Quick answer
Choose Shopify if your site exists to sell products, and WordPress if it is mainly a blog or content site that sells a few things on the side. On a $50 card sale, fees come to $1.75 on Shopify Basic with Shopify Payments and $3.75 on a WordPress.com Premium site using the Payments block, because WordPress.com adds a 4% payment fee on top of Stripe's 2.9% + US$0.30. WordPress.com Premium costs US$18 a month against $39 a month for Shopify Basic, both billed monthly, so it costs less in total only while orders are few.
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
Shopify suits a site built to sell, and WordPress.com suits a content site that sells on the side. Both platforms were checked against the same four questions, and the first one decides more than the fees do.
- What the site is for A site built to sell products needs different tools from a blog or content site that also takes a few payments.
- Fees on each sale Platform and card processing fees on one order, read from each platform's own pricing and help pages for a US seller.
- Fixed monthly cost What the plan costs in a month with no sales, billed monthly and billed yearly.
- Which WordPress you mean WordPress.com, the hosted service, and self-hosted WordPress from WordPress.org are set up and paid for differently. This page compares WordPress.com and notes self-hosted WordPress where it changes the answer.
Shopify vs WordPress at a glance
Shopify is shown on its Basic plan and WordPress.com on Premium, the cheapest of the Premium, Business, and Commerce plans that offer the Payments block to a new site. The source and check date for every number are listed under each platform and at the end of the page.
Fees on one $50 sale on Shopify and WordPress.com
Fees are easier to compare on one order than as percentages. Example: one $50 order, paid online by a standard US card, with free shipping and no sales tax. On Shopify Basic with Shopify Payments the only fee is card processing of 2.9% + 30¢. On a WordPress.com Premium site that sells through the Payments block, WordPress.com takes a 4% fee and Stripe adds 2.9% + US$0.30.
- Shopify baseline $1.75 plus $39 a month Card 2.9% + 30¢ $1.75
- WordPress.com $3.75 plus US$18 a month WordPress.com 4% $2, Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 $1.75
Assumes a $50 order, free shipping, no tax, a standard US card paid online, Shopify Payments on Shopify and the Payments block with Stripe on WordPress.com Premium, no apps or plugins and no currency conversion. With another payment provider, Shopify Basic adds 2% on each order. On the WordPress.com Business plan the Payments block fee is 2%, and WordPress.com lists 0% transaction fees for WooCommerce payments, plus the payment provider's processing fee. If a WordPress.com plan expires, the Payments block fee rises to 10%.
Shopify and WordPress.com 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. A hosted store builder made for selling. Basic includes unlimited web hosting and unlimited products, and charges no transaction fee with Shopify Payments.
- Price
- Basic plan $39 a month, or $29 a month billed yearly. New stores get 3 days free, then $1 a month for 3 months.
- Fees per sale
- Card processing of 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic with Shopify Payments. With another payment provider, Shopify Basic adds 2% on each order.
- Strong at
- Selling tools on the Basic plan: it includes shipping labels you can buy and print, with discounts of up to 87%, plus casual in-person sales at pop-ups and events.
- Best for
- Sellers whose site exists to sell products and who expect steady monthly orders.
- Limit
- The plan costs more than WordPress.com Premium and is due in months with no sales.
WordPress.com is a fully hosted platform, with hosting, security, backups and updates all managed for you. It can also sell: its Payments block accepts credit and debit card payments for goods, services, subscriptions, memberships, donations, and more, and plugins such as WooCommerce work on the Personal, Premium, Business, and Commerce plans.
- Price
- Premium US$18 a month, or US$8 a month, billed every 12 months. Business is US$40 a month, or US$25 a month, billed every 12 months. The Free plan costs US$0 and does not include a custom domain, plugin installation, or ad-free browsing for visitors. Monthly plans do not include a free domain.
- Fees per sale
- With the Payments block, WordPress.com takes 4% on Premium and 2% on Business, and Stripe adds 2.9% + US$0.30. On Business, WordPress.com lists 0% transaction fees for WooCommerce payments.
- Strong at
- Publishing with room to extend: a blog or content site that can add any of over 60,000 plugins from the WordPress.com marketplace.
- Best for
- Bloggers, writers and creators who sell a few products or services next to their content.
- Limit
- The Payments block is offered on the Premium, Business, and Commerce plans only, and on Premium it adds 4% to every payment on top of Stripe's fee.
Which one fits you
Your site exists to sell physical products, and you ship the orders yourself.
Shopify
Basic includes shipping labels you can buy and print, with discounts of up to 87%, and its fees on a $50 order are $1.75 against $3.75 on WordPress.com Premium.
Your site is mainly a blog or content site, and selling is a side part of it.
WordPress.com
Premium costs US$18 a month against Shopify Basic's $39 a month and takes payments with the Payments block.
You expect only a few orders a month.
WordPress.com Premium
At low volume the cheaper plan saves more than its higher fee on each sale costs (see the example above).
You expect steady orders every month.
Shopify Basic
Its lower fee on each sale more than covers its higher plan once orders add up.
You want a WooCommerce store without running your own hosting.
WordPress.com Business
WooCommerce runs on the Personal, Premium, Business, and Commerce plans, and Business is the cheaper of the two plans on which WordPress.com lists 0% transaction fees for WooCommerce payments. Business costs US$40 a month against Shopify Basic's $39 a month, and the Business plan does not include the Commerce plan's premium store extensions out of the box.
You want a WooCommerce store with the store tools already built in.
WordPress.com Commerce
Commerce adds a fully integrated WooCommerce experience with built-in ecommerce extensions such as abandoned cart emails, dynamic upsells, bulk discounts and inventory management, for US$70 a month, or US$45 a month, billed every 12 months ($540 a year).
You want WordPress on a hosting server you choose and manage yourself.
WooCommerce on self-hosted WordPress
Self-hosted WordPress is open-source software you download and install on your own hosting server, which you pay for and manage separately. WooCommerce charges a $0 platform fee and estimates hosting at $25 – $350/month for most stores.
You also sell on marketplaces and want those orders in one place.
Shopify
On Shopify Basic, marketplace order sync is free for up to 50 orders a month, then 1% up to $99 a month.
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 on fees 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 Basic with WordPress.com Premium for a US seller, with the WordPress.com Business plan and self-hosted WordPress with WooCommerce noted where they change the answer. 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 help page on 2 Oct 2026 or later. Each platform's section names its source, and the full list is below.
Questions about Shopify vs WordPress
Is Shopify or WordPress better for selling online?
Shopify is better for selling online when the store is the main job of the site. Basic includes unlimited web hosting and unlimited products, and charges no transaction fee with Shopify Payments. WordPress is better when the site is mainly a blog or content site and selling is a smaller part of it. With both, you bring the buyers yourself.
Is Shopify or WordPress cheaper?
WordPress.com is cheaper on the monthly plan and Shopify is cheaper on each sale. WordPress.com Premium costs US$18 a month and Shopify Basic costs $39 a month. On a $50 card sale, fees come to $1.75 on Shopify Basic and $3.75 on WordPress.com Premium. With only a few orders a month WordPress.com Premium costs less in total; with steady orders, Shopify Basic does.
Does WordPress.com charge transaction fees?
WordPress.com charges a fee on payments taken with its Payments block, set by plan: 4% on Premium and 2% on Business. Stripe adds 2.9% + US$0.30 on each payment. For WooCommerce payments, WordPress.com lists 0% transaction fees on the Business and Commerce plans, plus the payment provider's processing fee.
Does Shopify charge transaction fees?
Shopify has no transaction fee with Shopify Payments; you pay card processing of 2.9% + 30¢ on the Basic plan. If you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments, Shopify Basic adds a fee of 2% on each order, on top of what that provider charges.
Is WordPress.com the same as WordPress with WooCommerce?
WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress with WooCommerce are not the same. WordPress.com is a fully hosted platform, with hosting, security, backups and updates all managed for you. Self-hosted WordPress is open-source software you download and install on your own hosting server, which you pay for and manage separately, and WooCommerce estimates that hosting at $25 – $350/month for most stores. WooCommerce also runs on WordPress.com's Personal, Premium, Business, and Commerce plans.
Do Shopify and WordPress have free plans or trials?
WordPress.com has a Free plan at US$0, but it does not include a custom domain, plugin installation, or ad-free browsing for visitors, and the Payments block is offered on the Premium, Business, and Commerce plans only. Shopify gives new stores 3 days free, then $1 a month for 3 months; after that, Basic costs $39 a month, or $29 a month billed yearly.
Is Nation an alternative to Shopify and WordPress?
Nation is not an alternative you can compare with Shopify and WordPress 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 once signup is public and pricing is published.