Short answer
Shopify is a hosted e-commerce platform: fast to launch, secure and low-maintenance, paid through a monthly subscription plus app and transaction fees. WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress: you own and host everything, with full flexibility and strong content SEO, but you manage updates, hosting and security. Choose Shopify for simplicity and scale; choose WooCommerce for control and content-led stores.
Updated · Written by the Infikey Technologies delivery team
Choose Shopify if…
You want to launch quickly, avoid server maintenance, sell across channels and scale traffic without worrying about hosting.
Choose WooCommerce if…
You already run WordPress, content and SEO drive your sales, you need unusual product logic, or you want to avoid platform fees and own everything.
Comparison
| Factor | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Included and managed | You choose and manage hosting |
| Running cost | Monthly plan, paid apps, transaction fees unless you use Shopify Payments where available | Hosting, premium plugins and maintenance |
| Ease of use | Very easy for store teams | Easy once set up; more moving parts |
| Flexibility | Large app store; deep changes through apps or Shopify Functions | Almost unlimited through code and plugins |
| SEO | Good, with some URL structure limits | Excellent, with WordPress content tools |
| Security and updates | Handled by Shopify | Your responsibility |
| Payments | Shopify Payments in supported countries, plus third-party gateways | Any gateway with a plugin, including Razorpay, PayU, Telr and Stripe |
| Scale | Handles large traffic spikes without effort | Scales well with good hosting and caching |
Cost to build
| Store | Typical budget (USD) |
|---|---|
| Theme-based store with setup and products | 4,000–10,000 |
| Custom design, apps and integrations | 10,000–30,000 |
Both platforms land in similar build ranges; running costs differ more. Estimate yours with the e-commerce website cost calculator. For brand stores, see D2C e-commerce website development.
When to consider neither
Marketplaces with many vendors, complex B2B pricing or very large catalogues may outgrow both. See Shopify vs custom e-commerce, multi-vendor marketplace development and B2B e-commerce platforms.