Oberlo vs Spocket, which is the better dropshipping app? Personally, I think there is no definite answer to this comparison, each app has its benefits and drawbacks and there are plenty of other options besides these two.
Dropshipping is one of the most popular methods of eCommerce fulfilment, its very simple to run an eCommerce business via the dropshipping model and you can start one with very little investment,
With its rise in popularity, there has been a huge number of services that have popped up over the years to help people run their dropshipping business more efficiently and profitably.
Oberlo and Spocket are two such services that will allow you to automate many aspects of your dropshipping business and thus save you a lot of time which will allow you to concentrate more on marketing and sales and growing your store.
Oberlo vs Spocket
So, these two dropshipping apps are very similar, they come with many of the same features and even their dashboard looks similar to each other.
However, there are differences that may determine which app will be more suitable for your business needs.
Oberlo Product Range
If you are familiar with the Oberlo dropshipping app, you will know that it allows you to import products from AliExpress. This gives its users a massive range of products that they can import into their store and resell as their own. AliExpress sell nearly everything under the sun, they are like a smaller and cheaper version of Amazon and hence the reason why they are so popular as a sourcing destination for dropshippers.
You can import products from within the Oberlo dashboard, which I believe is the better option because the data about the product and supplier is a lot easier to read. There is also the Oberlo Chrome Extension that will also allow you to import products directly into your store, you can filter by shipping method, which will save you time from having to search for the fastest shipping times. Another benefit of the Chrome Extension us that it allows you to fulfil orders faster.
One thing you have to before ordering products from AliExpress is to research the suppliers and analyse if they are reliable. Oberlo used to have a feature called verified suppliers, which listed the most trustworthy suppliers on AliExpress however, they have discontinued this, but they do have material on how to verify AliExpress suppliers.
Spocket Product Range
Spockets main attraction is that they provide dropshippers access to suppliers who are based in Europe & the USA as well as other parts of the world. While this does not provide a huge range of products, the quality of the products is of a high standard. Spocket have a tough screening process for suppliers, this will give dropshippers more confidence going into business with these suppliers.
The Spocket product dashboard is slightly better than that of Oberlo’s this is because it has more filtering options that will allow you to find whatever you are looking for much faster.
Spocket recently added a free Chrome Extension called AliScraper, this will allow you to import any product from AliExpress into your store at the click of a button. I think they added this feature because dropshipping products from AliExpress is so popular. Spocket recently added integration with Alibaba which will provide more products that you can import into your store.
Automation Features
Both dropshipping apps come with similar automation features, you can import products easily, set up automated pricing rules, although in this area Oberlo comes with more advanced options.
Both apps also have automated inventory updates, so you know quickly when inventory is low and take the necessary action.
One of the best automation features is the ordering process, both Oberlo and Spocket have one-click order feature, however, with Oberlo, you will have to enter your payment details but with Spocket, the payment detail will already be with your chosen supplier, so it’s one less step that you have to undertake.
This is also true if you are processing AliExpress products via Spocket, you do not have to login into AliExpress to fulfil the order, everything is done at the click of a button inside of the Spocket app.
The other automation feature both these apps have is sending out tracking details to your customers.
Shipping Time
Shipping times for Oberlo products take a long time since they are shipped from China, if you use certain shipping methods like ePacket, it may reduce the time but you are still looking at around 2 weeks or more for products to be delivered. However, there are many AliExpress suppliers that have warehouses around the world that will allow them to offer faster delivery times, so one way to reduce shipping times from AliExpress is to sell products that can be delivered from countries that are closest to your customer.
Spocket offers a much faster delivery time, this is because most of their suppliers are based in the EU/USA. Delivery times are around 5-7 days, although many suppliers deliver faster depending on the item and location. However, faster delivery times does have its drawbacks because shipping charges are more expensive, and this will cut into your overall profit margin.
Branding
Creating your own brand will help you stand out to your customers, separate yourself from your competitors and grow your store faster.
Spocket provides a limited branding service, you can attach your company name/logo on the invoices you send to your customers.
Oberlo does not provide any kind of branding services, however, however, you can contact your suppliers and ask them if they provide any kind of branding services, most suppliers will agree to some form of branding like inserting a business card with your logo or a branded invoice.
Training
This is where Oberlo shines, they provide lots of free guides, tutorials, case studies, a free dropshipping course and a fantastic blog that is updated regularly. I also have to mention Shopify (who own Oberlo), they also provide a huge range of free resources for aspiring eCommerce entrepreneurs. I highly recommend you exhaustive all their free material before you decide to pay for any dropshipping/eCommerce course.
As for Spocket, they don’t provide as much training and their blog isn’t updated regularly, there is a Spocket Academy, but all the courses in there are paid, although most of the cheap.
Pricing
Oberlo has three plans, they have a free plan which allows 500 product limit and unlimited orders (it used to have a cap on monthly orders but not anymore!!). The paid plans allow you to import more products and gives you access to all of Oberlo’s features.
Spocket used to have a free lifetime plan but that has been discontinued, they now offer 4 plans and apart from the starter plan, the other three are quite expensive when compared to Oberlo.
Alternatives To Oberlo & Spocket
There are quite a few good alternatives to Oberlo and Spocket, some of my favourites are:
Final Thoughts
So, which dropshipping app is better? With Spockets recent additions of their Ali Scraper tool, they now offer a better product range than Oberlo. In addition to accessing their own database of products from EU/USA suppliers, you can now sell products from AliExpress. Both apps have very similar features and both are very easy to use, plus Spocket is compatible with multiple eCommerce platforms while Oberlo is exclusively a Shopify app. However, Spocket is more expensive than Oberlo, especially if you want to access to all of their features and their training is nowhere near as good as what Oberlo/Shopify provides.