This article will show you the comparison between Dokan vs WC Marketplace. Both are multi-vendor marketplace solution based on WordPress and WooCommerce. Hope this comparison between Dokan vs WC Marketplace will give you the clear picture which one is the best.

If you are planning to create an online marketplace, then this is the right time. The concept of a multi-vendor marketplace is not just for the local farmer’s market but now also is an available platform that has spawned many internet success stories. There are several commercial website tools and plugins available that can transform a basic WordPress website into a custom marketplace.

What is Dokan Multi-vendor Marketplace?

Dokan multi-vendor plugin is the most popular marketplace solution for WordPress. It lets entrepreneur to create and manage their own online marketplace that caters to multiple vendors from around the world. Dokan has a separate dashboard for admins and vendors which is the best feature of this solution.

According to a statistics Dokan is becoming the tough competitor to the autonomous marketplaces like Magento, BigCommerce, Shopify etc.

With Dokan, users give online vendors a space on the internet where they can set up and run their own store, manage all aspects of their operations, and grow their business. It is the ideal plugin to built the multi-vendor marketplace like Amazon or eBay.

It comes with an intuitive front end that even vendors with limited to no e-commerce experience can create their own store and sell immediately. Vendors can leverage the power of professionally crafted storefront, ensuring their customers have the best marketplace experience whenever they visit.

Dokan is compatible with over a hundred WooCommerce themes, making it easy for online vendors to set up their store without having to start from scratch.

Till now, Dokan has created more than 10,000+ online marketplaces world-wide and has downloaded more than 173,000 times.

Download Dokan from here.

Why Dokan?

Dokan has some splendid features with its minimalist design. Here are the features:

Powerful User-Friendly Dashboard

Dokan has the full WooCommerce options to frontend. Sellers can manage almost everything without touching WordPress backend. From editing their profile information to manage products, orders and all other features, vendors can do it directly from the frontend dashboard.

Vendor-Admin Facility

With Dokan vendors can:

• Upload products according to their requirement.
• Dokan has quick editing option.
• Vendors can run their own offers. They can also add blogs and reviews.
• But admins has got the ultimate power.

Advanced Product Options

With Dokan seller can customize advanced product options such as product variations, stock, discounted price, scheduling of discount, SKU, limit quantity per order, allow/disallow back orders, image gallery etc..

View orders/update order status

In Dokan, sellers can view all orders, filter orders by date or order status. They can update order status (such as processing, pending, shipped etc..)

Percentage based custom commission system

As admin you can set custom commission per sale, based on percentage system. You can add a specific commission for a specific seller.

Custom coupons for sellers

Dokan makes things easier by incorporating the coupon system for WooCommerce into frontend and sellers can feel free to create their own custom coupons.

Seller verification add-on

In Dokan, there is seller verification add-on. Seller verification add-on adds the verification option to your website. If you want to make your website more reliable, you can add a verification system. Verification add-on adds photo ID upload, phone verification and social media sites account verification like Twitter, Facebook.

Fund withdrawal options

Dokan has PayPal and Skrill as withdrawal options. There are also PayPal adaptive and Stripe options but as paid options.

Custom store options 

Sellers can add custom banner to their web store pages, contact form,  social media links, Google map etc..

Vacation mode for sellers

Vacation mode for sellers is one of the most important features for a marketplace. If seller wants to pause their store for some times, they can put their store on hold for a certain period of time. Vacation mode will avoid unwanted orders and their unfortunate cancellation after order placement. This mode helps sellers avoid negative customers feedback.

Sellers can edit customer reviews

As a site admin you can enable customer review options. After enabling this option sellers can manage their customer reviews.

Support system

Support system is available in Dokan as add-on. If site admin enable this add-on, sellers will have a support button on their web store page. Customers can generate support tickets which in turn should be be handled by sellers.

Tax Options

Dokan sellers now have options to customize tax on their own.

Pricing

The Pricing plan of Dokan seemed most convenient to any beginner.

What is WC Marketplace?

WC Marketplace is a WordPress plugin which works with WooCommerce. This plugin can turn your WordPress site into an online marketplace. You can get this plugin free and you can download the plugin from WordPress repository. However, if you want to add advanced features like product front-end editing, front-end reporting etc, you have to buy WC MarketPlace Plugin premium add-ons.

Features of WC MarketPlace Plugin

WC Marketplace has the following features:

Payment Gateway

This plugin support Stripe and PayPal instant payment, payment threshold, front-end product editing for vendors, vendor approval function, custom commission settings for different products.

Vendor Dashboard

A user-friendly dashboard for your vendors to offer a screenshot view of their entire store. The feature helps them to manage their products, commission, track orders and plenty more. All that from a single place.

Admin Control Panel

WC Marketplace comes with some more options in admin control panel such as automatic payment scheduling for vendors, PayPal mass pay option, payment on withdrawal request etc.

Ability To Enable Users To Register As Vendors/Sellers

If you host a WordPress online store running WooCommerce then you can allow users to register as vendors/sellers. These vendor’s requests will then show up in your To-do List tab where you can approve/disapprove them as vendors/sellers. The same To-do List tab will also list the products for review submitted by the approved vendors/sellers.

Customizable Email Notifications

The plugin provides 12 customizable email notification templates for the marketplace that the admin can change as per the requirements. The email templates available are New Vendor Account, Admin New Vendor Account, Approved Vendor Account, Rejected Vendor Account, Vendor New order, Notify as Shipped, New Vendor Product, New Vendor Product By Admin, Transactions for Vendor, Commission Paid for Vendor by BAC, Withdrawal request to Admin from Vendor by BAC.

Dokan Multi-vendor vs WC Marketplace: Full Feature Comparison

Here is the details full features comparison:

Features	WC Marketplace	Dokan
General Important Points
1. Demo	✓	✓
- single site demo for all features & extensions	X	✓
Scores	1 out of 2	2 out of 2
2. Detailed Documentation	✓	✓
Scores	1 out of 1	1 out of 1
3. Support	✓	✓
- Live chat	X	✓
- Ticket & emails	X	✓
- Contact forms	✓	✓
- Forums	✓	X
- Facebook group	X	✓
Scores	4 out of 7	6 out of 7
4. Built-in Multilingual support	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 1	1 out of 1
5. Multiple widgets & custom theme	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 1	1 out of 1
6. Pricing bundles	X	✓
- Price	$320	$499
- Sites	3	5
- Extensions	9	24
Total Scores in this category	6 out of 12	11 out of 12
Admin Dashboard
7. Admin dashboard overview with meaningful marketplace data & insights	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 1	1 out of 1
8. Withdrawals	✓	✓
- Allow vendors to request for withdrawals by default	X	✓
- Automatic disbursement of commissions with schedule	✓	X
- Free withdrawals and let vendors pay withdrawal charge	✓	X
- Withdrawal threshold and minimum number of days to pass before disbursement	✓	✓
- Withdraw threshold	✓	✓
- Minimum withdraw limit	✓	✓
- Order status for withdraw	X	✓
Scores	6 out of 8	6 out of 8
9. Restrict vendors from accessing admin backend	Paid	Free
10. Built-in Refund Management	X	✓
- Built-in system in front-end for vendors to request for customer order refunds	X	✓
- Built-in system in backend for admins to review refund reasons, amount, approve, reject and manage in other ways	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 3	3 out of 3
11. Admin reports	✓	✓
-Displays logs of all orders	X	✓
- Graphical display of store stats by vendor	X	✓
- Shows number of products created, withdrawals, net earnings, sales, signups by month, year and custom range	X	✓
Scores	1 out of 4	4 out of 4
12. Extensions	✓	✓
- Modules system with easy toggle on and off and lower prices	X	✓
Scores	1 out of 2	2 out of 2
13. Handy tools	X	✓
- Automatically create pages	X	✓
- Scan for duplicate orders	X	✓
- Re-builds order sync table	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 4	4 out of 4
14. Upgrade license from back-end	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 1	1 out of 1
15. Built-in customizable vendor registration form	✓	X
- Email verification during registration	X	✓
Scores	1 out of 2	1 out of 2
16. Commissions	✓	✓
- More than 2 types of commission	✓	X
- Vendors can select payment methods from frontend	✓	X
- Admins can share coupon discount with vendors	✓	X
- Admins can transfer payment gateway charge, shipping and tax charges to vendor	✓	✓
Scores	5 out of 5	2 out of 5
17. Welcome Wizard for New Vendors	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 1	1 out of 1
18. Disable vendors from accessing admin back-end by default	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 1	1 out of 1
19. Enable terms & conditions field in registration forms & vendor stores	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 1	1 out of 1
20. Default email notification on product submission	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 1	1 out of 1
21. Define the store banner width & height	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 1	1 out of 1
22. Store policy	X	✓
- Show privacy policy in separate page	✓	✓
- Enable privacy policy in contact forms	✓	✓
Scores	2 out of 3	3 out of 3
23. Search items using product GTIN	✓	X
Scores	1 out of 1	0 out of 1
24. Store layouts and templates	3	4
25. Built-in customizable email notification templates for different premium features & extensions	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 1	1 out of 1
Total Scores in this category	17 out of 40	33 out of 40
Vendor Dashboard
26. Product Categories	✓	✓
- Vendors can add multiple categories	X	✓
- Vendors can create categories from back-end	✓	X
Scores	2 out of 3	2 out of 3
27. Product Tags	✓	✓
- Vendors can create their own tags from front-end	X	✓
Scores	1 out of 2	2 out of 2
28. Product inquiry form on store page	✓	✓
- Define privacy policy for visitors	X	✓
Scores	1 out of 2	2 out of 2
29. Low stock and out of stock alerts for vendors	✓	X
Scores	1 out of 1	0 out of 1
30. Zone-wise shipping	✓	✓
- Vendors can add their own shipping methods	✓	✓
- Separate back-end settings for admin	✓	✓
- Vendors can define processing times, shipping & refund policy from front-end	X	✓
Scores	3 out of 4	4 out of 4
31. Vendor-Admin Contact Form	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 1	1 out of 1
32. Vendor can define store slug	✓	✓
- Vendor can change store slug	✓	X
Scores	2 out of 2	1 out of 2
33. Vendor overview	✓	✓
- Store insights: total sales, earnings, no. Of orders	✓	✓
- Store traffic & visitors’ map	✓	✓
- Product sales report & product stats	✓	✓
- Announcements, reviews and status-wise orders	X	✓
Scores	4 out of 5	5 out of 5
34. Store SEO	✓	✓
- Built-in SEO	Add-on	Premium Feature
- Facebook & Twitter pages	X	✓
- Front-end capability	X	✓
Scores	1 out of 3	3 out of 3
35. Product SEO from front-end	✓	✓
- Built-in SEO	Add-on	Premium Feature
- Back-end product SEO for admins	X	✓
Scores	1 out of 2	2 out of 2
36. Coupon management	✓	✓
- Built-in feature	X	✓
- Vendors can grant store-wide discount	X	✓
- Restrict by emails and categories	✓	✓
- Limit usage by user and number of items	✓	X
Scores	3 out of 5	4 out of 5
37. Upload different product types	✓	✓
- Simple	✓	✓
- Variable	✓	✓
- Grouped/Bundles	✓	✓
- External	✓	X
- Affiliate	✓	X
- Accommodation	✓	X
- Simple & Variable Subscription	✓	X
Scores	8 out of 8	4 out of 8
38. Vendor reports	✓	✓
- Top selling and top earning	X	✓
- Statement	X	✓
- No. of items purchased, worth of coupons used & spent on shipping charges	X	✓
Scores	1 out of 4	4 out of 4
Total Points Earned for the Best WooCommerce Vendor Dashboard	27 out of 40	32 out of 40
Advanced Features to customize & create different types of marketplaces
39. Vendor dashboard Color Scheme Customizer	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 1	1 out of 1
40. Store Support	✓	✓
- Manage user queries from front-end in ticket system	X	✓
- Admins can view and reply to queries	✓	X
- Exchange replies from front-end like versation	✓	✓
- Close & reopen tickets	X	✓
- Vendors can choose email templates, exclude products from inquiry, modify buttons	✓	X
- Smooth & easily understandable dashboard to store & keep track of customer queries	X	✓
Scores	4 out of 7	5 out of 7
41. Vendor Subscriptions	✓	✓
- Create unlimited membership packages using custom attributes	✓	✓
- Configure various types of emails	✓	X
- Admins can select the methods of payment to allow for vendors to purchase	✓	X
- Admins can define access privileges, billing, message, capabilities, limitations, upgrade	✓	X
- Add trial functionality in subscription packages	X	✓
Scores	5 out of 6	3 out of 6
42. Vendor Bookings	✓	✓
- Create bookings and send notifications	✓	X
Scores	2 out of 2	1 out of 2
43. Vendor Auctions	✓	✓
- Admin controls	X	✓
Scores	1 out of 2	2 out of 2
44. PDF Invoices	✓	✓
- Packing slips and vendor invoice	✓	✓
- Select template, what to show, send via email, add terms & conditions by vendors & admins	✓	X
Scores	3 out of 3	2 out of 3
45. Vendor Vacation	✓	✓
- Vendors can pre-select multiple dates for vacation	✓	X
- Set notification threshold	✓	X
Scores	3 out of 3	1 out of 3
46. Store opening & closing time	✓	✓
- Set hours of operation for every day of the week	✓	✓
- Set opening and closing notice	X	✓
Scores	2 out of 3	3 out of 3
47. Vendor Verification	✓	✓
- SMS verification	X	✓
- Social profiles	✓	✓
- Photo ID and address	✓	✓
- Separate verification requests page in backend	X	✓
Scores	3 out of 5	5 out of 5
48. Importer & Exporter	✓	✓
- Upload and download products in csv format directly from front-end dashboard	X	✓
Scores	1 out of 2	2 out of 2
49. Staff Manager	✓	✓
- Detailed privacy settings for individual staff members	X	✓
- Comprehensive range of permission controls	X	✓
- Frees admins of extra work	X	✓
Scores	1 out of 4	4 out of 4
50. Stripe & Paypal	✓	✓
- Paypal masspay gateway & paypal payout	✓	X
- Automatic refunds via stripe	X	✓
Scores	2 out of 3	2 out of 3
51. MOIP	X	✓
- Automatic payments	X	✓
- Direct checkout using credit card and bank transfer	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 3	3 out of 3
52. Product Duplicator for vendors	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 1	1 out of 1
53. Single Product Multi Vendor (SPMV)	✓	✓
- Admins can set the layout and text of the buttons	X	✓
- Admins can set the criteria for displaying spmv products	✓	X
Scores	2 out of 3	2 out of 3
54. Ajax live search	X	✓
- Instant results while typing	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 2	2 out of 2
55. Live chat	X	✓
- Real time chatting from anywhere around the marketplace	X	✓
- Mail notifications of conversations and offline messages	X	✓
- Store and track all live chat messages in vendor dashboard	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 4	4 out of 4
56. Follow Store	X	✓
- Stay updated about favourite stores via email	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 2	2 out of 2
57. Return & Warranty Request	X	✓
- Return, exchange, get partial or full refunds and refund as store credit	X	✓
- Add warranty for global and specific products	X	✓
- Vendors add return policy and reasons for return	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 4	4 out of 4
58. Wholesale	X	✓
- Add wholesale price and quantity front-end	X	✓
- Allow customers to apply as wholesale customers	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 3	3 out of 3
59. Geolocation	X	✓
- Customers can search for products and vendors in a specific area or radius	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 2	2 out of 2
60. Vendor reviews	✓	✓
- Vendors can manage reviews from front-end	X	✓
- Shows aggregate number of reviews and rank on storefront	X	✓
Scores	1 out of 3	3 out of 3
61. ShipStation	X	✓
- Vendors can import WC shipping orders, manage, generate labels and manage it all without a hassle from a single place	X	✓
Scores	0 out of 2	2 out of 2
Total Scores for WooCommerce Multi Vendor Advanced Features	30 out of 70	59 out of 70
The Best Multi Vendor WordPress Plugin →	WC Marketplace 82 out of 162	Dokan 135 out of 162

Who Should Use Dokan Plugin

You’re not going to knock Etsy or Upwork off their spot in the internet hierarchy. But if you have a great idea for a new twist on the marketplace idea, then Dokan is a great place to start. Well worth the small investment, and easy enough to figure out if you have basic internet skills.

Comparison Between Dokan vs WC Marketplace: Our Recommendation

Dokan Plugin is one of the best WordPress plugin that adds marketplace and multi-vendor functionality to a regular WordPress site or blog that is already using WooCommerce for eCommerce on the site. If it comes to our opinion then this is the best plugin to create a multi-vendor marketplace.  Not only this Dokan Multi-vendor Plugin is all free you don’t need to spend money to buy it. If you are looking for a multi-vendor eCommerce solution you can consider this!