Shopify or WooCommerce: What to Compare
Compare catalogue needs, recurring charges, ownership and maintenance before choosing a store platform.
I start with the actual sales process. List the products, variants, stock locations, shipping regions, payment methods and people who will edit the store. The framework below is a planning guide. It does not claim a record of paid store builds.
The platform decision starts with requirements
Shopify provides a hosted store platform. WooCommerce adds store functionality to a WordPress installation. The Shopify setup guide and WooCommerce setup guide describe their setup paths. Check the current provider documentation for the features your shop requires.
A platform name does not establish that a particular integration works. Confirm the required feature, supported country, paid plan and data flow. If a feature needs an app or extension, include its price and maintenance responsibility in the scope.
Build a comparable cost sheet
I compare the same customer task on both platforms. Use current quotes for provider costs. Record billing currency, tax, renewal date and any introductory period. There is no universal all-in store price.
Scroll the table horizontally on a narrow screen. With a keyboard, focus the table area and use the arrow keys.
| Cost or responsibility | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Core platform | Current subscription and applicable transaction charges | WordPress hosting and operating requirements |
| Extra features | Apps, theme and integration charges | Extensions, theme and integration charges |
| Payments | Processor eligibility, rates and settlement timing | Gateway eligibility, rates and settlement timing |
| Maintenance | Content, integrations and account responsibilities | Updates, backups, hosting and integration responsibilities |
| Build work | Design, catalogue preparation, configuration and testing | Design, catalogue preparation, configuration and testing |
Shopify's billing documentation lists the types of charges that can appear. Use the selected plan and apps to populate the sheet. Do not compare a platform subscription with a fully configured store-build fee.
Test the daily editing task
Ask the person who will run the shop to add a product, change stock, update a price and process a sample order in an appropriate test environment. Include the actual variant structure and any custom product information.
A small catalogue can still have complex rules. A large catalogue can be straightforward. Product count alone does not determine the platform. Confirm permissions, staff training, returns handling and the person responsible when an integration fails.
Check shipping, payments and tax separately
List destinations, delivery methods, pickup options and shipping rules. Confirm what the payment provider permits for the business and which currencies the store needs. Use the provider's documented test mode before accepting real payments.
The business's accountant should confirm tax obligations and registrations. The implementation must then match those instructions. Do not select a platform from a claim that it automatically resolves every provincial or cross-border tax situation.
Plan the maintenance and ownership boundaries
Keep the domain, store and provider accounts in the owner's name. Record who holds access, what can be exported, how backups are maintained and what happens if the business changes supplier. Third-party software and assets retain their licences.
For a WordPress-based store, define how updates and backups are tested. For a hosted store, define app, content and account responsibilities. Both need checks of the customer route. A platform's hosting arrangement does not verify the shop's particular shipping, checkout or contact configuration.
Write a migration plan before moving a live shop
List product, customer, order and content records. Check what can be exported and imported, who may handle the data and which URLs need permanent redirects. Preserve access to the existing store until the replacement has passed the agreed checks.
Test representative products, mobile checkout, stock, shipping, messages and refunds using approved test procedures. Agree a cutover window, rollback plan and post-launch checks. Do not switch a domain while unresolved order-handling errors remain.
Choose a defined next step
Read the Websites & Online Stores scope. Stores, CMS work and custom integrations receive a separate quote. Launch and Growth are information-website offers and do not include a live store.
Use the $350 Website Plan when the requirements need to be organised before a build quote. Book a free call with the catalogue, destinations and systems the shop must connect to.