Choosing the right e-commerce platform can make or break your online sales. If you’re weighing Shopify vs WooCommerce, the right choice depends on your budget, scale, and tech comfort. Use this quick comparison to decide—and start selling faster.
Contents
- What Shopify Does Well
- What WooCommerce Does Well
- Shopify vs WooCommerce: Side-by-Side
- How to Choose: Scale, Budget, Skills
- Pros & Cons for Small Businesses
- Next Steps
- FAQs
What Shopify Does Well
Shopify is a fully hosted platform—no server setup, security hardening, or patching required. It’s fast to launch and includes a polished checkout, themes, and an app store.
- Hosted & secure: SSL, updates, and PCI compliance handled for you.
- Easy setup: Guided onboarding gets you selling quickly.
- Predictable monthly fee: Plans bundle hosting + core features.
- Built-in payments & shipping: Shopify Payments and carrier integrations.
What WooCommerce Does Well
WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin, giving you deep control and long-term cost flexibility. You choose hosting, design, and plugins to fit your needs.
- Highly flexible: Own your stack, customize freely, and add any feature.
- Lower long-term cost: Pay for hosting + select plugins instead of platform fees.
- SEO-friendly: Full access to on-page SEO, schema, and content strategy in WordPress.
- Easily extendable: Thousands of themes and extensions.
Shopify vs WooCommerce: Side-by-Side
| Feature | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Included (fully hosted) | Self-hosted (you choose provider) |
| Setup speed | Very fast, guided | Install WordPress + plugin |
| Costs | Monthly plan; extra fees for some apps/gateways | Hosting + domain + optional paid plugins |
| Customization | Theme + apps; limited server access | Full code access; highly customizable |
| Payments | Shopify Payments + 100+ gateways | Stripe, PayPal, and many gateways |
| Shipping | Built-in labels/rates; app ecosystem | Carrier plugins with flexible rules |
| Maintenance | Low (platform handles updates/security) | You (or your dev) manage updates, backups, security |
| Scalability | Excellent; platform-level optimization | Excellent with quality hosting/caching/CDN |
How to Choose: Scale, Budget, Skills
- Scale: Expecting rapid growth or spikes? Shopify’s managed infrastructure is hands-off. With WooCommerce, pick performance hosting and caching early.
- Budget: Shopify has a predictable monthly fee; WooCommerce can be lower TCO over time with smart plugin choices and the right host.
- Tech skills: Shopify is simplest for non-technical owners. WooCommerce is ideal if you’re comfortable managing WordPress (or have a developer partner).
Pros & Cons for Small Businesses
Shopify
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
Fast launch, minimal maintenance |
Monthly fees add up |
|
Reliable checkout, strong app ecosystem |
Less server-level control |
|
Built-in security and PCI compliance |
Some features require paid apps |
WooCommerce
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
|
Full control and customization |
DIY hosting and maintenance |
|
Potentially lower long-term cost |
Plugin sprawl if not curated |
|
Best for content + SEO heavy sites |
Requires WordPress familiarity |
Related Services from Horizon Web Services
- E-Commerce Setup & Migrations
- Custom Theme & Storefront Development
- SEO & Product Page Optimization
Not sure what’s right for you? We’ll set it up and integrate payments/shipping so you’re ready to sell.
FAQs
Is Shopify or WooCommerce cheaper?
Shopify has a monthly plan; cost is predictable. WooCommerce is often lower long-term: you pay for hosting, domain, and only the extensions you need.
Which is easier for beginners?
Shopify—setup is quick and maintenance is minimal. WooCommerce is straightforward if you already use WordPress or have a developer partner.
Can I migrate later?
Yes. Stores commonly move from Shopify ⇄ WooCommerce. We handle product/customer/order migration and preserve SEO.