Shopify vs WooCommerce: True Cost Comparison (2026)

Shopify costs more than WooCommerce below $20,000/mo in revenue. Above that, the gap closes fast. A small Shopify store doing $5,000/mo pays roughly $240/mo in total platform costs (4.8% of revenue). The same store on WooCommerce pays $60-$75/mo. But once you hit $20,000+ in monthly sales, Shopify's transaction fees grow while WooCommerce's costs stay flat — and the total spend is nearly identical.

Most "Shopify vs WooCommerce" articles focus on features. This one focuses on money. Below is the full 2026 cost breakdown for both platforms, including the fees nobody mentions until you're already paying them. True Margin built this comparison so ecommerce founders can pick the platform that actually fits their profit margins.

Shopify Pricing Plans (2026)

Shopify's sticker prices are straightforward. The real cost is in the transaction fees that stack on top.

The third-party gateway surcharge is the fee most people miss. If you don't use Shopify Payments — maybe because it's not available in your country or you prefer another processor — Shopify charges 0.6-2.0% on top of whatever your payment gateway already charges. On Basic, that means you could be paying 2.9% (your processor) + 2.0% (Shopify surcharge) = 4.9% per transaction. That's brutal. For a full breakdown, see our guide on Shopify fees explained.

WooCommerce Costs (2026)

WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin. But "free" does not mean "no cost." You need hosting, a theme, and plugins — and those add up.

A small WooCommerce store costs $75-$920/yr. That includes shared hosting, a free or cheap theme, and 1-2 premium plugins. A mid-sized store with managed hosting, a premium theme, and 5-10 plugins runs $1,420-$6,550/yr. The big difference: WooCommerce has no per-transaction surcharge on top of your payment processor. You pay Stripe or PayPal their standard 2.9% + $0.30, and that's it.

Side-by-Side: True Monthly Cost at Different Revenue Levels

Here's where it gets real. These numbers include the subscription fee, transaction fees, and estimated plugin/hosting costs. No hidden surprises.

At lower revenue, WooCommerce wins on cost — every time. The gap is clearest below $10,000/mo. But as your store grows, Shopify's higher-tier plans reduce transaction fees and the convenience factor matters more. Past $20,000/mo in GMV, the cost difference becomes less about the platform and more about how many apps and plugins you need.

The Costs Nobody Talks About

The subscription vs hosting debate is only half the story. Both platforms have costs that don't show up in pricing pages.

Shopify's hidden costs:

• Apps — Most serious Shopify stores run 5-15 paid apps at $10-$100/mo each. Email marketing, reviews, upsells, SEO, analytics. A typical app stack adds $100-$500/mo.
• Premium themes — Free themes are limited. Most merchants buy a theme for $180-$350, then pay a developer $500-$2,000 to customize it.
• Shopify Payments lock-in — If Shopify Payments isn't ideal for your business, that 0.6-2.0% surcharge on third-party gateways is a recurring tax you can't avoid.

WooCommerce's hidden costs:

• Developer time — WooCommerce requires more hands-on management. Security updates, plugin conflicts, hosting optimization. Budget $50-$200/mo for a developer or 5-10 hours of your own time.
• Security — WordPress is the most-targeted CMS. You need a security plugin ($100-$300/yr), regular backups, and an SSL certificate (usually free with good hosting, but not always).
• Scaling pain — Shared hosting at $7/mo works until you hit 500+ daily visitors. Then you need managed hosting at $30-$100/mo to keep your site fast.

When Shopify Wins

Pick Shopify if you want to launch fast and don't want to manage infrastructure. It's the right choice when:

• You're non-technical and need everything in 1 dashboard
• You're doing $20,000+/mo and the Advanced plan's lower fees make sense
• You need built-in POS, shipping labels, and fraud analysis
• Your time is worth more than the cost difference

For stores at scale, Shopify's ecosystem is hard to beat. The average Shopify store doing $20,000+/mo spends less time on platform management and more time on growth. We break down typical revenue benchmarks in our average Shopify store revenue guide.

When WooCommerce Wins

Pick WooCommerce if you want full control and lower fixed costs. It's the right choice when:

• You're technical (or have a developer) and want total customization
• You're doing under $10,000/mo and every dollar in fees matters
• You need a payment gateway that Shopify doesn't support well
• You already run a WordPress site and want to add ecommerce

WooCommerce is the budget pick, not the cheap pick. You save on subscription fees but invest in setup and maintenance. If you don't have the technical skills or the budget for a developer, those savings evaporate quickly.

Total Cost of Ownership: 12-Month View

Monthly pricing tables are misleading because they exclude one-time costs, annual renewals, and the time you spend managing the platform. Here is what each platform actually costs over a full year for a store doing $10,000/month in revenue.

Shopify 12-month total (Basic plan): The subscription runs $468/year. Transaction fees on $120,000 in annual revenue at 2.9% + $0.30 average out to roughly $4,080/year. A premium theme costs $180-$350 one-time. Most stores run 5-10 paid apps averaging $50/month total, adding $600/year. Factor in one theme customization session with a developer at $500-$1,500, and the realistic first-year cost lands between $5,828 and $6,998. That is $486-$583/month all-in — significantly more than the $39 sticker price suggests.

WooCommerce 12-month total: Managed hosting at $25-$40/month runs $300-$480/year. A domain costs $10-$15. A premium theme runs $60-$200 one-time. Essential premium plugins — WooCommerce Subscriptions, email marketing integration, advanced shipping, SEO tools — typically total $400-$1,200/year in license renewals. Payment processing on $120,000 at 2.9% + $0.30 costs the same $4,080/year as Shopify. Developer maintenance (security patches, plugin conflict resolution, performance tuning) runs $600-$2,400/year depending on whether you handle it yourself or hire someone. The realistic first-year cost lands between $5,450 and $8,375.

The surprise for most people: at $10,000/month in revenue, the two platforms cost almost the same when you account for everything. WooCommerce's lower subscription cost is offset by higher maintenance costs. The real differentiator at this revenue level is not price — it is where you want to spend your time. Shopify sellers spend time on marketing and growth. WooCommerce sellers spend a portion of their time on platform management, updates, and troubleshooting plugin conflicts.

The time cost is the one nobody prices. WooCommerce requires 3-8 hours per month in maintenance: updating WordPress core, updating plugins (and testing for conflicts after each update), monitoring uptime, managing backups, and handling the occasional security incident. If you value your time at $50/hour, that is $150-$400/month in opportunity cost that does not appear on any pricing page. Shopify reduces that to near zero because hosting, security, and updates are handled by the platform.

The Bottom Line

Below $20,000/mo in revenue, WooCommerce is cheaper by $150-$800/mo. Above that, the gap narrows and Shopify's convenience often justifies the premium. Neither platform is "better" — the right choice depends on your revenue, technical ability, and how you value your time.

What matters more than platform cost is knowing your actual profit after all fees. A store on Shopify Basic paying 4.8% in platform costs might still be more profitable than a WooCommerce store paying 2% — if the Shopify store converts better and spends less on maintenance. Run the numbers for your specific situation with True Margin's free Shopify profit calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is WooCommerce really free?

The WooCommerce plugin itself is free, but you still need hosting ($7-$40/mo), a domain ($10-$15/yr), a premium theme ($50-$200 one-time), and premium plugins ($50-$300/yr each). A small WooCommerce store realistically costs $75-$920/yr. A mid-sized store with multiple premium plugins runs $1,420-$6,550/yr.

How much does Shopify actually cost per month?

Shopify Basic costs $39/mo plus 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. For a store doing $5,000/mo in sales, the true monthly cost is around $240 (4.8% of revenue). For a store doing $25,000/mo on the Grow plan, it's around $940/mo (3.8% of revenue). Transaction fees are the cost most people underestimate.

At what revenue level do Shopify and WooCommerce cost the same?

Total costs between Shopify and WooCommerce tend to even out around $20,000 in monthly GMV. Below that, WooCommerce is usually cheaper. Above that, Shopify's percentage-based transaction fees grow while WooCommerce's costs stay relatively flat — but WooCommerce requires more technical management.

Does Shopify charge extra for third-party payment gateways?

Yes. If you don't use Shopify Payments, Shopify charges an additional surcharge on every transaction: 2.0% on Basic, 1.0% on Grow, and 0.6% on Advanced. This is on top of whatever your payment processor charges, making third-party gateways significantly more expensive on Shopify.

Which platform is cheaper for a small ecommerce store?

For a small store doing under $10,000/mo in revenue, WooCommerce is typically cheaper at $75-$920/yr compared to Shopify's roughly $2,880/yr (Basic plan plus transaction fees). But WooCommerce requires more technical knowledge for setup, security, and maintenance. If you value simplicity over savings, Shopify's all-in-one approach may be worth the premium.