The short version
- Shopify is the easier, all-in-one option: hosting, security and checkout are handled for you, for a monthly fee plus apps.
- WooCommerce runs on WordPress: no platform fee and far more flexibility, but you (or someone) has to look after hosting and updates.
- Shopify usually wins for standard retail, especially if you also sell in a shop. WooCommerce usually wins for unusual products, wholesale, or content-heavy sites.
- Either one can rank on Google. How it's set up matters more than which one you pick.
If you're opening an online store, or your current one isn't working, the first big decision is the platform. For most small businesses in Ontario it comes down to Shopify or WooCommerce. We build on both, so we don't have a horse in this race. Here's the honest version.
The one-sentence difference
Shopify is a service you rent: you pay a monthly fee and Shopify runs the store for you. WooCommerce is software you own: it's a free add-on that turns a WordPress website into a store, and you host and look after it yourself (or pay someone to).
Almost every other difference comes from that.
Cost: what you'll actually pay
Neither platform is "free" or "cheap" once you add everything up. The costs just land in different places.
Shopify
- A monthly plan fee, which goes up as you move to bigger plans.
- Payment processing on every sale. If you use a payment provider other than Shopify's own, Shopify adds an extra transaction fee on top.
- Apps. This is where Shopify bills creep up. Reviews, subscriptions, product options, wholesale pricing and better search are often paid apps, each with its own monthly fee.
- A theme, free or paid.
WooCommerce
- No platform fee. WooCommerce itself is free.
- Hosting, which needs to be decent for a store. Cheap hosting and online stores don't mix.
- Payment processing through Stripe, PayPal, Square, Moneris or similar.
- Some paid extensions, though often fewer than you'd need apps on Shopify.
- Upkeep. Updates, security and backups. Either your time, or a care plan.
For a small store, total monthly costs often end up in the same ballpark. Shopify costs are more predictable. WooCommerce costs are more in your control.
Ease of use
Shopify is easier, especially day one. Adding products, processing orders and running sales are all straightforward, and you never think about servers, updates or security.
WooCommerce has a steeper start, but if you already use WordPress it'll feel familiar. Day to day, adding products and handling orders is perfectly manageable once it's set up properly.
Flexibility
This is where WooCommerce pulls ahead. Because you own the code, almost anything is possible:
- Wholesale and trade accounts with their own pricing
- Made-to-order products with lots of options
- Bookings, rentals, deposits and quotes
- Custom links to your inventory or accounting system
Shopify can do many of these with apps, but you're working inside Shopify's rules. Some things, like deep changes to the checkout, are limited on standard plans.
Selling in person too
If you have a shop counter as well as a website, Shopify POS is a real advantage: one set of products, one inventory count, sales from the till and the website in the same place. WooCommerce can connect to point-of-sale systems, but it's usually more work to set up and keep in sync.
Ontario taxes, shipping and pickup
Both handle HST, shipping rates and local pickup well when they're configured properly. The common problems we see aren't platform problems, they're setup problems: wrong tax settings, shipping rates that lose money on heavy items, or local pickup hidden where nobody finds it. Get these right at launch on either platform.
SEO: can both rank on Google?
Yes. Both can rank well, and both can rank badly. A few differences:
- WooCommerce runs on WordPress, which is excellent for content: guides, buying advice, recipes, how-tos. If your customers find you by searching for information, that's a real advantage.
- Shopify handles a lot of the technical basics for you, but has a fixed web address structure and a simpler blog.
- On both, the things that really matter are category pages with useful text, product pages with real descriptions (not the manufacturer's copy), fast loading and good photos.
Our e-commerce SEO page covers what we do on either platform.
Speed and upkeep
A Shopify store is looked after by Shopify, so security and server updates aren't your problem. It can still get slow if you pile on apps or use a heavy theme.
A WooCommerce store is only as good as its hosting and its upkeep. Built lean and maintained, it's fast. Built with 40 plugins on cheap hosting and never updated, it's slow and fragile. That's the main reason some owners regret choosing WooCommerce. See why is my website slow for the usual causes.
So which should you pick?
| Your situation | Usually the better fit |
|---|---|
| Standard retail products, want to launch quickly | Shopify |
| You also sell from a shop or at markets | Shopify (POS) |
| You don't want to think about hosting or updates | Shopify |
| Wholesale, trade pricing or B2B accounts | WooCommerce |
| Complex or made-to-order products | WooCommerce |
| Already on WordPress and want to add a store | WooCommerce |
| Lots of content (guides, recipes, advice) drives sales | WooCommerce |
| You want no platform fee and full ownership | WooCommerce |
If you're in between, think about who will run the store day to day and how much you want to be tied to a monthly platform. There's no wrong answer, just a better fit.
Already on the wrong one?
Stores move between platforms all the time. Products, customers and order history can usually come across, and with proper redirects you keep your Google rankings. Our guide to switching platforms without losing rankings covers the steps.
Want a recommendation for your store?
Tell us what you sell, roughly how many products, and whether you sell in person too. We'll tell you which platform we'd build on and give you a fixed quote.See our e-commerce web design →