True cost comparison — not just what the pricing page says
Quick Verdict
WooCommerce saves you 5%
Best for WooCommerce
Free WordPress ecommerce plugin. No transaction fees, fully customizable, but requires hosting + ext
Best for WordPress
The world's most popular CMS powering 43% of all websites. Free and open-source, but hosting, themes
Free WordPress ecommerce plugin. No transaction fees, fully customizable, but re...
Advertised
$0
/month
True Cost
$400
/month (typical)
Hosting + Performance
WooCommerce needs WordPress hosting capable of handling ecommerce traffic. Managed WooCommerce hosti...
Payment Processing
Stripe/PayPal charge 2.9% + $0.30. On $10K/mo revenue = $320/mo in fees. No way around this....
Extensions & Plugins
Subscriptions ($199/yr), memberships ($199/yr), bookings ($249/yr), shipping ($79-199/yr). Average s...
The world's most popular CMS powering 43% of all websites. Free and open-source,...
Advertised
$0
/month
True Cost
$105
/month (typical)
Hosting Required
WordPress.org is free but requires paid hosting. Shared hosting $5-15/mo, managed WordPress hosting ...
Premium Plugins
Most useful plugins are paid: SEO ($99/yr), security ($99/yr), forms ($49/yr), backups ($24/yr). Ave...
Theme & Maintenance
Premium themes $50-200 one-time. Security updates, compatibility patches, and performance optimizati...
WooCommerce advertises $0/mo. WordPress advertises $0/mo.
WooCommerce has 3 documented hidden fees. WordPress has 3.
WooCommerce confidence: 75%. WordPress confidence: 78%.
| Metric | WooCommerce | WordPress | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised Price | $0/mo | $0/mo | WooCommerce |
| True Monthly Cost | $400/mo | $105/mo | WordPress |
| Hidden Fee Total | +$400/mo | +$105/mo | WordPress |
| # Hidden Fees | 3 | 3 | WooCommerce |
| Confidence Score | 75% | 78% | WordPress |
| Pricing Tiers | 0 | 0 | — |
| Affiliate Program | None | None | — |
WooCommerce advertises $0/mo and WordPress advertises $0/mo. However, when you include hidden fees, WooCommerce has 3 documented hidden fees adding +$400/mo, while WordPress has 3 hidden fees adding +$105/mo. Based on true cost, WooCommerce is typically 5% cheaper.
WooCommerce has 3 documented hidden fees: Hosting + Performance, Payment Processing, Extensions & Plugins. These add approximately +$400/mo on top of the $0/mo advertised price.
WordPress has 3 documented hidden fees: Hosting Required, Premium Plugins, Theme & Maintenance. These add approximately +$105/mo on top of the $0/mo advertised price.
Choose WooCommerce if: Free WordPress ecommerce plugin. No transaction fees, fully customizable, but requires hosting + ext. Choose WordPress if: The world's most popular CMS powering 43% of all websites. Free and open-source, but hosting, themes. The right choice depends on your team size, usage volume, and which features you need most.
This comparison is based on manual research of official pricing pages, terms of service, and user reports. WooCommerce data has a 75% confidence score and WordPress has 78%. Prices were last verified in April 2026. For the most accurate estimate, enter your specific usage in our calculator.
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