Shopify vs WordPress: choosing the right e-commerce platform for growth

Behind every successful online store is a solid platform. When done right, it powers growth and streamlines day-to-day operations. When done wrong? It leads to mounting complexity, wasted resources and long-term tech debt.

Shopify and WordPress (typically via the WooCommerce plugin) are two of the most popular ecommerce options available. But while Shopify is a dedicated ecommerce platform, WordPress is a content management system that’s been adapted to support selling online. One offers a streamlined, hosted solution built for commerce from the ground up. The other provides total control, but demands time, tech skills, and ongoing maintenance.

So, which is right for your business? Let's break it down.

Shopify is built for businesses that want to launch quickly and manage their store without hiring a development team. The drag-and-drop store builder, pre-designed themes and intuitive admin panel make it accessible to merchants of all sizes. Features like automated updates, built-in hosting and 24/7 customer support mean that technical maintenance is handled for you, allowing businesses to focus on growth. Shopify also includes a growing suite of AI-powered tools like Shopify Magic, designed to help merchants generate product descriptions and automate workflows.

Shopify's user-friendly interface is a major advantage for brands that want to scale fast. The ability to manage everything—from product uploads to order fulfilment—without technical expertise makes Shopify an easy choice for merchants who want to focus on selling, not problem-solving.

WordPress, on the other hand, is a content-first CMS that has been adapted to support ecommerce through WooCommerce. Setting up a WordPress site with ecommerce capabilities requires choosing a hosting provider, installing WordPress and WooCommerce, and configuring various plugins for payments, SEO, security and backups. The flexibility is powerful, but the learning curve can be steep.

While developers appreciate the level of control WordPress offers, non-technical merchants may find the setup and maintenance overwhelming. For these users, Shopify offers a far more approachable experience.

Shopify provides enterprise-grade scalability without merchants having to worry about infrastructure management. Shopify Plus, the platform’s enterprise solution, is designed to handle high-volume transactions, peak traffic spikes and global multi-store operations. Shopify’s 99.98% uptime, globally distributed CDN and automatic server scaling ensure that brands can continue growing without infrastructure bottlenecks. Brands like Allbirds and Gymshark have leveraged Shopify to scale rapidly while maintaining sub-two-second page load speeds, which is crucial for conversion rates.

Unlike platforms that require extensive infrastructure upgrades as they scale, Shopify automatically adjusts server resources and optimises performance across its global cloud network. This means brands can launch seasonal campaigns, flash sales and influencer collaborations without worrying about site crashes or checkout failures.

WordPress can scale effectively, but only with a proper technical setup. Performance is heavily influenced by your choice of hosting provider, server configuration, caching plugins and CDN setup. As traffic increases, brands may find themselves investing more in DevOps and performance tuning to maintain acceptable site speed and reliability. Whilst managed scalable infrastructure exists for WordPress, it can be extremely difficult to set up or expensive.

For brands prioritising long-term growth without added complexity, Shopify offers a scalable infrastructure that eliminates the risks associated with performance bottlenecks.

WordPress is designed for simple content management, but brands can extend it with plugins for full control over design and functionality. It allows for custom workflows, rich content publishing tools and complex product configurations through plugins and custom code. However, with this level of flexibility comes complexity—installing new plugins or updating core software can sometimes cause compatibility issues that need developer intervention.

For brands that need fully custom checkout flows, advanced blogging capabilities or industry-specific workflows, WordPress provides a high degree of freedom. But this freedom comes at a cost—updates to custom-built features often require extensive testing, and maintaining integrations requires ongoing development resources.

Shopify takes a structured approach to flexibility. Through Liquid templating and Shopify Functions, brands can customise their store’s front-end and business logic without modifying the platform’s core.

For 90% of businesses, Shopify offers all the flexibility needed without the overhead of managing custom code, server security or software updates. Brands that require extreme customisation may still prefer WordPress, but Shopify provides a strong middle ground for brands that want to move fast.

WordPress and WooCommerce (the most popular ecommerce plugin to pair with) are free to install, but the real costs lie in hosting, development and ongoing maintenance. Expenses include premium themes and plugins, security tools, performance optimisation and developer retainers. Depending on your setup, total costs can easily exceed those of a hosted solution.

Running a WordPress store means investing in reliable hosting, managing security updates and allocating resources for technical support. Brands that aren’t prepared for these costs often struggle with downtime, plugin conflicts and unexpected compatibility issues when upgrading.

Shopify follows a predictable pricing model. Standard plans range from $29 to $299 per month, with Shopify Plus starting at $2k+ per month. Shopify’s hosted infrastructure means brands don’t need to invest in server maintenance, security patches or performance tuning, significantly reducing long-term costs.

For growing businesses that need cost predictability, Shopify provides a lower total cost of ownership than WordPress while eliminating unexpected expenses related to hosting, development and software maintenance.

Shopify provides access to over 12,000 apps that extend store functionality. The Shopify App Store is carefully curated, ensuring that third-party solutions meet high standards for security, usability and effectiveness. These apps cover everything from advanced SEO optimisation and AI-driven customer engagement to subscription management and logistics automation. Shopify also natively integrates with Meta, Google, TikTok, Amazon and Klaviyo, making omnichannel selling seamless and scalable.

WordPress has a massive library of over 60,000 plugins. This ecosystem offers extensive functionality, but plugin quality and compatibility vary widely. Many e-commerce-specific plugins require careful vetting, configuration and ongoing support. While WooCommerce supports a broad range of integrations, setting them up often requires developer involvement, especially for more complex workflows.

Shopify simplifies logistics with Shopify Shipping, which offers discounted carrier rates, real-time tracking and seamless label printing. Its multi-location inventory system allows merchants to track stock across warehouses and stores, reducing overselling and fulfilment delays. For international selling, Shopify Markets enables brands to manage currency conversions, taxes and region-specific checkout experiences, making cross-border commerce straightforward.

WordPress offers robust inventory and shipping tools through WooCommerce extensions; however, they rely heavily on third-party plugins. While WordPress supports multi-site architecture, enabling businesses to create separate storefronts per region, setting up localisation features like unique pricing and tax compliance requires additional configuration and support. Compared to Shopify’s built-in global selling capabilities, WordPress demands more technical oversight to manage international operations effectively.

Shopify includes built-in SEO tools, automated email marketing integrations and seamless connections to advertising platforms like Google Ads and TikTok. Shopify’s marketing ecosystem allows brands to launch targeted campaigns, track customer behaviour and optimise conversions with minimal technical setup.

A strong example of Shopify’s marketing power is its abandoned cart recovery feature. Klaviyo’s dataset on abandoned cart emails reports an average open rate of 41.18%, a 9.50% click rate, and a revenue per recipient of $5.81, demonstrating the effectiveness of automated follow-ups in converting lost sales. By leveraging Shopify’s email automation and customer engagement tools, merchants can recapture revenue with minimal effort.

WordPress supports advanced marketing strategies but relies on third-party extensions for SEO, email marketing and analytics. While WordPress allows for deeper campaign customisation, merchants must manually install and configure tools like Google Tag Manager, email automation platforms and affiliate tracking software. Unlike Shopify, where these tools integrate natively, WordPress users often require development support to implement advanced marketing automation.

Shopify provides fully managed security with PCI DSS Level 1 compliance, fraud detection tools and automatic security patches. Because Shopify hosts all stores on its own secure cloud infrastructure, merchants don’t have to worry about managing SSL certificates, applying security updates or protecting against DDoS attacks. Shopify’s fraud protection algorithms help merchants identify high-risk transactions, reducing the chances of chargebacks and payment fraud.

With proper protection, configuration and attention, WordPress can be secure, but merchants are responsible for their own security updates, server protections and compliance measures. Since WordPress is self-hosted, merchants are responsible for securing their environment, including regular updates and monitoring for vulnerabilities. Installing third-party plugins or failing to update plugins and WordPress core can expose stores to potential exploits. Businesses running WordPress need dedicated IT support or a managed hosting provider to maintain security at the same level as Shopify.

When it comes to expert recommendations, Shopify consistently ranks as the best choice for most businesses due to its ease of use, scalability, and comprehensive ecosystem.

Forbes Advisor notes that "Shopify is the best all-around e-commerce platform on the market today, offering a balance of usability, customization, and affordability that makes it ideal for businesses of all sizes." (Forbes)

TechRadar highlights Shopify’s user-friendliness and vast app ecosystem, stating that "Shopify’s intuitive design and extensive integrations make it a leading choice for merchants looking for a hassle-free way to launch and scale an online store." (TechRadar)

On the other hand, WordPress is still widely praised for its blogging capabilities and developer flexibility. It remains a viable option for content-first businesses or brands with unique technical needs and in-house expertise.

In independent user and business ratings, G2 ranks Shopify as the leading ecommerce platform, citing its reliability, extensive app ecosystem, and strong customer support, whereas WordPress often ranks lower for e-commerce-specific features.

It’s faster to launch, easier to manage and more cost-effective than WordPress—without sacrificing scalability or flexibility. Shopify empowers brands to focus on growth, not platform maintenance.

Most Shopify migrations are completed using a mix of third-party tools and developer support to ensure accurate transfer of customer data, order history, product catalogues, SEO settings, and site structure are transferred accurately so businesses can switch platforms without disruption. Shopify’s automated solutions help preserve your store’s structure, including product variants, collections, and customer profiles, so nothing gets lost in the transition.

At Series Eight, we ensure a smooth transition by focusing on data integrity, storefront optimisation, and seamless integration with Shopify’s native tools and apps. Our expertise ensures your new store is not only functional from day one but also optimised for long-term growth. We replace previously custom-built WordPress features, eliminating unnecessary development and reducing long-term costs. Shopify’s extensive app ecosystem replaces the need for complex, hard-coded solutions, allowing businesses to scale efficiently without ongoing developer intervention.

A successful migration isn’t just about moving data—it’s about ensuring your Shopify store is optimised for performance, usability, and growth. We ensure that previously custom workflows, integrations, and checkout experiences are translated effectively within Shopify’s framework.

Our team ensures your Shopify store isn’t just a replica of your old WordPress site—it’s an upgrade. We optimise for better efficiency, improved user experience, and long-term scalability, so you’re not just migrating—you’re future-proofing your business. Replatforming is more than just moving data—it’s an opportunity to streamline operations, improve site performance, and reduce long-term costs. Shopify ensures that brands migrating from WordPress can focus on growth, not platform maintenance.