Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce Pricing 2026: Full Cost Breakdown
The advertised price is never the real price. Between transaction fees, hosting, plugins, and payment gateways, your actual monthly bill can be 3–5x the base plan. Here's the full picture.
Shopify Pricing 2026: All Plans
Shopify revised its pricing in early 2023 and added the Starter plan. The core plans are:
- Buy button only
- No online store
- 5% transaction fee
- Online store, unlimited products
- 2 staff accounts
- 2% transaction fee (no Shopify Payments)
- Basic reports
- 5 staff accounts
- 1% transaction fee
- Professional reports
- Gift cards
- 15 staff accounts
- 0.5% transaction fee
- Custom reports
- 3rd-party calculated shipping
- Enterprise features
- Custom checkout
- 0.15–0.25% transaction fee
- Dedicated support
The Critical Detail: Transaction Fees
Shopify's biggest hidden cost is the transaction fee charged when you use any payment processor other than Shopify Payments (which is not available in all countries):
| Plan | Transaction Fee (non-Shopify Payments) | Cost on $10K/mo revenue | Cost on $50K/mo revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 2.0% | $200/mo | $1,000/mo |
| Shopify | 1.0% | $100/mo | $500/mo |
| Advanced | 0.5% | $50/mo | $250/mo |
| Plus | 0.15% | $15/mo | $75/mo |
Shopify App Costs: The Real Budget Killer
The Shopify App Store has 8,000+ apps. Most stores need 5–10 apps to function. Average cost: $15–$75/app/month.
| App Category | Common Apps | Typical Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Email marketing | Klaviyo, Mailchimp | $20–$150 |
| Reviews | Yotpo, Judge.me | $0–$199 |
| SEO | SEO Manager, Plug In SEO | $15–$80 |
| Upsells | Bold Upsell, ReConvert | $25–$100 |
| Loyalty | Smile.io, LoyaltyLion | $49–$299 |
| Subscriptions | ReCharge, Bold Subscriptions | $99–$300 |
| Live chat | Gorgias, Tidio | $50–$300 |
WooCommerce Pricing 2026: "Free" Software, Real Costs
WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin. But running WooCommerce requires WordPress, which requires hosting. The software is free; the infrastructure is not.
Core Infrastructure Costs
| Component | Budget Option | Growth Option | Enterprise Option |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress Hosting | SiteGround $6/mo | WP Engine $30–$65/mo | Kinsta $35–$575/mo |
| Domain | $10–$15/yr | $10–$15/yr | $10–$15/yr |
| SSL Certificate | Free (Let's Encrypt) | Free | $0–$300/yr |
| WooCommerce Plugin | Free | Free | Free |
| Payment Gateway | Stripe 2.9%+$0.30 | Stripe 2.9%+$0.30 | Negotiated rates |
| Theme | $0 (free themes) | $49–$99/yr | $99–$299/yr |
WooCommerce Plugin Costs
The WooCommerce ecosystem has premium extensions. Unlike Shopify apps (monthly), many WooCommerce extensions are annual licenses:
| Extension | Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| WooCommerce Subscriptions | $279/yr |
| WooCommerce Bookings | $249/yr |
| WooCommerce Product Bundles | $49/yr |
| WooCommerce Multi-Currency | $79/yr |
| WooCommerce Shipping | Free (basic) |
| Advanced Coupons (3rd party) | $59/yr |
| YITH WooCommerce (various) | $70–$200/yr each |
BigCommerce Pricing 2026: All Plans
BigCommerce's key differentiator: no transaction fees on any plan. But its plans have annual revenue limits — exceed the limit and you're automatically upgraded.
- Up to $50K/yr revenue
- No transaction fees
- Unlimited products/staff
- Up to $180K/yr revenue
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Customer groups
- Stored credit cards
- Up to $400K/yr revenue
- Custom SSL, Google reviews
- Product filtering
- +$150/mo per $200K extra
- Unlimited revenue
- Priority support
- Custom integrations
Real Monthly Cost Comparison: Three Store Sizes
Small Store: $5,000/month revenue, 200 orders
Shopify Basic
WooCommerce (self-managed)
BigCommerce Standard
Medium Store: $25,000/month revenue, 800 orders
Shopify (mid-tier)
WooCommerce (managed hosting)
BigCommerce Plus
Feature Comparison Table
| Feature | Shopify Basic | WooCommerce | BigCommerce Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | $29 | $0 (+ hosting) | $39 |
| Transaction fee | 2% (non-Shopify Payments) | None | None |
| Hosting included | Yes | No | Yes |
| Setup complexity | Low | High | Medium |
| Customization | Medium | Unlimited | Medium |
| Product limits | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Staff accounts | 2 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Multi-currency | Yes (Shopify Payments) | Plugin needed | Yes (built-in) |
| B2B/Wholesale | Plus only | Plugin needed | Built-in (Plus+) |
| SEO control | Medium | Full (WordPress) | Good |
| App ecosystem | 8,000+ apps | 50,000+ plugins | 1,000+ apps |
| Support quality | 24/7 chat/phone | Community + forums | 24/7 chat |
| Revenue caps | None | None | Yes ($50K–$400K+) |
| Headless commerce | Good (Hydrogen) | Good | Best |
When to Choose Each Platform
Choose Shopify if...
- You're starting out and want the fastest time to launch
- You use Shopify Payments (eliminates transaction fees)
- You want hands-off hosting and security management
- You have under $10K/month in revenue (transaction fees hurt less)
- You rely heavily on Shopify-specific apps (Klaviyo, Gorgias, etc.)
- You sell on social (Shopify has best TikTok/Instagram/Facebook integrations)
Choose WooCommerce if...
- You already have a WordPress site and want to add e-commerce
- You need maximum customization (custom checkout, custom product types)
- You're technical or have a developer on retainer
- Long-tail SEO is core to your strategy (WordPress SEO tools are best-in-class)
- You do $10K+/month and want to avoid all platform transaction fees
- You sell digital products, memberships, or subscriptions heavily
Choose BigCommerce if...
- You're a high-volume store ($100K+/month) frustrated by Shopify transaction fees
- You sell B2B or wholesale (BigCommerce has the best native B2B features)
- You need multi-storefront management from one account
- You're going headless (BigCommerce API is excellent)
- You want enterprise features without Shopify Plus pricing
Price Increase History: What to Expect
All three platforms have raised prices in recent years:
| Platform | Last Major Increase | Amount | Reason Given |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | January 2023 | +25% (Basic: $29→$29, Shopify: $79→$79) | Restructured plans, dropped legacy pricing |
| Shopify | June 2023 | +10% (monthly plans) | Feature additions |
| WooCommerce Extensions | 2024 (various) | +15–40% | Individual extension developers |
| BigCommerce | 2023 | Plans restructured (Standard: $30→$39) | Platform investment |
| WP Engine (hosting) | 2024 | +20% | Infrastructure costs |
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Negotiation Tips
Shopify
- Annual billing: Saves ~15% vs monthly on Basic/Shopify/Advanced
- Shopify Plus negotiation: Starts at $2,300/month but is negotiable. Get 3 quotes. Migration credits exist.
- App bundle deals: Shopify sometimes offers app credits for annual upgrades — ask your account rep
WooCommerce
- Annual licenses vs monthly: Most extensions are annual — check the per-month equivalent
- Bundle hosting: WP Engine and Kinsta both offer multi-site discounts for agencies
- Black Friday deals: WooCommerce extensions routinely go 30–50% off in November
BigCommerce
- Annual billing: Saves 25–30% vs monthly
- Enterprise pricing: Typically negotiated — comparable to Shopify Plus but without per-transaction fees
- Revenue cap management: Plan upgrades happen automatically — budget buffer above your revenue tier
FAQ
Is WooCommerce really free?
The plugin is free. But you pay for hosting ($6–$575/mo), domain (~$12/yr), and any premium themes or extensions. Total cost typically $80–$300/month for a real store. The "free" label is misleading.
Does Shopify charge transaction fees if I use Shopify Payments?
No — transaction fees only apply when using third-party payment processors. Shopify Payments is available in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and many European countries. If your country isn't supported, you pay transaction fees on all orders.
Can I switch platforms later?
Yes, but it's painful. Product migrations are manageable (CSV export/import). Customer data, reviews, and SEO juice are harder to migrate. Plan your platform choice carefully — switching costs $5K–$50K in developer time for established stores.
What about Squarespace, Wix, or Ecwid?
Squarespace ($27–$49/mo) and Wix ($17–$159/mo) are viable for small stores under 500 products, but lack the app ecosystem and developer flexibility of Shopify, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce. Ecwid is ideal for adding e-commerce to an existing site.