Shopify
Shopify fits first-time and growing DTC stores that need hosted checkout and Shop Pay — Basic ~$39/mo. WooCommerce wins if WordPress is already live with a developer. Compare 12-month TCO before you commit.
Hosted e-commerce — store, checkout, and payments in one stack.
For first stores and teams under ~$500k/mo GMV, Shopify beats fragmented Woo stacks on time-to-launch and checkout. Shop Pay and Shopify Payments reduce mobile abandonment; App Store replaces multiple SaaS contracts. G2: 4.6. Avoid if you already run Woo on WordPress with a dedicated dev.
How ready are you to launch — or fix — your online store?
No email. Honest routing: Shopify vs WooCommerce vs «not yet» — based on orders, checkout pain, and your time budget.
Where are you with selling online today?
Pros
- Fastest path to first order for most sellers
- Shop Pay one-tap checkout
- 8,000+ App Store integrations
- Managed uptime at peak traffic
Cons
- Extra fee if not on Shopify Payments
- Premium themes cost $180–380
- Plus required for heavy headless
Best for
- DTC brands
- Dropshipping
- First online store
Key features
- Online store builder
- Shopify Payments
- Shop Pay
- POS
- Shopify Markets
- Shopify Magic AI
Smarter alternatives
Other store platforms vs Shopify — not CRM or email tools. See when to pick each in the audit.
Frequently asked
How much does Shopify really cost?
From $5/mo (Starter) to $399/mo (Advanced) plus payment processing. See our shopify-review audit for 12-month TCO vs WooCommerce.
Try Shopify today
Free 3-day trial.