Upfront, honestly: we build on WooCommerce, not Shopify, so read this knowing where we sit. That said, this is a genuine comparison, not a case against Shopify — it's a solid platform, just a different trade-off to WooCommerce.
Cost structure
Shopify is a monthly subscription, with transaction fees on some plans unless you use its own payment system. WooCommerce has no platform fee — you pay for hosting and any premium plugins or themes you choose, which is often lower over time but puts more of the setup responsibility on you or your developer.
Ownership and lock-in
WooCommerce is open-source and self-hosted — your store, your data, your hosting, no platform that can change its rules or pricing under you. Shopify hosts everything on its infrastructure, which is convenient but means you're building on a platform you don't own, with migration to another platform being real work if you ever need to leave.
Flexibility and customisation
WooCommerce, being built on WordPress, can be extended and customised at the code level with very few limits — useful for unusual product logic, custom integrations, or a store that needs to be genuinely different from a template. Shopify is more locked to its theme and app model; customisation beyond that typically means Shopify's own development language (Liquid) and a narrower set of possibilities.
Ease of setup and maintenance
Shopify's biggest genuine advantage is that hosting, security patches and uptime are handled for you. WooCommerce needs a properly configured host and someone keeping WordPress, plugins and the theme updated — either your team, or a support arrangement with whoever builds it.
Which one fits your business
- Choose WooCommerce if: you want to own your platform outright, need custom pricing or product logic, or want a WordPress site and store in one system.
- Choose Shopify if: you want a fully managed platform and are comfortable with an ongoing subscription in exchange for less setup responsibility.
Neither platform is universally "better" — they solve different problems. The bigger risk is picking either one and configuring it badly, which is where most underperforming stores actually go wrong.
For B2B or wholesale requirements specifically, see our note on B2B ecommerce development — the right platform question changes once account-based pricing and bulk ordering are involved. And if neither pre-built platform fits, see when custom ecommerce development genuinely makes sense.
Want help deciding for your specific business?
Talk it through with us ↗