WooCommerce vs Shopify: Which One for a Small Business?

When people decide to sell online, this is almost always the first question. And the internet doesn’t help: half the articles say Shopify, the other half say WooCommerce, and most of them earn a commission from one of the two.

I don’t. I build stores on both, and both are good. The right one depends on your business, not on which is “better.”

Here’s the way I explain it to my clients.

The short version

• Shopify is like renting a space in a well-run mall. You move in fast, the mall handles security, cleaning and maintenance, and you pay rent every month. But you follow the mall’s rules.
• WooCommerce is like owning your own building. You can shape it however you want and it lives with the rest of your WordPress website. But you’re responsible for the roof, the plumbing and the locks (or you pay someone to be).

Neither is wrong. They’re two ways of having a store.

Side by side

What it really costs

This is where people get surprised, in both directions.

Shopify:

• A monthly plan. The basic plan for a small business is usually in the range of a few dozen dollars a month. Check Shopify’s current prices, because they change.
• Apps. Many features (reviews, subscriptions, some shipping tools) are paid apps, often with their own monthly fee. They add up.
• Payment fees on each sale. If you don’t use Shopify’s own payment system, Shopify adds an extra fee per sale.

WooCommerce:

• The plugin is free.
• You pay for hosting, and a store needs decent hosting.
• Some extensions are paid (certain shipping, subscription or booking tools), usually per year.
• Payment fees from your payment provider on each sale.
• Maintenance: updates, backups and security. Your time, or someone’s monthly fee.

The honest summary: Shopify’s costs are more predictable. WooCommerce can be cheaper, but only if someone takes care of it.

Ease of use

Shopify wins if you want to log in, add a product and never think about anything technical. Everything is in one dashboard and the updates happen on their own.

WooCommerce is easy too once it’s set up, especially if you already use WordPress. Adding products, changing prices and checking orders is simple. The difference is what happens behind the scenes: updates, plugin compatibility, backups. Someone has to watch that.

Control and growth

With WooCommerce, you own everything: your site, your data, your design. If you want a custom feature, it can almost always be built.

With Shopify, you work inside their system. For most small shops that’s not a problem. But if you need something unusual, you depend on what apps exist, and on Shopify’s rules.

If you also have a physical shop

If you sell at a counter, a market or events, Shopify POS is a strong advantage: the same inventory for your shop and your online store, and a card reader that connects to it. WooCommerce can do this too, but it takes extra tools and a little more setup.

Selling in Spanish (and English)

Both can do it:

• Shopify has its own apps to translate your store and show it in more than one language.
• WooCommerce works with multilingual plugins like WPML or Polylang (the WooCommerce add-on for Polylang is paid).

Either way, the important part is the same: real translations, product names and descriptions in both languages, and a checkout that works in Spanish. More on that in Bilingual SEO.

WooCommerce vs Shopify: so, which one?

Shopify makes more sense if:

• You don’t have a website yet, or you don’t mind having the store separate.
• You want something simple and don’t want to deal with updates.
• You also sell in person and want one system for both.
• You prefer a predictable monthly cost.

WooCommerce makes more sense if:

• You already have a WordPress website and want the store inside it.
• Your content and blog matter a lot for bringing in customers.
• You want full control over the design and your data.
• You have someone to take care of maintenance (or a plan for it).

What I’d do if I were you

Don’t start with the platform. Start with your business:

1. Do you already have a WordPress site you like? Lean toward WooCommerce.
2. Do you sell in person too? Lean toward Shopify.
3. Who’s going to handle updates? If the answer is “nobody,” Shopify.
4. Then add your first 10 to 20 products and launch. You can grow from there on either one.

If you’re just starting, read How to sell online as a small business first. And if you want help choosing and building it, my Online Store plan works with both: a bilingual store, payments and shipping set up, your first 20 products loaded and training included. Or ask me and I’ll tell you which one I’d pick for your business.

Frequently asked questions