WordPress is a self-hosted, highly customizable platform requiring technical management, while Shopify is a fully managed SaaS solution with built-in payment processing and hosting. WordPress costs $100-500/year for hosting but demands more maintenance, while Shopify charges $29-299/month with all features included.
WordPress vs Shopify — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Open-source CMS powering 43% of websites with 58,000+ plugins and themes
Fully managed cloud-based e-commerce platform with integrated payments and hosting.
Hosting & Maintenance. Monthly Cost (Base Plan). Payment Processing. Customization Capability. Setup Time (Days). Available Extensions/Apps. SEO Control
Choose WordPress if you need maximum flexibility, lower costs, and full technical control—ideal for developers, agencies, and complex multi-purpose sites. Choose Shopify if you prioritize ease of use, quick launch, integrated payment processing, and prefer a managed platform with 24/7 support—best for entrepreneurs with limited technical skills.
WordPress: 30-60 minutes (with hosting) | Shopify: 30-60 minutes
WordPress: $100-200 (hosting only) | Shopify: $5 (Starter Plan)
WordPress: 6.9 (RC 7.0 March 2026) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: Self-hosted (user managed) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: $4 (WordPress.com) + $20-100 hosting | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: $260-2200+ (hosting, plugins, maintenance) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: $4 (managed) / $0 (self-hosted) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: Yes - requires plugins for advanced features | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: Yes - Yjs CRDT engine in WP 7.0 | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 2.5-4.0s (varies with plugins) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: Partial - WordPress 7.0 adds core AI (plugin-dependent before) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: ~58,000 plugins | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: Via plugins (WooCommerce, MemberPress) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 15+ top options | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: $60-300+ per year | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 90,000+ themes | Shopify: 200+ templates
WordPress: ~810 million (43% of web) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 100% (you keep all) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: Easy via XML export (9/10) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 2-5 hours (updates, security, backups) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 2-3% via Stripe/PayPal plugins | Shopify: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
WordPress: 7-21 days | Shopify: 1-2 days
WordPress: 10 (full code access) | Shopify: 6 (Liquid templating limits)
WordPress: You manage updates, SSL, backups | Shopify: Shopify manages all compliance
WordPress: Unlimited | Shopify: Unlimited (pricing tier independent)
WordPress: $240 + hosting ($10-50/month) | Shopify: $468 + transaction fees ($2,900)
WordPress: Beginner (0-6 months experience) | Shopify: N/A
Reported Security Vulnerabilities (2024)
WordPress: 156 plugin/theme CVEs | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: Extensive—drag-drop, theme customizer, page builders | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: $5-15 (hosting only) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 2.5 (optimized) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: Intermediate to Advanced | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: Full export capability | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: Full (robots.txt, schema, redirects) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 20-40 hours (with learning) | Shopify: Hours to 1 day
WordPress: $180-360 (hosting only) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 10,000+ free & premium | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 60,000+ plugins | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: Unlimited (WooCommerce) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 1.5-2.5 seconds (optimized) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: $0 (self-hosted, domain only) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: $25-50/month (WP Engine, Kinsta managed hosting) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 58,000+ plugins | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 2-4 hours (theme selection, plugin setup) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 38% (WooCommerce dominates) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 99% (varies by host) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: $120-500/year | Shopify: $348-3,588/year
WordPress: 2.9% + $0.30 (Stripe) | Shopify: 2.9% + $0.30 (Shopify Payments)
WordPress: 58,000+ plugins | Shopify: 8,000+ apps
WordPress: Depends on host (typically 99.9%) | Shopify: 99.99% guaranteed
WordPress: Community forums + paid support | Shopify: 24/7 dedicated support team
WordPress: Complete control via robots.txt, .htaccess, code injection | Shopify: Built-in tools with limitations on code-level access
WordPress: Full export and migration flexibility | Shopify: Possible but complex; vendor lock-in concerns exist
WordPress: $3-10/month + free software | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 58,000+ plugins + 10,000+ themes | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: 60-120 minutes | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: No, separate purchase | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: Yes, completely free | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: Requires plugins (WooCommerce, MemberPress) | Shopify: N/A
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: 2.0% (third-party gateways) / 0% (Shopify Payments)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Fully Managed SaaS
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Native AI-driven commerce agents built-in
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Phone, Email & Chat
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Yes ($2,300+/month)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: 0 (self-driven)
Typical Seller Monthly Revenue Threshold
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: $5,000+ (lower barrier)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: 0% (on Shopify Payments)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Advanced (Liquid code access)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: ~300 (optimized for sales)
Base Monthly Subscription (Starter Plan)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Included in subscription
Monthly Active Buyers (Marketplace Access)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Self-driven traffic
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Zero (must generate own traffic)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: 30-90 days (with marketing)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Complete (10/10)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: 100% direct access to customer emails and data
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Unlimited products
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Moderate; app-dependent for advanced needs
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Good GraphQL API; limited headless options
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: $0-20M GMV (optimal fit)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Low; point-and-click setup
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Extensive (9/10)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Self-generated
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: All product types
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: $100-150 (optional)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: ~30% of all online stores
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: $5 (Starter plan minimum)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: 10+ (online store, POS, social, marketplace, B2B, wholesale)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Unlimited with advanced sync
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: $5-39 (all-inclusive)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Hosting, SSL, domain, support included
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Separate subscriptions required
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: $2,300+ (Shopify Plus enterprise)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Ongoing regular updates
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: $105 (Shopify Plan)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: $2,300+ (Shopify Plus)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: None (paid plans only)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Mobile-optimized by default
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: $39/month (Basic plan)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: 6,800 verified apps
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: 1-2 hours to launch
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Theme/app API limited (Liquid template language)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: 100+ official integrations
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Level 1 (fully managed)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: No (requires apps)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Limited (basic automation)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Full REST & GraphQL APIs
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: 100+ sales channels (Amazon, Facebook, TikTok, eBay, etc.)
WordPress: N/A | Shopify: Included in all plans
How to choose between WordPress and Shopify
WordPress vs Shopify — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for WordPress vs Shopify. Contains 180 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
WordPress vs Shopify — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for WordPress vs Shopify.
How much does each platform actually cost over 5 years?
WordPress with managed hosting (like WP Engine at $115/month) costs approximately $6,900 over 5 years. Shopify's basic plan ($29/month) costs $1,740, mid-tier ($79/month) costs $4,740, and advanced ($299/month) costs $17,940. However, WordPress self-hosting with budget hosts costs $300-500 total. So WordPress has lower minimum costs but higher ongoing management needs, while Shopify has predictable monthly expenses.
WordPress offers superior SEO control with complete access to meta tags, robots.txt, sitemap configuration, and custom code via plugins like Yoast. Shopify provides good built-in SEO tools but restricts some advanced customization. For complex SEO strategies, WordPress wins. For basic e-commerce SEO, Shopify is adequate and requires less technical knowledge.
Can I migrate from one platform to another?
Migrating from WordPress to Shopify is moderate difficulty—content transfers but requires data mapping. Migrating from Shopify to WordPress is more complex due to Shopify's proprietary architecture, though tools like Matrixify exist. Both migrations require technical expertise and typically result in some data loss or reformatting needs.
Which requires more technical knowledge?
Shopify requires minimal technical knowledge—most setup is point-and-click. WordPress requires moderate technical skills for installation, theme customization, plugin management, and security updates. However, WordPress has larger learning community resources. Non-technical users should choose Shopify; technical users prefer WordPress flexibility.
Shopify handles all security, PCI compliance, SSL certificates, and backups automatically. WordPress requires the user to manage these—hosting provider handles some, but users must maintain plugins, core updates, and configurations. Shopify eliminates security responsibility; WordPress puts it on the user. For risk-averse businesses, Shopify is safer.
How to Choose Between WordPress and Shopify
Hosting & Maintenance: WordPress has Self-hosted, requires own server management, while Shopify has Fully managed cloud hosting by Shopify.
Monthly Cost (Base Plan): WordPress has $100-500/year for hosting + domain, while Shopify has $29-299/month depending on plan.
Payment Processing: WordPress has Requires third-party plugins (WooCommerce, Stripe), while Shopify has Native Shopify Payments integration included.
Customization Capability: WordPress has Unlimited via plugins & custom code, while Shopify has Limited to Shopify app ecosystem & themes.
Setup Time (Days): WordPress has 7-21 days for full configuration, while Shopify has 1-2 days to launch basic store.
Available Extensions/Apps: WordPress has 58,000+ plugins in WordPress ecosystem, while Shopify has 8,000+ apps in Shopify App Store.
SEO Control: WordPress has Complete control via Yoast & custom settings, while Shopify has Built-in SEO tools with limitations on customization.