Short answer: Shopify is a store platform you pay for each month, with card rates and, for other payment providers, transaction fees on top. On WordPress, a store runs on WooCommerce, an open source plugin whose core is free, on hosting you pay for separately. Choose Shopify to keep plan, checkout and payments in one service; choose WooCommerce to own and control your store data.
Our agency builds on WordPress, so weigh that as you read. Each point below comes from Shopify’s and WordPress’s own documentation.
How a store runs on each platform
Shopify’s Basic, Grow and Advanced plans each come with a monthly price, credit card rates and third-party transaction fees. Your store starts on a myshopify.com address, and you can add your own domain. Our domain name guide explains what a domain is.
On WordPress, the store is WooCommerce, which calls itself the open source ecommerce platform for WordPress. Its core is free, and its Marketplace adds free and paid extensions. WordPress itself needs hosting: WordPress.com includes managed hosting, or a hosting provider charges you yearly for hosting and your domain. Our web hosting guide covers the basics.
| Shopify | WordPress with WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay | A monthly plan, card rates and fees for using other payment providers | Hosting and any paid extensions; the core is free |
| Your address | A myshopify.com address, or your own domain | Your own domain, through your host or WordPress.com |
| Product data | Products export to a CSV file | A CSV tool imports and exports products; the data stays with you |
Our summary of Shopify’s and WooCommerce’s documentation, read November 5, 2026.
Fees and payments
Shopify says third-party transaction fees cover the cost of a secure checkout that works with external payment providers, and that they vary by plan. They apply to every transaction processed through a third-party provider. With Shopify Payments, those fees don’t apply to orders paid with the payment methods it lists.
WooCommerce lets you choose how you get paid, and its WooPayments service is available in some countries, the United States among them. On self-hosted WordPress, security depends on your host and plan, while WordPress.com handles updates, backups and SSL for you. Our SSL certificate guide explains what that certificate does.
Trying before you commit
Shopify’s free trial lets you test the Basic, Grow and Advanced plans. The trial starts when you first sign up, not when you start working on your store. If you don’t choose a plan before it ends, Shopify freezes the account and charges nothing.
WooCommerce’s core costs nothing, so the cost of a WordPress store comes from the hosting and from the extensions you add.
Moving your products
Shopify can export your products to a CSV file, to keep a backup, move them to a new Shopify store or edit them in bulk in a spreadsheet. WooCommerce includes its own CSV tool to import, export and bulk-update products, and to move product data between stores.
The WooCommerce import expects its own columns and format, so a file from Shopify needs its columns matched first. WooCommerce also says a WooCommerce store’s data belongs to you and that you can export all of it. For the full move, see our website migration guide.
Which platform suits your store
Shopify suits a store that wants the plan, checkout and payments in one service and is fine paying each month. WooCommerce suits one that wants its shop inside a WordPress site, chooses its own hosting and has someone to keep it updated. How a store’s products can appear on Google at no cost is in our Google Merchant Center guide.
How to choose between Shopify and WooCommerce
- List what you sell, how many products you have and how you want to get paid.
- Write down every cost: the plan or the hosting, card rates, transaction fees and extensions.
- Try Shopify with its free trial, and pick a plan before the trial ends if you stay.
- For WooCommerce, choose the hosting first: WordPress.com or a provider you pick.
- Connect your own domain instead of the default address.
- Export a CSV of your products and keep it as a backup.
- If you move, match the CSV columns and test the import with a few products first.
Before you open the store
- You know every fee you will pay on each sale.
- You know who keeps the store updated and secure.
- The store runs on your own domain.
- You have a recent CSV backup of your products.
- You tested the import with a few products.
- Your payment option works in your country.
RememberShopify bundles the plan, checkout and payments, with fees that depend on how you get paid. WooCommerce turns WordPress into a store with a free core, and leaves the hosting and upkeep to you.
Our web design service works on WordPress; if Shopify fits your shop better, the checks above still help. You can reach us on WhatsApp or through the form.
Shopify and WooCommerce: quick answers
Is WooCommerce free?
Its core is. WooCommerce says its core platform is free, and its Marketplace adds free and paid extensions. Your store still needs WordPress hosting, which you pay for on WordPress.com’s plans or to a host of your choice.
What does Shopify charge besides the monthly plan?
Shopify lists credit card rates and third-party transaction fees. The third-party fees apply when you take payments through other providers and vary by plan; with Shopify Payments they don’t apply to orders paid with its supported methods.
Can I try Shopify before paying?
Yes. The free trial lets you test the Basic, Grow and Advanced plans. It starts when you sign up, not when you start building the store, and if you don’t pick a plan, Shopify freezes the account when the trial ends.
Can I move my products from Shopify to WooCommerce?
Shopify exports your products to a CSV file, and WooCommerce has a built-in CSV tool for importing products. Its import follows its own column format, so expect to match the columns of the Shopify file before you import.
Who owns the store data?
WooCommerce says the data of a WooCommerce store belongs to you and that you can export all your content. On Shopify, the product export gives you a CSV file you can keep as a backup.
Sources
All read on November 5, 2026. Shopify Help Center: Pricing plans and billing overview. Trying Shopify with a free trial. Pricing plans FAQ. Domains. Exporting products. WordPress.org: WooCommerce. WooCommerce: Product CSV Importer and Exporter. WordPress.com Support: WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org: What’s the difference?