Shopify vs WooCommerce

Fit:

Migration notes

Suitable for a merchant storefront on WordPress. Built-in CSV tools move product catalog data after mapping the WooCommerce schema; this is not a full-store migration. Rebuild design, checkout integrations and platform-specific apps; plan separately for orders, customers, subscriptions and URLs.

Sources: woocommerce.com, woocommerce.com · checked 2026-10-21

ShopifyPaid incumbent

Entry priceUSD 29 / account / month

Pricing modelmixed, billed annual

OwnerShopify Inc.

Basic storefront plan: USD 29/month billed yearly; promotional trial excluded. Payment processing and apps may add costs. Source

Shopify plans reviewed
Basic	entry	USD 39 / store / mo
Grow	business	USD 105 / store / mo
Plus	enterprise	USD 27,600 / store/platform contract / yr

WooCommerceOpen-source alternative

Fit for Shopify

License

GNU General Public License v2.0 The GNU GPL is the most widely used free software license and has a strong copyleft requirement. When distributing derived works, the source code of the work must be made available under the same license. There are multiple variants of the GNU GPL, each with different requirements. May Commercial useModificationDistributionPrivate use Must License and copyright noticeState changesDisclose sourceSame license No LiabilityWarranty Summary from GitHub's choosealicense.com

Paid-feature tier C

Self-host

Paid-feature limits1 noted

WooCommerce plans reviewed
Open-source core	free self-hosted core	Free
Enterprise commerce solution	vendor commercial cloud	Not established

What you may give up

First-party WooCommerce Subscriptions adds recurring billing, automatic renewal retries and subscriber plan management through a paid annual extension; GPL licensing does not make vendor acquisition free.

Marketplace downloads, updates and support may require a paid subscription.
Payments, tax, shipping and other remote services may require vendor accounts, connections and usage charges.
First-party hosted WooCommerce is available through Automattic WordPress.com Commerce; Woo Express is discontinued.

Tier C: GPL WooCommerce core is free and self-hostable. Tier C reflects first-party paid software extensions for recurring commerce workflows, including WooCommerce Subscriptions. The extensions remain GPL; this is a paid acquisition boundary, not a claim of proprietary licensing. Core one-time storefront, catalog and order workflows remain available without that extension. License source

What running it takes

WordPress 6.9+

Hover or focus an icon for its name. Dashed means not established; struck through means no; grouped icons are alternatives.

Current WooCommerce 10.8+ documented recommended stack. Redis/object caches and remote gateways are store-specific; gateways can require external paid services. Infrastructure and staff time are not priced here; this page does not compare total cost.