Shopify vs WooCommerce (2026): Costs, Features and Which to Choose

Summary

Shopify is the faster, simpler choice for most new and small stores: it hosts everything for you and plans start at $29 a month when billed yearly. WooCommerce is the more flexible choice: the software is free, you own your code and data, and it suits stores that need custom features or already run on WordPress.

Neither is “better” in general. The right choice depends on your budget, your team and how custom your store needs to be. This guide compares both on cost, ease of use, control, SEO and growth, with a simple decision guide at the end.

Introduction

Shopify and WooCommerce are the two platforms most online stores end up choosing between. WooCommerce powers more websites overall, while Shopify is more common among the busiest sites. In the May 2026 HTTP Archive data, WooCommerce ran on 6.64% of measured sites and Shopify on 4.76%, but among the top one million sites Shopify led with 6.08% against WooCommerce’s 3.12%.

Both are proven. The question is which one fits the way you want to run your business. We have built and migrated stores on both platforms for more than a decade, and this is how we help clients decide.

What is the difference between Shopify and WooCommerce?

Shopify is a hosted platform. You pay a monthly subscription and Shopify runs the servers, security, updates and checkout for you. WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin that turns a WordPress website into a store. You choose your own hosting and you are responsible for keeping it updated and secure, or you hire someone who is.

How much does Shopify cost in 2026?

Shopify has four main plans. Paying yearly saves about 25%. These are the prices listed by Shopify in September 2026:

The plan is only part of the bill. Most stores also pay for a premium theme and several apps for reviews, subscriptions, email or shipping, which can add $50 to a few hundred dollars a month. And if you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments, Shopify adds its own transaction fee on top of the provider’s fee.

How much does WooCommerce cost in 2026?

The WooCommerce plugin itself is free, with no monthly subscription and no revenue share. According to WooCommerce’s own pricing guide, the costs you do pay are:

• Hosting. About $25 to $350 a month for most stores, depending on traffic and performance needs.
• Extensions. Optional add-ons typically cost $29 to $299 a year each.
• Payments. WooPayments charges about 2.5% to 2.9% + 30¢ per US card transaction, with no extra platform fee if you use another gateway.
• Maintenance. Updates, backups and security are your job. Many stores pay an agency or developer for a monthly support plan.

WooCommerce can be cheaper to run, but only if the hosting is solid and someone keeps the store updated. Cheap hosting and skipped updates are the most common reasons WooCommerce stores slow down or get hacked.

Which one costs less over a year?

For a small store, the first-year platform cost is often similar. Shopify costs more as you add apps and move up plans. WooCommerce costs more when you need custom development or a maintenance plan.

For larger stores, payment fees matter more than the plan price. A store doing $50,000 a month in sales on a third-party gateway would pay Shopify an extra $1,000 a month on Basic or $500 on Grow. That fee disappears if you use Shopify Payments. WooCommerce has no such fee, and WooCommerce payment gateway integration lets you choose any processor you want.

Which is easier to run day to day?

Shopify is easier for most owners. You sign up, pick a theme, add products and start selling, with hosting, security and updates handled for you. Support is available around the clock.

WooCommerce has a steeper learning curve because you also manage WordPress, hosting, plugins and updates. If you already know WordPress, or you have an agency looking after the site, that difference shrinks a lot.

Which gives you more control and customization?

WooCommerce gives you more control. You can change any part of the store, from product logic to checkout, and your data lives on your own server. That makes it a strong fit for custom pricing, B2B rules, complex product options and unusual checkouts.

Shopify is customizable through themes, apps and its Liquid template language, but some parts of the platform are fixed, especially the checkout and the data model on lower plans. For most standard stores that is not a problem. For heavily custom stores it can be.

Which is better for SEO and AI search?

Both platforms can rank well. The differences are in the details:

• URLs. Shopify uses fixed paths such as /products/ and /collections/. WooCommerce lets you shape URLs however you like.
• Content. WooCommerce runs on WordPress, which is still the strongest platform for blogs and content marketing.
• Speed. Shopify is fast by default. WooCommerce speed depends on your hosting, theme and plugins.
• Structured data. Both output product data that search and AI engines read, and both can be extended with better schema.

If organic traffic and content drive your sales, WooCommerce often has the edge. If you want good technical SEO without managing it, Shopify is the safer default. Either way, a redesign or migration is where most stores lose rankings, which is why we map every URL before launch on our eCommerce website redesign projects.

Which scales better as you grow?

Shopify scales without you thinking about servers. Traffic spikes, flash sales and security are handled by Shopify, and Shopify Plus adds enterprise features for high-volume brands.

WooCommerce can also run very large stores, but it needs good hosting, caching and a clean setup. Features like High-Performance Order Storage have made large WooCommerce stores faster and more stable, provided plugins are kept compatible.

So which one should you choose?

Use this as a quick guide. If most of your answers fall on one side, that platform is probably your best fit.

Still unsure? We build on both, so we have no reason to push you either way. See our Shopify development and WooCommerce development services, or ask us for an honest recommendation.

Can you switch platforms later?

Yes. Stores move between Shopify and WooCommerce in both directions. Products, customers and orders can be migrated, but a switch needs careful planning: every old URL should redirect to its new address, and theme, apps and integrations have to be rebuilt.

Done well, customers barely notice and rankings hold. Done badly, a migration can cost months of traffic. Our guide on planning an eCommerce platform migration covers the steps.

Moving from WooCommerce to Shopify? Our WooCommerce to Shopify migration service moves your products, customers, orders and URLs and protects your rankings.

People also ask

Is Shopify or WooCommerce better for beginners?

Shopify. It is quicker to set up and you do not need to manage hosting, updates or security.

Is WooCommerce really free?

The plugin is free. You still pay for hosting, a domain, any paid extensions and maintenance, so a real store always has running costs.

Which is better for dropshipping?

Both work. Shopify has a larger app ecosystem for dropshipping, while WooCommerce gives more control over margins and fees. For tool choices, see our roundup of WooCommerce dropshipping plugins. Our WooCommerce dropshipping guide covers that setup.

Conclusion

Choose Shopify if you want to launch quickly, keep costs predictable and avoid managing technology. Choose WooCommerce if you need custom features, full ownership of your store or you already rely on WordPress and content.

Both platforms can run a profitable store. The bigger risk is picking one that does not match how your business works, then paying to rebuild it later.

If you want a second opinion, talk to Virtina. We have built and migrated stores on both platforms since 2012 and will tell you which one fits.