Comparison
Shopify vs WooCommerce
How Shopify and WooCommerce compare on price, pricing model, features and reviews, with every fact checked on October 24, 2026.
Quick verdict
Choose Shopify if
- Small and mid-size brands that want a hosted store without managing servers.
- Merchants that will use Shopify Payments to avoid the third-party gateway fee.
- Brands that need a path from a cheap plan to Plus without replatforming.
Choose WooCommerce if
- Merchants already on WordPress who want full code control.
- Stores with unusual product or checkout logic that justifies developer time.
- Merchants wanting no platform revenue share.
Shopify vs WooCommerce side by side
| Shopify | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Hosted ecommerce platform sold in Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus tiers, with payment fees that drop as the plan price rises. | Free open source ecommerce plugin for WordPress where you pay for hosting, extensions and your chosen payment processor. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Starting price | $29/month billed yearly ($39 monthly) for Basic | Free (core); hosting typically $25-$350/month |
| Pricing model | flat monthly plan plus payment fees | free software plus hosting, extensions and processor fees |
| Free plan or trial | Free trial | Free plan |
| SAML SSO | Not published | Not published |
| SCIM provisioning | Not published | Not published |
| Audit logs | Not published | Not published |
| Data residency | Not published | Depends on the host you choose. |
| Contract | Monthly or yearly on Basic to Advanced; Plus offers 1 or 3 year terms, cancel when term ends. | No platform contract; extension licenses are yearly. |
| Support | Not published | Not published |
| G2 rating | 4.4 (4,964 reviews) | 4.4 (1,278 reviews) |
| Founded | 2006 | 2011 |
| Headquarters | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | Not verified |
| Employees | 7,600 (2025) | Not verified |
| Hosted versus self-hosted | Hosted SaaS. | Self-hosted on WordPress (host of your choice) |
| Payment processing and transaction fees | Shopify Payments online card 2.1% + EUR 0.30 on Basic down to 1.3% + EUR 0.30 on Plus; third-party gateways add 2% / 1% / 0.6% / 0.2% by plan. | WooPayments about 2.50-2.90% + 30 cents; other gateways add no WooCommerce fee. |
| App and integration ecosystem | Not verified | Extensions sold a la carte at $29-$299/year each. |
| Scalability and checkout limits | Staff seats rise from none (Basic) to 5, 15 and unlimited (Plus) | No product variant limits per vendor page; depends on your hosting. |
| Pricing model and transparency | Four tiers, about 25% cheaper when paid yearly; fees fall as plan rises. | Free core, costs shift to hosting, extensions and processor. |
| Target company size | Starter stores to enterprise (Plus) | Small to large, developer-led. |
Differences most comparisons miss
Worth knowing about Shopify
- Third-party payment gateway fee is 2% on Basic and 0.2% on Plus, on top of the gateway's own fees, so gateway choice changes plan economics.
- Basic includes no additional staff accounts; Grow adds 5, Advanced 15, Plus unlimited.
- Plus starts at EUR 2,100/month and the FAQ offers 1 or 3 year terms.
- Yearly billing cuts the headline price by roughly 25%.
Worth knowing about WooCommerce
- Core software is free with 0% revenue share; real cost is hosting ($25-$350/month per vendor) plus extensions.
- Extensions are priced $29-$299 per year each, so a stack of them recurs annually.
- You carry security, updates and backups yourself unless the host does.
- Vendor TCO comparisons on its own page rely on a partner's numbers.
Sources
Both columns use the same sources: vendor pricing and product pages, documentation, G2 and company records, checked on October 24, 2026. Full source lists are on the Shopify and WooCommerce reviews.