Shopify vs WooCommerce vs BigCommerce: How to Choose for Your Store

The question behind the question

Platform debates usually turn into feature lists. A better starting point is who will run the store day to day, and who will look after the technology. A hosted platform runs the software, hosting and checkout for you. A self-hosted platform gives you control and hands you the maintenance. Everything else follows from that.

We have no commercial arrangement with any of these platforms. Our quotes name the platform we recommend and the reasons, and we will build on the one you choose.

At a glance

Shopify: hosted and quick to run

Shopify suits brands that want to focus on products and marketing rather than servers. The checkout is Shopify's own, and Shopify states it is designed to meet PCI DSS version 4 requirements with no additional merchant work^[3]. The trade-offs are monthly fees, reliance on apps for many features and limits on how far the checkout can be changed. As a guide to plan costs, one Australian price guide listed the Basic plan at $56 a month on monthly billing and Shopify Plus at $3,700 a month on a term contract, as at May 2026^[4]. Check current pricing directly with Shopify.

WooCommerce: owned and flexible

WooCommerce runs on WordPress, so it suits businesses with a valuable WordPress site or unusual requirements. It needs suitable hosting; WooCommerce's May 2026 recommendations include WordPress 6.9 or greater, PHP 8.3 or greater, MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.6 or greater, a 256 MB memory limit and HTTPS^[5]. The trade-off is maintenance: updates to WordPress, WooCommerce, the theme and every extension, tested before they reach the live store. One Australian price guide calls a monthly maintenance plan essential for WooCommerce^[6].

BigCommerce: hosted with catalogue depth

BigCommerce is hosted like Shopify and is often compared for larger catalogues, multiple storefronts and selling to business customers with their own price lists. Its headless framework, Catalyst, is described by BigCommerce as a composable, fully customisable headless storefront framework built on Next.js^[2]. The trade-offs are a smaller app ecosystem than Shopify's and plan pricing that steps up with sales volume.

Questions that usually decide it

• Who maintains the technology? If nobody will own updates, a hosted platform is safer.
• Do you already have WordPress content? Years of articles and search traffic can tip the balance to WooCommerce.
• How complex is the catalogue? Many options, variants and customer-specific prices point towards BigCommerce or carefully planned Shopify setups.
• Which apps or integrations are essential? Check that each one exists, is maintained and is priced acceptably on your shortlisted platform.
• How much checkout control do you need? Hosted checkouts limit changes; self-hosted checkouts shift security work to you.
• What will it cost to run each month? Add the plan, apps, extensions, hosting and maintenance, not just the build.

Running costs matter more than build costs

Build quotes get the attention, but monthly costs decide whether a platform suits you over three years. Australian price guides list app and integration costs for Shopify stores from about $50 to $500 or more a month^[4], and treat hosting, paid extensions and maintenance as ongoing costs for WooCommerce^[6]. We give a running-cost estimate for each shortlisted platform with our quote. The cost guide shows typical build ranges.

Switching later

Changing platforms is possible but not free. Products, customers and orders can usually move, customer passwords cannot, and every URL needs a redirect. Google recommends keeping redirects for as long as possible, generally at least a year^[7]. It is worth choosing carefully now, and the migration guide explains what a move involves if you need one.

Our view

For a new Australian brand with a modest catalogue and no developer on staff, a hosted platform is usually the lower-risk start. For a business with a strong WordPress site and someone to look after it, WooCommerce can be the better long-term home. For larger ranges or trade selling, BigCommerce deserves a proper look. Headless is a later step for most stores, not a starting point.