Our verdict
Shopify for most merchants who want to focus on selling; WooCommerce for WordPress-native, highly customised stores.
Shopify is a hosted, all-in-one ecommerce platform; WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that you host yourself. The choice is fundamentally about convenience versus control.
Choose Shopify if…
- You want a store running quickly with minimal maintenance
- You sell in person as well as online
- You prefer predictable monthly costs
Choose WooCommerce if…
- You already run WordPress
- You want full control and data ownership
- You have technical help available
Side by side
| Criterion | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 8.8 / 10 | 8.1 / 10 |
| Features & fit | 9.4 | 9.0 |
| Ease of use | 9.0 | 7.4 |
| Value for money | 8.0 | 9.0 |
| Support & reliability | 8.4 | 7.0 |
| Security & privacy | 8.8 | 7.4 |
| Integrations & ecosystem | 9.6 | 9.2 |
| Starting price (indicative) | From around $29–39 / month (Basic) | Free plugin; hosting and extensions extra |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | No |
| Best for | Most online stores | Existing WordPress sites |
Feature by feature
| Feature | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Included | You provide it |
| Platform cost | Monthly plan | Free plugin; pay for hosting and extensions |
| Maintenance | Handled for you | You or your developer |
| Customisation | Themes and apps | Full code-level control |
| Payments | Shopify Payments plus gateways | Many gateways via extensions |
| Best for | Merchants wanting simplicity | WordPress users wanting control |
Pricing compared
Shopify
| Plan | Indicative price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | ≈ $29 / mo | Billed annually; higher monthly |
| Grow | ≈ $79 / mo | — |
| Advanced | ≈ $299 / mo | — |
WooCommerce
| Plan | Indicative price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce plugin | Free | Hosting, domain and paid extensions are extra |
Indicative USD list prices; excludes tax, add-ons and promotions. Confirm on each vendor’s site.
Maintenance
Shopify handles hosting, security and updates. WooCommerce owners manage hosting, plugins and updates.
Costs
Shopify has a monthly fee plus apps and payment fees. WooCommerce is free but needs hosting and often paid extensions.
Flexibility
WooCommerce can be customised without limits. Shopify is flexible through apps and themes but within platform rules.
Total cost of ownership
Shopify's subscription includes hosting, security and updates, but apps and themes add up. WooCommerce is free, yet hosting, premium extensions, security and developer time are your responsibility. For a small store with a capable WordPress host, WooCommerce can be cheaper; as complexity grows, the gap often closes.
Who maintains the store
With Shopify, the platform handles uptime, PCI compliance and updates. With WooCommerce, someone must update WordPress, the theme and plugins, monitor security and keep backups. If nobody on your team wants that job, budget for a developer or choose Shopify.
Pros & cons
Shopify
- Excellent checkout
- Huge app store
- POS for in-person selling
- App costs add up
- Transaction fees without Shopify Payments
WooCommerce
- Free and open source
- Complete control
- Huge extension ecosystem
- You manage hosting and updates
- Extension costs add up
Key features of each
Shopify
- Checkout. Optimised and fast.
- Shopify POS. Sell in person.
- App Store. Thousands of apps.
- Markets. International selling.
Integrates with: Google, Meta, Amazon, QuickBooks, Klaviyo.
WooCommerce
- Product management. Physical, digital and variable products.
- Extensions. Payments, subscriptions, bookings.
- Themes. Use WordPress themes.
- REST API. Integrate anything.
Integrates with: WordPress, Stripe, PayPal, Mailchimp, QuickBooks.
Who should avoid each
Skip Shopify if…
- Very custom backends
- Budget sellers needing only a few products
Best for: Most online stores; Multichannel selling; Stores planning to scale.
Skip WooCommerce if…
- Owners without technical help
- Hands-off store owners
Best for: Existing WordPress sites; Highly customised stores; Content-led commerce.
Switching between Shopify and WooCommerce
Migration difficulty: Moderate
Products, customers and orders migrate with apps or plugins; themes, URLs and some apps must be rebuilt. Set up redirects to protect SEO.
- Export products, customers and order history.
- Use a migration app to import into the new platform.
- Rebuild theme and key pages; recreate apps or plugins.
- Set up 301 redirects from old URLs.
- Run test orders before switching DNS.
Weigh it your way
Adjust the weights to your priorities to see which tool comes out ahead for you. Print or export the result for your team.
| Tool | Features | Ease | Value | Support | Security | Integrations | Your score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Shopify | 9.4 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 9.6 | 8.79 |
| 2. WooCommerce | 9.0 | 7.4 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 7.4 | 9.2 | 8.14 |
Drag the sliders to match your priorities. Scores are our editorial sub-scores; weights start at the values we publish on the methodology page. Nothing you change is stored or sent anywhere.
How our scores and weights work · Add a third tool side by side
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper?
WooCommerce can be cheaper at small scale; total cost depends on hosting and extensions.
Is Shopify better for SEO?
Both can perform well. WordPress offers more content flexibility; Shopify covers fundamentals.
Does Shopify or WooCommerce have a free plan?
Shopify has a free trial but no permanent free plan; WooCommerce has a free plan. Indicative starting prices: Shopify — From around $29–39 / month (Basic); WooCommerce — Free plugin; hosting and extensions extra.
Which scores higher in our review, Shopify or WooCommerce?
Shopify scores 8.8/10 and WooCommerce 8.1/10 on our weighted rubric. Shopify leads on 5 of six criteria. A higher score does not make it right for every buyer — see the “choose if” lists above.
