Compare Wordpress vs Tangram

WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS). It’s a popular tool for to build websites and blogs without code due to its low initial price barriers and large inventory of plugins. Although Wordpress is open-source and free, if you want to publish your website anywhere and utilize any of the ecosystem’s plugins a monthly subscription will need to be paid for each tool required (e.g. hosting, commerce, front-end templates, etc). This can quickly add up.

Below are some marketplace features that are not easily available with Wordpress but are with Tangram:

• in-app chat
• ability to handle multiple transaction types/flows
• ability to handle multiple user onboarding types/flows
• the ability to paywall marketplace-specific behaviors using subscriptions
• team/business accounts for b2b marketplaces
• personal text/video support from a dedicate expert
• automatic payouts‍

However, the biggest feedback we hear from non-technical business owners who have tried to build a marketplace using Wordpress on their own is that it is very time consuming to learn to build on as the user interface is not the most intuitive/friendly. Having to “Frankenstein” together plugins and pray that they work together on a platform not built specifically for marketplaces isn’t an enjoyable experience. Especially when looking to launch your app as fast as possible. Outsourcing this work to a Wordpress developer can quickly increase the cost of getting a marketplace launched within the range of thousands of dollars.

Tangram is likely a better option for launching an online marketplace. With Tangram, most core marketplace functionalities to do with payments/payouts, scheduling, chat, email/SMS notifications, and user authentication are already set up. Tangram is built for marketplace businesses, so every integration is built to serve marketplace-specific business models. As part of their SaaS subscription, Tangram also provides customers with a personal Tangram Expert to help set up their platform. Tangram Expert’s are available via a private Slack channel with an average response time of ~5 min!

Wordpress can be a good choice if you are familiar with their tool or have the time and desire to learn how to use it. It can also be a good way to publish a landing page or mockup of your marketplace concept quickly and cheaply in order to validate that it is a concept customers want. Although a mockup may have limited marketplace functionality, it can be a great way to learn what features your customers actually need to justify payment to your marketplace.

Whichever no-code tools you end up choosing to launch your marketplace, if you have the time you should try building the app yourself (or at least get familiar with how to make changes on your own). Both Tangram and Wordpress plugins often offer free trials. These trials are a great time to explore the capabilities of each tool and understand if they are truly the right fit.

If you're still unsure what no-code marketplace software makes the most sense for your business, check out the comparison table below or take this no-code marketplace software quiz.