When small businesses ask me whether they should choose Shopify or WooCommerce, they usually want a simple one line answer. In reality the better question is what you value most, a fast launch and low mental load, or deep control over code, data and costs. In this article I share how I frame this decision for European SMEs that want to sell online without turning their store into a side project that never ends.
Core differences in one view
Before we dive into details, it helps to see the platforms side by side with very short labels.
- Shopify, hosted platform, opinionated but polished, you rent the rails and focus on products and marketing.
- WooCommerce, WordPress based, open and flexible, you own the rails but also own more of the responsibility.
- Mindset, Shopify fits brands that want to move fast with standard ecommerce, WooCommerce fits teams that want custom flows and full ownership.
Speed to launch
The first question I ask clients is how quickly they really need to launch and how much experimentation they plan to do in the first months.
Shopify is usually the fastest way from idea to live store. Hosting, SSL, security, checkout and updates are bundled, and the admin interface is focused on products, orders and marketing. If you pick a solid theme and stay close to the defaults you can launch a good looking store in days.
WooCommerce can still be quick when you use a lean stack, for example a performance focused theme, a small set of plugins and a managed host. It takes a bit more thinking upfront, because you are selecting pieces instead of accepting a fully pre assembled environment, but that planning often pays off later when you want to make changes.
Questions I ask about speed
- Is there a hard date for launch, such as a trade fair, campaign or season start.
- Do you have someone internally who feels comfortable maintaining a WordPress site.
- Are you fine with a solid minimum viable store now and iterations later, or do you want more custom flows from day one.
Costs and ownership
Many comparisons oversimplify costs. In practice there are monthly platform fees, payment fees, plugin subscriptions and the time you or your team spend on changes.
- Shopify platform cost, fixed monthly plan plus potential transaction fees if you do not use Shopify Payments. Apps often have recurring subscriptions.
- WooCommerce platform cost, hosting, domain, optional premium themes and plugins. No platform transaction fee, you pay only your chosen payment provider.
- Ownership, with WooCommerce you fully own your codebase and database, and you can move hosts or developers without asking a platform for permission.
For very small stores, Shopify and WooCommerce can be similar in total cost. As order volume and custom needs grow, WooCommerce often becomes more cost effective in the long run, especially when you spread development work over several years.
Features, flexibility and ecosystem
Both platforms cover the basics, product management, inventory, variants, discount codes and standard checkout flows. The difference appears when you move into edge cases.
- Shopify strengths, stable core features, a rich but curated app store, solid integrations with marketing tools and sales channels such as Meta and Google.
- WooCommerce strengths, almost unlimited flexibility for product data, custom fields, B2B logic, multi language setups and deep integrations with other WordPress content.
- Risk, on both platforms it is possible to over install apps or plugins. A lean setup beats a Frankenstein store every time.
Design and user experience
Shopify themes tend to be consistent, mobile first and focused on conversion out of the box. They are a good choice when you want a modern brand friendly look without a designer on staff.
With WooCommerce you can either use a WooCommerce ready theme or integrate ecommerce into an existing design system that already powers your main site. This can give you a very coherent experience across content pages, landing pages and the store, but it requires more design thinking and implementation.
International selling, VAT and localisation
Many of the SMEs I work with sell in several European countries, sometimes with different VAT rules, currencies and languages.
- Shopify, handles multiple currencies and tax rules well, especially on the higher plans, and has a growing set of tools for translation and markets. You are however limited to what Shopify exposes in the admin.
- WooCommerce, can be paired with multilingual plugins and tax extensions to fully match your international structure, for example different price lists per country, B2B VAT handling and specific EU rules, but the setup needs to be done carefully.
Scaling and maintenance
Scaling has two sides, technical performance and the amount of mental load your team carries over time.
On Shopify the platform scales for you. Traffic spikes, security updates and new payment methods are handled in the background. You still need to keep apps in check and review your theme as you grow, but the infrastructure is not your headache.
On WooCommerce you or your partner handle hosting, caching and updates. With a good host and update routine this is not scary, but it does require someone who feels responsible for it. The benefit is that you can fine tune performance, caching and integrations for your exact stack.
When I recommend each platform
Choose Shopify if
- You want to launch quickly with as little technical decision making as possible.
- Your products and checkout flows are relatively standard and work well with common apps.
- You prefer a fully hosted platform where security and updates are handled for you.
- Your team is small and you would rather spend energy on marketing and content than on platform management.
Choose WooCommerce if
- You already run your main site on WordPress or plan to do so.
- You need custom product data, B2B specific flows, or complex discount and pricing logic.
- You want full control over your data, code and hosting, and the option to switch providers.
- You are willing to invest a bit more time upfront to get a flexible platform for the long run.
Real world decision examples
A few anonymised examples from projects I have been involved in often make this gap clearer.
- Direct to consumer brand, launching their first online store with a small product catalog and a strong focus on Instagram and TikTok. They chose Shopify, used a premium theme and a clean app stack, and were live within a few weeks.
- B2B furniture company, needed price lists per customer group, request a quote flows and deep content pages for each series. They chose WooCommerce integrated into their existing WordPress site, with custom fields and a tailored quoting process.
- Educational publisher, selling both digital licenses and physical books in several European markets. After testing Shopify they moved to WooCommerce to get more control over licensing logic and localisation.
Shopify vs WooCommerce FAQ
Which platform is better for a tight budget
For a very small store the costs can be similar. Shopify gives you predictability, you know your monthly fee and can keep apps lean. WooCommerce can be cheaper over time, especially if you are comfortable with WordPress and do some work in house, but you should not forget the value of your own time when you compare.
Which one is better for SEO
Both can rank well. What matters more is fast loading pages, clean navigation, good content and structured data. WooCommerce gives you more low level control through WordPress, Shopify gives you a predictable structure that is hard to completely break. The deciding factor is usually your content plan, not the platform logo.
Can I move from one to the other
Yes, but it is not a one click decision. Products, customers and orders can be migrated with tools and exports, but design, custom flows and apps or plugins have to be rebuilt. If you suspect a move later, try to keep your first implementation as clean as possible so migration is not made harder than necessary.
Do I need a developer for WooCommerce
Strictly speaking you can set up a WooCommerce store without a developer, but most SMEs benefit from having at least some developer involvement for the initial setup and for more complex changes. For Shopify, non technical teams can go further on their own, although a developer still helps when you want to go beyond theme settings.
Closing thoughts
Both Shopify and WooCommerce are strong platforms that have proven themselves for many years. The important part is to match the tool to your business model, internal skills and appetite for technical responsibility. If you want help deciding, sketching a lean stack or planning a migration, I am happy to walk through your situation and share setups that have worked for other European SMEs.