Why "free" and "$39" are both wrong
WooCommerce's software costs nothing, but a store is not software — it's software plus hosting, a domain, payment processing, extensions, backups, security patches, and someone on the hook when checkout breaks at 2am. Shopify's $39 Basic plan is real, but it's the smallest line on the bill once apps and processing land. The honest comparison prices the whole stack on both sides — which is what the table above does.
Where each platform actually wins on cost
WooCommerce wins when your time is free and your store is stable. No platform percentage, hosting you control, and at the bottom of the range it undercuts Shopify at every revenue level. The catch is that the bottom of the range assumes you patch, back up, speed-tune, and debug the stack yourself, indefinitely.
Shopify wins on predictability and on the cost lines you can't see in advance. The fee is fixed and published; uptime, security, PCI compliance, and checkout performance are bundled. At $20,000/month revenue the computed gap between Shopify and a professionally maintained Woo stack is small — often smaller than a single emergency developer invoice.
A worked example
Take the middle scenario: $20,000/month at a $60 average order. Shopify on the Shopify plan computes to $850 all-in — 4.3% of revenue. The same store on WooCommerce runs $776 if you maintain it yourself, up to $1,161 with managed hosting and outsourced upkeep. The processing line — $680— is nearly identical on both platforms, because both charge roughly the same card rate. The decision is not the percentage; it's who runs the infrastructure.
The decision rule
- Pick Shopifyif you want the store to be a sales channel, not a system you administer — or if downtime and security are risks you won't personally manage.
- Pick WooCommerceif you already run WordPress, need customization Shopify's app model can't deliver, or have genuine in-house technical capacity whose time is already paid for.
- Don't pick either on the headline price. At equal card rates and realistic stack costs, the platforms are closer than their marketing wants you to believe.
Run your own numbers
The table uses three fixed scenarios. Your store has its own order value, app stack, and international mix — model it with the Shopify true cost calculator and read the true cost of a Shopify store for the cost lines (refund fees, app debt, plan-upgrade breakevens) that hit after launch. If you've run the numbers and Shopify is the right fit, you can start a Shopify trial and budget from the calculator's output rather than the plan page.
Frequently asked questions
Is WooCommerce really cheaper than Shopify?
Only if you don't price your own time. WooCommerce's software is free, but you pay for hosting, extensions, and — the line every comparison skips — keeping a WordPress stack updated, secure, and online. If you do that work yourself it costs hours; if you outsource it, the scenarios above show the gap to Shopify narrows sharply and can invert. At identical card-processing rates, the platforms' fixed costs converge more than either vendor's marketing suggests.
Does WooCommerce charge transaction fees like Shopify?
No platform fee, which is its honest advantage. WooCommerce never takes a percentage of your sales. Shopify charges an extra 0.5–2% only when you bypass Shopify Payments; if you use Shopify Payments that platform fee is $0 too. Card processing itself costs roughly the same on both (about 2.9% + 30¢ per US online transaction via WooPayments or Shopify Payments).
Which is better for a first store?
If your priority is selling rather than running infrastructure, the predictable bundle wins: hosting, security, checkout, and PCI compliance are someone else's job on Shopify. WooCommerce rewards stores that already live in WordPress, need deep customization, or have technical capacity in-house. The wrong reason to pick Woo is the 'free' label — the software is free, the store isn't.
What does WooCommerce actually cost per month?
At $5,000/month revenue with a $60 average order, the computed all-in is $194–$359: card processing of $170 (the largest line, at 2.9% + 30¢), plus hosting, domain, extensions, and maintenance ranging from DIY to outsourced. The same store computes to $292 all-in on Shopify Basic under identical assumptions.
Do both platforms charge more for international cards?
Yes, and almost identically. WooPayments adds 1.5% for cross-border cards or currency conversion; Shopify Payments adds ~1.5% for international cards in most regions. If a meaningful share of your orders is cross-border, model it — at 10% international volume it's already a visible line in the totals above.
Shopify figures computed from published US pricing (verified 2026-05-19); WooCommerce stack costs are labeled scenario assumptions against WooPayments' published rates (verified 2026-06-10). General guidance, not financial advice — confirm current rates for your country before committing. Some links are affiliate links per our disclosure; they never change the analysis.