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Last Updated: July 2026 — Pricing verified directly from official plan pages.
Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: Shopify is a fully hosted ecommerce platform starting at $39/month, WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that requires separate hosting, and BigCommerce is a SaaS platform starting at $39/month with stricter GMV caps. For most new stores, Shopify wins on simplicity; WooCommerce wins on cost and flexibility; BigCommerce wins for scaling without app overhead.
Quick Comparison: Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce (2026)
| Platform | Starting Price | Transaction Fees | Best For | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | $39/mo (Basic) | 0% with Shopify Payments; up to 2% extra with third-party gateways | Beginners, DTC brands, dropshippers | ⭐ 4.7/5 |
| WooCommerce | Free plugin + $10–40/mo hosting | 0% from WooCommerce; 2.9% + $0.30 from payment gateways (Stripe/WooPayments) | WordPress users, developers, budget-conscious stores | ⭐ 4.4/5 |
| BigCommerce | $39/mo (Core) | 0% native fee; up to 2% Open Payment Provider Fee if not using embedded providers | Scaling SMBs, B2B, multi-channel sellers | ⭐ 4.5/5 |
How We Evaluated These Platforms
We’ve built and managed stores on all three platforms. For this review, we tested the July 2026 free-trial versions of Shopify (Basic) and BigCommerce (Core), and a fresh WooCommerce install on managed WordPress hosting. We verified every pricing figure directly from Shopify’s official pricing page and BigCommerce’s official pricing page on July 2, 2026. Affiliate programs exist for all three platforms — our recommendations are based on store suitability, not commission rates.
Shopify — Best for Getting Started Fast
Shopify is a fully hosted ecommerce platform: everything — hosting, checkout, payments, SSL, and CDN — is bundled into one monthly subscription. You can launch a store without touching a line of code. Over 4.6 million stores globally run on Shopify as of 2026, making it the most widely adopted hosted ecommerce solution.
Shopify Pricing (Verified July 2, 2026)
| Plan | Monthly Billing | Annual Billing | Online CC Rate | Third-Party Gateway Surcharge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $5/mo | N/A | 5% + 30¢ | 5% |
| Basic | $39/mo | $29/mo | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2% |
| Grow | $105/mo | $79/mo | 2.6% + 30¢ | 1% |
| Advanced | $399/mo | $299/mo | 2.4% + 30¢ | 0.5% |
| Plus | $2,500/mo (1-year) | $2,300/mo (3-year) | 2.15% + 30¢ | 0.2% |
The Starter plan ($5/mo) is a buy button, not a full store. You need Basic ($39/mo) minimum for a complete storefront. Annual billing saves 25% — Basic drops from $39 to $29/month. Use Shopify Payments to pay zero gateway surcharge; use Stripe or PayPal and Shopify adds up to 2% on top of the processor’s fee on Basic.
What Shopify Does Well
Setup is fast — a functional store is live in under an hour. The Shopify App Store has over 8,000 apps covering subscriptions, loyalty programs, print-on-demand, and almost any niche requirement. The checkout is battle-tested and converts well. Customer support is available 24/7 via live chat on all paid plans — something no other platform at this price range matches consistently.
Shopify’s Real Weaknesses
App dependency is Shopify’s biggest hidden cost. Features that BigCommerce and WooCommerce include natively — B2B pricing tiers, advanced product filtering, subscription billing — require paid third-party apps on Shopify, adding $20–$100/month each. Blog and content SEO lags behind WordPress-based stores. The URL structure is rigid — you cannot fully customize URL paths the way WooCommerce allows.
- Pros: Fastest setup, best checkout UX, 24/7 support, excellent mobile app, zero gateway surcharge with Shopify Payments
- Cons: App costs stack up quickly, rigid URL structure, 2% surcharge on third-party payments on Basic, limited content management vs WordPress
Mini-verdict: Shopify is the right choice if you want to sell fast without managing technical infrastructure. Budget an extra $30–$80/month for essential apps as you scale beyond the Basic tier.
WooCommerce — Best for Flexibility and True Ownership
WooCommerce is a free, open-source ecommerce plugin that turns any WordPress site into an online store. The plugin itself costs nothing — you pay for hosting, a theme, and premium extensions separately. This makes WooCommerce both the cheapest entry point and potentially the most expensive option depending on how you build it.
WooCommerce Real Cost Breakdown (2026)
| Cost Component | Budget Setup | Typical Growing Store | Full-Featured Store |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting (managed) | $4–$12/mo | $20–$40/mo | $40–$100/mo |
| Domain name | $12–$20/yr | $12–$20/yr | $12–$20/yr |
| Theme | $0 (Storefront free) | $49–$99/yr | $99–$200/yr |
| Essential plugins | $0–$100/yr | $200–$500/yr | $500–$1,000/yr |
| Payment processing | 2.9% + $0.30/transaction | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Monthly equivalent | ~$10–$20/mo | ~$35–$75/mo | ~$80–$200/mo |
WooCommerce charges zero transaction fees — your only payment cost is the gateway fee (Stripe and WooPayments both charge 2.9% + $0.30 per domestic transaction). For choosing the right hosting, see our guide to the best web hosting for 2026. Our Hostinger review covers their WooCommerce-optimized plans starting at $3.99/month — solid for stores under 10,000 monthly visits.
What WooCommerce Does Well
WooCommerce runs on WordPress, inheriting the world’s most capable CMS. Full URL control, custom post types, unlimited plugin extensibility, and best-in-class blogging are native. You own your data completely — no platform lock-in, no risk of a hosting company discontinuing your store. Extensions covering subscriptions, product bundles, bookings, and B2B pricing are often cheaper than Shopify app equivalents.
WooCommerce’s Real Weaknesses
WooCommerce is a self-managed platform: you handle updates, security patches, backups, and performance optimization. Plugin conflicts can break your checkout without warning. There is no WooCommerce support line — you rely on community forums, hosting support, and individual plugin vendors. Professional setup takes hours, not minutes like Shopify.
- Pros: Free plugin, zero platform transaction surcharges, full data ownership, best SEO ceiling (WordPress), unlimited flexibility, no GMV caps
- Cons: Self-managed infrastructure, no official 24/7 support, plugin conflict risk, real total cost higher than the “free” headline implies
Mini-verdict: WooCommerce is ideal for WordPress-native businesses, agencies managing multiple stores, and technical founders who want maximum control. Honest accounting shows a full-featured WooCommerce store costs $35–$75/month — similar to Shopify Grow once you add hosting, extensions, and a premium theme.
BigCommerce — Best for Scaling Without Plugin Overhead
BigCommerce is a SaaS ecommerce platform that includes features natively that Shopify charges for via apps: multi-currency, real-time shipping rates, B2B pricing groups, advanced product filtering, and unlimited staff accounts. No base transaction fees. GMV caps require plan upgrades as your store grows.
BigCommerce Pricing (Verified July 2, 2026 — Post June 2026 Restructure)
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | GMV Cap | Open Payment Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core (was Standard) | $39/mo | $29/mo | $50,000/yr | 2.0% of GMV |
| Growth (was Plus) | $105/mo | $79/mo | ~$180,000/yr | 1.0% of GMV |
| Scale (was Pro) | $399/mo | $299/mo | ~$400,000/yr | 0.6% of GMV |
| Performance (was Enterprise) | From $1,499/mo (annual) | Custom | Custom | Negotiated |
Note — Open Payment Provider Fee (new June 1, 2026): BigCommerce charges 2.0%–0.6% of GMV if you use a payment provider outside their embedded partners list (PayPal, Stripe, Square, Braintree are embedded). A store doing $40,000/year on the Core plan with a non-embedded gateway pays an extra $800/year on top of the plan cost. Factor this in before committing.
What BigCommerce Does Well
At the Core tier, BigCommerce includes unlimited product variants, multi-currency display, real-time carrier shipping, gift cards, customer groups, and professional reporting without any apps. Headless commerce capabilities — building custom React or Next.js frontends against the BigCommerce API — are the best of the three platforms. B2B sellers benefit from customer group pricing and quote functionality built into the Growth plan and above.
BigCommerce’s Real Weaknesses
The GMV caps are the platform’s most criticized feature. Exceed $50,000 in annual sales on Core and BigCommerce automatically upgrades your account to Growth — a jump from $29 to $79/month annually. The app ecosystem is smaller than Shopify’s; niche integrations are harder to find. Theme variety trails Shopify, and the new Open Payment Fee is punishing for stores with non-embedded gateways.
- Pros: Most features included natively, no app stacking required, excellent B2B tools, zero base transaction fee, strong headless/API capabilities
- Cons: GMV caps force plan upgrades, smaller app market, new 2.0% Open Payment Fee for non-embedded gateways, fewer theme choices vs Shopify
Mini-verdict: BigCommerce earns its place for stores in the $50,000–$500,000 annual GMV range needing native multi-currency, B2B pricing, or advanced filtering without ongoing app costs. Under $50k/year, Shopify Basic or WooCommerce serves you better.
Real Pricing Comparison: What You Actually Pay at Each Revenue Level
| Annual Store Revenue | Shopify (annual billing) | WooCommerce (typical all-in) | BigCommerce (annual billing) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–$50,000/yr | $348/yr (Basic) | $240–$600/yr total | $348/yr (Core) |
| $50,001–$180,000/yr | $948/yr (Grow) | $480–$900/yr total | $948/yr (forced to Growth) |
| $180,001–$400,000/yr | $3,588/yr (Advanced) | $600–$1,200/yr total | $3,588/yr (Scale) |
These figures use annual billing and exclude payment processing (roughly 2.9% + $0.30/transaction across all platforms when using Shopify Payments, Stripe, or WooPayments). To drive organic traffic to your store from day one, pair it with one of the best AI SEO tools regardless of which platform you pick.
Which Ecommerce Platform Should You Choose?
- Choose Shopify if you’re launching your first store, want to focus on selling not technical setup, sell on social media or want omnichannel (POS, Instagram, TikTok), or do dropshipping or print-on-demand.
- Choose WooCommerce if you already have a WordPress site, are comfortable managing hosting, want full code access and zero transaction surcharges, or run a content-heavy brand where the blog drives most traffic.
- Choose BigCommerce if you’re a mid-market retailer in the $50k–$500k GMV range, sell B2B with customer group pricing needs, need native multi-currency without apps, or want headless commerce flexibility.
- Skip Plus/Performance tiers until your GMV justifies the cost — enterprise alternatives become competitive at $2,300+/month spend.
💡 Our Take
After building stores on all three platforms, our honest view: Shopify is the best starting point for 80% of new ecommerce businesses — not because it’s cheapest, but because it eliminates the setup friction that kills most stores before they hit $10k in revenue. App costs are real, but manageable at the Basic level with discipline. WooCommerce is genuinely excellent for WordPress-native founders who want full ownership — and the SEO ceiling is legitimately higher. BigCommerce is the most underrated option for the $50k–$300k GMV tier: its native features genuinely save $200–$400/month in Shopify app costs at that scale. The right platform isn’t the one with the lowest headline price — it’s the one you’ll actually use to ship products this week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WooCommerce really free?
The WooCommerce core plugin is free to download and install. However, a production-ready WooCommerce store requires paid hosting ($10–$40/month), usually a premium theme ($49–$149/year), and often premium extensions ($100–$900/year). Budget $20–$75/month for a realistic all-in WooCommerce cost — comparable to or slightly below Shopify Basic once you account for everything.
Does BigCommerce have transaction fees?
BigCommerce charges no base transaction fee. However, as of June 1, 2026, BigCommerce introduced an Open Payment Provider Fee of 2.0% (Core), 1.0% (Growth), or 0.6% (Scale) on GMV processed through non-embedded payment providers. If you use PayPal, Stripe, Square, or Braintree, you pay no fee. Regional or custom gateways trigger the Open Payment Fee.
Can I switch from Shopify to WooCommerce later?
Yes, migration is possible using tools like LitExtension or Cart2Cart, which transfer products, customers, and orders. Plan 1–4 weeks for a migration depending on catalog size. The main challenge is URL structure changes, which can hurt SEO if not handled with 301 redirects. It’s better to choose the right platform upfront than to migrate after building significant search equity.
Which platform is best for SEO?
WooCommerce (on WordPress) has the highest SEO ceiling — full URL control, schema markup, page speed optimization, and content with plugins like RankMath or Yoast. Shopify and BigCommerce have solid SEO fundamentals but limit URL customization and historically struggle with duplicate content on collection/filter pages. For content-driven stores where the blog drives organic traffic, WooCommerce wins clearly.
Does Shopify charge extra fees if I use Stripe?
Yes. Using Stripe on Shopify means you pay Stripe’s fee (2.9% + $0.30) plus a Shopify surcharge of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, or 0.5% on Advanced. To avoid the surcharge entirely, use Shopify Payments — it charges 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic with no additional platform fee. This is one of the most consequential decisions in your payment setup.
What happens if I exceed BigCommerce’s GMV cap?
BigCommerce monitors your trailing 12-month GMV. If you exceed the cap — $50,000/year on Core — BigCommerce automatically upgrades your account to the next tier. You’ll receive notice but won’t be cut off immediately. The jump from Core to Growth goes from $29 to $79/month (annual billing). Plan for this threshold in your unit economics from day one if you expect meaningful growth within the year.
