Software Development Blog

WooCommerce to Shopify - Is It Worth The Move?

WooCommerce to Shopify is one of the most common migrations we are asked about.

The sales pitch is simple. WooCommerce is complicated and needs constant maintenance. Shopify is simple and just works.

That is partly true. But it is not the whole truth.

Whether the move makes sense depends entirely on what you are doing with WooCommerce now and what you actually need from your ecommerce platform.

Here is the honest assessment.

Why People Leave WooCommerce

WooCommerce is free. It is flexible. It runs on WordPress, which millions of people already know.

So why do people want to leave?

Maintenance. WooCommerce needs updates. WordPress needs updates. Plugins need updates. Hosting needs managing. Security needs monitoring. It all adds up to ongoing work.

Performance. WooCommerce can be slow, especially on shared hosting or if you have a lot of plugins. Slow sites lose sales and hurt SEO.

Hosting costs. Good WooCommerce hosting is not cheap. Managed WordPress hosting that actually performs well costs £50 to £200 per month. Sometimes more for high-traffic stores.

Plugin hell. WooCommerce itself is basic. You need plugins for everything. Each plugin adds complexity, potential conflicts, and another thing to update.

Technical support. When something breaks, you are on your own. WooCommerce is free, so there is no support line to call. You need a developer.

Shopify solves all of these problems. No updates to manage. Fast by default. Support included. Predictable monthly cost.

But you lose things too.

What You Lose Moving to Shopify

WooCommerce runs on your own hosting. That gives you total control. You can customise anything. Install any plugin. Access the database directly. Run custom code.

Shopify is a hosted platform. It is simpler, but less flexible.

Customisation limits. Shopify locks down certain things. The checkout is mostly fixed (unless you are on Shopify Plus). You cannot access the database. Custom features need apps or theme development.

App costs. WooCommerce plugins are often one-time purchases. Shopify apps are monthly subscriptions. A store with 10 apps easily pays £200+ per month just for apps.

Data ownership. Your WooCommerce data lives in your database. You own it completely. Shopify data lives on Shopify's servers. You can export it, but it is not the same level of control.

SEO flexibility. WooCommerce gives you complete control over SEO. Edit anything, install any SEO plugin, customise everything. Shopify is more restrictive.

Content management. WordPress is a proper CMS. Blogging, landing pages, complex content structures all work well. Shopify's blog is basic. If content marketing matters, WooCommerce is stronger.

None of these are necessarily deal-breakers. But they matter for certain businesses.

When WooCommerce to Shopify Makes Sense

The move makes sense if:

You are spending too much time on maintenance. If you are constantly updating plugins, fixing conflicts, and dealing with hosting issues, Shopify removes all of that.

Your site is slow and you cannot fix it. WooCommerce performance problems are often hosting-related. Moving to Shopify gives you fast hosting by default.

You want predictable costs. Shopify's monthly fee is fixed. No surprise hosting bills. No emergency developer costs when something breaks.

You need better support. Shopify has 24/7 support. When something breaks, you can actually talk to someone.

You are not doing anything complicated. If your store is straightforward (standard products, simple checkout, basic integrations), Shopify does everything you need.

When You Should Stay on WooCommerce

Stay on WooCommerce if:

You need heavy customisation. Complex product configurations, custom checkout flows, unusual business logic. WooCommerce handles this better.

Content marketing is core to your business. WordPress is a vastly superior content platform. If blogging and content creation drive your sales, WooCommerce makes more sense.

You hate recurring app costs. Shopify apps add up quickly. If you would rather pay once for plugins than pay monthly for apps, stay on WooCommerce.

You need full control. Some businesses just want complete control over their platform. WooCommerce gives you that. Shopify does not.

You have a developer on the team. If you have someone who can maintain WordPress and WooCommerce, the maintenance argument disappears. WooCommerce becomes very cost-effective.

The Migration Itself

WooCommerce to Shopify migrations are not straightforward.

Your product data is structured differently. WooCommerce uses custom fields and meta data. Shopify uses a more rigid structure with variants and metafields.

Your URLs are completely different. WooCommerce uses WordPress permalinks. Shopify has its own URL structure. Every product, category, and page needs a redirect.

Your theme is custom. WooCommerce themes are WordPress themes with total flexibility. Shopify themes are more constrained. You will need to rebuild your design within Shopify's structure.

Your plugins need replacing. Every WooCommerce plugin does something. Each one needs a Shopify equivalent, either an app or custom development.

The migration process is:

1. Map your product data to Shopify's structure
2. Choose or build a Shopify theme
3. Find Shopify apps to replace WooCommerce plugins
4. Migrate customer data (passwords cannot transfer)
5. Set up 301 redirects for every URL
6. Test everything thoroughly
7. Cut over and monitor closely

Expect 8 to 16 weeks for a proper migration, depending on complexity.

The Cost Comparison

This is where it gets interesting.

WooCommerce costs:

• Hosting: £50 to £200/month
• Plugins: £200 to £500 one-time, then £50 to £100/year for updates
• Developer maintenance: £500 to £2,000/year (or more if you need regular work)
• Security and backups: £20 to £50/month

Total: roughly £1,000 to £3,000 per year, assuming no major development work.

Shopify costs:

• Platform: £25 to £384/month depending on plan
• Apps: £100 to £300/month typically
• Theme: £0 to £300 one-time
• Transaction fees: 0.5% to 2% if not using Shopify Payments

Total: roughly £1,500 to £8,000 per year, depending on plan and apps.

Shopify is not always cheaper. But it is more predictable.

What To Do Next

Do not migrate just because everyone says Shopify is better.

Look at what you actually need. What is working on WooCommerce? What is broken? What would you gain from Shopify? What would you lose?

Only move if it genuinely makes your business better, not just because it is fashionable.

If you do decide to migrate, do it properly. Plan carefully, test thoroughly, and monitor closely.

Need help deciding? Our Platform Migration Service starts with an honest assessment of whether migration makes sense for your business. Book a discovery call and we will give you a straight answer.