Security, offline and access rules that differ between Shopify and WooCommerce. Rows where both tools are the same (1) are left out; the full side-by-side is on each tool’s page: Shopify, WooCommerce.
PartialThe Shopify POS app can complete checkouts offline with cash, custom payment methods and (once activated) card payments on supported readers; customers, gift cards, returns and inventory/order sync need internet, and orders sync automatically on reconnect.source
Not documented
Offline limits
Offline card payments need POS app 9.14.0+, a supported Shopify reader, a staff permission, and are capped by per-device daily and per-transaction limits.source
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Office & room hardware
Shopify POS runs on iOS/Android and supports Shopify card readers (POS Go, POS Terminal, Tap & Chip and others) plus retail hardware such as barcode scanners and cash drawers.source
POS mode in the Woo mobile app accepts card payments via an M2 reader (US) or WisePad 3 reader (UK and other supported countries), Tap to Pay, or an Android phone as a remote reader.source
You have single sign-on in Shopify but we found none documented for WooCommerce. Plan how people will sign in, and how you will remove leavers, before cut-over.
People who rely on Shopify offline will lose that: WooCommerce doesn’t document an offline mode. Tell field and travelling staff before the switch.
Checked September 19, 2026 against each vendor’s own trust center, help docs and app pages. Hover or tap “source” to see the exact wording we relied on. “Not published” means we could not find the vendor saying it on its own site; it doesn’t mean the feature is missing. Plan names are the lowest plan the vendor says includes the feature. Security · Offline · Remote vs office · Download the data
ECOMMERCE PLATFORMS · MIGRATION GUIDE
Switching from Shopify to WooCommerce
Switching from Shopify to WooCommerce trades a fully hosted e-commerce platform for a self-hosted WordPress plugin with lower recurring software costs but more technical responsibility.
Quick verdict: Worth considering for merchants who want to avoid Shopify’s transaction fees and app costs and are comfortable managing their own WordPress hosting, especially since WooCommerce’s Marketplace Shopify-import extension covers more data types than Shopify’s own migration tool does in reverse.
Why teams switch from Shopify to WooCommerce
No platform transaction fees
WooCommerce itself charges no transaction fees (only your payment processor’s standard fees), unlike Shopify’s additional fees on non-Shopify Payments transactions.
Full ownership of store code and data
Because WooCommerce is self-hosted, merchants have direct database access and aren’t dependent on Shopify’s app store or platform limitations.
Lower baseline software cost
WooCommerce itself is free; ongoing costs come from hosting, a theme, and any premium extensions, which can undercut Shopify’s monthly subscription for smaller stores.
Estimate the real hidden cost of moving from Shopify to WooCommerce, not just the subscription price.
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Estimated migration time
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Data friction rating
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Total hidden switching cost
Data mapping & cleaning labor—
Migration / cleaning tooling fees—
Team retraining overhead—
Switching friction buffer (10%)—
Assumes a blended $45/hr internal labor rate, using WooCommerce’s native importer. Adjust the sliders to match your team.
How to migrate your data
WooCommerce’s Marketplace Shopify-import extension is more comprehensive than most e-commerce migration tools, covering several data types beyond just products.
Step
What happens
1Set up WordPress and WooCommerce
Install WordPress on your chosen hosting provider, then install and activate the WooCommerce plugin.
2Purchase and install the Shopify import extension
Buy WooCommerce’s Marketplace extension ‘Migrate & Import Shopify to WooCommerce’ (by FmeAddons) and connect it to your Shopify store.
3Import products, customers, and orders
Run the import for products (titles, prices, images, categories, stock), customers, orders, and coupons, using the extension’s filters to control what’s included.
4Import pages and blog content
Bring over Shopify’s CMS pages and blog posts (with tags and featured images) through the same extension.
5Recreate theme design and checkout settings
Choose a WooCommerce-compatible theme and manually rebuild your storefront design, shipping rules, and tax settings, since these don’t transfer.
6Set up 301 redirects and test checkout
Map old Shopify product and collection URLs to their new WooCommerce equivalents, then test the full checkout flow before going live.
What WooCommerce’s importer doesn’t handle: The WooCommerce Marketplace import extension covers products, customers, orders, coupons, pages, and blog posts, but store design, checkout configuration, and app-specific data (like reviews or subscriptions from Shopify apps) still need manual rebuilding.
Pricing during the transition
Shopify bundles hosting and software into one subscription; WooCommerce is free software with separate hosting and extension costs.
Plan
Shopify
WooCommerce
Free plan
No permanent free plan — 3-day free trial only
WooCommerce plugin: free, but requires paid WordPress hosting
Managed WooCommerce hosting: price depends on the host you choose
WooCommerce itself is free and open-source, so real cost depends on hosting quality, theme, and any premium extensions you add, including the paid Shopify-import extension used for this migration.
Feature-parity checklist
Shopify offers a more turnkey experience; WooCommerce trades that for lower fees and more control.
Feature
Shopify
WooCommerce equivalent
Transaction fees on non-native payments
Extra fee unless using Shopify Payments
No platform fee, only your payment processor’s standard rate
Hosting and uptime management
Fully managed by Shopify
Self-managed via your WordPress host
App/plugin ecosystem
Large, curated Shopify App Store
Massive WordPress plugin ecosystem, more variable quality
Built-in POS
Native Shopify POS
Requires a separate WooCommerce POS extension
Official migration tooling
Store Migration app imports from WooCommerce (early access, products only)
Paid WooCommerce Marketplace extension (by FmeAddons, not Woo) imports products, customers, orders, coupons, pages, and blog posts from Shopify
Is the Shopify-to-WooCommerce migration extension free?
No, it’s a paid WooCommerce Marketplace extension (Migrate & Import Shopify to WooCommerce, by FmeAddons), priced at $79 for a 1-year plan or $126.40 for a 2-year plan as of September 2026.
Does the migration bring over my Shopify store design?
No, only data (products, customers, orders, coupons, pages, blog posts) transfers; the storefront design and theme must be rebuilt in WooCommerce separately.
Will my Shopify apps (reviews, subscriptions, etc.) migrate too?
No, third-party Shopify app data generally doesn’t transfer and needs an equivalent WooCommerce plugin plus manual reconfiguration.
How do I avoid losing SEO rankings during the move?
Set up 301 redirects from every old Shopify product, collection, and page URL to its new WooCommerce equivalent before going live.
Is WooCommerce cheaper than Shopify long-term?
Often yes for smaller stores once you factor in Shopify’s transaction fees and app costs, but larger stores may spend more on managed WooCommerce hosting and developer support than expected.
Canonical data for the tools on this page
Every pricing fact, rating, AI billing model and switching guide we hold on each tool, on one page, with the date each figure was last verified.
Prices on this page were recorded from each vendor’s own pricing page on the date shown at the top of the page. Vendors change pricing often — check the live source before you buy.
Verified prices costed for your team size, a check against your must-have requirements, the questions to settle before you sign, and a source for every figure. Print it, or paste it into an email to whoever approves the spend.
Built for the leader who owns the selection, answers for the spend, drives the rollout, and lives with the results. HelpCompare covers the whole decision, not just the first step.
Engineer by training, operator by experience, marketer by choice. Bill spent eight and a half years as an engineer at HP, was COO of Auctiva (the number one third-party selling platform on eBay, past 200,000 users) and ran Google’s $70M/year search syndication partnership at Alot.com. Then he spent 13 years building his own web properties with his own money at stake. He has bought, trialled, integrated and cancelled more SaaS tools than he can count, and started HelpCompare because the real cost of switching tools is the part nobody covers.
“I’ve sat on both sides of the table: the agency recommending the tool and the client paying for it.”
Researched and fact-checked by the HelpCompare team. Pricing on this page was last verified on September 16, 2026. No paid sponsorships, no affiliate commissions.
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