Comparison
Shopify vs WooCommerce
A hosted store with one predictable bill, against a free plugin that turns WordPress into a shop you run yourself. The fees work very differently.
The short version
Shopify is a hosted commerce platform: you pay a monthly plan, and Shopify runs hosting, checkout and updates. WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress: the software costs nothing, and you pay for hosting, extensions and payment processing while keeping full control of the store and its data. Shopify asks less of you day to day; WooCommerce asks more and lets you change anything.
| Question | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting model | Hosted | Self-hosted (WordPress plugin) |
| Software | Proprietary hosted service | Free to download and use |
| Lowest paid entry | $29 a month, paid yearly (Basic) | Plugin costs $0; hosting and extensions extra |
| Monthly billing | $39 a month on monthly billing (Basic) | WooCommerce estimates $25 to $350 a month for hosting most stores |
| Selling online | Built for online stores | Turns WordPress into a store |
| Platform fees on sales | Online card rate 2.9% + 30 cents on Basic; extra 2% on Basic if you use a third-party provider instead of Shopify Payments | Your payment processor's fees; WooPayments lists about 2.50% to 2.90% + 30 cents per transaction |
| Leaving later | Partial: products export as CSV without image files | Full: products, orders and content stay in your own database |
| Skill to run it | Low | Medium |
| Upkeep | Shopify runs hosting, checkout and platform updates | You or your host keep WordPress, WooCommerce and extensions current |
| Good fit | Stores where selling is the main job of the site | Stores that want WordPress content and full control of data |
| Watch for | Apps add monthly costs; third-party payment providers add a Shopify fee | Paid extensions run $29 to $299 a year each, by WooCommerce's own figures |
What you pay each month
Shopify's Basic plan is $29 a month paid yearly or $39 paid monthly; Grow is $79 or $105; Advanced is $299 or $399. Plus starts at $2,300 a month.
WooCommerce's pricing page says WooCommerce "is free to download and use." Its own estimates for the other costs are hosting of $25 to $350 a month "for most stores, but scales with traffic and performance needs", and extensions at $29 to $299 a year each. A small WooCommerce store on modest hosting with a few extensions can cost less per month than Shopify Basic; a busy store on strong hosting with many extensions can cost more.
What you pay on each sale
| Situation | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Using the platform's own payments | 2.9% + 30 cents (Basic) to 2.25% + 30 cents (Plus) | About 2.50% to 2.90% + 30 cents with WooPayments |
| Using a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments | Provider's rate plus a Shopify fee: 2% Basic, 1% Grow, 0.6% Advanced, 0.2% Plus (PayPal orders are exempt when Shopify Payments is your primary provider) | Provider's rate only |
For a growing store that uses another payment provider, the third-party fee can change the comparison more than the plan price does. If you prefer a payment provider other than Shopify's own, budget for that extra percentage, or for a higher Shopify plan that lowers it.
Hosting and performance
Shopify hosts every store; there is nothing to choose or tune. With WooCommerce, the host determines speed and reliability. For version 10.8 and later, WooCommerce's server page lists WordPress 6.9 or newer, PHP 8.3 or newer (tested up to 8.4), MySQL 8.0 or newer or MariaDB 10.6 or newer, HTTPS and a WordPress memory limit of at least 256 MB as the minimum for running a store. Cheap shared hosting that runs a small brochure site well may struggle with a busy store.
Upkeep
Shopify handles platform updates and checkout security. On WooCommerce, you or your host keep WordPress, WooCommerce, the theme and every extension current, and test that checkout still works after updates. That work is the main hidden cost of WooCommerce, and it is why some owners pay for managed WooCommerce hosting.
Data and leaving later
WooCommerce stores products, orders and customers in your own WordPress database, so moving to another host means moving that database. Shopify lets you export products to CSV, but the product images are not included in the file, and the theme and app data do not move. Leaving Shopify for another platform is a migration project; leaving one WooCommerce host for another is a server move.
Content and marketing
Because WooCommerce runs inside WordPress, a store gets WordPress's publishing tools for guides, articles and landing pages. Shopify has a blog and pages, but its content tools are simpler. If your store relies on articles and guides to attract customers, weigh this difference carefully.
A worked first year
These figures are illustrative, built from the official prices above and our own assumptions: $40,000 of online sales from 800 orders, and processing at 2.9% plus 30 cents in both cases (Shopify's published Basic rate, and the top of WooPayments' published range).
| Item | Shopify Basic (yearly billing) | WooCommerce on $30 a month hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Plan or hosting | $348 | $360 |
| Paid apps or extensions | $20 a month of apps: $240 | Two extensions at $99 a year: $198 |
| Platform fee | $0 with Shopify's payments | $0 |
| Processing | $1,160 + $240 = $1,400 | $1,160 + $240 = $1,400 |
| Total | $1,988 | $1,958 |
The totals are close. What separates them is the time column the table leaves out: on WooCommerce someone has to keep WordPress, WooCommerce and extensions updated and test checkout after each update. If that work is paid at even an hour a month, Shopify comes out cheaper in this example; if you already maintain a WordPress site, the extra work may be small.
Questions to settle before choosing
- Who will apply updates and test checkout on WooCommerce, and how much is their time worth?
- Which payment provider will you use, and does it trigger Shopify's third-party fee?
- How much content will the store publish, and does it need WordPress's publishing tools?
- How large will the catalog be in two years, and will your hosting cope?
Which to choose
Choose Shopify if selling is the main job of the site, you want one predictable platform bill, and you would rather not manage hosting or updates.
Choose WooCommerce if you already run WordPress, publish a lot of content, want full control of the store's code and data, and have someone to handle updates and hosting.
Questions about Shopify and WooCommerce
Is WooCommerce really free?
The plugin is free to download and use, according to WooCommerce. You still pay for hosting, a domain, any paid extensions or themes, and payment processing on each sale.
Does Shopify charge a fee if I use PayPal or another provider?
Shopify adds a third-party fee (2% Basic, 1% Grow, 0.6% Advanced, 0.2% Plus) when you use another payment provider instead of Shopify Payments. If Shopify Payments is your primary provider, Shopify's help center says PayPal orders are exempt from that fee.
Can I move from Shopify to WooCommerce later?
Yes, but plan it as a migration. Products export from Shopify as CSV without image files, so images have to be fetched separately while the old store is still live, and the design and app features have to be rebuilt in WordPress.
Which is cheaper for a small store?
It depends on your sales, hosting and extensions. Enter your own figures in the first-year cost calculator to compare like for like.
Sources for this page
- Shopify: Plans & pricing. Official source, read November 4, 2026.
- Shopify Help Center: Exploring PayPal payment integrations and fees. Official source, read November 4, 2026.
- Shopify Help Center: Exporting products. Official source, read November 4, 2026.
- WooCommerce: WooCommerce Pricing Puts You In Control. Official source, read November 4, 2026.
- WooCommerce Documentation: WooCommerce Server Recommendations. Official source, read November 4, 2026.
- WordPress.org: Requirements. Official source, read November 4, 2026.
Questions
Stuck between two platforms?
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