"Should we build on Shopify or WooCommerce?" is one of the most common questions we hear. Both are excellent, and both power thousands of profitable stores. The right choice depends on your products, team, budget and how much control you need.
Short answer: choose Shopify if you want a fast launch, low maintenance and predictable hosting. Choose WooCommerce if you need deep customisation, already run WordPress, or want full ownership of your hosting and data.
Quick comparison
| Factor | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Included, fully managed | You choose and manage hosting |
| Setup speed | Very fast | Fast, more configuration |
| Monthly cost | Plan fee + app subscriptions | Hosting + paid plugins (often lower) |
| Customisation | High, within Shopify's rules | Almost unlimited (open source) |
| Maintenance | Minimal | Updates, backups and security are your job |
| Content & blogging | Basic | Excellent (it is WordPress) |
| Scaling | Handled by Shopify | Needs good hosting and optimisation |
Cost
Shopify has a clear monthly plan, plus transaction fees if you do not use Shopify Payments, plus apps. Apps are where costs grow — a store with ten paid apps can spend more on apps than on the plan.
WooCommerce itself is free, but you pay for hosting, premium plugins, a theme and developer time for updates. For small stores it is usually cheaper; for large stores, quality hosting and maintenance narrow the gap.
Flexibility and customisation
WooCommerce gives you access to every line of code. Unusual pricing rules, complex B2B logic or custom checkout flows are all possible. Shopify is highly customisable through themes (Liquid), apps and APIs, but some areas — like core checkout behaviour on non-Plus plans — are controlled by Shopify.
Maintenance and security
With Shopify, hosting, SSL, PCI compliance and platform updates are handled for you. With WooCommerce you must keep WordPress, plugins and PHP up to date and monitor security. That is not difficult with a maintenance plan, but it must be done.
Speed and SEO
Both can be fast, and both can be slow. Shopify's CDN gives a good baseline; too many apps add scripts that hurt Core Web Vitals. WooCommerce speed depends heavily on hosting, caching and plugin choice. For content-heavy SEO strategies, WooCommerce benefits from WordPress's strong blogging tools.
Integrations
Both connect to marketplaces, ERPs, accounting and shipping tools. Shopify's app store is large and polished; WooCommerce has a huge plugin ecosystem and an open REST API. For custom integrations — Amazon SP-API, Odoo, a 3PL warehouse — both work well with a developer.
Who should choose which?
Choose Shopify if…
- You want to launch quickly with minimal technical work
- You do not have in-house developers for maintenance
- You expect traffic spikes (sales, launches) and do not want to manage servers
Choose WooCommerce if…
- Content and SEO are central to your marketing
- You need unusual product, pricing or checkout logic
- You already run a WordPress site and want one system
- You want full control over hosting and data
Can I switch later?
Yes. Products, customers and orders can be migrated in either direction, and URL redirects protect your SEO. It is easier to choose well at the start, but a migration is a normal, manageable project.
Not sure which fits your store? Our team builds on both. Hire a Shopify developer or hire a WooCommerce developer — or ask us for a recommendation.