When it comes to building an online store, WooCommerce and Shopify are two of the most popular platforms on the market. Both offer powerful tools for e-commerce businesses, but they take very different approaches. You are wondering which system wins in WooCommerce vs Shopify fight, so let’s see! Especially if you are planning to expand to marketplaces like eBay and Amazon.
Functionality of Both Systems
At first glance, WooCommerce and Shopify both help you create an online store — but they are built in very different ways, and this affects how you set them up and manage them.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is not a complete e-commerce platform by itself — it is a plugin that you add to a WordPress website. WordPress is the most popular website builder in the world, and WooCommerce turns it into a fully functional online store. To use WooCommerce, you first need to have a WordPress website and hosting. Hosting means you are renting space on a server where your website files are stored and served to visitors.
Once your WordPress site is ready, you can install the free WooCommerce plugin from the WordPress plugin directory. After that, you can add products, set prices, choose shipping options, and accept payments. Because WooCommerce is part of WordPress, you can also fully customize your site with different themes and thousands of additional plugins for things like SEO, marketing, customer reviews, and more.
Shopify
With Shopify, things work differently. Shopify is an all-in-one system — it comes with hosting already included. You simply sign up on the Shopify website, choose a plan, and start building your store right away. There is no need to install WordPress or deal with hosting separately. Shopify handles the technical side for you, including security, backups, and performance.
Shopify gives you a store builder with ready-made templates and a simple drag-and-drop editor to design your site. You can add products, set shipping rates, and accept payments all from the Shopify admin panel. Many features that you would have to install separately in WordPress are already built into Shopify by default. If you want to expand Shopify’s features, you can browse their app store and add new tools with just a few clicks.
In short, WooCommerce gives you more flexibility and full ownership of your site, but it also means you are responsible for setting up hosting and maintaining the site. Shopify is more of a plug-and-play solution — it is quicker to start with, and Shopify takes care of the technical work in the background. Both approaches can work very well; it depends on how much control and customization you want for your online store.
Possible Integrations
WooCommerce has a huge library of plugins because it is built on WordPress. There are thousands of free and paid plugins you can add to your store. For example, you can install payment gateways to accept credit cards, PayPal, Stripe, Klarna, and even cryptocurrency. You can also add shipping plugins that automatically calculate shipping rates, print labels, and handle international shipping. If you want to run email marketing campaigns, you can integrate tools like Mailchimp or Klaviyo. There are also plugins for live chat, customer loyalty programs, and advanced analytics. Because WooCommerce is open source, you have full control over how these integrations work — you can choose exactly the features you want and customize them if needed.
Plugins vs Apps
Shopify has a slightly different approach. Instead of plugins, Shopify uses apps, which you can find in the Shopify App Store. These apps are very easy to install — usually with just one click — and they cover a wide range of needs. You can connect payment providers, add apps for abandoned cart recovery, loyalty programs, upselling and cross-selling, shipping automation, and much more. Shopify apps are designed to work smoothly with Shopify’s system, so you don’t need to worry about technical setup. However, some advanced features may require paying for premium apps.
Both platforms also offer excellent options for integrating with marketplaces like eBay and Amazon. This is where Eselt comes in. Eselt provides an easy-to-use, standalone app that lets you connect both WooCommerce and Shopify to eBay and Amazon. With Eselt, you can import your products, customize your listings with professional templates, and publish them to marketplaces — all without having to install complex plugins or make changes to your store. This makes it simple for sellers on either platform to expand their reach to new audiences on popular marketplaces.
Visual comparison:
| Feature / Integration Area | WooCommerce | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Payment Gateways | Many options via plugins (Stripe, PayPal, Klarna, etc.) | Many options via apps (Stripe, PayPal, Klarna, etc.) |
| Shipping Automation | Plugins for live rates, labels, international shipping | Apps for live rates, labels, international shipping |
| Email Marketing | Plugins for Mailchimp, Klaviyo, and others | Apps for Mailchimp, Klaviyo, and others |
| SEO Tools | Full SEO plugins like Yoast SEO, Rank Math | Built-in SEO tools, plus SEO apps |
| Analytics & Reporting | Google Analytics integration, plugins for advanced reports | Built-in reports, Google Analytics integration |
| Live Chat & Customer Service | Plugins for live chat, support desks | Apps for live chat, support desks |
| Marketplace Integrations (eBay, Amazon) | External app like Eselt — no plugin needed | External app like Eselt — no app installation required |
| Custom Integrations / API Access | Full API access, highly customizable | API access available, more structured |
Pros and Cons of Each
Both WooCommerce and Shopify are excellent platforms, but they offer different strengths and trade-offs. The best choice depends on what you value most — flexibility, simplicity, customization, or convenience. WooCommerce gives you full control over your site but requires more hands-on management. Shopify takes care of the technical side, making it easier to run, but with some limitations on customization. Below is a quick overview to help you compare their pros and cons.
| Aspect | WooCommerce Pros | WooCommerce Cons | Shopify Pros | Shopify Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Full control and flexibility | More setup required, technical knowledge helpful | Very easy to set up and manage | Less customizable in certain areas |
| Customization | Highly customizable via plugins and code | Can become complex with too many plugins | Streamlined and simple, large app ecosystem | Limited access to deeper code and server |
| Hosting & Maintenance | You choose your hosting and manage the site | You must handle updates, backups, security | Shopify handles hosting, security, updates | Less control over server and performance tuning |
| Cost Structure | Free core, pay for hosting and optional plugins | Costs can vary depending on plugins and hosting | Predictable monthly fees | Monthly fees + app costs can add up |
| Scalability | Scales well with the right hosting setup | Requires good hosting for large stores | Scales easily on Shopify’s hosted infrastructure | May need higher-tier plans as you grow |
| International Selling | Full support via plugins and integrations | Setup can be more manual | Built-in support for multi-currency, apps for international features | Some limitations on multi-language SEO |
| Marketplace Integrations | Works perfectly with standalone app like Eselt | — | Works perfectly with standalone app like Eselt | — |
Cost of Each
One of the key differences between WooCommerce and Shopify is how costs are structured. Both can be affordable or quite expensive, depending on how much functionality you want and how large your store becomes, but they approach pricing in different ways.
Free, but not completely
With WooCommerce, the core plugin itself is completely free. However, you will need to pay for your own hosting, which typically ranges from a few euros or dollars per month for basic shared hosting, up to higher amounts if you choose a premium or managed WordPress host. You will also need a domain name (usually around $10–15 per year). Beyond that, you may choose to buy premium plugins or themes. Many WooCommerce plugins are free, but some advanced features — such as advanced SEO, product filters, booking systems, or special payment gateways — may require premium plugins with annual or monthly fees. Because you build your stack yourself, WooCommerce costs can vary greatly, but you have full control over what you spend.
Subscription approach
Shopify works on a subscription model. You choose a pricing plan that includes hosting, security, and many e-commerce features out of the box. Plans start at around $39 per month for the basic package, with higher tiers available for businesses that need more advanced reporting, staff accounts, and other features. In addition to the monthly fee, many Shopify apps in the app store require separate subscriptions. For example, advanced marketing, shipping automation, or product customization apps often add $5–$50 per month per app. On top of that, Shopify also charges transaction fees if you use an external payment provider instead of Shopify Payments.
Possible Expansions for International Selling – WooCommerce vs Shopify
Expanding internationally is an excellent way for online stores to grow, and both WooCommerce and Shopify offer good options to support this — though they approach it differently.
International Selling with WooCommerce
With WooCommerce, you have a lot of flexibility when it comes to international selling. You can add multi-currency functionality using dedicated plugins, which allow you to display prices in different currencies depending on the visitor’s location or preferences. Similarly, if you want to offer your store in multiple languages, you can install multilingual plugins such as WPML or TranslatePress. These give you full control over translations and allow you to fine-tune your SEO for each language.
For shipping, WooCommerce allows you to integrate advanced shipping plugins that can calculate live shipping rates for international destinations, generate customs forms, and even manage taxes and duties. The big advantage here is flexibility — you can build a setup that fits your exact needs. However, because everything is modular, setting up international features in WooCommerce may take more time and careful configuration.
International Selling with Shopify
Shopify has made international expansion easier in recent years with built-in tools. Shopify Markets allows you to manage multiple countries, currencies, and languages from within your Shopify admin. The system can automatically detect the customer’s location and display the correct currency and language. Shopify Payments supports multi-currency checkout natively, and for translations, you can use Shopify’s built-in options or third-party apps.
Shopify also integrates international shipping options either through its own features or through apps. Taxes and duties can be calculated automatically depending on the country you are selling to. The experience is more streamlined compared to WooCommerce — many tools are ready to use out of the box, though with somewhat less flexibility if you need very specific setups.
Marketplace Integrations for International Growth
Regardless of which platform you use, integrating with marketplaces like eBay and Amazon is one of the best ways to quickly reach international customers. This is where Eselt provides a great solution. The Eselt app works with both WooCommerce and Shopify, allowing you to list your products on eBay and Amazon without having to modify your store’s code or add heavy plugins. This makes it easy to expand to marketplaces and diversify your international sales channels, no matter which platform you’ve chosen.
Conclusion
Both WooCommerce and Shopify are powerful platforms for building an online store, and both can support businesses of all sizes and across all markets. The key difference lies in the level of control and flexibility you want. WooCommerce gives you complete ownership of your site, with almost limitless customization through plugins, themes, and code. Shopify offers a more guided, easy-to-use solution where much of the technical work is handled for you — ideal if you want to focus on running your store without worrying about hosting or maintenance.
In the end, both WooCommerce and Shopify work — it simply depends on what works best for your business style, your budget, and how much control you want over your online store.
