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Shopify vs WooCommerce: Cost Comparison 2026

Shopify vs WooCommerce total cost breakdown for 2026. Platform fees, transaction costs, hosting, and setup costs compared honestly.

Updated October 2026

Both are the dominant ecommerce platforms, but their cost structures are completely different.

Year 1 Cost Comparison

Shopify (Basic plan, monthly billing)

Shopify's current plan family: Basic / Grow / Advanced / Plus. The $39/month figure reflects Basic on monthly billing. Annual billing reduces this — verify current pricing at shopify.com.

ItemCost
Shopify Basic (12 months, monthly billed)$468
Domain$15
Premium theme$0–$350
Transaction fees (if not using Shopify Payments)2% of revenue
Apps (email, reviews, etc.)$0–$500
Year 1 Estimated$483–$1,333

WooCommerce

ItemCost
WooCommerce plugin$0
Hosting (managed WP)$300–$600
Domain$15
SSL$0–$100
Premium theme$50–$200
Plugins (payment, shipping, etc.)$100–$500
Development setup$500–$3,000
Year 1 Estimated$965–$4,415

Transaction Fees: The Hidden Cost

Shopify charges 0.5–2% transaction fees unless you use Shopify Payments. On $100,000 annual revenue, that is $500–$2,000/year in avoidable fees.

WooCommerce charges no transaction fees beyond payment processor rates (Stripe: 2.9%+$0.30).

Shopify plan and fee structure (2026)

Shopify's transaction fee for using third-party payment processors varies by plan:

  • Basic: 2% per transaction
  • Grow: 1% per transaction
  • Advanced: 0.6% per transaction
  • Plus: 0.2% per transaction

Using Shopify Payments eliminates the transaction fee. On $100,000 annual revenue, the difference between Basic with a third-party processor ($2,000/year) and Shopify Payments ($0 extra) is significant.

Which Is Cheaper?

At low revenue volumes (<$50K/year), Shopify is often cheaper due to lower setup cost and no developer needed.

At higher revenue (>$100K/year), WooCommerce often wins due to no transaction fees and more flexible architecture.

Use our Ecommerce Cost Calculator for a personalized breakdown.

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