Short answer: for a small shop with no developer, I pick Shopify. It costs a fixed monthly plan ($39 a month on Basic, or $29 if you pay yearly) and the shop, hosting and checkout come together. WooCommerce is free to download, but you pay for hosting separately (WooCommerce's own page says $25 to $350 a month for most stores) and you look after the updates yourself. Pick WooCommerce if you already run a WordPress site and have someone who maintains it.
These two get compared all the time, and the usual answer, "WooCommerce is free", is only half true. Here is what each one really asks of you, using the prices on their own pages.
The real difference
Shopify is one service. You sign up, and the shop, the hosting, the checkout and the security patches are all inside it. WooCommerce is a free add-on for WordPress. You need to buy hosting, install WordPress, install WooCommerce, choose a theme, and keep all of it updated. Freedom is the upside. Maintenance is the price.
What each one costs
- Shopify: Basic $39 a month ($29 yearly), Grow $105 ($79 yearly), Advanced $399 ($299 yearly). There is a 3-day free trial, then $1 a month for the first 3 months.
- WooCommerce: the plugin is free with no revenue share. Hosting is where the money goes: its own pricing page says $25 to $350 a month for most stores, depending on traffic and performance.
Card fees are close to each other. Shopify Payments on the Basic plan is 2.9% plus 30 cents per online sale. WooPayments is 2.5% to 2.9% plus 30 cents. If you use another payment provider, Shopify adds a 2% fee on Basic, and WooCommerce adds no fee of its own.
So the honest comparison is not "free vs $39". It is "$39 plus nothing else to run" against "hosting plus someone's time".
Who does the maintenance
On WooCommerce, WordPress, the theme and the plugins each release updates. Skipping them is how shops get hacked or break on a Friday night. If you pay a freelancer to look after it, that is a monthly cost too. On Shopify, the platform handles it. That is a big reason I send first-time sellers there.
Which one for which shop
- Shopify fits a first online shop, a clothing or gift brand, or anyone who wants the store working in two weeks and no technical homework.
- WooCommerce fits a business with a WordPress site already, a strong blog, or unusual needs that a developer will build for you.
- Neither if you sell five things. A simple website with a WhatsApp button is cheaper to start with.
My take
I would put almost every small shop on Shopify. Not because WooCommerce is bad, but because most owners do not want to learn hosting and updates; they want to sell. The monthly fee buys them that. If someone tells you WooCommerce is "free", ask who will do the updates and what the hosting costs.
Where this falls short
I compared the prices on both companies' own pages on 24 October 2026. WooCommerce hosting is a wide range ($25 to $350), so your real number may land anywhere in it. I also did not test checkout speed on both, and plans change. For a bigger store with many products and special rules, WooCommerce can be the better tool. See what a website really costs for the full picture, or my Shopify store page for clothing brands.
Quick answers
Is WooCommerce really free?
The plugin is free and takes no share of your sales. You still pay for hosting, which WooCommerce's pricing page puts at $25 to $350 a month for most stores, plus any paid extensions.
How much does Shopify cost per month?
Basic is $39 a month, or $29 if you pay yearly. Grow is $105 ($79 yearly) and Advanced is $399 ($299 yearly).
Which is easier for a beginner?
Shopify. The shop, hosting and checkout come together, and the platform does the updates.
Which has lower payment fees?
They are close. Shopify Payments on Basic is 2.9% plus 30 cents online, and WooPayments is 2.5% to 2.9% plus 30 cents.
Can I move from WooCommerce to Shopify later?
Yes, products and customers can be moved, but it takes planning, so ask a designer to handle it so links and search rankings are not lost.
Sources (checked 24 Oct 2026; prices change, so check before you buy)
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