If you’re planning an online store, you’ll almost certainly end up choosing between Shopify and WooCommerce. Both power a huge number of successful stores, both can look beautiful, and both can sell to customers right across Australia.
But they work in very different ways, and choosing the wrong one can mean paying for things you don’t need or outgrowing your store sooner than you’d like. I build on both, so here’s an honest look at how they compare.
The big difference
Shopify is an all-in-one platform. You pay a monthly subscription, and Shopify looks after the hosting, security, updates and checkout for you. You rent your store, in a sense, and someone else maintains the building.
WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin that turns a WordPress website into a store. You own everything and can change anything, but you’re also responsible for hosting, updates and security, or for paying someone to look after them.
Shopify: the strengths
- Easy to run day to day. Adding products, processing orders and managing stock is simple, even if you’re not technical.
- Hosting, security and updates are handled, so there’s less that can break.
- A smooth, trusted checkout that many customers already recognise.
- Built-in payments through Shopify Payments, plus popular options like buy-now-pay-later.
- Thousands of apps for reviews, subscriptions, loyalty programs and more.
Shopify: the trade-offs
- Ongoing costs add up. There’s the monthly plan, plus many apps charge their own monthly fees, and extra transaction fees apply if you don’t use Shopify Payments.
- Less control. Some parts of the platform, like the checkout and certain page addresses, can only be customised so far.
- Your store lives on Shopify’s platform. Moving away later is possible, but it’s a project.
WooCommerce: the strengths
- Total flexibility. If you can imagine it, it can be built, from unusual product options to custom booking and membership systems.
- Your store and your content in one place. WordPress is excellent for blogs and service pages, which is a real advantage if content and SEO are a big part of how customers find you.
- No platform subscription, and you own everything outright.
- Great for businesses that sell and serve. A salon selling products alongside bookings, for example, can keep it all on one website.
WooCommerce: the trade-offs
- You need good hosting, and a busy store needs better hosting than a brochure website.
- Maintenance matters. WordPress, WooCommerce and plugins need regular updates and testing to stay secure and working.
- Extensions can carry yearly licence fees, so “free” isn’t always free once you add features.
- More moving parts, which means more to manage if you’re doing it yourself.
Side by side
| Shopify | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Set-up | Quick and guided | More involved |
| Running costs | Monthly plan, plus apps | Hosting, maintenance and extensions |
| Maintenance | Handled by Shopify | Your responsibility (or your developer’s) |
| Flexibility | High, within the platform | Almost unlimited |
| Content and blogging | Good | Excellent |
| Ease of use | Very easy | Easy once set up well |
| Best for | Product-focused stores that want simplicity | Stores that need custom features or lots of content |
So which should you choose?
Choose Shopify if selling products is the heart of your business, you want to manage your store yourself without worrying about the technical side, and you’re happy to trade some flexibility for simplicity.
Choose WooCommerce if you need features that don’t fit a standard store, you sell alongside services or bookings, content and SEO are central to how you’re found, or you want to own every part of your website.
The best platform is the one that fits how your business actually runs, not the one with the loudest marketing.
A few things to sort out on either platform
- GST and pricing. Set up your tax settings correctly and decide whether prices display GST-inclusive, as Australian shoppers expect.
- Shipping. Plan your rates, free shipping thresholds and delivery zones before you launch.
- Payments. Offer the options your customers already use, including buy-now-pay-later if it suits your products.
- Product pages that sell. Great photos, clear descriptions and reviews make far more difference than the platform itself.
Need help deciding?
Tell me what you sell, how you sell it and where you’d like your business to be in a few years, and I’ll recommend the platform that genuinely fits. Start a conversation or explore my web design services. Already have a store that isn’t performing? A complimentary audit is a great place to start.
