Shopify or WooCommerce? How I Chose My First E-Commerce Platform

Jess Riche — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 04:55:06 +0000

When I first started thinking about opening an e-commerce store, my first question was simple:

Shopify or WooCommerce?

At first, Shopify looked like the obvious choice.

It was easy to start, hosting was included, and I didn’t need to think much about the technical side. For a new entrepreneur, that is very attractive because there are already so many other things to worry about.

The basic Shopify plan is around US$29/month when billed annually, so roughly $348 per year before adding any extra apps.

That didn’t sound bad.

But then I started thinking about what I might need later.

Advanced shipping, marketing tools, subscriptions, product options, automation, or other custom features often require additional apps.

One app might be $10/month.

Another might be $20.

Another might be $30.

Suddenly, the monthly cost can grow quite quickly.

That was when I started looking more seriously at WooCommerce.

WooCommerce Is Free, but Running a Store Isn’t

WooCommerce itself is free, but of course that doesn’t mean the whole store is free.

You still need things like:

hosting
a domain
possibly a premium theme
paid plugins if you need extra features
maintenance and backups

So I don’t think it’s accurate to say:

Shopify costs money, WooCommerce is free.

A better way to think about it is:

Shopify bundles more things together. WooCommerce gives you more control over where you spend your money.

That difference mattered to me.

Why I Chose WooCommerce

In the end, cost was only part of the decision.

The bigger reason was control.

With WooCommerce, I can choose my hosting provider, change plugins, customize how the store works, and build integrations if I need something more specific later.

As an entrepreneur, I liked that flexibility.

Because a business rarely stays exactly the way you imagined it on day one.

At first, maybe you just want to sell a few products.

Later, you may need different shipping rules, multiple warehouses, custom checkout logic, subscriptions, or integrations with other systems.

I wanted a platform that could grow and change with the business.

For me, WooCommerce felt like the better fit.

But Shopify Still Makes a Lot of Sense

I can absolutely understand why someone would choose Shopify.

If your goal is to launch quickly, avoid technical maintenance, and focus mainly on products and marketing, Shopify may actually be the better choice.

WooCommerce gives you more flexibility, but that also means more responsibility.

You have to think about updates, hosting, security, compatibility, and performance.

So I don’t think there is one answer that works for everyone.

For me, the question eventually became:

Do I value simplicity more, or control more?

I chose control.

That’s why I went with WooCommerce.

And looking back, I think that was the right decision for the kind of business I wanted to build.

DEV Community: Jess Riche

Shopify or WooCommerce? How I Chose My First E-Commerce Platform