WooCommerce Cost: Is It Worth It? 

Are you planning to set up your online store on WordPress? How much will it cost you? Is this solution genuinely free? Do you want to make sure that your WooCommerce cost won’t be too high? In this article, you’ll discover the actual costs of a WooCommerce store—not just the “on paper” ones, but also the hidden costs that advertisements don’t mention.

WooCommerce – What Exactly Is It? 

WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that turns a regular website into an online store. In theory, it’s free, but if you want your store to function correctly (and not just exist), you must factor in the costs of add-ons, integrations, and the implementation itself.

WooCommerce Store – Who Is It Good For? 

WooCommerce is an excellent solution for small businesses and companies that are starting to use e-Commerce. However, beware—it may not always work well with high traffic or more complex purchasing processes.

WooCommerce Store – How Much Does It Cost?

If you want to set up your store on WordPress, installing a free plugin alone isn’t enough. In theory, maybe it is—but in reality, it looks completely different. Contrary to popular belief, WooCommerce isn’t that simple, especially if you want a smoothly running online store that generates decent sales. In such cases, you’ll need to hire a developer to implement the platform for you.

1. Cost of creating a WooCommerce store:

• A basic WooCommerce store costs between EUR 1,200 and EUR 4,000 for a small store with basic functionality.
• A moderately advanced WooCommerce store (including integrations with payments, couriers, invoices, and basic design) ranges from EUR 4,000 to EUR 7,500.
• An advanced WooCommerce store with a custom graphic design and specialized integrations (e.g., ERP, dropshipping) costs EUR 7,500 and upwards.

But the implementation itself isn’t everything. When estimating WooCommerce store costs, you must also factor in ongoing expenses, i.e., costs you’ll regularly incur for your e-Commerce to function correctly.

2. WooCommerce maintenance costs – what should you remember?

• Hosting: WooCommerce runs on WordPress, meaning hosting is not included “in the price” – you must take care of it yourself. Costs range from EUR 70 to EUR 400 per year (for a store with moderate traffic).
• Premium plugins (payments, shipping, SEO): A quality plugin typically costs between EUR 70 and EUR 360 per year. However, remember that very few stores function effectively with just one plugin—usually, several are required, multiplying the cost.
• Technical support: If you’re not a developer, you’ll also need to pay for platform maintenance—regular programming tasks required to keep your platform running smoothly and securely. Costs can vary significantly depending on your store’s needs. On average, expect around EUR 120 per month (approximately EUR 1,440 per year).

WooCommerce store pricing – how does it look on paper vs. reality?

Although the WooCommerce plugin itself is “free,” actual costs are far from “zero”:

Item	Cost (annually/example)
Hosting	EUR 70 – EUR 400
Plugins (payments, shipping)	EUR 70 – EUR 360 each
Premium theme	EUR 50 – EUR 200 (one-time or annually)
Technical support	From EUR 1,440
Total	From approximately EUR 2,400 + VAT

How Much Does a WooCommerce Store Actually Cost?

Even a tiny business implementing a simple WooCommerce store must budget at least EUR 1,200 to start, plus several hundred euros more annually for ongoing maintenance. The more advanced your e-commerce is, the more you’ll need to cover implementation and maintenance costs. As you can see, WooCommerce isn’t as free as advertisements claim.

WooCommerce Store – When Is It Worth It, and When Should You Look for an Alternative?

WooCommerce is an excellent choice if: 

✅ You want to launch a simple store quickly. 

✅ You have a limited startup budget. 

✅ You don’t have complex processes (such as integrations with warehouse management, drop shipping, or ERP systems).

However, you should consider alternatives if: 

❌ Your store will have hundreds or thousands of products. 

❌ You plan to sell internationally (across multiple markets). 

❌ You need high performance, security, and speed.

Alternatives to WooCommerce – What Are Your Options?

If a WooCommerce store isn’t suitable for you, you’ll need another platform. Which one? There are quite a few solid options available. Our offer focuses on three platforms: Magento 2, Shopify, and PrestaShop. When should you opt for an open-source engine, and when is Shopify’s subscription model a better choice? Let’s break it down.

Shopify – Ideal if You Want “Peace of Mind”

Shopify is perfect if you want to avoid dealing with server issues, updates, and security concerns. Everything runs in the cloud on a subscription basis.

Cost? From EUR 27/month + transaction fees. There are four plans, so you select the one that best fits your needs and pay accordingly.

Shopify is a good choice if you want to set up your store quickly and easily. Theoretically, you could even set up the store yourself. However, developer support will become necessary if you want more advanced features, customizations, or integrations, increasing your implementation costs.

Developing a Shopify store with advanced functionalities typically requires a budget starting from EUR 7,000.

PrestaShop – Flexible and Scalable 

PrestaShop is an excellent choice for medium-sized stores with growing requirements but not an enormous budget.

Development cost? You can find relatively low-cost offers for around EUR 3,500, but realistically, the PrestaShop price starts from EUR 25,000, depending on complexity.

You won’t implement a PrestaShop store on your own (unless you’re a developer), as technical knowledge is required here. This is why the initial entry barrier is relatively high. However, it’s usually a worthwhile investment because PrestaShop is an open-source engine, which means flexibility. A correctly implemented store on this platform can be developed for years. So, if you decide to introduce a new configurator in a year or start selling in Azerbaijan, you won’t need to migrate your e-Commerce platform. You can easily do it within your existing PrestaShop store.

Who should choose PrestaShop? Medium-sized stores that have extensive needs but do not have the massive budget required by Magento.

Magento 2 – For Large and Demanding Businesses 

Magento 2 development is a significant investment. That’s hardly surprising, given that this platform offers enormous potential, making it ideal for creating extensive online stores with advanced configurators, numerous integrations, multi-channel sales, or even Punchout catalogs.

Such complex platforms come at a price—after all, their implementation can take thousands of hours. And, as we all know, developers don’t work for free.

However, developer work isn’t the only cost contributing to the budget of implementing and maintaining an online store on this platform.

As you can see, we don’t build simple stores with small assortments and minimal customization on this platform. Well… we could, but what’s the point? That would simply be a waste of the budget.

Magento 2 is a platform intended for large businesses – those thinking about scaling, entering foreign markets, integrating with external systems, and automation.

WooCommerce or Something Else – Which One Should You Choose?

Platform	Suitable for	Initial Cost	Maintenance Cost (annually)
WooCommerce	Small stores, simple needs	From EUR 1,200	From EUR 2,400
Shopify	Quick and hassle-free start	From EUR 7,000	Subscription-based
PrestaShop	Medium-sized stores	From EUR 25,000	Depending on requirements
Magento 2	Large, demanding e-Commerce stores	From EUR 50,000	Individually priced

When is WooCommerce a good idea, and when should you choose something else?

WooCommerce is appealing due to its low entry cost, but remember that the actual price of a WordPress-based online store isn’t as low as it initially appears. WooCommerce requires ongoing maintenance, and managing the store might become cumbersome due to technical limitations.

Of course, if you’re just starting in e-Commerce and have a limited budget, WooCommerce can be an excellent starting point. However, if your online business is more complex and requires scalability, international reach, or advanced integrations, choosing platforms like Shopify, PrestaShop, or Magento 2 might be wiser. Each offers greater flexibility, scalability, and specialized features tailored to your business’s growing needs.