Shopify vs WooCommerce Cost Calculator
Hosted subscription against self-hosted upkeep.
Compare the annual cost of Shopify against a self-hosted WooCommerce store, including hosting, plugins, maintenance and payment processing.
Updates, plugin conflicts, backups and breakages. This is the line every comparison leaves out.
What you would pay someone, or what your own hour is worth elsewhere.
Cheaper platform
Shopify
by $136 a month
Cost rarely decides this. Choose WooCommerce for deep customisation or an existing WordPress stack, Shopify to not be responsible for uptime. This is here to check the option you prefer is not dramatically dearer than you assumed.
How the Shopify vs WooCommerce Cost Calculator works
WooCommerce is free and Shopify is not, which is where most comparisons stop and why most of them are wrong. WooCommerce moves cost from a subscription into hosting, plugins, security, updates and somebody's time. That last item is the one left out of every comparison, and on a store of any size it is usually the largest number in the column.
Also known as: WooCommerce vs Shopify calculator · ecommerce platform cost comparison
Not financial advice. Marketplace fees change, and they vary by country, plan and seller status. Every rate here is an editable default, not a quoted price, check the platform's current fee schedule before you price a product against it. This is not tax or business advice.
Frequently asked questions
Is WooCommerce actually cheaper than Shopify?
At small scale, often yes, if you do the maintenance yourself and value your time at zero. Once hosting has to be real, plugins are paid annually, and someone is paid to handle updates and breakages, the gap narrows sharply and can reverse.
What costs does WooCommerce have that Shopify does not?
Hosting, SSL in some setups, backups, security, performance work, paid plugin licences that renew annually, and developer time for updates and conflicts. Shopify absorbs those into the subscription, which is what the subscription is buying.
How much maintenance time does WooCommerce need?
It varies enormously with plugin count, but a few hours a month is a realistic floor for a live store, and more when a major WordPress or WooCommerce release lands. Cost that at whatever you would pay someone, including your own time.
Which should I choose?
Cost rarely decides it. Choose WooCommerce if you need deep customisation or already run WordPress; Shopify if you would rather not be responsible for uptime. Use this to check that the option you prefer is not dramatically dearer than you assumed.