Shopify or
WooCommerce?
For most small retailers, Shopify is the better default. It handles payments, tax and shipping without you configuring much of anything, and the maintenance burden is close to zero. WooCommerce earns its place when the store is one part of a bigger content site, when you need product or pricing logic Shopify’s apps do not cover comfortably, or when owning the whole platform outright matters more to you than convenience. We build both, and we will tell you which your store actually needs.
Side by side
| Shopify | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Hosted. No server to configure, live in days. | Depends on your WordPress hosting and how well it is set up. |
| Ongoing maintenance | Low. Shopify runs and patches the platform itself. | Real and ongoing — core, theme and plugin updates, the same burden as any WordPress site. |
| Cost structure | A subscription, plus payment processing. Plans and fees change, so check Shopify’s current pricing directly rather than trust a number here. | Hosting cost only, no platform subscription — but decent hosting still costs real money. |
| Ownership | You are renting space inside Shopify’s ecosystem. | You own the code outright, on hosting you choose. |
| Content alongside the store | Workable, but built product-first. | Strong — it is WordPress, so blog and resource content sit naturally next to the catalogue. |
| Unusual product or pricing logic | Good for standard catalogues; anything unusual needs an app, and apps add their own cost and complexity. | Best suited to it — built exactly to the logic you need. |
| Security | Shopify carries PCI compliance and platform security for you. | Self-hosted, so patching and security sit with you or your host. |
| Who it suits | Most small to mid-sized retailers. | A store that is one part of a larger site, or a business that wants everything on one owned platform. |
Shopify is the better answer when
- You mainly sell products and do not need much content around them.
- You want payments, tax and shipping handled without configuring them yourself.
- You would rather pay a subscription than carry server security and updates.
- Your catalogue and pricing are fairly standard — most of what you need is an app away.
WooCommerce is the better answer when
- The store is one part of a larger site — blog, resources, service pages — and you want it all in one place.
- You need product or pricing logic unusual enough that a Shopify app will not cover it comfortably.
- You want to own the whole platform outright, with no ongoing subscription to the store itself.
- You are already committed to WordPress for the rest of the business, and want to keep everything on one system — see WordPress versus custom-built if you are weighing that decision too.
Our honest take
Most small Perth retailers should take Shopify, and we will say so even though we are just as happy to build WooCommerce. The honest exception is a business where the store is genuinely secondary — a trade or service business adding a small shop to a content-heavy site — where keeping everything on WordPress can be the simpler long-term answer. What we will not do is talk you into the platform that suits us rather than the one that suits your catalogue. You can see one of the stores we have built in the Julleen Pearls case study, and the full detail on how we approach e-commerce builds is on e-commerce web design.
Common questions
Which one would you actually recommend?
What does Shopify actually cost?
Is WooCommerce cheaper because there is no subscription?
Can you move my store between the two later?
Still not sure?
Tell us what you are trying to achieve and we will tell you which way we would go — including if that is not with us.
Prefer to talk? Call 08 6323 2970