Which is easiest for a complete beginner?

Shopify and Wix are hosted, so there’s nothing to install or maintain. Wix centres on visual design; Shopify on running a store. WooCommerce involves more setup because you choose hosting and install WordPress first.

Which has the lowest cost?

It depends on what you need. WooCommerce software is free, but hosting, domains and extensions cost money. Shopify and Wix charge subscriptions, and apps add costs. Compare complete setups, not headline prices.

Can I switch between them later?

Yes, with effort. Product and customer data can usually be exported and migrated; design generally needs rebuilding. Wix sites can’t be moved off Wix, though some content and data can be exported.

The complete comparison

ShopifyvsWixvsWooCommerce

Three platforms built on three different ideas: a commerce engine, a design canvas, and an open-source toolkit. Here’s how they differ where it matters.

Choose Shopify if

Selling products is the heart of your business and you want hosting, checkout and security handled for you.

Start free trial Read the Shopify guide →

Choose Wix if

Your website and brand matter as much as your shop, and you want to design visually without code.

Explore Wix Read the Wix guide →

Choose WooCommerce if

You want ownership and flexibility, content is central, and you’re comfortable managing hosting.

Explore WordPress hosting Read the WooCommerce guide →

Editorial guidance based on the facts below — the right choice depends on your needs. StoreBuild is reader-supported. Some links are affiliate links — we may earn a commission. It never changes our recommendations. Estimate your total costs →

The real question isn’t which is best — it’s what you want to manage.

Shopify and Wix are hosted: you rent a managed platform and trade some control for convenience. WooCommerce is self-hosted: you own the stack and take on its upkeep. Within the hosted pair, Shopify leans toward commerce depth and Wix toward visual design.

Side by side

Compare the facts

Compare the facts
Feature	Shopify	Wix	WooCommerce
Ease of use
Getting started	Sign up, pick a theme, add products — hosting included	Sign up, pick a template, design with drag and drop — hosting included	Choose a host, install WordPress, then install the plugin
Day-to-day management	One admin built around products and orders	One dashboard for the site, store and business tools	WordPress admin, plus keeping plugins and themes updated
E-commerce
Core focus	Selling products	Website building, with built-in e-commerce	E-commerce added to a WordPress site
Accepting payments	Shopify Payments (selected countries, subject to eligibility) or third-party providers	Requires an eligible paid plan	Via integrations such as WooPayments, Stripe or PayPal, subject to eligibility
Selling in person	Shopify POS — features and hardware vary by location	Wix POS — availability, payment methods and hardware depend on your location and setup	Through compatible POS integrations and extensions, such as Square — not built in
Design & customisation
Design approach	Themes with a visual editor; theme code in Liquid	Free-form drag and drop; Wix Studio for professional responsive builds	Any compatible WordPress theme; full code access
Changing design later	Publish a different theme; design settings and customisations may need adjusting	An existing site’s template can’t simply be switched	Change themes in WordPress; compatibility and layout may need adjusting
Custom code	Theme code and apps	Velo, within Wix’s platform	Unrestricted — it’s open source
SEO & content
SEO basics	Built-in settings for SEO titles, descriptions and URL slugs	Built-in settings for SEO titles, descriptions and URL slugs	Customisable permalinks; SEO plugins are commonly used to edit metadata and for advanced controls
Content & blogging	Integrated blogging tools	Built-in blog and pages	WordPress content management, with a broad ecosystem of publishing tools and extensions
Hosting & ownership
Hosting	Included and managed	Included and managed	You choose a compatible host
Ownership & portability	Export products, customers and orders; the platform stays Shopify’s	Site runs only on Wix; some content and data can be exported	You control code, data and hosting; move hosts when you like
Maintenance
Updates & security	Handled by Shopify	Handled by Wix	Your responsibility, or partly your host’s
Extensions	Shopify App Store — many apps carry fees	Wix App Market	WordPress plugins and WooCommerce extensions, free and paid
Cost & scaling
What you pay for	Subscription, plus paid apps/themes and payment fees	Paid plan to sell, plus apps and payment fees	Free plugin, plus hosting, domain, paid extensions and payment fees
Third-party payment fees	Shopify may add a transaction fee — depends on plan, provider and region	Processing fees vary by payment provider, country and payment method	No WooCommerce platform fee; provider fees apply
Scaling	Upgrade plans; infrastructure managed for you	Upgrade plans; infrastructure managed for you	Depends on your hosting, theme and extensions

Ease of use

Getting started

Shopify: Sign up, pick a theme, add products — hosting included
Wix: Sign up, pick a template, design with drag and drop — hosting included
WooCommerce: Choose a host, install WordPress, then install the plugin

Day-to-day management

Shopify: One admin built around products and orders
Wix: One dashboard for the site, store and business tools
WooCommerce: WordPress admin, plus keeping plugins and themes updated

E-commerce

Core focus

Shopify: Selling products
Wix: Website building, with built-in e-commerce
WooCommerce: E-commerce added to a WordPress site

Accepting payments

Shopify: Shopify Payments (selected countries, subject to eligibility) or third-party providers
Wix: Requires an eligible paid plan
WooCommerce: Via integrations such as WooPayments, Stripe or PayPal, subject to eligibility

Selling in person

Shopify: Shopify POS — features and hardware vary by location
Wix: Wix POS — availability, payment methods and hardware depend on your location and setup
WooCommerce: Through compatible POS integrations and extensions, such as Square — not built in

Design & customisation

Design approach

Shopify: Themes with a visual editor; theme code in Liquid
Wix: Free-form drag and drop; Wix Studio for professional responsive builds
WooCommerce: Any compatible WordPress theme; full code access

Changing design later

Shopify: Publish a different theme; design settings and customisations may need adjusting
Wix: An existing site’s template can’t simply be switched
WooCommerce: Change themes in WordPress; compatibility and layout may need adjusting

Custom code

Shopify: Theme code and apps
Wix: Velo, within Wix’s platform
WooCommerce: Unrestricted — it’s open source

SEO & content

SEO basics

Shopify: Built-in settings for SEO titles, descriptions and URL slugs
Wix: Built-in settings for SEO titles, descriptions and URL slugs
WooCommerce: Customisable permalinks; SEO plugins are commonly used to edit metadata and for advanced controls

Content & blogging

Shopify: Integrated blogging tools
Wix: Built-in blog and pages
WooCommerce: WordPress content management, with a broad ecosystem of publishing tools and extensions

Hosting & ownership

Hosting

Shopify: Included and managed
Wix: Included and managed
WooCommerce: You choose a compatible host

Ownership & portability

Shopify: Export products, customers and orders; the platform stays Shopify’s
Wix: Site runs only on Wix; some content and data can be exported
WooCommerce: You control code, data and hosting; move hosts when you like

Maintenance

Updates & security

Shopify: Handled by Shopify
Wix: Handled by Wix
WooCommerce: Your responsibility, or partly your host’s

Extensions

Shopify: Shopify App Store — many apps carry fees
Wix: Wix App Market
WooCommerce: WordPress plugins and WooCommerce extensions, free and paid

Cost & scaling

What you pay for

Shopify: Subscription, plus paid apps/themes and payment fees
Wix: Paid plan to sell, plus apps and payment fees
WooCommerce: Free plugin, plus hosting, domain, paid extensions and payment fees

Third-party payment fees

Shopify: Shopify may add a transaction fee — depends on plan, provider and region
Wix: Processing fees vary by payment provider, country and payment method
WooCommerce: No WooCommerce platform fee; provider fees apply

Scaling

Shopify: Upgrade plans; infrastructure managed for you
Wix: Upgrade plans; infrastructure managed for you
WooCommerce: Depends on your hosting, theme and extensions

Factual descriptions based on official documentation. Pricing changes often, so we don’t list it — check each provider.

By business need

Which fits your situation?

Editorial recommendations — not rankings.

A product brand planning to grow
Usually a better fit: Shopify
A commerce-first admin, a large app ecosystem and managed infrastructure suit a growing catalogue and order volume.
Start free trial
A studio, creator or service business that also sells
Usually a better fit: Wix
Free-form design and built-in business tools keep website and shop in one place.
Explore Wix
A blog or publication adding a store
Usually a better fit: WooCommerce
WordPress is content-first, and WooCommerce adds selling to the site you already publish on.
Explore WordPress hosting
A first-time seller testing an idea
Usually a better fit: Wix
Hosted, visual and with a free plan for building — upgrade to an eligible paid plan when you’re ready to take payments.
Explore Wix
Selling online and in person
Usually a better fit: Shopify
Shopify POS connects in-person sales to the same admin, with features that vary by location.
Start free trial
A developer who wants full control
Usually a better fit: WooCommerce
Open-source code, your choice of host, and no platform lock-in.
Explore WordPress hosting

Other comparisons

Shopify vs Wix

Hosted vs hosted →

Shopify vs WooCommerce

Hosted vs self-hosted →

Wix vs WooCommerce

Two ways to build a site that sells →

Common questions

Making the call

There’s no universal winner — just a better fit.

Start from what you want to manage, then pick the platform built for it.

Shopify

Selling products is the heart of your business and you want hosting, checkout and security handled for you.

Start free trial Try the AI store builder ↗

Wix

Your website and brand matter as much as your shop, and you want to design visually without code.

Explore Wix

WooCommerce

You want ownership and flexibility, content is central, and you’re comfortable managing hosting.

Explore WordPress hosting

Bluehost is an optional hosting provider — not part of WooCommerce.

Take the 30-second matcher

StoreBuild is reader-supported. Some links are affiliate links — we may earn a commission. It never changes our recommendations.

ShopifyvsWixvsWooCommerce

The short answer

The real question isn’t which is best — it’s what you want to manage.

Compare the facts

Ease of use

E-commerce

Design & customisation

SEO & content

Hosting & ownership

Maintenance

Cost & scaling

Which fits your situation?

A product brand planning to grow

A studio, creator or service business that also sells

A blog or publication adding a store

A first-time seller testing an idea

Selling online and in person

A developer who wants full control

Other comparisons

Common questions

Which is easiest for a complete beginner?

Which is easiest for a complete beginner?

Which has the lowest cost?

Which has the lowest cost?

Can I switch between them later?

Can I switch between them later?

There’s no universal winner — just a better fit.

Official sources