The 30-second summary
Shopify is hosted, easy, and predictable. Sign up, choose a theme, start selling. Monthly subscription, vendor manages everything technical, fewer decisions to make.
WooCommerce is self-hosted, flexible, and powerful. Open-source, runs on your own WordPress site, you (or your developer) own and customise everything. More setup, more freedom.
Neither is "better". They suit different businesses with different priorities.
When Shopify is the right answer
- You want to sell quickly without involving a developer.
- You're happy paying a monthly subscription that scales with your sales.
- Your store sits within fairly standard eCommerce patterns — no unusual product configurations or workflows.
- You don't have a content marketing strategy that requires a sophisticated CMS alongside the shop.
- You want enterprise-grade hosting and security included in the monthly fee.
When WooCommerce is the right answer
- You already have or want a WordPress site for content marketing, and want the shop integrated rather than separate.
- You need product configurations Shopify can't handle natively — complex variations, made-to-order workflows, B2B portals, custom pricing rules.
- You want full ownership of your store and data, with no monthly platform fees.
- You have a developer relationship (in-house or agency) who can manage hosting, updates, and customisation.
- Long-term cost matters more than short-term ease.
The cost comparison most people miss
Shopify's pricing looks cheap on the surface. Basic plan is around £30/month. But by the time you've added apps for the features your store actually needs (often £100-£300/month combined), plus transaction fees, the real running cost can comfortably exceed £3,000-£5,000/year.
WooCommerce has no platform subscription. You pay for hosting (£15-£50/month for a small store), an SSL certificate (often free now), and any premium plugins you need. Total annual running costs typically £500-£1,500.
The catch: WooCommerce needs more upfront development investment. Setup costs £1,500-£5,000 for a small store, more for complex ones. Shopify can be live in a weekend with a credit card. So the maths really depends on your time horizon and growth trajectory.
What we typically recommend
Across our eCommerce projects for Suffolk businesses, the rule of thumb tends to be:
- Selling under 50 SKUs, no unusual workflows, you want it live fast: Shopify.
- Selling alongside a content-led marketing strategy, want full control, willing to invest in a proper build: WooCommerce.
- B2B with custom pricing, complex products, or unusual fulfilment: WooCommerce or a custom build.
- International, high-volume, multi-currency operation: Shopify (or for very large operations, Shopify Plus or a custom build).
Migration is possible (but expensive)
Both platforms have migration tools, but realistic migrations usually require some manual work, especially around URL structures (to preserve SEO), customer data, and order history.
Plan to spend £1,500-£5,000 on a properly executed migration. That's worth it if you've outgrown your platform; it's worth less if you're switching for cosmetic reasons.
Ready to talk?
If anything in this article rings true for your business, we'd love to chat. We offer free initial consultations for all Suffolk businesses.