Every week a business owner decides they want to sell online. They Google "how to build an online store," land on a platform comparison article written by someone with an affiliate code, and end up confused about Shopify vs WooCommerce vs Wix vs a dozen other options. Then they either pick the wrong one, spend too much money fixing it later, or never launch at all.
This isn't that article. Here's what actually matters before you build anything.
First: be clear on what you're actually selling
This sounds obvious but it catches a lot of people out. There's a big difference between:
- A handful of products sold occasionally (a side business, craft items, limited runs)
- A proper product catalogue with variants, stock management, and regular orders
- A service business adding a shop (merchandise, gift cards, downloadable resources)
- A wholesale or B2B operation with custom pricing and bulk ordering
The platform and the build that's right for each of these is different. Getting clear on this before you start saves a lot of time and money.
Platform isn't the most important decision
Most people obsess over Shopify vs WooCommerce before they've thought about anything else. The platform matters, but it's not the first thing to get right. What matters more:
- Photography. Products sell on images. Poor photos will kill conversion regardless of how good your site looks.
- Product descriptions. Not just bullet points. Copy that answers real questions and removes objections.
- Shipping and fulfilment. Have you worked out how orders will be packed and sent? What are your rates? Do you offer free delivery above a threshold?
- Returns policy. Clear, fair, easy to find. Customers check before they buy.
A well-built store with good content will outsell a beautiful store with weak content every time.
So which platform, Shopify or WooCommerce?
Since you'll ask: here's the honest version.
Shopify is a hosted platform. Shopify looks after the servers, security, and updates. You pay a monthly subscription (starting around £25/month) on top of the build cost. It's clean, reliable, and genuinely easy to manage day-to-day. Adding products, processing orders, and handling stock is straightforward even if you're not technical. The trade-off is that you rent the platform, and customisation has limits outside of the theme.
WooCommerce is a plugin that runs on WordPress. You own everything: your hosting, your code, your data. There are no monthly platform fees beyond hosting, which I can provide from £15/month or £150/year for simpler sites, with managed WooCommerce care from £75/month. It's more flexible, especially for complex product logic or when you already have a WordPress site. The trade-off is that it needs more upkeep: WordPress and plugin updates, security, occasional troubleshooting.
For most straightforward product businesses, Shopify is the easier choice. For businesses that want more control, lower ongoing costs, or are already on WordPress, WooCommerce makes more sense. I'll always give you an honest recommendation based on what you're actually building.