Both platforms can run a great store — they just put the work in different places. WooCommerce gives you control; Shopify gives you a managed platform. Here’s how they compare.
Hosting & maintenance
- WooCommerce: a WordPress plugin — you choose hosting and own the updates, security patches and performance tuning.
- Shopify: fully hosted. No servers, patches or uptime to manage.
Cost
WooCommerce’s plugin is free, but hosting, security, premium plugins and developer time add up. Shopify bundles hosting and security into a predictable monthly plan (see Shopify pricing and fees).
Speed & reliability
Managed Shopify infrastructure is fast and stable out of the box. WooCommerce can be very fast too — but the speed is your responsibility (see how to speed up your store).
Flexibility
WooCommerce wins on raw customizability. Shopify covers the vast majority of needs and fills gaps with apps and Shopify Functions.
The verdict
If you want to focus on selling rather than maintaining software, Shopify is usually the better call. If you switch, the only real risk is a sloppy migration that drops URLs.
Moving over? Our WooCommerce → Shopify migration keeps your data and your rankings with a full redirect map.