Choose the Right E-commerce Platform for Your Online Shopping Store: WooCommerce vs. Shopify

Choosing the right e-commerce platform is one of the most critical decisions for setting up a successful online shopping store. With many options available, two platforms stand out as leaders: WooCommerce and Shopify. Both platforms cater to a wide range of business needs but differ in their features, scalability, pricing, and user experience. This blog dives into a detailed comparison of WooCommerce vs. Shopify to help you determine the best e-commerce platform for your store.

In Brief

Introduction

The WooCommerce vs. Shopify debate represents one of the most significant decisions you’ll make for your online business. With global e-commerce sales projected to reach ₹457 trillion by 2025, selecting the right platform in this WooCommerce vs. Shopify comparison can dramatically influence your store’s performance, growth potential, and profitability.

Both platforms dominate the e-commerce landscape in the WooCommerce vs. Shopify competition, yet they cater to distinctly different business needs. WooCommerce powers over 3.8 million active websites globally, whilst Shopify hosts more than 1.75 million businesses worldwide. This detailed WooCommerce vs. Shopify analysis examines every aspect of both platforms, from initial setup costs to advanced customisation capabilities, helping you make the optimal choice for your online venture.

Whether you’re launching your first online store or considering a platform migration, understanding the nuances in this WooCommerce vs. Shopify comparison will ensure your business thrives in the competitive digital marketplace. This comprehensive WooCommerce vs. Shopify guide covers everything from pricing and features to scalability and SEO capabilities.

Understanding WooCommerce

What Makes WooCommerce Unique?

WooCommerce stands as the world’s most popular e-commerce plugin, explicitly built for WordPress and powering approximately 28% of all online stores globally. As an open-source solution, it transforms any WordPress website into a fully functional e-commerce platform while maintaining complete control over your digital assets.

The platform’s WordPress foundation offers unparalleled flexibility, enabling businesses to craft distinctive shopping experiences that seamlessly align with their brand identity. Unlike hosted solutions, WooCommerce gives you complete ownership of your store’s data, design, and functionality.

Core WooCommerce Features

Unlimited Customisation Possibilities WooCommerce’s open-source nature enables limitless modifications to your store’s appearance and functionality. Access thousands of free and premium themes, or create bespoke designs that reflect your brand’s personality. The platform supports custom post types, fields, and taxonomies, allowing for sophisticated product catalogues and unique customer experiences.

Extensive Plugin Ecosystem With over 59,000 WordPress plugins available, WooCommerce integrates seamlessly with virtually any third-party service. From advanced SEO tools to sophisticated inventory management systems, the platform’s extensibility ensures your store can grow and adapt to changing business requirements.

Complete Content Management Built on WordPress, WooCommerce excels at content marketing and SEO. Create engaging blog posts, landing pages, and product descriptions that drive organic traffic and convert visitors into customers. The platform’s robust content management capabilities support comprehensive digital marketing strategies.

Flexible Payment and Shipping Options WooCommerce supports over 100 payment gateways and countless shipping methods. Configure complex pricing structures, create custom shipping zones, and implement sophisticated tax calculations that suit your business model and geographical requirements.

WooCommerce Advantages and Limitations

Key Advantages:

Primary Limitations:

Related Article: Ultimate WordPress Checklist

Understanding Shopify

The Shopify Platform Philosophy

Shopify operates as a comprehensive Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) e-commerce platform, designed to eliminate technical barriers for online retailers. The platform handles all technical aspects of running an online store, including hosting, security, payment processing, and software updates.

Since its launch in 2006, Shopify has evolved into a complete commerce ecosystem, supporting businesses from startup entrepreneurs to enterprise corporations. The platform’s mission centres on making commerce accessible to everyone, regardless of technical expertise or resources.

Essential Shopify Features

Shopify’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface enables users to create professional online stores without prior coding knowledge. The platform offers responsive themes that automatically adjust to various devices, ensuring a seamless customer experience across desktop, tablet, and mobile platforms.

All-in-One Commerce Solution Beyond basic e-commerce functionality, Shopify offers comprehensive business tools including inventory management, customer relationship management, advanced analytics, and multi-channel selling capabilities. Sell simultaneously across your website, social media platforms, online marketplaces, and physical locations.

Robust App Marketplace The Shopify App Store features over 8,000 applications that extend your store’s functionality. From email marketing automation to advanced reporting tools, these apps integrate seamlessly with your store through simple one-click installations.

Enterprise-Grade Infrastructure: Shopify’s hosting infrastructure automatically handles traffic spikes, ensuring your store remains accessible during peak shopping periods. The platform maintains 99.98% uptime and processes over £200 billion in gross merchandise volume annually.

Shopify Strengths and Weaknesses

Primary Limitations:

Notable Weaknesses:

Detailed Platform Comparison

This comprehensive WooCommerce vs. Shopify comparison examines the critical differences between both platforms across multiple dimensions that affect your business success.

Setup Process and Learning Curve

The WooCommerce and Shopify setup experiences differ significantly, with each platform targeting different user preferences and technical capabilities.

WooCommerce Implementation Setting up WooCommerce involves several steps: purchasing hosting, installing WordPress, configuring the WooCommerce plugin, selecting a theme, and customising your store’s appearance. Whilst this process requires more technical involvement, it typically takes 4-8 hours for beginners to create a basic functional store.

The learning curve extends beyond initial setup, as store owners must understand WordPress fundamentals, plugin management, and basic web maintenance. However, this investment in learning provides long-term benefits through greater control and customisation capabilities.

Shopify streamlines the setup process through its guided onboarding system. New users can launch a basic store within 30-60 minutes by following step-by-step instructions. The platform’s intuitive interface requires minimal technical knowledge, making it accessible to complete beginners.

Shopify’s learning curve focuses primarily on understanding e-commerce best practices rather than technical implementation, allowing entrepreneurs to concentrate on business strategy and marketing rather than technical details.

Verdict: In this WooCommerce vs. Shopify comparison for ease of setup, Shopify wins for speed and simplicity, whilst WooCommerce offers greater long-term flexibility for those willing to invest time in learning.

Design Flexibility and Customisation

The WooCommerce vs. Shopify design capabilities highlight fundamental philosophical differences between the open-source flexibility of WooCommerce and the managed simplicity of Shopify.

WooCommerce Design Capabilities WooCommerce provides unlimited design possibilities through its extensive theme library and complete code access. Choose from thousands of free WordPress themes or invest in premium designs that offer advanced customisation options. Professional developers can create completely bespoke designs that perfectly match your brand identity.

The platform supports advanced customisation techniques, including custom post types, fields, and page templates. This flexibility enables unique product presentation methods, sophisticated filtering systems, and innovative user experiences that differentiate your store from competitors.

Shopify Theme System Shopify offers over 180 professional themes, including free and premium options ranging from ₹11,620-₹29,050. These themes provide excellent starting points for most businesses, featuring responsive designs and modern aesthetics that appeal to contemporary consumers.

Customisation options within Shopify themes vary significantly. Basic users can modify colours, fonts, and layout elements through the theme editor, whilst advanced users can edit the underlying Liquid templating language for more substantial modifications.

Winner: In this WooCommerce vs. Shopify design comparison, WooCommerce dominates in design flexibility and customisation potential, though Shopify provides adequate options for most standard business requirements.

Performance and Loading Speed

WooCommerce Performance Factors WooCommerce performance depends entirely on your hosting provider, theme selection, plugin usage, and optimisation efforts. With proper configuration, WooCommerce sites can achieve exceptional loading speeds and handle substantial traffic volumes.

Key performance considerations include choosing quality hosting, optimising images, implementing caching solutions, and minimising plugin usage. Many professional WooCommerce sites achieve loading times under 2 seconds through careful optimisation.

Shopify Performance Standards Shopify provides consistent performance across all plans through its global content delivery network and optimised hosting infrastructure. Most Shopify stores achieve loading times between 2 and 4 seconds without requiring additional optimisation efforts.

The platform automatically handles performance optimisation, including image compression, code minification, and caching strategies. This hands-off approach ensures reliable performance but limits opportunities for advanced optimisation.

Shopify processes over ₹16.5 lakh crore in gross merchandise volume annually, demonstrating its ability to handle substantial transaction volumes consistently.

Assessment: Both platforms can achieve excellent performance, with WooCommerce offering more control over optimisation whilst Shopify provides consistent baseline performance.

Search Engine Optimisation Capabilities

The WooCommerce vs. Shopify SEO comparison reveals significant differences in search engine optimisation potential and content marketing capabilities.

WooCommerce’s WordPress foundation offers superior SEO capabilities, providing complete control over site structure, URL formats, and metadata. The platform integrates seamlessly with advanced SEO plugins, such as Yoast SEO and RankMath, offering comprehensive optimisation tools.

Content marketing opportunities abound through WordPress’s robust blogging system, enabling businesses to create valuable content that attracts organic traffic and establishes industry authority. Custom schema markup, advanced URL structures, and unlimited content creation support sophisticated SEO strategies.

Shopify SEO Features Shopify includes essential SEO features such as customisable title tags, meta descriptions, and automatic sitemap generation. The platform provides clean URL structures and mobile-responsive themes that support search engine optimisation efforts.

However, Shopify’s SEO capabilities remain more limited compared to WordPress-based solutions. The platform restricts certain technical SEO elements and provides fewer content marketing opportunities due to its basic blogging functionality.

Clear Winner: In the WooCommerce vs. Shopify SEO battle, WooCommerce excels in SEO capabilities, particularly for businesses prioritising content marketing and organic traffic generation.

Security and Maintenance

WooCommerce Security Management WooCommerce security requires active management through regular updates, security monitoring, and backup procedures. Store owners must independently maintain WordPress core, plugin updates, and security measures, or utilise professional services for this purpose.

Whilst this self-management approach requires more involvement, it provides complete control over security measures and the ability to implement custom protection strategies. Many hosting providers offer managed WordPress services that handle technical maintenance whilst preserving customisation flexibility.

Shopify Security Infrastructure Shopify manages all security aspects automatically, including SSL certificates, PCI DSS compliance, and regular security updates. The platform maintains Level 1 PCI compliance and handles all technical security requirements without user intervention.

This managed approach eliminates security concerns for store owners but removes control over security configurations and implementation methods. Shopify’s security standards meet the industry requirements for most businesses with minimal additional effort.

Winner: In this WooCommerce vs. Shopify security comparison, Shopify provides superior hands-off security management, whilst WooCommerce offers greater control for businesses with specific security requirements.

Cost Analysis and Pricing

Understanding the true cost implications in this WooCommerce vs. Shopify pricing comparison is crucial for making an informed decision about which platform to choose. Both platforms employ different pricing models that affect your long-term investment.

WooCommerce Total Investment

Essential Expenses WooCommerce’s core plugin remains free; however, operational costs include hosting (₹415-₹4,150 per month), domain registration (₹830-₹1,245 per year), and SSL certificates (which are often included with hosting). Premium themes typically cost ₹4,150 to ₹16,600 as one-time purchases.

Optional Investments: Premium plugins enhance functionality at costs ranging from ₹1,660 to ₹24,900 annually per plugin. Professional development services for customisation range from ₹41,500 to ₹4,15,000+, depending on complexity. Advanced hosting solutions for high-traffic sites typically cost ₹8,300 to ₹41,500 per month.

Annual Cost Ranges:

Shopify Subscription Model

Monthly Plans:

Additional Expenses: Transaction fees range from 0.5% to 2%, unless Shopify Payments is used. Premium themes cost ₹11,620-₹29,050 as one-time purchases, and apps typically charge ₹830-₹24,900 monthly, depending on their functionality.

Annual Cost Estimates:

Long-Term Cost Comparison

When evaluating WooCommerce vs. Shopify costs over time, WooCommerce typically offers better long-term value for growing businesses due to the absence of monthly fees and transaction charges. However, Shopify provides more predictable costs and includes technical maintenance that might otherwise require professional services, as seen in this WooCommerce vs. Shopify cost analysis.

Which Platform Suits Your Business?

After examining this comprehensive WooCommerce vs. Shopify comparison, the optimal choice depends on your specific business requirements, technical capabilities, and growth objectives.

Choose WooCommerce When:

Based on this WooCommerce vs. Shopify analysis, WooCommerce emerges as the superior choice in specific scenarios:

You Prioritise Complete Control WooCommerce suits businesses requiring unlimited customisation, unique functionality, or specific integrations that aren’t available through standard platforms. If your business model demands bespoke features or innovative user experiences, WooCommerce’s flexibility proves invaluable.

Technical Resources Are Available, whether through in-house expertise or professional partnerships, to maximise WooCommerce’s potential. Many businesses find partnering with a Website Development Company in Mumbai or similar professional services provides the technical support needed for successful WooCommerce implementation.

Long-term cost efficiency matters. Businesses planning significant growth often benefit from WooCommerce’s lack of transaction fees and monthly charges. As sales volume increases, the cost savings become substantial compared to percentage-based fee structures.

Content Marketing Is Essential. If your business strategy emphasises content marketing, blogging, and SEO-driven growth, WooCommerce’s WordPress foundation provides unmatched capabilities for creating and managing content that drives organic traffic.

Choose Shopify When:

In this WooCommerce vs. Shopify evaluation, Shopify proves ideal for specific business situations:

Simplicity Takes Priority Entrepreneurs who prefer focusing on business operations rather than technical management find Shopify’s all-in-one approach ideal. The platform eliminates technical barriers whilst providing professional results.

Quick Launch Is Critical. Businesses needing rapid market entry benefit from Shopify’s streamlined setup process. Launch professional stores within hours rather than weeks, enabling faster time-to-market for new ventures.

Multi-Channel Selling Is Important. Shopify excels at managing sales across multiple channels, including social media, marketplaces, and physical locations. The platform’s unified dashboard simplifies inventory and order management across all sales channels.

Predictable Costs Are Preferred. Some businesses prefer Shopify’s predictable monthly costs over WooCommerce’s variable expenses. This pricing structure simplifies budgeting and financial planning, particularly for startup businesses.

Platform Migration Guide

Transitioning from Shopify to WooCommerce

Transferable Elements: Product information, customer data, and order history can be migrated relatively easily using specialised tools and services. Basic SEO elements, such as meta descriptions and product descriptions, typically transfer without issues.

Reconstruction Requirements: Store design, custom functionality, app-based features, and complex workflows require rebuilding in the WooCommerce environment. This process often presents opportunities to improve and optimise store operations.

Migration Timeline: 3-8 weeks, depending on store complexity and customisation requirements.

Moving from WooCommerce to Shopify

Preserved Data: Product catalogues, customer information, order histories, and basic content were transferred successfully to Shopify using migration tools and services.

Potential Losses: Custom functionality, unique design elements, advanced SEO configurations, and WordPress-specific features may not transfer directly. Complex pricing rules and custom integrations typically require reconstruction.

Migration Duration: 2-6 weeks for most standard implementations.

Migration Best Practices

Regardless of direction, successful platform migrations require thorough planning, comprehensive data backups, and professional assistance for complex stores. Consider gradual transitions for large businesses to minimise disruption to ongoing operations.

Expert Recommendations

For Startup Businesses

New entrepreneurs with limited technical experience often benefit from Shopify’s simplicity and comprehensive support. The platform enables rapid launch whilst providing room for growth through its app ecosystem and upgrade paths.

However, startups with unique business models or specific functionality requirements may find WooCommerce’s flexibility worth the additional complexity. Consider your long-term vision and technical resources when making this decision.

For Growing Businesses

Businesses experiencing rapid growth should evaluate their trajectory and resource availability. WooCommerce offers better long-term cost efficiency and unlimited scalability, whilst Shopify provides more predictable scaling with managed infrastructure.

Many growing businesses benefit from consulting with professionals such as an SEO Agency in Mumbai or equivalent local experts to ensure their platform choice supports their digital marketing strategy and growth objectives.

For Enterprise Operations

Large businesses typically require extensive customisation and integration capabilities that favour WooCommerce’s flexibility. However, Shopify Plus offers enterprise-grade features that may satisfy complex requirements while maintaining platform simplicity.

Consider conducting pilot projects with both platforms to evaluate their suitability for your specific enterprise requirements before committing to a complete migration.

Technical Considerations and Future-Proofing

Scalability Planning

WooCommerce Scaling Strategy WooCommerce scales effectively through hosting upgrades, performance optimisation, and architectural improvements. The platform supports an unlimited number of products and customers with proper infrastructure.

Planning for growth involves selecting scalable hosting solutions, implementing efficient caching strategies, and optimising database performance. Many high-traffic WooCommerce sites successfully manage millions of visitors and transactions each month.

Shopify Growth Management: Shopify automatically scales through its cloud infrastructure, handling traffic spikes and growth without manual intervention. The platform’s architecture supports businesses ranging from startups to enterprises.

Shopify Plus provides additional features for high-volume businesses, including advanced customisation options, dedicated support, and enhanced API access for complex integrations.

Technology Evolution

Both platforms continue evolving to meet changing e-commerce requirements. WooCommerce benefits from WordPress’s continuous development and extensive community contributions, whilst Shopify invests heavily in platform innovation and emerging technologies.

Consider each platform’s roadmap and community support when planning long-term business strategies. Open-source solutions like WooCommerce often provide more flexibility for adopting new technologies, whilst hosted platforms like Shopify offer more predictable feature rollouts.

Advanced Feature Comparison

Inventory Management

WooCommerce Inventory Control WooCommerce provides basic inventory management through its core functionality, with extensive enhancement options through plugins. Advanced inventory plugins offer features such as multi-location management, low stock alerts, and automated reordering systems.

The platform’s flexibility enables custom inventory solutions for businesses with unique requirements, such as rental products, subscription boxes, or complex variant management.

Shopify Inventory System Shopify includes comprehensive inventory management tools across all plans, featuring multi-location tracking, low stock notifications, and automated inventory adjustments. The system integrates seamlessly with all sales channels for unified inventory control.

Advanced inventory features are available through Shopify apps, though the selection may be more limited compared to WooCommerce’s plugin ecosystem.

Customer Management

WooCommerce Customer Relations WooCommerce stores customer data within your WordPress database, providing complete control over customer information and communication. Advanced customer management often requires plugins or custom development to incorporate sophisticated features.

The platform integrates with numerous CRM systems and email marketing platforms, enabling comprehensive customer relationship management strategies.

Shopify offers built-in customer management tools, including customer profiles, purchase history, and automated email marketing capabilities. The platform’s customer data remains within Shopify’s system with export capabilities.

Advanced customer segmentation and management features are available through Shopify’s native tools and third-party apps.

Reporting and Analytics

WooCommerce Analytics Options WooCommerce includes basic reporting features with extensive enhancement options through plugins and integrations. Google Analytics integration provides comprehensive traffic and conversion tracking with complete customisation control.

Advanced reporting solutions range from free plugins to enterprise-grade analytics platforms that integrate seamlessly with WooCommerce data.

Shopify Analytics Suite Shopify provides comprehensive built-in analytics covering sales, traffic, customer behaviour, and marketing performance. The platform’s reports offer actionable insights without requiring additional setup or configuration.

Advanced analytics features increase with higher-tier plans, with Shopify Plus offering the most comprehensive reporting capabilities.

International Commerce Considerations

Multi-Currency and Language Support

WooCommerce Global Commerce WooCommerce supports international commerce through plugins that handle multiple currencies, language translations, and regional compliance requirements. The platform’s flexibility enables the creation of custom solutions tailored to specific geographical markets.

Tax calculations, shipping configurations, and payment methods can be customised for different regions, providing comprehensive international commerce capabilities.

Shopify International Features Shopify includes multi-currency support and enables easy translation management through apps and built-in features. The platform handles international tax calculations and supports various regional payment methods.

Shopify Markets provides streamlined international selling tools, though some advanced localisation features may require additional apps or customisation.

Compliance and Legal Requirements

Both platforms support GDPR compliance and other international regulations, though implementation approaches differ. WooCommerce provides more control over compliance measures, whilst Shopify handles many requirements automatically through its managed infrastructure.

Mobile Commerce and Social Selling

Mobile Optimisation

WooCommerce Mobile Performance WooCommerce mobile performance depends on theme selection and optimisation efforts. Many premium themes provide excellent mobile experiences, whilst custom development enables unique mobile-specific features.

Progressive Web App (PWA) implementations are possible with WooCommerce, providing app-like experiences directly within web browsers.

Shopify Mobile Excellence: All Shopify themes are mobile-responsive by default, ensuring a consistent mobile experience across devices. The platform’s infrastructure optimises mobile loading speeds and provides mobile-specific checkout processes.

Shopify’s mobile app enables store management from anywhere, providing convenient administrative access for business owners.

Social Media Integration

WooCommerce Social Commerce WooCommerce integrates with social media platforms through various plugins and custom implementations. Facebook Shop, Instagram Shopping, and other social commerce features are available through third-party solutions.

The platform’s flexibility enables innovative social selling strategies and custom integrations with emerging platforms.

Shopify Social Selling Shopify provides native integrations with major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest. These integrations enable seamless social selling with unified inventory and order management across all channels.

The platform’s social commerce tools continue expanding as new platforms and features become available.

Making Your Final Decision

Evaluation Framework

When choosing between WooCommerce and Shopify, consider these critical factors:

Testing and Trial Approaches

Both platforms offer trial opportunities to evaluate their suitability:

Consider building basic stores on both platforms to experience their workflows and capabilities firsthand.

Professional Consultation

Complex e-commerce projects often benefit from professional guidance. Consult with experienced developers, digital marketing experts, or e-commerce consultants who can provide objective assessments based on your specific requirements.

Conclusion

The WooCommerce vs. Shopify decision ultimately depends on your business priorities, technical resources, and long-term vision. This comprehensive WooCommerce vs. Shopify comparison has demonstrated that both platforms have powered numerous successful online businesses, though they excel in different scenarios.

Choose WooCommerce in this WooCommerce vs. Shopify debate if you value unlimited customisation, long-term cost efficiency, superior content marketing capabilities, and have access to technical expertise. The platform rewards businesses willing to invest in learning and development with unparalleled flexibility and control.

Select Shopify in this WooCommerce vs. Shopify comparison if you prioritise rapid deployment, comprehensive support, predictable costs, and prefer focusing on business operations rather than technical management. The platform excels at removing barriers to entry while providing professional results.

This WooCommerce vs. Shopify analysis reveals that neither choice is permanent—successful businesses often outgrow their initial platform selection and migrate to more suitable solutions as they evolve. The key is selecting the platform that best supports your current needs while providing a clear path for future growth.

Consider your decision carefully, test both platforms when possible, and don’t hesitate to seek professional advice for complex requirements. Your e-commerce platform choice will influence your business operations for years to come, making this one of the most critical decisions in your digital commerce journey.

Remember that success in e-commerce depends more on execution, marketing, and customer service than platform selection alone in this WooCommerce vs. Shopify comparison. Both WooCommerce and Shopify provide the foundation for building thriving online businesses—your dedication and strategy will determine the outcome in this competitive WooCommerce vs. Shopify landscape.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is WooCommerce genuinely free to use?

WooCommerce’s core plugin is entirely free, but operating costs include hosting (₹415-₹4,150 monthly), domain registration (₹830-₹1,245 annually), and potentially premium themes or plugins. Total costs typically range from ₹ 16,600 to ₹ 1,66,000+ annually, depending on your requirements.

Can I migrate between platforms after launching my store?

Yes, migration between WooCommerce and Shopify is possible using various tools and services. However, custom functionality, design elements, and some integrations require rebuilding. Plan for 2-8 weeks for a complete migration, depending on the store’s complexity.

Which platform provides better SEO capabilities?

WooCommerce generally offers superior SEO capabilities through its WordPress foundation, complete site control, and compatibility with advanced SEO plugins. However, both platforms can achieve good search engine rankings with proper optimisation efforts.

Do I need technical skills to manage WooCommerce effectively?

While basic WooCommerce management is accessible to beginners, you’ll benefit significantly from technical knowledge or professional assistance for customisation, optimisation, and troubleshooting. Shopify requires minimal technical expertise.

How do transaction fees compare between platforms?

WooCommerce doesn’t charge transaction fees—you only pay standard payment processor fees (typically 1.4-3.4%). Shopify charges additional transaction fees (0.5-2%) unless you use Shopify Payments, plus standard processing fees.

Which platform handles high traffic volumes better?

Both platforms can manage substantial traffic with proper configuration. WooCommerce performance depends on hosting quality and optimisation, whilst Shopify provides consistent performance through managed infrastructure with automatic scaling.

Can I use custom domains with both platforms?

Yes, both WooCommerce and Shopify support custom domains. WooCommerce requires a separate domain purchase and configuration, whilst Shopify can handle domain registration or connection through its interface.

Which platform better supports international selling?

Both platforms support international commerce, though implementation differs. WooCommerce offers more customisation for specific regional requirements, whilst Shopify provides streamlined international features through Shopify Markets and built-in multi-currency support.

How do app ecosystems compare between platforms?

Shopify offers over 8,000 apps in its marketplace with streamlined installation processes. WooCommerce benefits from the entire WordPress plugin ecosystem (59,000+ plugins) plus WooCommerce-specific extensions, providing broader customisation options.

What happens to my data if I stop using either platform?

WooCommerce stores all data in your database, providing complete control and easy migration. Shopify allows data export, though some platform-specific features may not transfer directly to other systems. Both platforms support comprehensive data backup and migration procedures.

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