Shopify vs WooCommerce
An honest, no-nonsense comparison for NZ businesses. We'll help you figure out which e-commerce platform is actually right for your online store.
The Short Answer
Choose Shopify if...
You want something simple and don't mind paying more for convenience. Shopify is best for NZ businesses that want a simple, managed solution and don't need heavy customisation. It's like renting a shop. Easy to move in, but you play by someone else's rules.
Choose WooCommerce if...
You want full control and lower long-term costs. WooCommerce is the best choice for NZ businesses that want full control over their online store and want to avoid ongoing transaction fees. It's like owning your own building. More effort to set up, but it's yours.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Here's how Shopify and WooCommerce stack up across the things that actually matter for NZ online stores.
Monthly Cost
Monthly Cost
Transaction Fees
Transaction Fees
Ease of Use
Ease of Use
Design Customisation
Design Customisation
SEO
SEO
NZ Payment Gateways
NZ Payment Gateways
Scalability
Scalability
Ownership
Ownership
Shopify: The Managed Option
Shopify is a hosted e-commerce platform. That means they handle the servers, security updates, and technical stuff. You sign up, pick a theme, add your products, and you're selling. It's the easiest way to get an online store up and running.
For NZ businesses, Shopify works well if you've got a smaller product catalogue and want something you can manage without a developer. The dashboard is clean and the checkout process is solid out of the box.
Shopify Pros
- Dead simple to set up and manage
- Hosting, security, and updates are all handled for you
- Good app store for basic extensions
- Reliable uptime and performance
- 24/7 support available
Shopify Cons
- Transaction fees on every sale (unless using Shopify Payments)
- Monthly costs add up, especially on higher plans
- Limited design customisation compared to WooCommerce
- You don't own your store. Shopify can change terms anytime
- Moving away from Shopify means rebuilding from scratch
- Some NZ payment gateways aren't fully supported
WooCommerce: The Full Control Option
WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin for WordPress. It turns any WordPress site into a full online store. You need your own hosting, but that means you own everything and can customise it however you want.
For NZ businesses, WooCommerce is the best e-commerce platform if you want a store that's built around how your business actually works, not the other way around. It supports all NZ payment gateways, handles GST properly, and gives you complete control over your customer data.
WooCommerce Pros
- No transaction fees from the platform itself
- Completely customisable. Change anything you want
- You own your store, your data, and your code
- Better SEO capabilities with WordPress plugins
- Supports all NZ payment gateways (Afterpay, POLi, Windcave, Stripe)
- Huge plugin ecosystem with thousands of free extensions
- Lower long-term costs, especially as sales grow
- No vendor lock-in. You can move hosts anytime
WooCommerce Cons
- Requires more initial setup than Shopify
- You're responsible for hosting, backups, and security
- Needs a developer for custom work and complex configurations
- Plugin updates need managing to avoid conflicts
Which Should You Choose?
Forget the hype. Here's what actually matters based on your situation.
Choose Shopify if...
- You want a hands-off, managed solution
- You don't want to worry about hosting or security updates
- You have a small product catalogue (under 100 products)
- You need to get selling quickly and don't need custom features
- You're not technical and don't want to hire a developer
- You're okay paying transaction fees for convenience
Choose WooCommerce if...
- You want full control over your store's design and functionality
- You already have a WordPress website
- You need custom features that Shopify can't handle
- You want to avoid paying transaction fees on every sale
- You have a larger product catalogue or complex product types
- You care about SEO and want maximum control over rankings
- You want to own your data and code with no platform lock-in
- You're building a long-term business and want lower ongoing costs
NZ-Specific Considerations
Running an online store in New Zealand has some unique requirements. Here's how each platform handles them.
NZ Payment Gateways
WooCommerce supports all major NZ payment gateways including Afterpay, POLi, Windcave (Payment Express), Stripe, and bank transfer. Shopify supports Stripe and Shopify Payments, but POLi and Windcave integration is more limited. If your customers want to pay with POLi or you need Windcave for eftpos integration, WooCommerce is the safer bet.
GST Handling
Both platforms can handle 15% GST. WooCommerce lets you configure GST-inclusive or exclusive pricing with flexible tax rules. Shopify handles GST well too, but WooCommerce gives you more control over how GST is displayed and calculated, which is handy for B2B stores that need to show ex-GST pricing.
NZ Shipping Providers
Both platforms integrate with NZ Post, CourierPost, and Aramex (Fastway). WooCommerce has more NZ-specific shipping plugins available, including real-time rate calculators for NZ couriers. If you're shipping within NZ, either platform will work. WooCommerce just gives you more options.
NZD Currency Support
Both platforms support NZD. Shopify can handle multi-currency with Shopify Payments. WooCommerce supports NZD as your base currency and can add multi-currency with plugins. For most NZ businesses selling domestically, both handle NZD without any issues.
Real Cost Comparison (NZD)
Here's what you'd actually pay over a year with each platform. We're using realistic NZ figures, not marketing numbers.
Shopify (Basic Plan)
WooCommerce
Note: These figures don't include the initial cost of building the store (design and development). Both platforms may require professional setup if you want a polished, conversion-optimised store. Payment gateway processing fees (Stripe, Windcave, etc.) apply to both platforms equally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shopify or WooCommerce better for NZ businesses?
It depends on what you need. Shopify is great if you want a simple, managed solution and don't need much customisation. WooCommerce is the best choice for NZ businesses that want full control over their online store, need custom functionality, and want to avoid ongoing transaction fees. Most NZ businesses we work with choose WooCommerce because it gives them more flexibility and lower long-term costs.
Which is cheaper: Shopify or WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is cheaper in most cases. Shopify Basic costs about $58 NZD per month, plus transaction fees on every sale (unless you use Shopify Payments). WooCommerce hosting runs about $15-40 NZD per month with no platform transaction fees. The savings really add up as your sales volume grows. On $50,000 in annual sales, you could save over $1,000 per year with WooCommerce.
Can I use Afterpay and POLi with WooCommerce?
Yes. WooCommerce supports all the popular NZ payment gateways including Afterpay, POLi, Windcave (Payment Express), Stripe, bank transfer, and more. There are well-maintained plugins for each. Shopify's support for POLi and Windcave is more limited, so if those gateways are important for your customers, WooCommerce is the better option.
Is WooCommerce harder to set up than Shopify?
The initial setup takes more work than Shopify, yes. You need hosting, WordPress, and the WooCommerce plugin. But once it's set up properly, managing your store day-to-day is straightforward. Adding products, processing orders, and managing inventory is all done through the WordPress dashboard. If you work with a WooCommerce specialist like Webscape, the setup is handled for you and you get a store that's built to perform.
Which platform is better for SEO: Shopify or WooCommerce?
WooCommerce wins on SEO. WordPress gives you full control over your URL structure, meta data, headings, schema markup, and internal linking. Plugins like Yoast SEO and RankMath make on-page SEO straightforward. Shopify's SEO is decent but more limited. You can't fully control URL slugs, and the built-in blogging is basic. For NZ businesses wanting to rank on Google, WooCommerce gives you more tools to work with.
Can I migrate from Shopify to WooCommerce?
Yes, migration is very doable. Products, customer data, and order history can all be moved across. The main things to plan carefully are URL redirects (to preserve your SEO rankings), payment gateway configuration, and recreating your design. We handle Shopify to WooCommerce migrations for NZ businesses and make sure nothing gets lost in the process.
Need help building your online store?
Webscape are WooCommerce specialists in Christchurch who build custom online stores without templates. We've built stores for NZ businesses of all sizes, from small startups to established brands.
Whether you're starting fresh or migrating from Shopify, we'll build you a WooCommerce store that looks great, works perfectly, and doesn't charge you fees on every sale.