Shopify vs WooCommerce: real cost calculator (2026)

“WooCommerce is free” — but hosting, a domain, card fees and paid extensions aren't. Enter your orders and needs and see both stores side by side, monthly and for the first year, with a source link on every line.

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them, StoreVetted may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we make money.

1Sales
100
2Shopify side
3WooCommerce side

Paid official extensions you need (1-year licence prices from woocommerce.com):

4Both sides

Leave themes at $0 to use a free theme (Shopify has free themes; Storefront by Woo is free). Theme and app prices vary too much to guess, so you enter them.

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FAQ

Is WooCommerce cheaper than Shopify?

Sometimes. The WooCommerce plugin is free, but you still pay for hosting, a domain, card processing and any paid extensions, and you spend your own time on updates, security and backups. At low volume with only free plugins, WooCommerce on budget hosting can cost less in year one; once you need several paid extensions, the totals often get close. The calculator shows both side by side for your numbers.

How much does Shopify cost per month in 2026?

As listed on shopify.com/pricing on 1 October 2026: Basic $39/mo billed monthly or $29/mo billed yearly, Grow $105/mo or $79/mo, Advanced $399/mo or $299/mo. US online card rates with Shopify Payments are 2.9% + 30¢ (Basic), 2.7% + 30¢ (Grow) and 2.5% + 30¢ (Advanced). If you use a third-party payment provider instead, Shopify adds 2% / 1% / 0.6% on top of the provider's fees.

How much does WooCommerce hosting cost?

It depends on the host. This calculator uses Namecheap's managed WordPress hosting (EasyWP) as listed on 1 October 2026: Starter $38.88 for the first year billed yearly (renews at $68.88/yr) or $9.88/mo billed monthly; Turbo $61.88 first year (renews $114.88/yr); Supersonic $78.88 first year (renews $138.88/yr). First-year prices are promotional.

What are WooCommerce card processing fees?

For US merchants, WooPayments lists 2.9% + $0.30 per card transaction, Stripe lists 2.9% + 30¢ for domestic cards, and PayPal Checkout lists 3.49% + $0.49 (checked 1 October 2026). International cards and currency conversion cost extra.

Do I need to buy an SSL certificate?

Not on Shopify — SSL is included. For WooCommerce it depends on your host: Namecheap lists CDN & SSL as included with EasyWP. If your host doesn't include one, a basic certificate from SSLs.com was $3.75 for the first year (renewal price not verified).

Are the links affiliate links?

The Shopify, Namecheap and SSLs.com buttons are affiliate links, so StoreVetted may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The totals are calculated the same way regardless.