WooCommerce logo

WooCommerce

Free open-source WordPress plugin for full control; you arrange your own hosting.

Best for

Developers and businesses wanting full control. Free plugin, pay for hosting only.

Entry plan
$0 (free plugin)
Tx fee
0%
Free themes
Thousands
Apps
Thousands
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How WooCommerce compares

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Side-by-side with the closest alternatives by estimated cost.

Subscription plus hosting estimate for self-hosted platforms. Payment processing not included.

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Webflow logo

Webflow

$370.42/mo est.

Entry plan
$40/mo (Standard, annual)
Tx fee
2% (Standard), 0% (Plus+)
Free themes
Hundreds (community + Marketplace)
Apps
Webflow Marketplace (apps + integrations)
Support
Help center, support portal, Webflow University
Est. monthly cost
$370.42/mo
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Common questions about WooCommerce for e-commerce platforms

The same questions Australian merchants ask before signing up.

  • The WooCommerce plugin itself is free and open source. However, running a WooCommerce store requires paid WordPress hosting, a domain name, and often paid extensions or themes. The $35+/mo range covers typical shared-to-managed hosting costs.

  • WooCommerce charges no platform transaction fees. When you use WooPayments, the native processing rate is 1.75% + $0.30 (WooPayments) per online transaction. Third-party gateways such as Stripe or PayPal carry their own rates, but WooCommerce itself adds nothing on top.

  • You do. WooCommerce is self-hosted, meaning you choose and pay for your own hosting provider, keep WordPress and plugins updated, and handle backups and SSL certificates. This gives maximum control but requires ongoing technical attention.

  • There is no product limit imposed by WooCommerce. Practical limits are set by your hosting plan and server resources rather than by the software itself.

  • WooCommerce can scale to large catalogues with the right hosting and developer support. Many high-volume stores use it successfully. That said, a headless or purpose-built enterprise platform may offer better performance optimisation for very large operations.

  • WooCommerce has no software licensing cost and charges no transaction fees, making it cost-effective for stores that already have developer resources. Shopify is a hosted solution that includes support, security, and infrastructure but charges a monthly platform fee and transaction fees if you use a third-party gateway.

  • Basic to developer-level skill is needed. Setting up a simple store is accessible to non-developers using a managed WordPress host, but customising checkout flows, integrating complex shipping rules, or scaling a high-traffic store typically requires developer involvement.

Strengths and trade-offs

Pros

  • Free, open-source plugin
  • Maximum flexibility and control
  • Thousands of themes and plugins
  • No platform transaction fees

Cons

  • Requires separate hosting and maintenance
  • Needs developer support for complex builds
  • No single vendor for support

About WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a free, open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress and the most-used platform globally by install count. The plugin itself is free; your real cost is your own hosting plus any premium extensions. It offers near-unlimited flexibility and thousands of themes and plugins, but requires WordPress setup and ongoing maintenance.

WooCommerce was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in San Francisco, USA.

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