Web builders
Ecommerce platform and web builder comparisons
Choosing between Shopify, WooCommerce and Wix isn't really about features — it's about where you want to spend your time. Hosted convenience, WordPress flexibility or drag-and-drop simplicity. Our comparisons weigh total cost of ownership, fees, SEO control and exit cost so the trade-off is clear.
Last reviewed: April 2026
Featured comparison
Shopify vs WooCommerce vs Wix
Three platforms, three different shapes — hosted convenience, WordPress flexibility, drag-and-drop simplicity — compared for serious online stores.
Winner: Shopify →
What actually differentiates a web builder
Feature-by-feature tables miss what matters. These are the six dimensions that determine whether a platform is the right long-term home for your store.
Total cost of ownership
Monthly subscription is the cheap bit. Real cost includes transaction fees, app subscriptions, theme licences, payment processor margins and developer time. A £19/month Basic plan can easily run £80/month once you add the essentials.
Flexibility vs convenience
Hosted platforms (Shopify, Wix) limit what you can customise in exchange for handling infrastructure, security and updates. Open platforms (WooCommerce) give total control and make you responsible for the parts that break.
Payment and transaction fees
Shopify charges a 2% transaction fee on non-Shopify-Payments stores — a serious hidden cost if you need a specific processor. WooCommerce lets you pick any gateway. Always model the fee impact on your expected revenue, not your current revenue.
SEO and performance
Both affect organic traffic. Shopify's URL structure and template speed are solid. WooCommerce performance depends entirely on hosting. Wix has improved from its historically-poor SEO reputation but still lags the others for technical control.
Scaling and internationalisation
Multi-currency, multi-language, B2B pricing, large catalogues. Shopify scales gracefully up to enterprise (Shopify Plus). WooCommerce scales with good hosting and developer time. Wix has ceilings that are easy to hit.
Exit cost
How hard is it to leave? Shopify and Wix lock design and content into their platform — migration is painful. WooCommerce lives in WordPress, which means exports and migration paths are better. Worth weighing if you think you'll outgrow the platform.
Need a different angle?
The comparison above covers the three platforms most online stores shortlist. If your situation is different — enterprise scale, content-first site, dropshipping fit — build your own on Comparia with the platforms and criteria that match.
Build your own web builder comparison →Frequently asked questions
Which ecommerce platform is best for most businesses in 2026?
Shopify wins overall for most online stores — it handles payments, hosting, updates and security, has the strongest app ecosystem, and scales from £19 to enterprise. WooCommerce is better if you need full control and are comfortable with WordPress. Wix works for very small stores with simple catalogues and no growth ambition.
Is WooCommerce really free?
The WooCommerce plugin is free, but running a WooCommerce store isn't. Expect monthly costs of £15 to £40 for hosting, £30-100/year for a decent theme, £10-30/month for essential plugins (security, backups, SEO) and your own time or a developer's for setup and maintenance. The total is usually similar to Shopify Basic by the time you've built a production store.
Shopify's transaction fee on non-Shopify-Payments — how much is it really?
2% on the Basic plan, 1% on Shopify and 0.5% on Advanced. That's on top of your chosen payment processor's fee, so a store using Stripe on Shopify Basic pays 2% (Shopify) + 1.5% + 20p (Stripe) = 3.5% + 20p per UK card transaction. On £500,000 of revenue that's £5,000 a year you could have kept by either switching to Shopify Payments or to WooCommerce.
Which platform is best for SEO?
Shopify and WooCommerce are roughly equivalent on technical SEO for most stores. WooCommerce gives you more control over URL structure, meta tags, schema markup and performance tuning — powerful if you know what to do with it. Shopify's defaults are sensible, which is often better than WooCommerce's full flexibility if nobody on the team is going to tune it.
Can I migrate from one platform to another later?
Yes, but it's rarely painless. Shopify has migration tools and agencies. WooCommerce exports include products and orders but not design. Wix is the hardest to leave because content is locked into Wix's rendering layer. Factor the exit cost into your choice upfront — it's cheaper to pick right than to migrate.
Weighing platforms for your specific needs?
Describe your store — product count, expected revenue, team skills — and Comparia weighs the platforms against your priorities rather than a generic average.
Start a platform comparisonHow Comparia evaluates web builders
Every platform comparison starts with the six weighted criteria above. Pricing is modelled on realistic total cost (subscription plus essentials), not the advertised starter rate. We verify features against current vendor documentation and flag where we couldn't test first-hand.
Comparia does not accept payment from platforms. Some provider links are affiliate links which support the site at no cost to you. Recommendations are based on structured analysis.