Why stores consider moving
Shopify is an excellent platform, and plenty of stores should stay on it. The businesses that move to WooCommerce usually do so for one or more of these reasons:
- Control and ownership. WooCommerce is open-source software running on hosting you choose. You own the code, the data and the infrastructure.
- Content. WordPress was built for publishing. Stores where guides, articles and landing pages drive sales often find WordPress more flexible for content and SEO.
- Costs that have crept up. App subscriptions add up, and Shopify charges additional transaction fees if you use a third-party payment gateway instead of Shopify Payments.
- Custom requirements. Unusual product configurations, B2B pricing, complex integrations or custom checkout flows can be easier to build on an open platform.
And the common reasons not to move: you want hosting, security and updates handled entirely for you; your store depends on Shopify-only features or apps with no good WordPress equivalent; or you don’t have budget for ongoing maintenance.
The real cost comparison
It’s tempting to compare Shopify’s monthly plan with “WooCommerce is free”, but that isn’t the real comparison.
| Cost area | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Monthly plan | Free software |
| Hosting | Included | You pay for hosting suited to your traffic |
| Payment fees | Card processing; extra transaction fee if not using Shopify Payments | Card processing through your chosen gateway |
| Features | Apps, often monthly subscriptions | Extensions, often annual licences, some free |
| Maintenance & security | Handled by Shopify | Your responsibility, or a maintenance plan |
| Theme | Free or paid themes | Free, paid, or custom theme |
For some stores the annual total goes down after a move; for others it’s similar or higher, but with more control. Work out your actual numbers: current plan, apps, transaction fees, versus hosting, extension licences and maintenance.
What transfers, and what doesn't
Usually transfers (with mapping and checking): products and variants, product images and descriptions, collections (as categories), customer accounts and addresses, historical orders as records, pages and blog posts, and SEO titles and descriptions.
Needs rebuilding: your theme and design, apps (replaced by plugins or custom work), discount logic, shipping and tax setup, checkout and email templates, and redirects.
Can’t transfer:
- Customer passwords. Stored as one-way hashes that WooCommerce can’t use. Customers reset their password on first login.
- Saved payment methods. Card details stored by payment providers can’t be moved between platforms by a store owner. Customers re-enter them.
- Data that lives inside apps, unless the app offers an export.
- Shopify-only features and Shopify Payments payout history.
Subscriptions deserve special attention: recurring payments are tied to the payment provider and subscription app, so they need their own plan.
What happens to your URLs
Shopify uses fixed URL patterns. WooCommerce’s are different, so every URL changes unless you customise the permalinks:
| Shopify | WooCommerce (default) |
|---|---|
/products/blue-mug | /product/blue-mug/ |
/collections/mugs | /product-category/mugs/ |
/pages/about-us | /about-us/ |
/blogs/news/spring-sale | a blog URL of your choosing |
Every old URL needs a one-to-one 301 redirect to its new equivalent, including the product-in-collection URLs Shopify generates (/collections/mugs/products/blue-mug). Without redirects, links, bookmarks and search rankings point at dead pages. With them, search engines transfer signals to the new URLs, though some short-term fluctuation is normal.
We migrate products, customers and order history where supported, rebuild the store and redirect every URL.
What the migration process looks like
- Audit the store: products, variants, apps, integrations, payment and shipping setup, and every URL with traffic.
- Decide on design and features: rebuild the current look, refine it, or redesign; decide what replaces each app.
- Import data to a staging WooCommerce site: products, customers, orders.
- Rebuild the theme, checkout, shipping, tax and emails.
- Test with real carts across products, coupons, shipping zones and payment gateways.
- Plan launch: a short order freeze at a quiet time, a final import of new orders and customers, DNS switch, redirects live.
- Communicate with customers about password resets, and watch the first days of real orders closely.
Questions to answer before deciding
- What exactly isn’t working on Shopify, and would WooCommerce actually fix it?
- Which apps do you depend on, and what replaces each one?
- Who will maintain, update and secure the store after launch?
- Do you sell subscriptions, and how will recurring payments move?
- What’s the full annual cost on each platform, honestly calculated?
- Is now a good time? Avoid migrating just before your busiest season.
So, should you move?
Move if control, content and flexibility matter more to you than having everything managed, and you have a plan (or a partner) for ongoing maintenance. Stay if Shopify does what you need and the main complaint is cost that a few app changes could fix.
If you decide to go ahead, our Shopify to WordPress migration service covers products, customers, redirects and testing. WooCommerce’s own migration documentation is also worth reading.
Frequently asked questions
Is WooCommerce cheaper than Shopify?
Sometimes. You swap Shopify’s plan and apps for hosting, extension licences and maintenance. Calculate your real annual costs on both before deciding.
Can customers keep their passwords?
No. Shopify stores passwords in a form WooCommerce can’t use, so customers set a new password on first login.
Can I move my order history?
Usually, as historical records attached to customer accounts. What’s exportable can depend on your Shopify plan.
Will I lose search rankings?
Every Shopify URL changes, so one-to-one 301 redirects are essential. With them, rankings are usually maintained, with some short-term fluctuation.
How long does a Shopify to WooCommerce migration take?
It depends on catalogue size, design and the apps being replaced. Small stores can move in weeks; complex stores take longer.
About this guide
We build, repair, move and maintain WordPress and WooCommerce websites for businesses in the UAE, US, UK and Canada. This guide reflects how we approach the problem in client work, checked against the official documentation linked in the text. Published 16 October 2026.
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