By PLYXIO Team · Updated October 6, 2026 · 7 min read
Short answer: WooCommerce vs Shopify comes down to how you want to pay. Shopify charges a predictable monthly fee (from $29 to $39 a month for Basic) and handles hosting for you. WooCommerce is free software, but you pay separately for hosting, plugins and any development. For most small stores Shopify is cheaper to start, and WooCommerce is often cheaper and more flexible as you grow.
Below is a plain comparison of what each one really costs, where the hidden fees are, and which type of business should pick which. If you are still deciding on a budget, our WooCommerce website cost guide covers the numbers in more detail.
If you are comparing WooCommerce vs Shopify for the first time, start with what you plan to sell and how fast you want to launch. The WooCommerce vs Shopify decision gets much easier once those two answers are clear.
In this article
Table of Contents
WooCommerce vs Shopify: quick comparison
| WooCommerce | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|
| Software cost | Free plugin | From $29 to $39 a month for Basic |
| Hosting | You buy it separately | Included |
| Transaction fees | Only your payment provider | Extra fee if you do not use Shopify Payments |
| Design control | Full control of code and design | Themes and apps, limited code access |
| Best for | Custom stores, content heavy sites, SEO focus | Fast launch, simple catalogs |
Both platforms can run a serious store. The difference is who carries the technical work: Shopify carries more of it, and WooCommerce gives you more control.
What Shopify really costs
Shopify lists four main plans. Basic is $39 a month or $29 a month billed yearly. Grow is $105 or $79, and Advanced is $399 or $299. Shopify Plus, for large brands, starts at $2,300 a month.
Card processing through Shopify Payments starts at 2.9% plus 30 cents online on Basic and drops on higher plans. If you use an outside payment gateway instead, Shopify adds its own fee on top: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced.
On top of that most stores add paid apps for reviews, email, subscriptions and shipping, and those monthly fees add up quickly.
What WooCommerce really costs
The WooCommerce plugin itself is free, but a real store needs hosting, a domain, security, backups and often a few paid extensions. Published 2026 guides put hosting anywhere from about $60 a year on shared plans to $420 or more on managed WooCommerce hosting, with advanced extensions like subscriptions around $259 a year each.
The bigger variable is build cost. A store you build yourself can start from around $120 a year, while professionally built stores range from thousands to tens of thousands depending on design and features.
The upside is that you are not paying a percentage of every sale to the platform, and you can change hosts, plugins or developers whenever you like.
Which one should you choose?
Pick Shopify if
you want to launch fast, sell a simple catalog, and prefer one monthly bill with someone else handling hosting and updates.
Pick WooCommerce if
you want full control of design, need custom features, care about SEO and content, or expect to grow into a larger catalog where platform fees start to hurt.
Not sure?
Start by listing what your store must do in year one, and what it might need in year three. If year three includes custom checkout, memberships, bundles or heavy content, WooCommerce usually gives you more room. Our ecommerce website design team can map this out with you.
Frequently asked questions
Is WooCommerce cheaper than Shopify?
It can be. WooCommerce has no platform fee and no extra transaction fee, but you pay for hosting, plugins and development. Shopify is usually cheaper to start, while WooCommerce often costs less over time for growing stores.
Is Shopify or WooCommerce better for SEO?
Both can rank well. WooCommerce runs on WordPress, which gives you more control over content, URLs and technical SEO, so many teams prefer it when organic traffic is a main goal.
Does Shopify charge transaction fees?
Shopify charges card processing fees through Shopify Payments, and adds an extra fee if you use a third party payment gateway instead. That extra fee is 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced.
Can I move from Shopify to WooCommerce later?
Yes. Products, customers and orders can be migrated, though it takes planning to protect your URLs and SEO. Doing it with a developer avoids lost rankings.
Which is easier for beginners?
Shopify is usually easier at the start because hosting and updates are handled for you. WooCommerce takes more setup but rewards you with flexibility.
Bottom line: the WooCommerce vs Shopify choice comes down to control versus convenience. Pick Shopify if you want a simple hosted setup, and pick WooCommerce if you want full ownership and flexibility. Whichever side of the WooCommerce vs Shopify debate you land on, plan for hosting, apps and support from day one.
Get a clear store quote from PLYXIO
We build WooCommerce and WordPress stores that are fast, SEO ready and designed to convert. Every PLYXIO project is quoted individually, so tell us what you sell and we will send back a clear scope and price.
Sources
Shopify pricing
How Much Does a WooCommerce Store Cost? A 2026 Pricing Breakdown, Elementor
About the author: PLYXIO is a digital agency building websites, WooCommerce stores, mobile apps, AI software and growth marketing systems for ambitious businesses. Learn more about PLYXIO.