WordPress vs WooCommerce
WordPress scores 7.9/10, WooCommerce 7.6/10. Where each one wins, what they cost and who should pick which, side by side.
The short answer
WordPress scores 7.9/10 and WooCommerce scores 7.6/10 on our rubric. WordPress is the stronger all-round pick.
WordPress leads on design, flexibility, and value. WooCommerce leads on ease of use and support.
WordPress starts at $0/mo and has a free plan; WooCommerce starts at $0/mo and has a free plan. They start at the same price.
| WordPress | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 7.9 | 7.6 |
| From | $0 | $0 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Sells online | Yes | Yes |
| Code export | Yes | Yes |
| Ease of use | 5.6 | 5.8 |
| Design | 7.8 | 7.2 |
| Flexibility | 9.8 | 9.4 |
| Value | 9.2 | 8.8 |
| Support | 6.4 | 6.6 |
What WordPress does well
- Powers a large share of the web, so every problem has been solved by someone already
- Tens of thousands of themes and plugins
- You own the site outright and can move it to any host
What WooCommerce does well
- Free core, you own everything
- Endless plugins
- No transaction fees
Who each one is for
WordPress. Content-heavy sites, anyone who wants to own the stack outright, and projects where a specific plugin solves a problem no hosted builder addresses. If the site will live for years and change often, the ownership pays for itself.
WooCommerce. Merchants already running WordPress, stores needing unusual logic a hosted platform will not allow, and anyone determined to own the whole stack. At high volume with good hosting, the economics can beat hosted platforms decisively.
Pricing side by side
WordPress
| WordPress.org | Free software | you pay for hosting, a domain and any premium plugins or themes |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress.com Personal | $4/mo first year, then $5 | billed yearly, 6 GB, no ads, plugins allowed |
| WordPress.com Premium | $8/mo first year, then $9 | 13 GB, all premium themes, payment buttons, video |
| WordPress.com Business | $25/mo first year, then $28 | 50 GB, SSH and Git deploys, real-time backups, priority support |
| WordPress.com Commerce | $45/mo first year, then $50 | WooCommerce store features on top of Business |
WooCommerce
| WooCommerce core | Free | no subscription, no revenue share, unlimited products and orders |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | $25–$350/mo | WooCommerce's own range for most stores; scales with traffic |
| Extensions | $29–$299/year each | subscriptions, bookings, advanced shipping and similar add-ons |
| WooPayments | ~2.5–2.9% + 30¢ | card processing; any other gateway works with no extra platform fee |
What a year costs
WordPress
WordPress.com's headline prices are introductory. On yearly billing, Personal is $4 a month for the first year and renews at $5; Premium goes from $8 to $9, Business from $25 to $28 and Commerce from $45 to $50. Paying monthly is much more expensive, from $9 a month for Personal to $70 for Commerce, and two- and three-year terms are cheaper still. Budget on the renewal figure, not the first-year one.
Plan price after the first year
WooCommerce
WooCommerce publishes its own cost model, and it is open about where the money goes. The core platform costs nothing. Hosting runs from about $25 to $350 a month for most stores, depending on traffic and how much performance you need. Extensions, which is where features like subscriptions, bookings or advanced shipping live, cost $29 to $299 a year each. Payment processing is whatever your chosen provider charges, with no extra fee from WooCommerce on top.
HostingPaid extensions
Who should skip each one
WordPress
Someone who wants to be online this afternoon and never think about the site again. Every hosted builder here beats it on time-to-live and on not having to care about updates.
WooCommerce
A first store with no technical support. Every problem a hosted platform absorbs silently becomes yours, and commerce failures cost money while you fix them.
The bottom line
WordPress
Choose WordPress when you want to own your site outright and expect it to grow into something other builders cannot contain. For most people, WordPress.com's Personal or Premium plan is the sensible way in; developers and content-heavy businesses should look at Business or self-hosting.
WooCommerce
Choose WooCommerce if you already run WordPress, want to own the store completely, or sell in a country where hosted platforms charge you extra for your payment provider. Budget for good hosting and a handful of extensions, and for someone to keep it updated.
Questions people ask
Is WordPress better than WooCommerce?
WordPress scores 7.9/10 and WooCommerce scores 7.6/10 on our rubric. WordPress is the stronger all-round pick. WordPress leads on design, flexibility, and value. WooCommerce leads on ease of use and support.
Which is cheaper, WordPress or WooCommerce?
WordPress starts at $0/mo and has a free plan; WooCommerce starts at $0/mo and has a free plan. They start at the same price.
Which is easier to use, WordPress or WooCommerce?
WooCommerce scores 5.8/10 for ease of use against WordPress at 5.6/10.
Do WordPress and WooCommerce have a free plan?
Both WordPress and WooCommerce have a free plan.
Can you sell online with WordPress and WooCommerce?
Both WordPress and WooCommerce can take payments and run a store.
Can you move your site off WordPress or WooCommerce?
Both WordPress and WooCommerce let you export your code.
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