What is the difference between Shopify and WooCommerce?

Shopify is best for Businesses wanting the most popular e-commerce platform, while WooCommerce is best for WordPress users wanting e-commerce functionality. Shopify starts at $29/mo and WooCommerce starts at Free.

Is Shopify or WooCommerce cheaper?

Shopify starts at $29/mo. WooCommerce starts at Free and is free.

Is there a free alternative to Shopify?

Yes, WooCommerce offers a free tier.

Shopify vs WooCommerce

Shopify is leading e-commerce platform for building online stores with themes, apps, and payments, while WooCommerce is open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress with extensions and payment gateways. The biggest difference up front: WooCommerce is free, while Shopify starts at $29/mo. Shopify is built for businesses wanting the most popular e-commerce platform, whereas WooCommerce targets wordpress users wanting e-commerce functionality.

At a glance

	Shopify	WooCommerce
Best for	Businesses wanting the most popular e-commerce platform	WordPress users wanting e-commerce functionality
Starting price	$29/mo	Free
Free tier	—	✓
Open source	—	✓
Free tier available	—	✓
Open source	—	✓
App Store	✓	—
Extensions	—	✓
Online Store	✓	—
Payments	✓	✓
Shipping	—	✓
Themes	✓	—
WordPress Plugin	—	✓

Shopify

Strengths

Includes Online Store as a core feature, purpose-built for e-commerce workflows
Includes Themes as a core feature, purpose-built for e-commerce workflows
Pricing starts at $29/mo, which includes the full e-commerce feature set
Established product with 20+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Starts at $29/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in e-commerce
Per-user pricing at $29/mo makes it hard to justify for large teams

Try Shopify → Full review

WooCommerce

Strengths

Open source and transparent
Includes WordPress Plugin as a core feature, purpose-built for e-commerce workflows
Fully open-source — you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Self-hosting is free but requires server maintenance and DevOps knowledge
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in e-commerce

Try WooCommerce → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: WooCommerce is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Shopify starts at $29/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Shopify offers App Store, Online Store and Themes that WooCommerce lacks. WooCommerce brings Extensions, Shipping and WordPress Plugin that Shopify does not have. Both share Payments.

Team fit: Both tools target any size teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.

Open source: WooCommerce is open source, meaning you can self-host, audit the code, and avoid vendor lock-in. Shopify is proprietary — you are trusting the vendor with your data and uptime.

Where each tool shines: Shopify's biggest strengths are: includes online store as a core feature, purpose-built for e-commerce workflows. includes themes as a core feature, purpose-built for e-commerce workflows. WooCommerce's biggest strengths are: open source and transparent. includes wordpress plugin as a core feature, purpose-built for e-commerce workflows.

Watch out for: With Shopify, users commonly note that starts at $29/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users. With WooCommerce, the main complaint is that may lack some advanced features.

Choose Shopify if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: businesses wanting the most popular e-commerce platform
You specifically need App Store and Online Store
You care about includes themes as a core feature, purpose-built for e-commerce workflows

Choose WooCommerce if...

You need a tool built for wordpress users wanting e-commerce functionality
Budget is a hard constraint — WooCommerce is free, Shopify is not
You need self-hosting, data sovereignty, or the ability to audit source code
You specifically need Extensions and Shipping
You care about includes wordpress plugin as a core feature, purpose-built for e-commerce workflows