Why it works
Hosted stack: checkout, payments, PCI, and mobile themes without DevOps. Shop Pay cuts mobile checkout friction. App Store (8,000+) replaces 4–6 separate SaaS contracts.
G2 4.6 · 4.8M+ stores · 99.99% uptime SLA
4.6(4.8k)
Launch a sellable store in hours — not weeks of WordPress plugins
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.
For DTC brands, first-time sellers, and teams doing $0–$500k/mo GMV. Basic plan ~$39/mo + 2.9% processing with Shopify Payments. G2: 4.6/5 (4,800+ reviews). Editorial test: 30 days vs WooCommerce, Wix, BigCommerce.
Guide2Sell may earn a commission via partner links. Numbers below are editorial — we state who should not buy.
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How we tested
Guide2Sell ran a 30-day editorial test on Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, and BigCommerce: launch time, checkout steps on mobile, app stack cost, and owner hours. Pricing from vendor sites (Q2 2026). Commission does not change the numbers.
Guide2Sell Commerce Desk · updated May 2026
- shopify.com/pricing
- wordpress.org / WooCommerce extensions
- G2.com reviews
Verdict in 30 seconds
Best fit
First store, dropshipping, POD, or brand scaling to multi-market. Teams that value time-to-first-order over infinite WordPress customization.
Who should skip
Existing WordPress content site where WooCommerce is already live and maintained. Headless commerce at scale → Shopify Plus ($2,300+/mo). Teams that need 100% Ukrainian admin UI out of the box.
12-month TCO — subscription + hidden stack cost
Scenario A — new brand, Basic plan
~50 orders/mo, $65 AOV, 1 operator, no custom dev
| Line item | Shopify | WooCommerce stack |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | $39/mo Basic | Woo plugin $0 + hosting |
| Hosting / security | Included | $25–50/mo managed WP |
| SSL, CDN, backups | Included | $10–30/mo plugins |
| Payments setup | Shopify Payments | Stripe plugin + config |
| Theme | $0–380 one-time | $0–120 theme + tweaks |
| Owner time (10 h/mo × $40) | ~$200/mo (low) | ~$400–800/mo (updates, breaks) |
Shopify
Year 1 subscriptions ~$470–850 + less owner time
WooCommerce stack
Year 1 ~$600–1,400 + 120–240 h owner/dev time
Shopify wins when you bill your time. Woo wins if you already have WordPress expertise and spare hours.
Hidden costs
- Premium theme$180–380 once
- Non-Shopify Payments fee+0.5–2% per order
- Paid apps (avg growth store)$30–150/mo
- Domain~$14/yr
Prices Q2 2026 from vendor sites. Third-party PSP on Shopify adds 0.5–2% platform fee by plan.
Shop Pay + hosted checkout — revenue per session, not theme count
Mobile cart abandonment on slow or multi-step checkouts costs more than your SaaS bill. Industry median mobile checkout completion trails desktop by 20–35 points.
- 1Product page → cart (Shop Pay one-tap for returning buyers)
- 2Shopify Payments → no extra platform % when enabled
- 3Markets → currency + duties surfaced at checkout
- 4Order → fulfillment + email in one admin
Checkout stepsShop Pay: ~4s vs generic 60–90s
GMV at risk on BFCMPlatform handled $11.5B BFCM 2024
Your model+1% checkout CR on $200k/mo GMV ≈ $24k/yr
When Shop Pay pays for Basic
At $200k annual GMV, a 2-point checkout lift ≈ $4,000 gross — roughly 8× the Basic subscription. This is directional; run an A/B on your traffic.
Shop Pay helps checkout — not product-market fit, ads, or inventory. You still need margin and traffic.
When to pick Shopify vs a competitor
Shopify
You need live sales this week; no WordPress site yet
WooCommerce
You already run WordPress + dev on retainer
Shopify
Catalog 50+ SKUs, multi-channel, or App Store integrations
Wix
Tiny catalog, brochure site + simple shop
Shopify
Shop Pay, POS sync, or Shopify Markets priority
BigCommerce
B2B catalog complexity without Plus budget
| Criterion | Shopify | WooCommerce | Wix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to first sale | Hours | 1–2 weeks | 1–2 hours |
| Year 1 TCO (typical SMB) | ~$470–3,200 | ~$600–4,500 + time | ~$330–600 |
| One-tap checkout | Shop Pay | Plugin-dependent | No |
| G2 (2026) | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.5 |
Plans (no fluff)
Starter
$5/mo
Social selling, lite catalog
Basic
$39/mo
Most new brands
Shopify
$105/mo
Team 3–5, reporting
Advanced
$399/mo
$50k+/mo GMV
Frequently asked
Is Shopify really $1 for the first months?
Promos vary by region and campaign — verify on the official signup page. Standard trial is 3 days without card on many offers.
Can I use Shopify without Shopify Payments?
Yes — 100+ PSPs supported. Expect an extra 0.5–2% Shopify fee per plan when not using Shopify Payments.
Shopify vs WooCommerce for Ukraine?
Shopify: faster launch, international payments via supported PSPs. Woo: fuller UA localization if you self-host and configure plugins.
How long to migrate an existing store?
Official importers + apps: typically 1–7 days depending on SKU count and custom fields.
Next step for the owner
Pick the row in the TCO table that matches your orders/month. If you're net-positive on time-to-launch, start the trial and import 10 SKUs — not another comparison spreadsheet.
- Open trial — measure checkout steps on mobile
- Enable Shopify Payments if available in your region
- Compare Scenario B TCO before adding 5+ paid apps