When we talk about building a marketplace on WooCommerce, two names came up right away in my mind: WC Vendors vs Dokan. Essentially, both plugins are well-known for enabling the transformation of a regular online store into a platform where multiple sellers can join, list their products, and manage their sales.
In this article, we’ll compare their prominent features to provide a clear and fair view of how each plugin works.
Let’s get to it!
WC Vendors Vs Dokan: What Are They? (A Simple Overview)
Think about how an online mall works: instead of just one store owner selling items, you now have different vendors, each with their own shop inside a bigger store. Customers can walk through and choose from many sellers, but everything is still managed under one system. That is what these plugins make possible.
Simply put, both of them turn a WooCommerce store into a marketplace where many sellers can join and sell under one shop. They may look similar at first, but each has its own way of handling vendors, products, and commissions.
What is Dokan?
Dokan is a plugin that allows you to create a marketplace on WooCommerce. With the free version, vendors can manage their products, handle orders, and set basic shop details. It provides enough tools to start a simple marketplace without requiring an immediate payment.
It also has a Pro plan that adds more features like better reports, advanced shipping, and special modules for things such as subscriptions or bookings.
What is WC Vendors?
WC Vendors is our plugin for WooCommerce that helps you build a multi-vendor marketplace. Vendors can log in to their own dashboard, add products, manage orders, and track their sales.
It has many features built in, such as flexible commission settings, digital and physical product support, and detailed vendor tools. WC Vendors offers a free version with basic marketplace features, while the Pro plan provides more control and options for both store owners and vendors.
WC Vendors Vs Dokan: A Comparison Of Multi-vendor Plugins
Vendor dashboard and user experience
First of, Dokan gets its own vendor front-end dashboard. This means registered vendors don’t have to go into the WordPress admin panel, which can look overwhelming for someone who is not used to WordPress. Inside Dokan’s dashboard, vendors can perform various tasks, including adding or editing products, managing orders, creating discount coupons, and checking sales reports.
Switching over to WC Vendors, there is also a front-end dashboard for vendors. Sellers can log in without needing the WordPress admin side. Vendors can manage their products, track orders, view their commissions, and check their earnings. WC Vendors also gives vendors a very detailed view of commissions, including per-product and per-order breakdowns, which can be important if sellers want to know exactly how much they are making from each sale.
So what is the difference? Dokan makes the vendor experience feel like a separate mini-store system, with an emphasis on design and ease of use. WC Vendors, on the other hand, focuses more on smooth functionality and control, giving vendors detailed insights and options that line up with WooCommerce’s core structure.
Payment system
Payment options in Dokan
Dokan has two methods for handling vendor payments. The first is called the adaptive method, where the payment is instantly divided between the admin and the vendor at checkout. The second method is non-adaptive, where all funds are allocated to the admin initially, and the admin then pays the vendors.
| Method | Supported Gateways |
|---|---|
| Adaptive Method | Dokan Stripe Connect, Dokan Stripe Express, Dokan PayPal Marketplace, MangoPay, RajorPay, and Moip Connect (Wirecard) |
| Non-Adaptive Method | All standard WooCommerce gateways |
Payment options in WC Vendors
WC Vendors Pro takes a wider approach by working with the full WooCommerce gateway library. Buyers and sellers can use their preferred payment methods without needing extra plugins.
Flexible payout choices
One of WC Vendors’ strengths is its Payouts system. Marketplace owners can:
- Send instant payments through PayPal Express
- Schedule payouts in batches with PayPal Payouts
- Allow vendors to request payouts once they reach a minimum balance
This flexibility gives admins more control over when and how sellers get paid.
Advanced integrations
WC Vendors also integrates with advanced systems like Stripe Connect, MangoPay, Mollie Connect, Square, Escrow services, and more.
So in summary, both plugins support a wide range of payment gateways because they are tied to WooCommerce. Dokan highlights its adaptive vs. non-adaptive methods, which can be convenient but may feel limited if your needs go beyond that setup. WC Vendors, on the other hand, gives you more freedom to choose how vendors get paid, which can make it a stronger option for marketplaces that need control and flexibility at the same time.
You may also read: How To Manage Vendor Payouts In Multi-Vendor Marketplaces (Best Practices).
Commission management
Dokan’s commission structure
Dokan supports three layers of commission:
- Global Commission: A default percentage or flat rate that applies to all sales
- Vendor-Specific Commission: Allows different rates for each vendor
- Product-Specific Commission: You can set a unique commission for a particular product
You can mix flat fee plus percentage, too. For example, a $5 flat fee plus 10% of the sale. Dokan calculates in this order of priority: Product → Vendor → Global, so the most specific rule applies.
How WC Vendors handles commissions
When dealing with WC Vendors, we ensure that both vendors and marketplace owners have more control over how payouts are set up. Instead of limiting you to just a few methods, WC Vendors Pro provides a wide range of commission types that can adapt to many different business models.
- Percentage (Free & Pro): Vendors get a share based on a set percentage.
- Percentage + Fee (Pro): Subtract a flat fee from the percentage. For example, a seller might make 80% minus $5 from each sale.
- Fixed (Pro): A set amount per sale (e.g., the vendor earns $10 out of a $100 sale).
- Fixed + Fee (Pro): Combines a fixed amount plus an added fee.
- Sales by Vendor (Pro): Set tiered rates based on total sales volume; for instance, vendors may earn 50% up to 100 sales, then 60% beyond that.
- Sales by Product (Pro): Apply tiers based on how many times an item sells.
- Product Price (Pro): Commission changes depending on item price (e.g., items over $100 could earn a higher percentage, minus a fixed fee).
- Product-Specific Override (Free & Pro): Set unique rates per product.
- Vendor-Specific Override (Pro): Customize commission settings for each vendor individually.
- Category Commission (Pro): Apply commission rules based on product categories.
This setup means vendors are not locked into one flat rule. Instead, commissions can grow with their success, making it feel fairer and more rewarding to sell on a marketplace powered by WC Vendors.
You may also read about “Power And Versatility: The Awesome Benefits Commission Levels Offer Marketplaces.”
Handling taxes
When working with WC Vendors, we make sure you have choices that fit your legal and financial setup. You can use the standard WooCommerce tax tables, or tap into automatic calculation tools with the WC Vendors Tax add-on. That add-on works with trusted cloud services like TaxJar and Avalara. It even lets you upload orders and refunds for accurate reporting and filing—so you don’t have to set tax rates manually.
On the other hand, Dokan uses WooCommerce’s built-in tax system. So admins set tax rules in WooCommerce settings, and vendors can choose tax classes when they list products. The platform makes it simple—vendors and admins both work within the WooCommerce tax setup to stay tax compliant.
| Feature | WC Vendors | Dokan |
|---|---|---|
| Tax Calculation | WooCommerce tables or automatic via TaxJar/Avalara | Built-in WooCommerce tax system |
| Automation | Yes, supports cloud services for tax rate and reporting | No, uses WooCommerce only |
| Tax Allocation | Choose whether tax goes to vendor or marketplace | Tax goes to vendor per WooCommerce default |
| Reporting Support | Yes, uploads to cloud services for filing and accuracy | Basic reporting within WooCommerce |
In my view, Dokan gives you a simple and solid tax setup using WooCommerce defaults. That works well. But with WC Vendors, we offer more flexibility through automation tools and optional tax routing. That way, you can match tax behavior to your vendor and admin needs naturally.
Coupons
In Dokan, creating coupons is simple and works much like WooCommerce’s built-in system. Admins or vendors can set up discounts by choosing the type (percentage, fixed cart, or fixed product), and then adding values, limits, and expiry dates. Coupons can also be tied to specific vendors or products, and admins can decide whether the discount reduces vendor earnings, admin commission, or both.
With WC Vendors, coupons focus on product-level control. Vendors can create fixed or percentage discounts for their own items. The plugin also lets the marketplace owner decide how coupons affect commissions, whether before or after discounts are applied.
| Feature | Dokan | WC Vendors |
|---|---|---|
| Who Can Create | Admins and vendors (via dashboard) | Marketplace owner + vendors (if enabled) |
| Coupon Types | Percentage, fixed cart, fixed product | Option to pay the vendor before or after coupon is applied |
| Limits & Restrictions | Set vendors, products, cart rules, and choose who bears the discount cost | Product-level |
| Commission-Aligned | Choose discount source: vendor, admin, or shared | Option to pay the vendor before or after the coupon is applied |
| Setup Flow | Marketing → Coupons → Add → Configure → Publish | Dashboard settings → Coupon feature enabled → Vendor adds via Pro dashboard |
So here’s how I see it: Dokan gives a familiar coupon setup with cart-level and vendor options. WC Vendors focuses on coupons at the product level and gives clear control over how they affect commissions and vendor dashboards. Both work well, depending on whether you want broader cart discounts (Dokan) or more product-specific control aligned with commissions (WC Vendors).
You may also read: How To Set Up Marketplace Coupons (Easy, Complete Guide).
Compatibilities
Dokan integrates with a range of third-party plugins, particularly in shipping, payment gateways, and services.
WC Vendors, on the other hand, takes a more curated approach to compatible plugins. Each one adds significant value to the core marketplace experience.
In my view, Dokan offers an ecosystem of plugins, but with WC Vendors, we concentrate on plugins that strengthen vendor control, payouts, and flexibility. It’s a focused feature support, so your marketplace stays both powerful, straightforward, and easy to manage.
Pricing plan
Dokan’s pricing starts higher, and many essential features are locked behind its paid tiers.
On the other hand, WC Vendors gives you more value right from the start. For about $99.50/year, the Pro plan already includes the essentials: a vendor dashboard, flexible commissions, payment options, shipping tools, and coupons. As I see it, WC Vendors’ higher plans also stay cost-effective as your marketplace grows. These upgrades remain below Dokan’s mid to top tiers, which range from $149 to nearly $1,000 annually. That means you can scale your business with WC Vendors without draining your budget, while still giving vendors the tools they need to succeed.
Visit our pricing plan and check out the corresponding features to see which package fits best for your marketplace.
Final Thoughts
After going through this comparison with WC Vendors and Dokan, I can say that each plugin brings solid tools for building a marketplace on WooCommerce.
Let’s do a quick recap on what we discussed in this article:
WC Vendors vs Dokan: A comparison
- Vendor dashboard and user experience
- Payment system
- Commission management
- Handling taxes
- Coupons
- Compatibilities
- Pricing plan
After comparing and contrasting all these two plugin features, WC Vendors gives you more control where it really matters. From flexible commissions to strong payout options, it feels built to grow with your marketplace instead of holding back features until you pay for higher tiers. The pricing also makes sense; you get core tools at the Pro level without needing to jump into expensive plans.
For future marketplace owners, if you’re still deciding, think about what your vendors need the most. Do they need simple tools to start, or do they need more detailed control over commissions, payments, and scaling?
To help you make a more informed decision, explore our case studies to see how marketplace owners have thrived using WC Vendors.
