization options
Dropified also provides the ability to customize products before posting. You can do this in the Chrome extension, or in your Dropified account. Some of the aspects that can be edited using Dropified include:
- The product title.
- The description.
- The product images.
- The product price and weight.
- Type and tags.
- Vendor name.
- Add or delete variants.
You can also add a “compare at price” button, plus Dropified features an advanced image editing tool to make any new pictures look even better.
Dropified vs Oberlo: Import Product Reviews
If you’re running a small business and don’t have much social proof yet, you might want to take product reviews from the supplier to give your customers an idea of what they can expect from the items you’ve listed on your website.
To make this easier, both Dropified and Oberlo offer the ability to import product reviews. Not only does this save you time and hassle, but it also aids your marketing strategy as customers tend to trust products that have been reviewed by real people far more than they will trust any brand or business.
How to import reviews with Dropified
The ability to import reviews with Dropified is currently only available when you’re using a Shopify or WooCommerce store (regardless of which plan you’re paying for) and you can only import reviews from AliExpress.
To use this feature, you’ll need to install the AliExpress Reviews Importer from the Addon store. You can also install the free Product Reviews App from the Shopify app store, or the WebToffee Reviews Plugin to import reviews to WooCommerce.
How to import reviews with Oberlo
Like Dropified, Oberlo also provides the ability to bring product reviews from AliExpress onto your Shopify store. To do this, all you’ll need to do is click the “import reviews” button, select your criteria, then wait around one minute to enable Oberlo to transfer your chosen reviews from AliExpress to Shopify.
Dropified vs Oberlo: Order Fulfillment
Dropified and Oberlo are both designed to make importing products from your chosen supplier to your online store quick and easy, but they also both go a step beyond importing by aiding your order fulfilment process.
These automated tools make completing customer orders virtually effortless. No more wasting time completing customer information on the supplier website, with these tools you can sit back and relax while the system handles everything for you.
Oberlo Orders
Oberlo’s auto-place orders feature makes it virtually effortless to deal with your customer’s requests.
When a customer places an order, the information is sent directly to Oberlo, where it will show as “unfulfilled.” All you need to do is hit the “order product” button and Oberlo will complete the product and shipping information for you automatically.
In any Oberlo price plan (including the free option), you can auto-place unlimited orders per month in seconds. The “sync this page” and “sync all orders” buttons on the AliExpress checkout page also automatically updated Oberlo and Shopify to mark the order as “fulfilled.”
In the Oberlo premier plan, the system is also able to handle bundled products and bulk orders, plus you’ll receive real-time order tracking on every item.
Dropified Orders
Dropified also aids with the order fulfilment process for dropshippers, taking the customer order from your eCommerce store and passing the information directly to the supplier. Saving you countless hours filling in customer addresses and other information.
One of the main differences between Oberlo and Dropified is that, although Oberlo does allow you to create product bundles, it isn’t able to auto-place bundled orders. Dropified, however, can auto-place bundled products, meaning you don’t have to manage multiple vendors or platforms while completing an order.
Dropified also allows customers to enjoy unlimited auto-placed orders per month, so you don’t need to worry about running out of this feature on any price plan or either app.
Dropified vs Oberlo: Resources
In addition to providing plenty of tools and features to help you streamline your business, both Dropified and Oberlo are also here to help you grow and advance as a dropshipper.
The wealth of resources available on both platforms are excellent, not just for helping you learn the systems and software of each app, but also to help you learn some tricks of the trade to become a better dropshipper and business owner generally.
Oberlo
Oberlo really prides itself on being an excellent resource for dropshippers of all sizes. Their Help Center is packed full of useful advice and answers from the support team, while the blog contains countless articles from real-life dropshippers and successful business owners to help you thrive.
Oberlo also has a wide range of video resources and a selection of impressive free business tools for you to try out. Your Oberlo subscription will even include up to two digital courses with Level Up on the free plan, and unlimited courses plus one-on-one coaching with the paid plans.
Dropified
The Dropified Academy is where you’ll find the majority of the learning resources offered by Dropified. Their YouTube channel is also an incredibly handy resource, teaching you “How to MASTER Dropified” and some top-tips on eCommerce management in general.
https://academy.dropified.com/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Facademy.dropified.com%2F
Oberlo vs Dropified: Which is best?
Now we’ve looked at some of the key features of Oberlo vs Dropified, it’s time to have a think about which is better for your business needs.
While both platform offer numerous similar features, they do outperform each other in particular areas. For example, Oberlo has a slightly better selection of learning resources and tools to help you take your business to the next level, while Dropified takes the win for fulfilling orders thanks to the ability to auto-place bulk orders, which saves a lot of time and effort.
Dropified is also compatible with a far wider range of platforms and suppliers, while Oberlo only works with Shopify stores and AliExpress, which may be restrictive for some users.
On the other hand, Oberlo’s free starter plan is a clear winner for affordability. Not only can you use Oberlo indefinitely without ever paying a cent (although, naturally, you’ll receive fewer features and more limits), but their free trial period for the premium plan is also far superior to Dropified in terms of value for money as it lasts for 30-days, while Dropified requires payment after just two weeks.
Overall, we think both platforms are certainly worthwhile, but perhaps the question shouldn’t be which is better, but instead what does my business need?
For example, a small starter business probably doesn’t need to worry about huge orders from multiple suppliers, therefore the ability to auto-place bundled orders that sets Dropified ahead doesn’t matter.
Comparatively, larger businesses would hugely benefit from the wide range of extra features offered by Dropified. Some particularly beneficial features that we haven’t looked at in this review include marketing aids such as CallFlex and TubeHunt, which make general business management more streamlined. Whereas Oberlo is quite single-minded on aiding dropshippers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we believe that with its wealth of resources, incredibly user-friendly and easy-to understand interface, intuitive Chrome extension, and selection of affordable (or free) price plans, Oberlo is the best dropshipping app for small businesses and beginner dropshippers.
Dropified, then, comes out on top for more advanced dropshippers thanks to its focus on overall business management and extra tools and addons. The ability to receive a discount for paying annually is also a great perk for larger businesses.
Best for beginners: Oberlo
Best for a larger dropshipping business: Dropified
PS Copywriting 