Shopify vs WooCommerce in 2026, for stores that also sell wholesale
WooCommerce is free software you host and maintain. Shopify is a monthly plan with hosting, checkout and security included. For a store that sells wholesale too, the deciding difference in 2026 is that Shopify's B2B tools are built in from the $39 Basic plan, while WooCommerce needs a B2B plugin stack you keep compatible yourself. WooCommerce still wins for content-led sites and heavily custom PHP logic.
The real cost difference is upkeep, not the plan fee
On paper WooCommerce is free and Shopify costs $39 to $399 a month. In practice a WooCommerce store also pays for hosting, premium plugins, and the hours spent updating WordPress, WooCommerce and every plugin without breaking checkout. Wholesale plugins add to that, because they hook into pricing and checkout, the parts that break first after an update. Shopify's fee covers hosting, checkout and platform security. Your remaining costs are apps and theme changes.
2026 cost lines, side by side
Shopify figures are list prices from shopify.com, checked Oct 22, 2026. WooCommerce costs depend on your host and plugins, so we list them as lines rather than inventing a number.
| Cost line | WooCommerce | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Software | Free plugin | Basic $39, Grow $105, Advanced $399 a month, or $29 / $79 / $299 billed yearly; Plus from $2,3001 |
| Hosting, CDN, SSL | You pay a host; cost scales with traffic | Included |
| Card processing | Your gateway's rate | Shopify Payments from 2.9% + 30¢ (Basic) to 2.5% + 30¢ (Advanced), US online1 |
| Using another gateway | No platform fee | Extra Shopify fee: 2% on Basic, lower on higher plans1 |
| B2B / wholesale | Paid B2B plugin plus a developer to keep it compatible | Included from Basic, 3 catalogs; unlimited on Plus2 |
| Security and updates | Core, theme and every plugin, on your schedule | Platform handled by Shopify; you update apps and theme |
| Checkout | Fully editable PHP checkout | Shopify checkout; deeper customisation needs Plus3 |
Wholesale features: built-in vs plugin
| Wholesale need | WooCommerce | Shopify (Basic to Advanced) |
|---|---|---|
| Company accounts with several buyers | Plugin (B2BKing, Wholesale Suite and others) | Native companies, locations and contacts |
| Wholesale price lists | Plugin, by user role | Native catalogs (3 below Plus) |
| Net terms | Plugin or invoice gateway | Native Net 7 to 904 |
| Quantity minimums and increments | Plugin | Native quantity rules |
| Quick order form | Plugin | Native quick order list |
| Quotes | Plugin | No native quotes; app or draft orders |
| Tax-exempt buyers | Plugin or manual | Native per company location5 |
When we'd tell you to stay on WooCommerce
- Content is the business and the shop is a side door: WordPress's editorial tools are hard to beat.
- Your checkout or pricing runs custom PHP that would need a private app on Shopify.
- You have a developer on staff who already keeps the plugin stack current, so maintenance costs you little extra.
- You need to self-host for contractual or data-residency reasons.
What the move involves
A WooCommerce move is mostly mapping variable products, plugin data and URLs. The details, including the /product/ redirect rules and the three-option limit, are on the WooCommerce to Shopify migration page. If wholesale is part of it, the role-based prices become native catalogs in a Counter Switchover.
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Sources
- Shopify pricing, checked October 22, 2026.
- Shopify Help Center: B2B features by plan, checked October 19, 2026.
- Shopify Help Center: Checkout apps, checked October 19, 2026.
- Shopify Help Center: B2B payment terms, checked October 19, 2026.
- Shopify.dev: Build for B2B, checked October 19, 2026.