Shopify charges $39–$399/mo plus transaction fees. WooCommerce is free but needs hosting and plugins. Etsy charges 9.7% combined fees on every sale — which eats $9,700/year on $100K in revenue. Here's the full cost picture.
| Feature | Shopify | WooCommerce | Etsy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform transaction fee | 0% (Shopify Payments) or +2% | 0% | 6.5% |
| Monthly platform fee | $39–$399/mo | ~$10–50/mo (hosting) | $0 (or $10/mo Plus) |
| Built-in audience | ✗ You drive your own traffic | ✗ You drive your own traffic | ✓ 95M+ buyers |
| Brand control | ✓ Full custom domain | ✓ Full custom domain | ✗ Etsy-branded storefront |
| Custom domain | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| SEO control | ~ Limited meta control | ✓ Full WordPress SEO | ✗ Etsy controls SEO |
| Product types | Any physical/digital product | Any physical/digital product | Handmade, vintage, craft only |
| Dropshipping support | ✓ Native | ✓ Via plugins | ✗ Not allowed |
| Abandoned cart recovery | ✓ All plans | ~ Plugin required | ✗ |
| Technical maintenance | ✓ Fully managed | ✗ Self-managed | ✓ Fully managed |
| POS (point of sale) | ✓ Native | ~ Via plugins | ✗ |
| Monthly Revenue | Shopify Basic | WooCommerce | Etsy (no monthly) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000/mo ($12K/yr) | $816 platform + ~$420 fees = $1,236/yr | $300 hosting + ~$348 processing = $648/yr | $0 platform + ~$1,164 fees = $1,164/yr |
| $5,000/mo ($60K/yr) | $468 + ~$2,100 fees = $2,568/yr | $300 + ~$1,740 processing = $2,040/yr | $0 + ~$5,820 fees = $5,820/yr |
| $10,000/mo ($120K/yr) | $468 + ~$4,200 fees = $4,668/yr | $300 + ~$3,480 processing = $3,780/yr | $0 + ~$11,640 fees = $11,640/yr |
| $50,000/mo ($600K/yr) | $1,260 (Advanced) + ~$17,280 = $18,540/yr | $600 + ~$17,400 = $18,000/yr | $0 + ~$58,200 fees = $58,200/yr |
Shopify fees assume Shopify Payments (2.9%+30¢). WooCommerce assumes Stripe (2.9%+30¢), $25/mo managed hosting. Etsy fees assume 9.7% combined (6.5% transaction + 3% + $0.25 payment processing, avg order $50).
You want a fully managed e-commerce store with no technical overhead. Best for brands that need a professional storefront, dropshipping, POS, or serious scale. At $39/mo + Shopify Payments, total costs are reasonable and predictable. Switch to Advanced ($399/mo) once you're doing $50K+/mo in sales to cut transaction fees.
You're already on WordPress, have a developer on staff, or want maximum control and zero platform fees. WooCommerce is the cheapest option at scale since you only pay payment processing fees. The trade-off: you maintain hosting, security, updates, and plugins yourself (or pay someone to).
You sell handmade, vintage, or craft goods and want to tap Etsy's 95M built-in buyers without building your own audience. Perfect for side hustles and small sellers under $2K/mo in sales. At higher revenue, Etsy's 9.7% combined fees become brutal — most successful Etsy sellers add a Shopify store once they're profitable.
By cost at scale: WooCommerce < Shopify << Etsy. Etsy becomes the most expensive option above $2,000/mo in sales due to combined fees approaching 10%.
By ease of use: Etsy > Shopify > WooCommerce. Etsy is the easiest to start selling on — no store to build. Shopify is plug-and-play. WooCommerce requires technical comfort.
Best strategy: Start on Etsy to validate demand → move to Shopify as revenue grows → consider WooCommerce if you have WordPress expertise and want to eliminate platform fees entirely.
Prices verified May 2026. All prices USD. Cost estimates are approximations — actual fees vary by product price, category, and payment method. PricePulse monitors e-commerce platforms for pricing changes.
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