Quick answer
Choose Shopify if you want a hosted store that is ready to sell, for $39 a month on Basic. Choose WooCommerce if you already run a WordPress site or want to pick your own host and payment gateway: the plugin charges a $0 platform fee, but you pay for hosting and maintain the site yourself. On a $50 card sale both keep $1.75 with their own payment service, so the monthly cost and the upkeep decide it.
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. It is pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, so it is not in the comparison or the fee example. See where Nation fits.
How we compared
Both platforms were checked against the same four questions. The fee example below comes out the same on both, so the first question usually decides.
- Who runs the technical side Whether hosting comes with the plan, or you choose a host and handle updates and backups yourself.
- Fees on each sale Percentage and fixed fees on one card order, read from each platform's own pricing or fee page for a US seller.
- Fixed monthly cost What you pay in a month with no sales: Shopify's plan, or WooCommerce's hosting and any paid extensions.
- Payment choice and add-ons Fees for using another payment provider, and what extra features cost on each platform.
Shopify vs WooCommerce at a glance
Shopify is shown on its Basic plan and WooCommerce with its own payment service, WooPayments. The source and check date for every number are listed under each platform and at the end of the page.
What Shopify and WooCommerce keep from a $50 sale
Fees are easier to compare on one order than as percentages. Example: one $50 order, paid by a US card online, with free shipping and no sales tax. Shopify Basic charges 2.9% + 30¢ with Shopify Payments. WooCommerce takes a 0% revenue share, and WooPayments charges a US seller 2.90% + $0.30 for an online card payment.
- Shopify baseline $1.75 plus $39 a month Card 2.9% + 30¢ $1.75
- WooCommerce $1.75 no plan fee, plus hosting WooCommerce 0% $0, WooPayments 2.9% + $0.30 $1.75
Assumes a $50 item, free shipping, no tax, a standard US card paid online, each platform's own payment service and no currency conversion. On Shopify Basic, another payment provider adds 2%. WooPayments charges extra for an international card (+1.50%) and for currency conversion (+1.00%).
Shopify and WooCommerce in detail
Both platforms get the same five lines: price, fees per sale, what it is strong at, who it is best for and its main limit.
The baseline. Shopify puts the store, the checkout, the payment service and the hosting in one monthly plan, and you bring the buyers.
- Price
- Basic plan $39 a month, or $29 a month billed yearly. New stores get 3 days free, then $1/month for 3 months.
- Fees per sale
- Online card processing of 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic. Shopify charges no transaction fee with Shopify Payments; on Basic, another payment provider adds 2%.
- Strong at
- Starting fast: hosting and checkout come with the plan, so there is nothing to install.
- Best for
- Sellers who want to open a store without managing a website.
- Limit
- The plan fee is due in months with no sales, and on Basic a payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds 2% on each sale.
A free, open-source store plugin powered by WordPress. The shop lives on your own WordPress site, you pick and pay for the hosting, and you bring the buyers.
- Price
- Free, with no monthly subscription. WooCommerce estimates hosting at $25 – $350/month for most stores and lists paid extensions at $29 – $299/year per extension.
- Fees per sale
- WooCommerce takes a 0% revenue share. WooPayments charges a US seller 2.90% + $0.30 on an online card payment, with no setup costs and no monthly fees. Extra WooCommerce fee for using another payment gateway: None.
- Strong at
- Control: your own site, any host and any payment gateway. Product limits: Unlimited products, orders, and APIs.
- Best for
- Sellers who already run a WordPress site, or who are comfortable managing hosting and updates.
- Limit
- You run the site and its updates yourself, and the real monthly cost depends on your host and the extensions you add.
Which one fits you
You are starting from nothing and want to sell this week.
Shopify
One plan at $39 a month covers hosting, checkout and payments, so there is no host to choose and no plugin to install.
You already have a WordPress site or blog with readers.
WooCommerce
The shop goes inside the site you already have, with a $0 platform fee and the hosting you already pay for.
You want to keep the fixed monthly cost as low as possible and can manage a website.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce charges a $0 platform fee, so the fixed cost is the hosting and extensions you choose. It estimates hosting at $25 – $350/month for most stores. At the low end of that range, with no paid extensions, the fixed cost is below Shopify Basic at $29 a month billed yearly.
You want to use a payment provider other than the platform's own.
WooCommerce
Extra WooCommerce fee for using another gateway: None. On Basic, Shopify adds 2% when you do not use Shopify Payments.
You sell in person as well as online.
Shopify, by a small margin
In-person card payments cost 2.6% + 10¢ on Shopify Basic. In-person payments with WooPayments cost 2.70% + $0.10, plus $5.00 per active card reader per month when you use an external reader.
You do not want to handle hosting, updates or backups yourself.
Shopify
On Shopify, secure commerce hosting is included with your Shopify plan, so you don't need to buy separate hosting. On WooCommerce, updates and backups are yours: its update guide says a monthly cadence works well for most stores, and before each update it says to make a current backup and test the update on a staging site whenever possible.
Where Nation fits
Nation
Category: an AI store builder
Nation says one description of what you make builds the store, then agents handle orders, customers and delivery and run ads, content and social posts, with you approving the work. Because pricing is not announced yet, it is not compared with Shopify or WooCommerce here.
Limits today
- Status: pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai.
- Pricing and fees: not announced yet.
- Shopper marketplace: no shopper marketplace has been announced.
- Track record: no independent reviews or public stores yet.
Nation publishes this page. Nation is not ranked here and will not be added to the comparison or the fee example until signup is public and pricing is published.
Describe what you makeDisclosure and method
Nation, an AI store builder, publishes this page. Nation is not ranked here and will not be added to the comparison until signup is public and pricing is published.
The page compares Shopify and WooCommerce for a US seller of physical products. Neither platform paid to be included, and none of the links are affiliate links.
Every fee was read on the platform's own pricing or fee page, the oldest on 2 Oct 2026. Each platform's section names its source, and the full list is below.
Questions about Shopify vs WooCommerce
Is Shopify or WooCommerce better for a small business?
Shopify is better for a small business that wants hosting, checkout and payments in one plan, at $39 a month on Basic. WooCommerce is better for a small business that already has a WordPress site, or that wants to choose its own host and payment gateway and can maintain the site. On a $50 card sale, both keep $1.75.
Is WooCommerce cheaper than Shopify?
WooCommerce can be cheaper than Shopify in fixed cost, but not per sale. The plugin charges a $0 platform fee, while Shopify Basic is $39 a month. WooCommerce still needs hosting, which it estimates at $25 – $350/month for most stores, plus any paid extensions. On a $50 card sale both keep $1.75 with their own payment service.
Does WooCommerce charge transaction fees?
WooCommerce itself takes a 0% revenue share on your sales. Its pricing page lists the extra fee for using another payment gateway: None. You still pay card processing to your payment service. With WooPayments, a US seller pays 2.90% + $0.30 on an online card payment, with no setup costs and no monthly fees.
Does Shopify charge transaction fees?
Shopify charges no transaction fee with Shopify Payments, and card processing on Basic is 2.9% + 30¢. If you use another payment provider instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify adds a third-party transaction fee of 2% on Basic, on top of what that provider charges you.
Do I need hosting for WooCommerce?
WooCommerce needs hosting, because it is powered by WordPress and runs on your own WordPress site. WooCommerce estimates hosting at $25 – $350/month for most stores, paid to a host you choose. Shopify works differently: secure commerce hosting is included with your Shopify plan, so you don't need to buy separate hosting.
Can I move from WooCommerce to Shopify later?
You can move products from WooCommerce to Shopify later, or the other way, with CSV files. Shopify uses CSV files to import or export product data in bulk, and WooCommerce has a built-in CSV tool for importing, exporting, and bulk-updating products. Each expects its own column layout, so plan to reformat the file. Set up the design, payment settings and add-ons again on the new platform.
Is Nation an alternative to Shopify or WooCommerce?
Nation is not an alternative to Shopify or WooCommerce that you can compare today. It is an AI store builder, pre-launch, with a waitlist on withnation.ai, and its pricing is not announced yet. Because no shopper marketplace has been announced, it would sit with own-store builders like these two. Nation will be added to this comparison once signup is public and pricing is published.