The need to export WooCommerce orders is quite common. Whether you're trying to use order data for sales analysis, accounting purposes, or to trigger shipments by a 3rd-party fulfillment service, you'll likely have to cross this bridge sooner or later.
If the recipient of your order export accepts a CSV file, you should count your blessings, as that is by far the easiest file format to work with. It's also ubiquitous in the WooCommerce and WordPress landscape.
But which plugin should you use to perform your order export? The answer to that question doesn't really depend on whether an export plugin supports the CSV file format. They all do. The answer has more to do with the other features that a plugin has to offer. For example, can it handle more advanced data layout issues, such as splitting multi-value fields into separate export columns or combining multiple fields into a single column?
In this article, we'll examine the best options for exporting WooCommerce orders to CSV, starting with the top plugin in this category.
For entrepreneurs seeking a complete export tool, WP All Export stands out as the preferred option. This plugin goes beyond merely exporting orders and can handle every WordPress and WooCommerce data type, whether exporting to CSV, Excel, or XML.
What sets it apart is its intuitive drag-and-drop export process, which applies to every type of export data, meaning you only have to learn one process for all your exports. Add in advanced filtering, compatibility with prominent plugins and custom fields, automatic scheduling, and robust integration with external applications, and you start to get the picture.
Another big advantage is WP All Export's nearly unlimited ability to modify export data on the fly. You can basically put anything you want in between the field separators of a CSV file. Is someone requesting curly brackets around multi-value fields with a pipe character between each value? That would take you only a few seconds in WP All Export without requiring any kind of messy development project. You could do it as a matter of course using predefined customization editors.
Lastly, WP All Export can be seamlessly paired with WP All Import, offering a robust solution for both export and import needs. This combination supports advanced operations like exporting orders, conducting bulk edits, and then re-importing them into WooCommerce with no additional configuration required. It also simplifies order migrations, demonstrating the versatility of the two-plugin ecosystem.
For more information, see Export WooCommerce Orders to CSV, Excel, and XML.
The one problem with WP All Export is that if all you're trying to do is generate a simple, one-time CSV export of WooCommerce orders, it's a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Enter Advanced Order Export for WooCommerce, especially the free version, which is widely recognized as the best free order export plugin for WooCommerce. This plugin provides the flexibility to select, sequence, and rename export columns, as well as filter the data. You can also use it to export custom fields, taxonomies, and product attributes.
When it comes to customizing CSV files on the fly, Advanced Order Export for WooCommerce does provide the ability to do this. It's not as slick as the corresponding feature in WP All Export, but at least it's possible.
The main drawback to this plugin is that you're going to have to invest a fair bit of time learning how to use it. Unfortunately, that knowledge is not transferable to other WooCommerce or WordPress data types. If you suddenly need to export one of those, you'll have to start all over again with a different solution.
To learn more, see Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce.
This plugin is designed specifically to export customers, orders, and coupons from WooCommerce. It lets you control export layouts, accommodates custom fields, and will help you automate your exports, which you can then send by mail, FTP, or HTTP POST.
It's one big limitation when it comes to CSV exports? It doesn't let you truly customize your order export data on the fly, at least through the interface. You need a developer to do that, which can get a bit messy. For example, here is a warning from the plugins' own documentation:
"This extension was designed to be as flexible as possible. To that end, filters are used to allow you to customize the generated output or replace it entirely. When exporting as a CSV, we do have one major recommendation: We strongly recommend that you do not rely on the column ordering for the generated file. While we do our best to not change column ordering for default formats, sometimes we must do so and this will break any integrations that rely on a specific order. Instead, use the column names / keys, which are guaranteed to never change."
To be clear, by filters, they mean modifying your theme's functions.php file. And the "gotcha" they describe in the preceding paragraph is not the only coding boobytrap you'll have to avoid.
As with the Advanced Order Export for WooCommerce plugin, the other disadvantage of this plugin is that it forces you to acquire skills that are not applicable to exporting other data types.
So, simple WooCommerce exports to CSV where you don't need to customize the data and you don't plan on exporting other data types, yes. Anything beyond this, no.
For more information, see WooCommerce Customer / Order / Coupon Export.
This is another order export plugin that offers flexible column layouts, filtering, scheduling, and compatibility with various file formats, including CSV. Unlike the two preceding options, it is part of a family of plugins that can export all types of WooCommerce data. And not just export that data but import it, too. But unlike WP All Export and WP All Import, this capability does not extend to all WordPress data types.
Unfortunately, the major drawback with this plugin (and the reason it is ranked #4 on this list) for CSV exports is that it has very poor support for customizing export data on the fly. If someone requests a CSV order export in a format that does not match the way the data is currently stored in WooCommerce (such as splitting fields that contain multiple values into separate columns), you will be unable to fulfill that request without custom coding.
This raises a key question. If you're going to go beyond the #2 and #3 options on this list, which are designed for specific tasks, to purchase a broader solution, wouldn't you want that solution to do everything? Why purchase a plugin that still provides only a partial export toolset?
This is why we always end up recommending WP All Export over this plugin.
To learn more, see Order Export & Order Import for WooCommerce.
Order Export for WooCommerce distinguishes itself with its straightforward design and ease of use. In its free version, it provides basic order export functions, allowing users to generate order exports in CSV or Excel formats. While it does not offer advanced features like on-the-fly data modification, scheduled exports, or seamless integration with external applications, its simplicity is its main attraction.
The installation and configuration process is user-friendly, and the interface is designed for quick mastery, even for those with minimal technical expertise. Basic filtering options are available to refine the output. If needed, you can export all your WooCommerce orders to a CSV file with a single click.
The free version of this plugin is ideally suited for those who need to perform uncomplicated, infrequent order exports in a CSV format at no cost. For more complex order export needs, other plugins on our list are likely a better choice.
For additional information, see Order Export for WooCommerce.
Selecting the best plugin to export WooCommerce orders to a CSV file can be daunting when faced with so many choices. The only way to make this process easier is to precisely identify your requirements.
For those seeking a comprehensive and professional set of tools for exporting WooCommerce orders to CSV — one that will continue to meet your evolving needs without the need for an upgrade — WP All Export is the prudent choice.
Conversely, if your needs are basic, such as transferring order CSV data to a spreadsheet for casual analysis, then opting for the free version of the Advanced Order Export for WooCommerce plugin is probably the way to go.
The dilemma arises in scenarios that fall somewhere in between. In this case, your best bet is to match your needs to a plugin on a feature-by-feature basis and be prepared to compromise.
Good luck!
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