Choosing a platform
Shopify vs WooCommerce: how do you compare costs?
You cannot tell from the subscription price alone. Compare the complete store, including hosting, extensions and the work required to keep it running.
Compare the bill over a real period
Ask for the same scope on both platforms and separate initial work from renewals. WooCommerce’s core software does not remove hosting, paid-extension or maintenance costs. Shopify’s subscription does not include every possible app or custom feature either. Use current prices and your likely activity, with assumptions stated clearly. Also ask what an extra language, integration or template would cost later. A lower launch invoice can mean more recurring work, not necessarily a cheaper operation.
Read the proposal line by line
Swipe across the table to see all columns.
| Cost item | What to ask before approval |
|---|---|
| Design and development | Which templates and functions are included, and which require another estimate? |
| Content and products | Who supplies text, photos and translations, and who enters them? |
| Revisions and acceptance | How is feedback handled, and what must work before handover? |
| Recurring services | Which subscriptions renew, who owns them and how are charges approved? |
| After launch | What support is included, for how long, and what counts as new work? |
Build matching budgets
Include implementation, hosting or subscription, domain, themes, extensions, maintenance and payment costs. Specify who supplies content and handles updates. Keep assumptions visible rather than comparing one supplier’s complete proposal with another’s entry price.
Price the actual requirements
A feature may be included, require an extension or need custom development. Use the same catalogue, language and integration brief for both estimates. Confirm current prices directly before approving a commercial decision.
Consider support and change
Estimate how a new content type, payment connection or catalogue workflow would be maintained. A cheap initial setup may transfer more work to the owner. The useful comparison is a budget you understand and can operate, not a universal claim that one system is always free or expensive.
Compare a year of the same scope
Request the same catalogue, languages, integrations and support on both proposals. Separate one-time implementation from recurring costs and identify variable charges. State who handles maintenance. Free software and a paid subscription are only parts of the total, so neither label settles which proposal costs less.
Official references
Request a free call
Considering Shopify for your business? Request a free call to discuss your products and priorities. We agree the scope before work starts.
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