WordPress vs Shopify for small online stores
- By Raina Noël
- 4 min read
- Updated November 2026
On This Page
- Shopify is a hosted, selling-first platform; WooCommerce turns a WordPress site into a store you own.
- Shopify trades monthly and app fees for convenience; WordPress trades upkeep for ownership and no platform cut.
- WordPress is stronger for content, storytelling and SEO.
- I build WordPress online stores from $4,000, with maintenance from $150 a year.
Two ways to build an online store
Shopify is a hosted eCommerce platform. You pay a monthly subscription, and Shopify provides the store software, hosting, security, checkout and a large app store. Everything is designed around selling products.
WordPress with WooCommerce is the free WordPress software plus WooCommerce, a free plugin that adds a full online store. You host it yourself (or your designer sets that up), and you own the whole site. Your store sits alongside the rest of your content: your story, your services, your blog.
WordPress vs Shopify at a glance
| Shopify | WordPress + WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Selling first | Content first, with a full store added |
| Setup | Quick to start; hosting and security included | More setup; hosting and updates are yours or your designer’s |
| Ongoing costs | Monthly plan, paid apps, payment fees; extra transaction fees if you don’t use Shopify’s own payments | Hosting, payment fees, any paid extensions, maintenance |
| Flexibility | High for stores; content pages more limited | Very high for both content and store |
| Ownership | Store lives on the platform | You own the site and data |
| Maintenance | Handled by Shopify | Regular updates needed |
| Scaling to large catalogues | Very strong | Strong with good hosting |
| Blogging and SEO content | Basic blog | Excellent |
Costs and fees compared
Shopify’s pricing is a monthly plan, with higher tiers for more features. On top of that you’ll typically pay for themes, apps that add features, and payment processing on each sale. Shopify also charges an additional fee per transaction if you use a payment provider other than its own. Those costs are predictable but they add up, especially as you add apps.
WooCommerce itself is free. You pay for hosting (a store needs reliable hosting), payment processing through providers like Stripe or PayPal, and any paid extensions, such as advanced shipping or subscriptions. There’s no platform cut of your sales. You will need maintenance, though, because a store that takes payments must be kept up to date.
Ease of use
Shopify is easier to set up from scratch, and day-to-day order management is very smooth. If you want to launch a store yourself this weekend, it’s hard to beat.
Flexibility and content
This is where WordPress pulls ahead. Many small shops don’t just sell, they tell a story: how the product is made, who makes it, recipes, care guides, events, wholesale information. WordPress was built for exactly that kind of content, and it’s excellent for SEO. Shopify can host pages and a blog, but content is clearly a secondary feature.
Selling from Canada: payments, shipping and taxes
Both platforms handle Canadian stores well, but a few details deserve attention whichever you choose:
- Sales tax. GST, HST and PST rules differ by province. Both platforms can calculate taxes, but the settings need to match your registration and where you ship.
- Shipping rates. Distances in Canada make shipping a big part of the customer’s total. Flat rates by region are easy to understand; live carrier rates are more accurate but take more setup.
- Local pickup. For farms, bakeries and producers, pickup or local delivery can be the most popular option. Both platforms support it.
- Currency. If you sell to US customers, decide whether to show prices in Canadian dollars only or offer US pricing too.
- Payment providers. Check which providers are available in Canada on each platform and what each charges per sale.
Questions to settle before you choose
- Is selling the main job of the site, or one job among several?
- How many products will you have in a year, and how often do they change?
- Who will add products and handle orders day to day?
- How much content, like stories, recipes or guides, do you want to publish?
- Would you rather pay a monthly platform fee or handle maintenance?
- How important is it that you own the site outright?
Do I need a web developer for Shopify?
Who should choose what
Shopify is a good fit if:
- Selling products is the main purpose of your website.
- You want to set up and run the store yourself with minimal technical work.
- You expect a large catalogue or high order volume.
- You’d rather pay a monthly fee than handle maintenance.
WordPress with WooCommerce is a good fit if:
- Your website does more than sell: your story, services, blog, events.
- You want to own your site and avoid platform transaction fees.
- Content and SEO are important to how customers find you.
- You want a custom design and are happy to have the site maintained.
Where I fit in
Related Questions
Is WordPress or Shopify better for a small online store?
Is WooCommerce really free?
Do I need a web developer for Shopify?
Can I move from Shopify to WordPress?
How much does a WordPress online store cost with you?