HikaShop vs WooCommerce (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HikaShop grades higher than WooCommerce: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
HikaShop grades higher on value for money. WooCommerce grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HikaShop
Ecommerce extension for Joomla and WordPress sites
Free plan · from €60/yr
WooCommerce
Free, open-source store plugin for WordPress that you host yourself
Free plan
Which one is for you
Pick HikaShop if
- Fits if you already have a Joomla or WordPress site and want to add a shop
- Makes sense if you want a cheap yearly licence for one site
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't run Joomla or WordPress, as it works only inside them
- Tight if you stay free: guest checkout, wishlist and personal email support are paid
- Watch out: paid editions cover one site for one year, and extending costs €40 or €70 a year
- Watch out: prices are in euros, and EU buyers without a VAT number pay tax at checkout
Pick WooCommerce if
- Fits if you already have a WordPress site and want to add a shop to it
- Works for picking your own payment provider with no platform fee on sales
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to deal with hosting, updates, backups and security
- Not for you if you want one simple bill, as hosting at $25 to $350 a month and extensions are paid separately
- Watch out: many features are paid extensions at $29 to $299 a year each
- Tight if you ship a lot, since labels come through outside services such as ShipStation or Shippo
- Watch out: card fees depend on your processor; Woo gives about 2.5% to 2.9% + 30¢ for WooPayments
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAHikaShopFair | 2.2GPAWooCommerceFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AEssential is €60 a year for one site, about €5 a month, under 60% of the category's $20 cheap start. Business is €120 a year. | CThe plugin is free, but a store needs hosting, which Woo puts at $25 to $350 a month, plus paid extensions at $29 to $299 a year each. So call it $25 a month and up, the ordinary middle here. Woo takes no fee on sales, whichever payment provider you use. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe Starter edition is free with unlimited products and orders, variants, inventory and tax rules. One site could run on it, with forum support. | BThe whole plugin is free and open source, with unlimited products and orders and no revenue share, so one person could run a shop on it for years. It isn't an A because a live store can't run without paid hosting. |
| Features | CCatalog, inventory, international selling and marketing tools. Guest checkout and wishlist need Essential, and the API and mobile app need Business. | CProducts, carts, checkout and orders are all in the free core, any payment provider works, and the app takes payments in person. But a lot sits in extensions, many of them paid, and shipping labels come through outside services such as ShipStation or Shippo. |
| Ease of use | DNo rating on record. You need your own Joomla or WordPress site on your own hosting, and the vendor says it supports MySQL only. | DYou host it yourself: WordPress, a web host, and updates, backups and security on you or your host. The phone app's 4.75 from about 7,800 App Store ratings is for running orders once the store is up, not for getting it up. |
| Platforms and integrations | CRuns inside Joomla or WordPress only, with Stripe and PayPal links. The mobile app is Business only. | BWeb, plus a free iPhone and Android app, with Stripe, ShipStation, Shippo, Easyship, Klaviyo, Google, TikTok and Pinterest, and no cap on API use. No desktop app, so B is the ceiling. |
| Best for | a shop inside an existing Joomla or WordPress site | adding a store to a WordPress site |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: HikaShop and WooCommerce. How we grade
Where they differ
- WooCommerce is open source, according to its own site.
- HikaShop also covers templates and inventory.
In commonFree planWebSelf-hostablePublic APIOnline store
At a glance
| HikaShop | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | €60 per year for 1 site | Not published |
| Free plan | Starter edition: free, with unlimited products and orders, variants and inventory, payment and shipping plugins, tax rules, currencies and coupons, and forum support. | The WooCommerce plugin is free and open source, with unlimited products and orders and no revenue share. Hosting, paid extensions and payment processing cost extra. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | HIKARI Software | WooCommerce, Inc. |
| Price read from | hikashop.com | woocommerce.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HikaShop
- It runs only inside Joomla or WordPress and needs your own hosting; the vendor says it supports MySQL only.
- Paid editions include one year of updates and support for one website; extending costs €40 per year on Essential and €70 per year on Business.
- Prices are listed in euros, and EU buyers without a valid VAT number pay a tax rate added at checkout.
- The REST API, mobile app and affiliate program are limited to the Business edition.
WooCommerce
- You need WordPress and web hosting from a provider you choose; Woo puts hosting for most stores at $25 to $350 a month.
- Many features come as paid extensions, which Woo says cost $29 to $299 a year each.
- Card fees depend on the processor; Woo gives about 2.5% to 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction for its own WooPayments.
- Because the store runs on your own hosting, updates, backups and security fall to you or your host.
Key features
HikaShop
- Catalog and inventory
- Categories, characteristics, variants, options and custom fields, with stock tracking, for small or large catalogs.
- International selling
- Languages, currencies, zones and tax rules, with more than 90 payment gateways listed on the homepage.
- Marketing tools
- Coupons and discounts, affiliate programs (Business edition) and email-marketing integrations.
- Built-in statistics
- A dashboard shows revenue, orders, average order value and top products.
- Customization
- Views, checkout, fields and emails can be overridden without forking the code.
- Marketplace and auctions
- HikaMarket (multi-vendor), HikaSerial and HikaAuction are sold as separate extensions.
WooCommerce
- Open-source WordPress plugin
- Adds a store to a WordPress site. The code is open source, so the store can be changed freely, and products, orders and API use are not capped.
- Any payment provider
- Use Woo's own WooPayments or any other gateway or buy-now-pay-later service, run several at once, and pay no extra fee to Woo for using a third-party processor.
- Extensions and themes
- Hundreds of extensions and themes in Woo's marketplace add features such as subscriptions, wholesale pricing and marketing tools, many of them paid.
- Shipping integrations
- Live carrier rates, label printing, tracking and returns come through integrations such as ShipStation, Shippo and Easyship, which are free to download.
- Mobile app and in-person sales
- The free WooCommerce app for iOS and Android manages products and orders and takes payments in person with Tap to Pay or a Woo card reader.
Plans
HikaShop
Starter$0
Unlimited products and orders, variants, inventory, payment and shipping plugins, tax rules and coupons, with forum support.
Essential€60
per year for 1 site
Adds custom fields, product options, guest checkout, multicart, wishlist, AI Commerce (UCP and MCP) and personal email support. Priced in euros.
Business€120
per year for 1 site
Adds the REST API, the HikaShop mobile app, an affiliate program, product filters and comparison, and prices per user group and zone. Priced in euros.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce$0
The free, open-source WordPress plugin, which you host yourself on a provider you choose. No monthly subscription, platform fee or revenue share.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, HikaShop or WooCommerce?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HikaShop starts at €60 per year for 1 site, and WooCommerce publishes no starting price.
Which has a free plan, HikaShop or WooCommerce?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both HikaShop and WooCommerce have a free plan.
Which platforms do HikaShop and WooCommerce run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only WooCommerce lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.