Shopify in one paragraph
Shopify is an all-in-one, hosted platform: you pay a monthly subscription and Shopify looks after the hosting, security, checkout and updates. It's quick to get going and hard to break. Extra features come from apps, many of which add their own monthly fees, and you work within Shopify's rules for checkout and data.
WooCommerce in one paragraph
WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin that turns a WordPress site into a store. You own everything and can customise almost anything — from product builders to checkout — but you (or your developer) are responsible for hosting, security and updates.
Choose Shopify if…
- You want to manage products and orders without thinking about hosting.
- Your products are fairly standard (sizes, colours, simple options).
- You'd rather pay a predictable monthly fee than manage updates.
- You sell across channels and want those integrations ready-made.
Choose WooCommerce if…
- Your products need custom options, builders or calculators.
- You already run WordPress and want the store in the same place.
- You want full control of your data, design and checkout.
- You have a developer or care plan looking after updates.
When a store needs custom ordering
Some of our stores need more than a standard product page: Work Decals has a decal builder with a live preview and a compliance check. Custom ordering like that can sit on WooCommerce or be built to order, and we recommend one after the kickoff. For stores with standard products, Shopify is often the simpler long-term choice.
Moving from one to the other
It's very doable. Products, customers and (depending on the platform) order history can be moved, and the most important step is redirecting every old product address so you keep your Google rankings.
Written by the SquidInk USA team · Glendora, CA