Shopify vs WooCommerce
Shopify is a hosted ecommerce platform that bundles storefront, checkout, payments, inventory and shipping into one subscription, while WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin that turns a self-hosted WordPress site into an online store. They are compared because both power large numbers of online stores and both support physical and digital products, multi-currency selling, discount codes, APIs and webhooks. Shopify suits merchants who want a store running quickly with minimal upkeep, and WooCommerce suits WordPress users, developers and sellers who want ownership of their code and data.
Which should you choose?
Choose Shopify if
- Merchants who want a hosted store running quickly with minimal upkeep
- Brands selling across web, social channels and physical retail
- Dropshipping and print-on-demand stores that rely on app integrations
- Growing businesses that expect to scale into Shopify Plus
Choose WooCommerce if
- Existing WordPress sites that want to add a shop
- Developers and agencies building customized stores
- Sellers who want ownership of their data and code
- Content-first businesses selling alongside a blog
Cheapest to start
Not comparable
Free plan
WooCommerce
Highest editor rating
Shopify · 4.7
| Compare | Shopify |
|---|---|
| Free plan | No |
| Free trial | Yes |
| Starting price | From $39/mo |
| Editor rating | 4.7 |
| Ease of use | Easy (4/5) |
| Category | Ecommerce |
| Pricing model | No free plan. Basic $39/month, Grow $105/month and Advanced $399/month billed monthly, each about 25 percent cheaper billed annually. Shopify Plus starts from $2,300/month. 3-day free trial, then $1/month for the first 3 months. |
| Plans |
|
| Platforms | CLI, Web, iOS, Android, API |
| Integrations | Facebook & Instagram, Google Ads, Google Analytics, PayPal, TikTok, YouTube |
| Best for |
|
| Pros |
|
| Cons |
|
| Abandoned cart recovery | Yes |
| AI assistant | Yes |
| API access | Yes |
| App marketplace | Yes |
| Discounts & coupons | Yes |
| Import & export | No |
| Inventory management | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes |
| Multi-currency | Yes |
| Payment processing | Yes |
| Point of sale | Yes |
| Reporting & dashboards | Yes |
| Self-hosting option | No |
| Webhooks | Yes |
Common questions
- Does Shopify or WooCommerce have a free plan?
- WooCommerce has a free plan. Shopify does not, though it offers a free trial.
- How long is the Shopify and WooCommerce free trial?
- Shopify offers a 3-day free trial. WooCommerce does not offer one.
- Which is easier to use, Shopify or WooCommerce?
- In VERILO's editorial assessment Shopify is the easier of the two, scoring 4 out of 5 against 2 for WooCommerce. That is a judgement about how quickly a new team gets productive, not a measured benchmark.
Our verdict
Choose Shopify if you want a hosted store with payments, POS and social sales channels built in and no servers to maintain; Basic costs $39 per month ($29 billed annually), there is a 3-day trial but no free plan, and it scores 4 out of 5 for ease of use, though app subscriptions and a 0.6% to 2% fee on third-party payment gateways can raise the real cost. Choose WooCommerce if you already run WordPress, want content and commerce on one site, or need full control over code and data; the plugin itself is free with no platform transaction fees, but you pay separately for hosting, a theme, extensions (typically about $79 to $299 per year each) and payment processing, and its 2-out-of-5 ease-of-use score reflects that you handle updates, backups and security yourself. Abandoned cart recovery is built into Shopify but requires a paid extension on WooCommerce. Both integrate with Meta, TikTok, Google Ads, Google Analytics and PayPal; Shopify adds YouTube, while WooCommerce adds WordPress, Stripe and Mailchimp.
Go deeper
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