Hosted convenience or self-hosted control.
Shopify runs the store for you. WooCommerce lets you run everything yourself. The 'right' answer depends on volume, product complexity, and how much control you actually want.
What each one actually is
A hosted ecommerce platform that handles storefront, checkout, PCI, and infrastructure for you.
Shopify is a fully-hosted commerce platform. Payments, PCI compliance, infrastructure, and updates are managed for you. Its app ecosystem covers most needs — extending beyond it is possible but paid.
A WordPress plug-in that turns any WP site into an ecommerce store — self-hosted and fully customisable.
WooCommerce runs on your WordPress site. You own the code, the data, and the hosting. It's more flexible, and requires more responsibility.
Pick your scenario, see the recommendation
Ship fast, learn fast, upgrade later.
WordPress + Woo is unmatched for blending content and commerce.
Ownership of the stack removes the platform ceiling.
Shopify's ops story is why it wins for most SMBs.
The full grid
| Dimension | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Hosted SaaS | Self-hosted plug-in on WordPress |
| Hosting | Included | You choose |
| PCI scope | Handled by Shopify | Your responsibility |
| Setup speed | Fastest | Moderate |
| Customisation ceiling | High (via Hydrogen) | Very high |
| Transaction fees | 0.5–2% + gateway (India) | Only gateway fees |
| App ecosystem | Curated Shopify App Store | WordPress + Woo plug-ins |
| Storefront themes | OS 2.0 themes + Hydrogen (headless) | WordPress themes + block editor |
| Custom checkout | Shopify checkout (very hard to replace) | Fully customisable |
| Inventory + POS | Native, world-class | Plug-in-driven |
| Multi-store | Native (Plus tier) | Multisite / manual |
How they compare on the things that matter
An honest look at both sides
- +Zero infrastructure ops
- +Fast to launch
- +PCI + payments handled
- +Best-in-class checkout
- −Transaction fees on non-Shopify gateways
- −Customisation ceiling shows up eventually
- −App subscriptions add up
- +Full ownership of code + data
- +Excellent for content + commerce
- +No platform transaction fees
- +Lower recurring cost at low volume
- −You own security + maintenance
- −Slower to launch
- −Performance depends on hosting choices
Nuanced recommendations, not blanket ones
You want to sell, not sysadmin.
WordPress content tools + Woo commerce = one system.
Code-level control matters when the product model is unusual.
Shopify's checkout + payments + localisation infra is world-class.
Total cost at different GMV tiers
Shopify's fees look small until you scale. WooCommerce looks cheap until you count the ops. This is what it actually costs.
| Annual GMV | Shopify (Basic → Advanced) | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| ₹25L | ₹35k plan + 2% txn (~₹50k) ≈ ₹85k | ₹40 – 80k (hosting, plug-ins, dev) |
| ₹1Cr | ₹80k plan + 1% txn ≈ ₹1.8L | ₹1 – 2L (managed WooCommerce + dev) |
| ₹5Cr | ₹3L plan + 0.5% txn ≈ ₹5.5L | ₹3 – 6L (VPS, engineer, monitoring) |
| ₹25Cr+ | Shopify Plus ₹18 – 25L base | ₹8 – 20L (multi-store infra + team) |
| Peak-day traffic | Handled by Shopify infra | Your problem to size and pay for |
| PCI compliance | Included | SAQ-A only if you never touch card data |
The decision boundary in one paragraph
- Choose Shopify when
You want to sell, not to run infra. Under 500 SKUs, standard checkout, India/US/global markets, and no exotic B2B pricing rules.
- Choose WooCommerce when
You already run WordPress content well, you need bespoke pricing/wholesale/subscription logic Shopify can't model cheaply, or margins are so thin the transaction fee matters.
- Never choose either for
True marketplaces (multi-vendor payouts, escrow) — pick a marketplace-native stack (Sharetribe, custom, or Shopify + Marketplace app with clear limits).
What we hear most often — and what's actually true
Data export is well documented. Migrating out is work, but not impossible.
The plug-in is free. Hosting, gateway fees, extensions, and maintenance are not.
Shopify Hydrogen lets you build fully bespoke headless storefronts on top of Shopify's commerce backend.
Frequently asked questions
Both can rank well. WooCommerce gives more granular URL/meta control; Shopify is easier for non-technical merchants.
Both integrate Razorpay, Cashfree, and PayU cleanly. UPI works well on both.
Yes — product, customer, and order data can be migrated. Plan for a redirect map to preserve SEO.
Both. We recommend based on your team, roadmap, and complexity — not on our familiarity.
Not sure which to pick? Let's decide together.
A 30-minute call is enough for us to give you a recommendation — no pitch.