The short answer
Shopify suits most new small stores: it is hosted, secure and quick to run, in exchange for a monthly plan and app costs. WooCommerce suits businesses already on WordPress, content-heavy stores and catalogues with unusual rules, in exchange for taking responsibility for hosting, updates and backups. Choose on the whole job, not the headline subscription.
Compare the whole job
| Factor | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Included and managed by Shopify | You choose and pay for hosting |
| Updates and security | Handled by the platform | Your responsibility, or a care plan |
| Monthly platform cost | A monthly plan, plus paid apps | Free plugin; hosting and paid extensions |
| Payment fees | Depend on plan and gateway | Depend on gateway |
| Catalogue flexibility | Strong for standard products | Very flexible, with more set-up |
| Content and blogging | Good | Excellent (WordPress) |
| Ownership and portability | Your store, on Shopify's platform | Your files, on your hosting |
Platform prices and fees change. Check Shopify's current UK pricing page and your chosen gateway's fees before you decide, and note whether prices are shown monthly or billed yearly.
Let the catalogue decide
- Simple products (one price, maybe a size): either platform works; Shopify is usually faster to launch.
- Many variants, bundles or configurators: both can do it with apps or extensions; scope it carefully.
- Trade pricing or quotes: often easier to model in WooCommerce, but usually needs custom work on either.
- Subscriptions: both need extra apps or extensions and testing.
Who maintains the store?
This is the question most comparisons skip. With Shopify, the platform handles hosting and core security. With WooCommerce, someone must update WordPress, the theme and plugins, check that payments still work after updates, and keep backups. If nobody on your team will do that, budget for a care plan.
Build fees are separate
Whichever platform you choose, the build is a separate cost from the platform. Our starter store is £799 one-off on either platform: one language and currency, up to 10 supplied simple products, standard templates, up to three information pages, one payment integration and basic UK shipping. Platform, app, hosting, gateway and transaction fees are always separate.
Worked example (hypothetical)
A candle maker with 10 products, no variants and no blog: Shopify, launched quickly on the starter scope. A craft supplier with 300 products, a strong blog and trade customers: WooCommerce, with a quoted project for the catalogue and trade rules.
Your next step
Use the store launch checklist to list your products, payments and delivery needs, then read the launch checklist guide or see the e-commerce service.