Shopify vs WordPress: which should you build your store on?

For selling online the real contest is Shopify against WordPress running the free WooCommerce plugin. Shopify rents you a complete, hosted store. WooCommerce turns software you control into one. The choice comes down to convenience against ownership.

Sign up free: 3 template sites on a we.inc address. AI building from $20/mo.

Rent a store, or build one on software you own

Shopify is the faster, lower-effort path to a serious store. On yearly billing Basic is $19, Grow $49 and Advanced $299 a month, with Plus from $2,300. Checkout, hosting, security and a point of sale are included, and a new store gets 3 days free then $1 a month for 3 months.

WordPress with WooCommerce suits sellers who want control over every part of the store and its data, or who already run a WordPress site. WooCommerce is a free plugin, and its listing says your store data can be exported to any platform you choose. You pay for hosting, a domain, payment processing and any paid extensions.

For a smaller shop attached to a custom-built site, We.Inc builds the site from a description with a Store panel paid out to your own Stripe account. It is far simpler than either, and AI building starts at $20 a month.

Hosted store against self-run store

ShopifyWordPress + WooCommerceWe.Inc
Software costIncluded in the planWordPress and WooCommerce are freeIncluded in the plan
Monthly plansBasic $19, Grow $49, Advanced $299, Plus from $2,300 (yearly billing)Your host's price, or WordPress.com Commerce $45 a month yearlyStarter $20 through Max $99
Hosting and securityHandled by ShopifyYour responsibility when self-hostedHandled by We.Inc
Staff accounts5 on Grow, 15 on Advanced, unlimited on PlusWordPress user rolesProject collaborators
In-person sellingShopify POS; POS Pro add-on $89 a monthNot part of the core plugin listing; look at WooCommerce extensionsNot available
Your dataCSV imports in, migration appsExportable to any platform, per WooCommerceCode ZIP; store data stays on We.Inc

Shopify and WordPress.com prices as of October 2026, from the pricing pages listed in sources, US dollars a month on yearly billing; payment processing is extra on all three.

Pros and cons

Shopify

Best for: Merchants who want a complete store running quickly and expect to grow volume

Price: Basic $19, Grow $49, Advanced $299 a month billed yearly; Plus from $2,300 a month (October 2026)

Pros: Hosting, checkout and security handled for you; Point of sale for in-person selling in the same system; Large app store and built-in AI assistant, Sidekick

Cons: Monthly fees rise steeply at Advanced and Plus; Less control over the underlying platform

WordPress

Best for: Sellers who want full control of store software and data, or already run WordPress

Price: WordPress and WooCommerce free; you pay hosting, domain and extensions. WordPress.com Commerce $45 a month billed yearly (October 2026)

Pros: No platform subscription for the software itself; Content and blogging tools far beyond a store builder; Store data exportable to another platform

Cons: Updates, backups, security and performance are on you when self-hosted; Paid extensions and better hosting can push costs past Shopify's

We.Inc

Best for: Small brands that want a distinctive site with a few products and Stripe payouts

Price: Free plan: up to 3 template sites on a we.inc address, no AI. AI building from $20/mo (Starter, 250 credits). Pro $49/mo, Max $99/mo.

Pros: Products with variants, digital downloads, shipping rates and discount codes; Payments go straight to your own Stripe account; No server or plugins to keep updated

Cons: Far fewer commerce features than Shopify or WooCommerce; No point of sale

What each one asks of you

Shopify asks for a monthly fee and, in return, takes on hosting, uptime, security and checkout. Its plans differ by staff accounts, shipping features and regional tools rather than by whether the store works: Advanced adds live third-party shipping rates and per-region store tailoring, and Plus adds unlimited staff, B2B catalogues and a fully customizable checkout.

WordPress asks for your time or a developer's. You choose a host that meets the requirements on WordPress.org (PHP 8.3 or newer and MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.11 are recommended), install WooCommerce, pick a theme, and keep everything updated. In exchange, you own the software and data and can change hosts whenever you like.

Comparing three-year costs honestly

Shopify Basic at $19 a month yearly is $684 over three years; Grow at $49 is $1,764. Those figures include hosting but not apps or payment processing.

A WooCommerce store has no software fee, so the three-year bill is hosting, the domain, any premium theme and paid extensions. WordPress.com's Commerce plan at $45 a month yearly, $1,620 over three years, is one way to get a managed WordPress store with a single price. Self-hosting can be cheaper or more expensive than Shopify depending on traffic and the extensions you need.

Shopify is the better fit if

Selling is the business, you want to launch quickly, and you would rather pay a predictable fee than manage software. You sell in person as well as online. You expect to hire staff or need the reliability of a hosted checkout during busy sales.

WordPress is the better fit if

Content drives your sales, through a blog, guides or a membership, and the store supports it. You already have a WordPress site, a developer, or the skills to maintain one. You want to own the store's data outright and keep the option to change hosts or platforms.

Moving a store between WooCommerce and Shopify

Shopify's migration guide lists WooCommerce among the platforms it has a dedicated guide for. It recommends moving products and customers with CSV files or a migration app, copying single pages such as policies by hand, and setting up redirects for important pages, which it can import from a CSV file.

Going the other way, WooCommerce's documentation describes a built-in CSV tool for importing, exporting and bulk-updating products, so a product spreadsheet from Shopify can seed the new catalogue; check Shopify's help center for how it exports products today. The theme and apps do not transfer, and checkout settings need setting up again.

Before any move, save a list of product and page URLs and recreate the same paths or redirect them on the platform you land on. For a smaller store moving to We.Inc, paste the address of the site you own, ask it to rebuild the pages with the same structure and content and current paths, then add products in the Store panel.

Start from a template

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Is WooCommerce really free?

The plugin is free, as is WordPress. A working store still costs money: hosting, a domain, payment processing, and often a premium theme or paid extensions. If you prefer one bill, WordPress.com's Commerce plan is $45 a month on yearly billing.

Is Shopify easier than WordPress?

Yes, for most people. Shopify is hosted and ready to sell once you add products and payments, and its plans include a built-in AI assistant. WordPress with WooCommerce requires choosing hosting, installing and configuring plugins, and keeping them updated, unless you use a managed WordPress host.

Which is cheaper for a small store?

It depends on what you add. Shopify Basic is $19 a month on yearly billing, all-in apart from apps and processing. A self-hosted WooCommerce store can run on modest hosting with free extensions and cost less, or cost more once you buy premium extensions and better hosting.

Can I move from WooCommerce to Shopify?

Yes. Shopify's migration guide covers WooCommerce specifically and suggests CSV files or migration apps for products and customers, plus redirect imports for your important URLs. Plan to rebuild the design with a Shopify theme and re-create apps and settings.

Does We.Inc compete with Shopify?

Not for large stores. We.Inc is a website builder whose Store panel handles a modest catalogue with variants, digital downloads, shipping rates and discount codes through your own Stripe account. A growing merchant who needs staff, point of sale or apps is better served by Shopify or WooCommerce.

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