Shopify or WooCommerce? How to choose a platform for your e-shop

It is the first question we hear on almost every new e-shop. The honest answer is that both platforms work well. The right choice depends on how you want to work, not on which one is "better".

The comparison at a glance

You will find the costs in detail, with current prices, in How much does an e-shop cost in 2026.

How widely each one is used, across all the world's websites:

Shopify: you rent a ready-made shop

Shopify is a service with a monthly subscription. Hosting, security, updates and the checkout are their job. You focus on products and orders.

• It is quick to set up and rarely goes down, even on busy days.
• The admin is simple for someone without technical knowledge.
• Every extra feature is usually an app with its own subscription, and the cost adds up.
• The checkout can only be changed as far as the platform allows.

WooCommerce: the shop is yours

WooCommerce is a free, open source plugin for WordPress. You pay no platform subscription, but you need hosting and someone to maintain it.

• You change everything: product page, checkout, price lists, customer roles.
• The code and the data stay with you and can move to any host you like.
• Updates, backups and speed are your responsibility (or ours, if you hand them to us).
• A badly built WooCommerce shop with lots of plugins becomes slow. It needs care from the start.

When we recommend which

Shopify, when you want to start quickly, sell to end consumers and do not want to think about servers. That is how we built Creatorshop, Kyra Official and TheHoloSpot.

WooCommerce, when the shop has its own rules: wholesale with per customer prices, partner sign-ups with approval, special order flows. The B2B shops of Exclusive Group and Wood Me Up are cases like this. Shopify now offers wholesale on every plan, but with up to 3 price catalogues. Only Plus has unlimited catalogues, so when you have many customers on different prices, WooCommerce remains more flexible.

What to ask yourself

• Who will add products and handle orders every day, and how comfortable are they with technology?
• Do you sell retail, wholesale or both?
• Do you prefer a steady monthly cost, or a bigger cost at the start and a smaller one afterwards?
• Is there anything about the way you sell that does not look like a typical e-shop?

If your answers point to "simple and quick", go with Shopify. If they point to "I have special requirements", go with WooCommerce. And if you are not sure, tell us how you work and we will tell you what we would choose in your place.