WooCommerce pricing: Full breakdown, benefits, and top alternatives in 2025

If you’re considering turning your WordPress site into an online store, WooCommerce is a flexible and popular solution.

With a market share of 20.1%, it offers essential ecommerce features and scalability for businesses of all sizes. This guide breaks down WooCommerce pricing, key features, and viable alternatives to help you decide if it’s the right platform for your store.

Before we dive into it, let's talk money.

How much does WooCommerce cost?

What is WooCommerce?

WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin that turns a WordPress website into a fully functional ecommerce store. It offers many features that covers everything from product management to shipping and even security measurements.

Is one of the most popular ecommerce plugins because it offers a simple-yet-effective solution for small to medium-sized business, entrepreneurs, and bloggers who already use WordPress and wish to monetize traffic by selling products, services, and more through the implementation of a complete online store.

Want an easier way to monetize your knowledge or products? With Whop, you can create a storefront, manage sales, and start earning in just minutes—all without worrying about complicated plugins or extensions.

WooCommerce key features

Some of the main features of WooCommerce include:

• Customizable storefront: Being an app fully compatible with WordPress, WooCommerce offers full control over your store’s design and functionalities.
• Product management: WooCommerce offers many management features that lets you easily add, categorize, and manage physical, digital, or subscription-based products in your ecommerce store.
• Payment gateways: The platform has support for all major payment options like PayPal, Stripe, and Apple Pay, also having additional extensions for localized payment methods based on region.
• Shipping options: For business owners who want to provide shipping options in their online store, WooCommerce lets you set configurable shipping rates, zones, and integrations with carriers for streamlined logistics.
• SEO-friendly solutions: WooCommerce benefits from WordPress’s robust SEO capabilities, making it easier to rank your store in search engines.
• Many extensions options: You can integrate hundreds of plugins and other extensions into a WooCommerce interface thanks to the platform's vast compatibility and flexibility.

Pros and cons of WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a plugin with several advantages (which we’ve already mentioned), but it also has its disadvantages that should be taken into account if you plan to use the solution to build your online store.

Let's analyze the main advantages and disadvantages of WooCommerce for your business.

Pros of WooCommerce

Flexibility and customization

As part of WordPress, WooCommerce is well-known for offering hundreds of plugins and other extensions, covering a wide range of features ranging from payment processes to automation and shipping.

This feature makes WooCommerce an extremely flexible platform, adaptable to all types of online businesses.

And with different theme options and applications for ecommerce sites, WooCommerce is extremely customizable as well.

It’s free to use (standard version)

The core version of WooCommerce is completely free to use for WordPress users. There are several features that are in fact paid (which we will discuss later) but WooCommerce itself is a free platform, which can make it quite cost-effective depending on the features you choose for your business.

It’s scalable

Whether you’re starting with a few products or expanding to thousands, WooCommerce can handle stores of all sizes with many powerful management tools for shipping and even payment gateways.

As your business grows, you can add new features thanks to the platforms adaptability, optimizing your business for growth no matter how big your brand gets.

Has a large community and strong support

WooCommerce has a large user base and active global developer community. As a client, you'll have access to many forums with extensive resources, tutorials, and even third-party developers to help troubleshoot or enhance your store.

It’s this active support and access to 24/7 solutions that make WooCommerce one of the most used platforms in ecommerce.

Cons of WooCommerce

Steeper learning curve

WooCommerce requires a basic understanding of WordPress to set up and manage. And with so many different tool options and integrations, beginners with little technical knowledge can find it difficult to use the platform.

The learning curve can also be steep, especially for smaller businesses without the resources to hire experts to set everything up.

Ongoing costs for premium features can get high

The most basic version of WooCommerce may be free, but the many tools and other features needed to run an online store efficiently are not.

Some premium features, such as shipping integrations, can cost up to $119 per year, which may not seem like much, but when you add in the other costs you may incur with other WooCommerce tools, the pricing can end up being quite high, especially if you're just starting out.

Poorly optimized websites may suffer from performance issues

Adding multiple WooCommerce plugins and extensions to your website can cause performance issues, especially if your website is not properly optimized.

This can be a problem for online stores that rely on fast operations to ensure good conversion rates, as slow websites and checkout processes are a major cause of high cart abandonment rates.

The user must ensure that their page is adequately optimized to support new features which, depending on the situation, may require help from a WordPress specialist.

There’s limited built-in features

Out of the box and on the free plan, WooCommerce offers very basic ecommerce functionalities. If you want to use more advanced features, like abandoned cart recovery, advanced reporting, or multi-channel selling, you’ll need third-party solutions or custom development. 

All solutions offered by WooCommerce for these aren't free, and must be purchased as an add-on. While many are relatively cost-effective, other solutions that are essential for online businesses can be costly for companies with limited resources.

A deeper dive into WooCommerce's pricing

WooCommerce is mostly a free, open-source WordPress plugin, but there are still some costs depending on the website you want to build, and the type of online store you want to manage.

When it comes to WooCommerce, here are all the potential expenses you might incur when setting up and running a WooCommerce store:

Domain name and web hosting

Domain name

When building a website, the first thing you need to do is choose a domain name for your site and a host for your ecommerce store.

A domain name is basically the address of your web platform that will be typed into browsers, while hosting providers are those that store all of your website's files and make them available to any visitor who accesses your URL.

For domain registrations, WooCommerce charges $15 on average, but prices can vary if purchasing a domain from a private seller like GoDaddy or HostGator.

Web hosting

WooCommerce gives you the freedom to choose from a variety of hosting providers. Each one is designed to meet different needs, whether it’s managing multiple sites on a single server, offering quality customer service, or making sure you can upgrade your hosting plan without needing to migrate.

Many hosts offer free domain searches, so you can find out early on if the domain name you want is available, has been taken, or is for sale. You can also purchase a domain from domain registrars like WordPress.com.

For pricing, hosting on WooCommerce costs $120 per year (on average, but varies widely).

Website themes

Aside from the vital management features, perhaps the most important part of an online store in terms of usability is its design.

WordPress offers hundreds of free themes to choose from, as well as paid themes, all of which can be optimized for WooCommerce.

Pricing in this regard depends largely on your own choice. Choosing the right theme will depend on your own company's visual identity, so in many cases, free themes can meet the need.

In any case, themes available for WooCommerce range from being free to costing $100+ per year.

Management costs (shipping and payments)

Shipping

Out of the box, WooCommerce provides options for flat rate shipping, free shipping, or local pickups (when doing peer-to-peer sales).

There are free shipping extensions that allow you to print shipping labels directly from your WordPress Dashboard.

More advanced shipping tools with more features can cost up to $119 per year, depending on any add-on tools you choose.

Payment gateways

Payment gateways ensure that online money transactions are 100% secure. It’s an essential feature for an online store and if you are a WooCommerce user, it is something that you will need to invest in.

The platform has its own payment gateway known as WooPayments, but you are free to choose other options that best suit your business and your financial resources.

Payment gateway costs in WooCommerce start at 2.9% + $30 per year on average.

Security (plugins and SSL certificate)

Security plugins

WooCommerce is a platform that prides itself on its stability and security, even in its base version. But having an online store means that you are exposed to all kinds of malware and fraud that can harm your operation.

For this reason, WooCommerce offers several security plugin options that protect your online store from harmful elements such as malware and leaks of important data, as well as offering anti-spam tools and real-time backups of your site.

There are free security plugins, as well as versions that can cost up to $239 per year, depending on the level of protection you require.

SSL certificate

A secure sockets layer certificate (SSL) is a digital certificate that guarantees the authenticity of your website, being the proof that your website truly represents itself and its visitors will find the content they expect.

It's basically a "certificate of authenticity" that certifies your website as a legitimate and respectable ecommerce business.

WooCommerce users are entitled to this certificate for free.

Email marketing and SEO tools

For an online business with its own sales platform, one of the best tools to attract traffic is through SEO and email marketing campaigns.

WhoCommerce has several extensions that range from email marketing automation to analytics, all to help with email marketing campaigns.

Several of these extensions are offered by the platform itself (many of them are free) while others offer payment plans that vary according to the tool, with prices starting at $119 per year.

Additional costs: Customer service and customization features

One of the biggest advantages of WooCommerce is the fact that the platform is highly customizable, which means that even pricing will depend, for the most part, on what you want or don't want for your website.

This means that you’re free to invest in whatever you want—depending on what your budget allows, of course—such as enhancements and other extra features on your website to improve its design and the overall shopping experience of your customers. 

These extra features can be product add-ons to improve checkout pages, specific pop-ups to show products on sale, or even advanced filters to make your website stand out in design and functionality.

There are countless features that you can invest in, and with an optimized page, they’ll only bring advantages for your brand.

WooCommerce alternatives

These popular alternatives cater to various business types and technical expertise levels.

Shopify

Shopify is a fully hosted ecommerce platform known for its ease of use and robust feature set, like an intuitive drag-and-drop page builder, multichannel selling, and strong customer support. It’s a good choice for those who want a user-friendly solution without worrying about hosting, security, or technical maintenance.

It also offers advanced marketing tools and has a much more friendly learning curve, despite being considerably less customizable compared to WooCommerce.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce offers robust built-in features for scaling businesses like strong native SEO tools, support for both B2C and B2B sales with custom pricing and bulk ordering, and seamless integrations with other platforms. 

It’s ideal for enterprises or merchants looking for a platform that can handle complex operations and large-scale needs with advanced built-in functionalities that don’t rely on third party platforms.

Ecwid

Ecwid is a versatile ecommerce solution that can be either easily integrated with existing websites or function as a standalone online store. It’s a great choice for those looking to add ecommerce capabilities to their existing sales platform or sell on multiple platforms.

It has a quick and simple setup being better suited for small businesses and entrepreneurs looking to add ecommerce features to their existing online platform without having to migrate to new platforms.

Consider using Whop instead

Whop is a flexible platform built for creators and entrepreneurs looking to monetize their expertise in unique ways. Whether you're selling digital products, memberships, or access to exclusive courses, Whop provides an all-in-one solution to manage your offerings and grow your business.

Forget the complicated setup for WooCommerce, the need to buy hundreds of add-ons and extra bits and bobs, Whop’s straightforward setup and intuitive interface let you launch your storefront in minutes.

With customization options and low fees starting at just 3%, it’s an ideal choice for those who want to maximize their earnings while keeping operations simple.

If visibility is your goal, Whop’s Discover marketplace helps you connect with a broader audience to expand your reach too.

Start monetizing your business today, with Whop!

FAQs

How much does it cost to use WooCommerce?

WooCommerce itself is free to download and use. However, running a WooCommerce store involves additional costs like hosting, domain registration, and other paid extensions and plugins, which can vary based on your specific needs.

Are there any hidden fees with WooCommerce?

There are no fees for using WooCommerce, but additional costs may arise depending on the features you need.

Can I run a WooCommerce store on a tight budget?

Yes, even some essential tools for your business can be quite cheap on WooCommerce. For instance, depending on the tools and plans you choose, you can pay as little as $10 per month for premium shipping and payment features.