WooCommerce vs Shopify, for Indian stores.
An honest comparison from a team that builds on both. What each platform really costs to run every month, how they differ feature by feature, and when switching to Shopify is worth it.
Which platform should you pick?
WooCommerce is a free plugin that turns WordPress into a store. You own everything, and you also run everything: the server, security, backups, caching and every plugin update.
Shopify is a hosted platform. You pay a monthly plan, and Shopify runs the servers, security, SSL, CDN and checkout. You give up some control in exchange for far less maintenance.
What WooCommerce bleeds vs what Shopify keeps.
Typical monthly running costs for a growing Indian WooCommerce store, against the Shopify Basic plan that already includes them.
- VPS server (e.g. Cloudways)₹7,500
- Security plugin (e.g. Wordfence)₹2,500
- Backup plugin₹1,500
- CDN (e.g. Cloudflare Pro)₹2,000
- Premium plugin licences, average₹3,500
- Developer emergency fixes₹3,250
- Hosting and serversIncluded
- Security and PCI complianceIncluded
- SSL certificateIncluded
- Global CDNIncluded
- Bot protectionIncluded
- Platform updatesIncluded
WooCommerce figures are typical estimates and vary by host and plugin set. Shopify pricing is set by Shopify and paid to Shopify directly.
15 features. Side by side.
No cherry picking. The full picture before you switch to Shopify.
The honest downsides of switching to Shopify
Switching to Shopify is not free of trade-offs. Know these before you move:
- Fixed URL patterns. Products live at /products/, categories at /collections/ and posts at /blogs/. Old WooCommerce URLs need 301 redirects.
- A monthly plan, paid to Shopify, whatever your sales are.
- Transaction fees on some plans when you use a third-party payment gateway. Check Shopify's current India pricing page.
- Apps are billed monthly and add up. We build common features in Liquid to avoid that.
- Blogging is simpler than WordPress. Fine for buying guides, limited for a large magazine site.
When staying on WooCommerce makes sense
- Your site is mainly content, with a small catalogue on the side.
- You rely on custom WordPress functionality with no Shopify equivalent.
- You already have a developer who keeps the server secure and fast.
Not sure which side you are on? Ask for a free migration assessment. We will tell you honestly if moving is not worth it.
WooCommerce vs Shopify questions
WooCommerce itself is free, but a growing store typically pays for a VPS, security, backups, a CDN, premium plugins and emergency developer fixes. Those add up to around ₹20,250 a month in our typical estimate, against Shopify Basic from about ₹1,994 a month with hosting, security and CDN included. Apps and themes can add to either side.
Both can rank well. WooCommerce gives more control over URLs and blog structure. Shopify is faster to keep fast and secure, but uses fixed URL patterns like /products/ and /collections/. What hurts SEO most is a badly handled switch between them, with no 301 redirects.
Yes. Cashfree, Razorpay and PayU all work with Shopify in India, and cash on delivery can be enabled alongside them.
Stay if your store is mainly a content site with a small shop attached, if you depend on deep WordPress customisation that has no Shopify equivalent, or if you have an in-house developer who already keeps the server secure and fast.
Yes. Products, variants, images, collections, customers, past orders and reviews can all move across, while the WooCommerce store keeps trading until you approve the switch.
Read before you switch to Shopify.
WooCommerce to Shopify migration cost in India
What ₹8,999 covers, what changes the price, and what you stop paying every month.
Keep your Google rankings when you switch to Shopify
URL patterns, 301 redirect maps, and the SEO fields migration tools leave empty.
The Woo to Shopify migration checklist
30 checks before, during and after the move. Tick them off as you go.
of the clicks landing on 404s recovered
Recovering the rankings a WooCommerce to Shopify move threw away
Read the case study Case study · Camera and imaging retailerproducts given SEO titles and descriptions
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Read the case study Case study · Pro audio equipment dealerproducts rebuilt with SEO, type and category
Repairing a migrated pro audio store, product by product
Read the case studyReady to switch WooCommerce to Shopify?
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