Most UK owners researching an online store end up staring at the same two names: Shopify and WooCommerce. They dominate for different reasons, and the marketing on both sides makes them sound interchangeable. They aren't. The right choice depends less on features and more on how much control you want and how much upkeep you're willing to take on.
The core difference in one line
Shopify is a product you rent: it's hosted, maintained and supported for you, in exchange for a monthly fee and a tidy walled garden. WooCommerce is a free plugin you own: it bolts onto WordPress and gives you total control, in exchange for taking responsibility for everything underneath it.
Cost: predictable vs flexible
Shopify charges a fixed monthly fee — roughly £25 to £289 in 2026 — plus card processing and any paid apps. You always know the floor, but apps and the non-Shopify-Payments transaction fee can push it up.
WooCommerce has no platform fee. Instead you pay for hosting, a theme and plugins, and either your own time or a developer's to maintain it. A lean, well-run Woo store can cost less than Shopify; a poorly hosted one that needs constant fixing can cost more. The honest answer: budget similarly for both and judge on fit, not headline price. Our guide to the real cost of building a store breaks the numbers down further.
Ease of use and setup
Shopify wins on getting started. You can have a credible shop live in a weekend, with hosting, security and checkout handled. The admin is clean and shoppers trust the branded checkout.
WooCommerce asks more of you upfront — installing WordPress, choosing hosting, configuring plugins — but rewards you with flexibility once it's running. If you already manage a WordPress site, the learning curve is gentle. If you don't, it's steeper than Shopify's.
Customisation and growth
This is where WooCommerce pulls ahead. Because you own the code, almost anything is possible: custom pricing rules, bespoke checkouts, unusual product types, deep integrations with UK accounting or fulfilment tools. Shopify can do a great deal too, but you work within its boundaries, and some changes require its higher-tier plans or workarounds.
For a distinctive build on either platform, an experienced web development team will save you from dead ends and help you scale without rebuilding later.
SEO and performance
Both platforms can rank. Shopify ships fast, well-structured pages and a quick CDN-backed checkout. WooCommerce gives you complete control over technical SEO and content, but performance depends heavily on your hosting — cheap shared hosting will make it sluggish, and slow stores lose sales and rankings.
- Choose Shopify if you want speed handled for you with minimal fuss.
- Choose WooCommerce if you'll invest in proper hosting and want full control.
So which should you choose?
Pick Shopify if you want to launch quickly, value predictability, and would rather not think about servers or security. Pick WooCommerce if you already use WordPress, want maximum flexibility, and have the skills or budget to maintain it properly.
Neither is wrong — they suit different temperaments and stages. If you're still torn, it helps to talk it through with someone who has built on both. Browse vetted UK studios in our ecommerce developers directory and ask each how they'd approach your specific catalogue and goals before you commit a penny.