Shopify vs WooCommerce vs Custom: Which Should You Build On?
Updated October 2026 by the Cliffex team. Prices are in USD. Platform and card-fee examples use US pricing; check local rates and taxes.
Short answer: choose Shopify if you sell physical products and want the platform to handle hosting, checkout and platform security updates for a monthly fee. Choose WooCommerce if your business already runs on WordPress, or you want access to the open-source code and a choice of hosting provider. Choose a custom build only when your checkout, pricing or business rules can’t be handled by either platform at an acceptable ongoing cost. Shopify Basic costs $39 a month billed monthly in the US (Shopify, 2026), while the WooCommerce plugin is free and you pay for hosting, which WooCommerce estimates at $25 to $350 a month for most stores (WooCommerce, 2026).
This guide compares Shopify, WooCommerce and a custom build through the questions that decide the choice in practice: who maintains the store, how far you can change checkout, how big your catalog can get, and how hard it is to leave.
Shopify vs WooCommerce vs custom at a glance
| Decision | Shopify | WooCommerce | Custom build |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Hosted ecommerce platform, paid monthly | Free, open-source plugin for WordPress | Software written for your store, on your own infrastructure or a commerce API |
| Hosting and security updates | Platform hosting and patches handled by Shopify; account access and custom integrations remain your responsibility | You or your developer: hosting, backups, WordPress and plugin updates | You or your developer |
| Platform fee (US) | Basic $39, Grow $105, Advanced $399 a month billed monthly | None for the core plugin | None for bespoke code; licensed services may charge |
| Checkout changes | Limited on standard plans; deeper checkout customization on Shopify Plus | Full access to the code | Custom logic within your budget, payment-provider rules and technical constraints |
| Code access and portability | Core store records can be exported; app data needs separate checks. Platform code stays with Shopify | Access to site code and database; third-party licences and customer-data obligations still apply | Source-code handover and IP rights depend on your contract and third-party licences |
| Who runs it day to day | Your team, in the Shopify admin | Your team, in WordPress, with a developer for updates | Your team, in an admin you have built |
| Best for | Brands selling physical products who want low upkeep | Content-heavy sites already on WordPress, or teams that want full control | Marketplaces, unusual pricing or checkout logic, deep system integrations |
Sources: Shopify pricing and WooCommerce, both checked in October 2026. Open-source access gives you control over deployment and customization; it does not transfer ownership of third-party software or remove obligations to customers whose data you hold.
When is Shopify the better choice?
Shopify is a useful starting point for physical-product brands that want managed hosting and a store their team can operate without server administration. Payments, shipping rates, tax settings, inventory and order management are in one admin, and Shopify operates and patches the platform. Your team adds products and edits pages without touching code.
- Low upkeep. Shopify handles server and platform updates. Your team still needs secure accounts, appropriate app permissions, and testing after theme, app or custom-integration changes.
- More variants per product. Shopify raised the limit to 2,048 variants per product for all merchants in October 2025, up from 100 (Shopify changelog, 2025). Older apps and themes may not handle products above 100 variants, so test them before you rely on it.
- Custom features are still possible. Theme changes are written in Liquid, Shopify’s template language, and apps add features like subscriptions and reviews. Our published D2C snack-store case study describes custom Liquid work for build-your-own bundles on Shopify.
The tradeoff is control. You work inside Shopify’s rules, pay for the plan and any paid apps you choose, and the checkout is the most restricted part. Shopify’s developer documentation states that checkout extensions for the information, shipping and payment steps are available only on Shopify Plus (Shopify, 2026). Shopify Plus is the enterprise plan, sold on a contract with pricing that varies by market and term, so check the current rate with Shopify.
When is WooCommerce the better choice?
WooCommerce makes sense when your website is already on WordPress and content does a lot of your selling: guides, recipes, comparison pages, a blog that brings in search traffic. Adding a store to that site keeps one admin, one design and one set of URLs.
- Full control. You can change any part of the store, including checkout, and move to a host that meets the software requirements.
- No platform subscription. The core plugin is free. You pay for hosting, any paid extensions (WooCommerce estimates $29 to $299 a year each) and payment processing.
- Ownership. The code and the database sit on your hosting account, which makes leaving a host or an agency simpler.
The tradeoff is upkeep. Someone has to keep WordPress, WooCommerce and every plugin updated, test that updates don’t break checkout, keep backups and pay for hosting that copes with sale-day traffic. Assign an owner for updates, checkout tests and recovery so those tasks do not get missed. Our WordPress website cost guide covers hosting and plugin costs in detail.
When does a custom ecommerce build make sense?
Consider custom development when a tested combination of platform features and extensions cannot meet your requirements at an acceptable cost. These needs warrant a closer assessment, rather than automatically requiring a rebuild:
- Marketplaces. Many sellers, payouts split between them, seller dashboards and commissions.
- Unusual pricing or checkout. Quotes instead of fixed prices, pricing per customer contract, bookings tied to inventory, or approval steps before payment.
- Deep integrations. An ERP, warehouse or production system that must be the source of truth for stock, prices and orders in real time.
- The store is the product. When the buying experience itself is what you sell, for example a configurator or a subscription service with custom rules.
For example, WooCommerce offers quote-request extensions, so quote-based selling alone is not a reason to rebuild. Test the exact workflow, permissions and integrations before choosing. There is also a middle path. A headless setup keeps Shopify or WooCommerce for products, orders and payments, and puts a custom front end on top. You get design freedom without rebuilding the commerce engine, but you take on a separate storefront codebase to maintain. A headless Shopify storefront still uses Shopify checkout and its applicable restrictions.
The tradeoff is cost and responsibility. Budget to build or integrate product management, carts, tax services, emails and refunds, then operate and maintain them. Managed services can reduce that work, but your team must still assign responsibility for security, monitoring and recovery. If a mobile app is part of the plan, our guide on when you need a custom ecommerce app covers that decision.
How do the running costs compare?
| Monthly cost | Shopify | WooCommerce | Custom build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform or hosting | $39 to $399 a month billed monthly; $29 to $299 a month billed yearly | Hosting, $25 to $350 a month for most stores (WooCommerce’s estimate) | Cloud hosting, depends on traffic |
| Standard US online card rate | 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic down to 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced, with Shopify Payments | 2.9% + 30¢ with WooPayments | Your payment processor’s rate |
| Extra fee for another payment provider | 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced, with exemptions | None from WooCommerce core | Depends on the commerce services you use |
| Add-ons | Apps, often billed monthly | Paid extensions, often billed yearly | Built or licensed as needed |
| Updates and fixes | Platform updated by Shopify; your theme and apps still need care | WordPress, WooCommerce and plugins, by you or a developer | Everything, by you or a developer |
Sources: Shopify pricing, Shopify third-party transaction fees, WooCommerce pricing and WooPayments fees, checked in October 2026. These are US examples. Premium and international cards, currency conversion, disputes and subscription services can cost more. WooPayments adds a subscription surcharge when the subscription uses its Stripe Billing engine. Shopify third-party-fee exemptions include manual payments and POS orders; check the linked rules for your payment setup.
Compare the options over two or three years, not one month. Include hosting, paid extensions and developer time in a WooCommerce budget. Shopify includes platform hosting and updates, but custom work, paid apps and ongoing store care still need a budget. Our ecommerce website cost guide breaks down build prices, monthly fees and a worked example for a 200-product store.
What does it cost to build on each?
| Option | Cliffex build price | Planning timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify store | From about $4,500; custom features and integrations priced on scope | 4 to 12 weeks as a planning range |
| WooCommerce store | Quoted on scope after we review your WordPress site, catalog and plugins | Agreed in the written quote |
| Custom ecommerce build | Quoted as custom software from the features, roles and integrations you need | Agreed in the written quote |
Prices come from our pricing page and Shopify development service. Every build includes 30 days of post-launch support, maintenance after that is $25 to $49 an hour with an estimate first, and your quote is your price unless the scope changes. Platform plans, hosting, paid apps and card fees are paid by you directly.
Which is better for SEO?
Neither platform guarantees rankings. Compare crawlable navigation, useful product and category content, page performance, canonical handling and control over redirects. Google’s ecommerce URL guidance explains how consistent URLs help search engines understand a store. Standard Shopify storefronts use fixed prefixes such as /products/ and /collections/; WooCommerce offers more permalink configuration. That flexibility matters when you have specific URL or migration requirements, but it is not a ranking advantage by itself. Put these checks in the scope for a custom or headless build too.
How hard is it to switch later?
Both vendors document migration paths: WooCommerce to Shopify and Shopify to WooCommerce. Products and customers can be transferred; order history may require an app or additional import work. Test variants, discounts, subscriptions and app-specific data separately. Customer passwords do not simply transfer from Shopify to WooCommerce. Rebuild theme features, map changed URLs to relevant replacements and test checkout before switching. Search visibility can fluctuate during a migration. Our website redesign cost guide lists the redirect and SEO checks for a migration.
Whatever you choose, register the domain, platform and hosting accounts in your own name. That one step makes it much easier to change platform or developer later.
How to decide
- Write down how you sell. Fixed prices and a standard cart point to Shopify or WooCommerce. For quotes, many sellers or approval steps, test available features and extensions against the exact workflow before commissioning custom software.
- Check where your site lives today. An established WordPress site with content that ranks is a strong reason to look at WooCommerce first.
- Decide who maintains it. No developer on hand? Shopify removes server administration, but assign someone to account security, apps and checkout checks.
- List your integrations. Check that each system you rely on has a supported app or extension. A gap may need a custom connector rather than a new commerce platform.
- Compare three-year costs. Add the build, platform or hosting, apps, card fees and maintenance for each option.
Describe your store in our website cost calculator for an indicative price range and timeline, see what a Shopify project with Cliffex includes, or request a fixed quote. If your requirements point to a custom platform, our app cost calculator estimates custom software.
Frequently asked questions
Is Shopify or WooCommerce better for a small business?
For a small business selling physical products without a developer on staff, Shopify is usually the simpler choice because hosting and platform updates are included; account security and app care remain your responsibility. WooCommerce fits better if you already have a WordPress site and someone to maintain it.
How much does Shopify take from a $100 sale?
For a US merchant on Basic using Shopify Payments, a $100 charge at the standard online-card rate costs $3.20 (2.9% + 30 cents), leaving $96.80 before the plan fee and your other costs. Using another payment provider adds Shopify’s 2% fee on Basic where it applies.
What are the disadvantages of Shopify?
Plan fees and any paid-app costs, fixed URL patterns, and limited checkout changes outside Shopify Plus. You also depend on Shopify’s rules and pricing, so check that the apps you need exist before you commit.
Does WooCommerce cost less than Shopify?
Not necessarily. WooCommerce core is free, but hosting, extensions and maintenance add costs. Compare the same catalog, payment methods, integrations and support requirements over three years; neither platform is always cheaper.
Is Shopify still worth it in 2026?
For brands that want a store their team can run without server upkeep, yes. The plan fee includes hosting and platform updates, while your team handles secure access and store operations. If you have a developer and want full control, compare it with WooCommerce over three years before deciding.
Will changing platforms fix weak sales?
Start by identifying the problem: demand, acquisition, pricing, margins, product information or a checkout fault. A platform change may address a technical limitation, but it will not establish demand or make an unprofitable offer profitable by itself.
Can I move from WooCommerce to Shopify, or back?
Yes, with a migration plan. Verify which records your import method supports, test order and subscription data, and plan account-access changes. Rebuild needed theme and app features, redirect changed URLs to relevant replacements and monitor search visibility after launch.