Prices checked October 24, 2026
WooCommerce vs Shopify: which should run your store?
WooCommerce is free, open-source software for WordPress: you control the code, and you pay for and run the hosting, extensions, updates and security yourself. Shopify starts at $29 a month billed yearly and runs hosting, security and checkout for you, with no extra transaction fee on Shopify Payments. Choose WooCommerce if you have developers and need full control, and Shopify if you would rather spend that time selling.
WooCommerce vs Shopify, side by side
Ten things that decide the switch, from each platform's own pages, checked on October 24, 2026. Prices in US dollars, before tax.
Price
- WooCommerce
- The plugin is free. WooCommerce puts hosting at $25 to $350 a month for most stores, and extensions at $29 to $299 a year each.
- Shopify
- Basic $29, Grow $89 or Advanced $359 a month billed yearly ($39, $105 or $399 monthly). Plus from $2,300 a month.
Transaction fees
- WooCommerce
- None from WooCommerce. You pay your payment provider only.
- Shopify
- None with Shopify Payments. With another payment provider: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced, 0.2% on Plus.
Payments
- WooCommerce
- Any payment provider. WooPayments charges 2.9% + 30¢ per US card payment, plus 1.5% for international cards.
- Shopify
- Shopify Payments with Shop Pay built in, from 2.9% + 30¢ per US online card payment on Basic down to 2.25% + 30¢ on Plus.
Apps
- WooCommerce
- WordPress plugins and paid extensions from the Woo Marketplace.
- Shopify
- Thousands of apps in the Shopify App Store.
SEO
- WooCommerce
- Full control of URLs, templates and markup, since you can change any code.
- Shopify
- Editable titles, meta descriptions and image alt text on every page, and products that can sell in AI chats on every plan.
Speed and hosting
- WooCommerce
- Depends on your host, theme and plugins. You run updates, backups and security, or pay someone to.
- Shopify
- Hosted by Shopify, with unlimited bandwidth and a free SSL certificate on every plan.
B2B
- WooCommerce
- Through wholesale and B2B extensions in the Woo Marketplace.
- Shopify
- Built in on every plan with up to 3 catalogs. Plus adds unlimited catalogs.
International selling
- WooCommerce
- No fee per market. Currencies through WooPayments, languages through plugins.
- Shopify
- Shopify Markets on every plan: unlimited countries, translated storefronts, local currencies and domains, duties and taxes.
Ownership and lock-in
- WooCommerce
- Open source. The code, data and hosting are yours, and you can change host at any time.
- Shopify
- Hosted platform. Products and customers export as CSV files at any time. Themes and apps are built for Shopify.
Support
- WooCommerce
- Live chat or email for products bought on WooCommerce.com. WordPress itself: community forums.
- Shopify
- 24/7 live chat on every plan, enhanced on Advanced, priority support on Plus.
Stay on WooCommerce, or switch?
Plenty of stores should stay on WooCommerce. Here is when it is the right call, and when Shopify fits better.
Stay on WooCommerce if
- You have developers, or a host you trust, who keep WordPress, WooCommerce and every plugin updated
- Your store runs on custom code or plugins that have no Shopify equivalent
- Content is the business, and the store sits inside a large WordPress site
- You want to pick your own host and payment provider, and negotiate card rates as you grow
- No monthly platform fee matters more to you than the hours the upkeep takes
Shopify is the better fit if
- Plugin updates, conflicts or hosting problems keep pulling you away from selling
- You want hosting, security and checkout handled for you, with 24/7 support
- Your team, not a developer, should be able to run the store day to day
- You sell in several countries and want currencies, languages, duties and taxes in one place
- You sell wholesale too and want B2B on the same store without extra plugins
What a move from WooCommerce costs and takes
A move has three costs: Shopify's plan, the migration itself, and the apps that replace your plugins.
Shopify's plan
Basic is $29 a month billed yearly, Grow $89 and Advanced $359. Apps are extra and vary by app, as extensions do on WooCommerce.
The migration
Our WooCommerce migrations start at $8,000, and most take 4 to 8 weeks. Every plugin is checked against a Shopify app or custom code before we start.
What moves, and what changes
Products, customers, orders and content move. Customer passwords do not, because the two platforms store them differently, so customers set a new one on first login.
Your store stays live
We build the Shopify store in parallel, map every old URL to a 301 redirect, and switch over when you are ready.
Ready to move? See how our WooCommerce to Shopify migration works, or book a call about your store.
WooCommerce vs Shopify questions
Is WooCommerce cheaper than Shopify?
The WooCommerce plugin is free, but a store still pays for hosting, which WooCommerce puts at $25 to $350 a month for most stores, and for extensions at $29 to $299 a year each. Shopify's Basic plan is $29 a month billed yearly with hosting included. Which costs less depends on your hosting, your extensions and how much developer time the upkeep takes.
Which is better, WooCommerce or Shopify?
WooCommerce is better when you need full control of the code and have developers to run it. Shopify is better when you want hosting, security, checkout and updates handled for you, so your team can spend its time on selling.
What are the fees on WooCommerce and Shopify?
WooCommerce charges no platform fee. WooPayments charges 2.9% + 30¢ per US card payment. Shopify Payments charges from 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic down to 2.25% + 30¢ on Plus, with no extra transaction fee. Shopify adds 2% on Basic, down to 0.2% on Plus, only when you use another payment provider.
Is Shopify or WooCommerce better for SEO?
Both can rank well. WooCommerce gives full control of URLs and markup because you can change any code. Shopify lets you edit titles, meta descriptions and image alt text on every page, and handles hosting and speed for you. Content, site speed and links matter more than the platform.
Which is faster, WooCommerce or Shopify?
A WooCommerce store is as fast as its host, theme and plugins make it, and that is up to you. Shopify hosts every store with unlimited bandwidth, so speed depends mostly on the theme and the apps you add.
Is WooCommerce more secure than Shopify?
On WooCommerce, security depends on how well WordPress, WooCommerce, every plugin and the server are kept up to date. Shopify is certified Level 1 PCI DSS compliant and runs security for every store, so there is less for you to patch.
Can I move from WooCommerce to Shopify without losing SEO?
Yes, if every old URL redirects to its new address. We map each one to a 301 redirect, keep titles and descriptions, and build the Shopify store in parallel while WooCommerce stays live.
Sources
Each platform's own pages, checked on October 24, 2026. Prices are in US dollars and change often, so check the platform before you decide.
Not sure you should switch?
Book a call. We look at your store and tell you whether Shopify would pay off, even when the answer is to stay.