shopify vs wordpress for a store: total cost at your volume

business · 2026-10-13 · 5 min

shopify rents you a managed store; wordpress + woocommerce sells you an owned one with maintenance attached. total cost at your volume — not monthly sticker — decides. here is the honest comparison.

shopify: handled, metered

US basic around $29/month yearly ($39 monthly) before apps; hosting, security and updates included. card fees via shopify payments plus extra third-party transaction fees on some plans if you use another processor. apps for everything (each metered). wins when: you want to sell, not sysadmin — launch fast, maintain little, scale predictably.

woocommerce: owned, assembled

core free, no platform subscription or revenue share — but hosting ($25-350/month estimated for stores), domain, extensions ($29-299/year each), setup and maintenance are yours. processor takes its own fees; no extra platform cut. wins when: wordpress already runs the site, customization matters, or you resent rent on principle and can handle (or hire) upkeep.

the total-cost test

model YOUR volume: subscription/hosting + processing on expected sales + apps/extensions + setup + yearly maintenance. small catalog, standard needs: shopify usually cheaper all-in. content-heavy brand, custom flows, existing wordpress: woocommerce earns its complexity. cheapest entry with priciest exit loses on totals — price year three, not month one. shop mistakes either way: e-commerce mistakes that kill sales. starting out: how do i start an online store.

FAQ

which ranks better?

neither, materially — products rank on completeness, reviews and speed, not platform. pick by operations, optimize by content.

can I switch later?

shopify→woocommerce: exportable with effort. either way budget a migration project (URLs, redirects, history) — exits cost, so choose like you'll stay.