The real distinction
Shopify is a managed platform: hosting, security, updates and payments are handled, and you pay a subscription plus fees. WooCommerce is software you run: complete control, and the hosting, security and updates are yours.
The decision is not really about features. It is about whether your business wants to own the technical responsibility, and whether anyone will actually discharge it.
Where Shopify wins
- Nothing to maintain — no updates, no security patching
- A checkout that is already heavily optimised
- Reliable during traffic spikes without any preparation
- Predictable costs
- A large app ecosystem for standard requirements
Where WooCommerce wins
- No transaction fees beyond payment processing
- Complete control over checkout and every other flow
- Deep integration with anything, because you own the code
- Content and commerce in one system, which suits content-led selling
- Full data ownership and no platform dependency
The honest cost comparison
| Shopify | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly platform | £25–£300 | £0 |
| Hosting | Included | £30–£150 |
| Apps / plugins | £20–£200 | £20–£80 |
| Maintenance | Included | £150–£400 |
| Transaction fee | Yes, unless using Shopify Payments | None |
Once maintenance is counted honestly, the totals are frequently closer than expected. WooCommerce wins clearly at high transaction volume; Shopify wins clearly where nobody will do the maintenance.
Choose on honest self-assessment
Will someone in your business, or someone you pay, actually update WooCommerce weekly and test it? If not, Shopify is the better answer and choosing it is not a compromise.
If you have a requirement the platform genuinely cannot meet, or transaction volume that makes the fees significant, WooCommerce earns its extra burden.