Shopify vs WooCommerce: which one is best for your eCommerce store?

Shopify vs WooCommerce picks

Shopify vs WooCommerce in one line: launch on Shopify if you want a clean, fast setup in 4–6 weeks with predictable app-led features; pick WooCommerce if you need custom logic, own your hosting, and care about long-term fee control. Both scale; the right choice depends on speed to value, payments mix, and how much you’ll customize in year one.

Who should read this

You are choosing a platform for the next 12–24 months, not marrying it for life. You run or manage an ecommerce store, sit somewhere between €10k and €500k monthly revenue, and need to decide fast without sinking weeks into Reddit rabbit holes. You already know the headlines: Shopify is fast to ship, WooCommerce is flexible. What you still need is a clear pick by scenario, with budgets, timelines, payment implications, and maintenance reality spelled out. If you plan to sell internationally, manage more than 100 SKUs, or connect to ERP, this comparison is for you. If you want a simple catalog and standard checkout, you do not need a philosophy debate. You need a launch plan that survives contact with real customers.

Takeaway: this guide is for teams choosing a platform in 2–6 weeks with real budgets and deadlines.

The one-sentence answer

Pick Shopify when speed to launch, predictable costs, and a clean feature set matter most. Pick WooCommerce when you need custom logic, own the stack, and care about shaving fees at scale. Both are safe, mainstream ecosystems with healthy talent pools and app/plugin options. The difference shows up in how you trade monthly subscription for freedom, and how much engineering you are willing to own. If your season peaks soon or you lack an in-house developer, choose the hosted simplicity of Shopify. If your roadmap includes custom pricing rules, B2B flows, or advanced content control, WooCommerce pays back the setup time. Decide with a small pilot, not a big replatform all at once.

Takeaway: Shopify for speed and sanity; WooCommerce for control and customization

Total cost, year one

Total cost of ownership is not just the plan price. Add hosting or subscription, theme, paid apps or premium plugins, developer hours, payment gateway fees, and ongoing maintenance. Shopify concentrates cost in the plan and apps, with less spend on engineering and ops. WooCommerce shifts cost to hosting and custom work, which can be cheaper long-term if your team is disciplined. Payment fees are the sleeper variable: a different gateway or method mix can move margins more than the platform choice. Build a simple 12-month model with three scenarios: Starter (launch fast), Grow (add 2–3 key features), and Advanced (B2B, complex rules). Price developer time honestly, include QA, and add a small buffer for surprises.

Takeaway: compare the whole 12-month stack, not just the license or hosting line.

Speed to launch

Speed is not a vibe, it is a checklist. Shopify reduces moving parts: hosting, security, CDN, checkout, and most integrations come ready to go. A focused team can ship a production store in 4–6 weeks, including a starter theme, basic apps, payments, and shipping. . Launching quickly helps you start collecting customer data and iterating fast to increase ecommerce conversion rates early in your store’s lifecycle. WooCommerce can ship on a similar timeline if scope stays tight and you use battle-tested plugins, but every extra plugin adds risk and QA. If your marketing team is waiting on the store, or you have a seasonal window you cannot miss, Shopify is the safer calendar pick. If you have an in-house developer and a clear component library, WooCommerce is still realistic, but protect the timeline with a strict “MVP first, niceties later” rule.

Takeaway: tight deadline and thin ops favor Shopify; WooCommerce needs discipline to match speed.

Payments and fees

Your gateway mix is where margin disappears. On Shopify, using Shopify Payments avoids platform surcharges on transactions. Switching to a third-party gateway adds an extra platform fee on top of the gateway fee. On WooCommerce you can use any gateway without a platform surcharge, but you own the setup, testing, and edge cases like refunds and chargebacks. Map your top three payment methods by share and fee, then model a realistic blended rate. If you run subscriptions, check dunning, retries, and token portability. For cross-border sales, test local methods like iDEAL, Bancontact, or Sofort. A small fee change on a high-volume method beats shaving a few euros off hosting..

Takeaway: model blended payment fees first; the platform choice comes second.

Apps and integrations

Shopify’s App Store is deep and curated, which keeps integration effort low but can create soft lock-in if a key app raises prices. WooCommerce’s plugin universe is wider and code-friendly, which is great until three plugins overlap and updates collide. For both platforms, judge apps and plugins on four things: active maintenance, reviews, roadmap fit, and data export. If an integration touches orders, inventory, or pricing, insist on stable APIs and a rollback plan. For analytics and marketing, prefer tools with clear attribution and server-side options. When in doubt, pay for fewer, better apps or plugins rather than stacking “free” add-ons that cost time later.

Takeaway: choose fewer, well-maintained add-ons that fit your roadmap and export cleanly.

Want a 30-minute platform fit check and a simple 12-month TCO sheet you can reuse? Book a quick video call, we will show you exactly what to fix.

International and tax

Selling across borders means currencies, duties, VAT, and checkout language. Shopify handles multi-currency and localized checkout with minimal setup, which speeds entry into new markets. WooCommerce matches that with the right plugins and tax services, but the setup takes longer and needs ongoing QA when tax rules change. If you sell digital goods or subscriptions, check how each path handles tax on recurring invoices. If you plan to add multiple storefronts or markets, test product feeds, translations, and localized shipping rules early. A smooth localized checkout raises conversion more than another design flourish.

Takeaway: Shopify simplifies cross-border by default; WooCommerce can match with deliberate setup.

Scaling and control

Scaling is about predictable performance and freedom to change. Shopify removes server ops, scales traffic without drama, and keeps checkout consistent, which is ideal for lean teams. The trade is backend limits and a templating mindset. WooCommerce gives you full code control and database access, perfect for custom logic or non-standard catalogs. The trade is responsibility for updates, caching, and performance. If your team values code ownership, data control, and bespoke flows, WooCommerce fits. If your team values low ops burden and repeatable releases, Shopify fits. Either way, set a release rhythm and log technical debt from day one.

Takeaway: pick convenience with constraints or control with responsibility, then commit.

Migration plan

Do not big-bang a replatform. Run a pilot on 10% of traffic or on one category, prove checkout and fulfillment, then roll out. Inventory, customers, and orders need careful mapping. Preserve URLs where possible, or create one-to-one redirects and test them with a crawler. Keep structured data intact so search engines and AI tools can parse products and reviews. For subscriptions, confirm token migration or plan a gentle resubscribe campaign. Freeze content in the cutover week, schedule a QA day after launch, and keep rollback options open. A week of preparation beats a month of firefighting.

Takeaway: migrate in stages, preserve URLs and data, and plan rollback.

What we recommend

If you want to sell within 4–6 weeks with a clean, standard feature set, choose Shopify and keep apps lean. If your roadmap includes custom pricing, complex B2B rules, or deep content control, choose WooCommerce and invest in stable hosting and QA. For stores with more advanced requirements, our custom e-commerce website development services offer full flexibility, tailored integrations, and backend ownership where it matters. Either path benefits from a short pilot, a clear TCO model, and monthly monitoring of conversion, speed, and payment failures. Link this page to your internal playbook so future decisions take hours, not weeks. For help mapping your scenario, see our ecommerce development page for implementation options and timelines.

Takeaway: match platform to constraints, run a pilot, then scale with a simple ops rhythm.

Choose Shopify for a 4–6 week launch and predictable app-led features; choose WooCommerce for deep customization and tighter fee control at scale. WordPress powers ~43% of all websites and Shopify ~5% of all sites, so both paths are safe (Source: W3Techs, 2025). Studio Ubique helps SMB teams pick and launch within 4–6 weeks

FAQs

Q: Shopify vs WooCommerce: which is better for heavy customization?

WooCommerce. You own the code and can implement complex pricing, catalog rules, or integrations without platform limits. The trade-off is ongoing maintenance and QA to keep plugins and updates stable.

Q: Which is cheaper over 12 months?

It depends on your stack. Shopify has fixed plan fees plus app costs; Woo has hosting, premium plugins, and dev time. Price your payment fees by method mix; that usually moves the needle more than the platform line item. Build a simple 12-month TCO before you decide.

Q: Which is faster to launch?

Shopify, in most cases. You’ll ship a solid store in 4–6 weeks with fewer moving parts. Woo can match if the scope is tight and the team is senior, but complexity and plugin sprawl add risk. If you have a seasonal window, Shopify is safer.

Q: Do I pay extra fees on Shopify if I don’t use Shopify Payments?

Yes, third-party gateways add a platform transaction fee on top of gateway fees. Using Shopify Payments avoids that surcharge. Check current percentages and your method mix before deciding.

Q: Can I migrate later without losing SEO?

Yes, with planning. Keep slugs consistent where possible, map redirects one-to-one, preserve structured data, and run a staged pilot. Expect some re-indexing churn for a few weeks after go-live.