The WooCommerce Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about WooCommerce in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
WooCommerce
The Insider’s Guide
Free, open-source store plugin for WordPress that you host yourself
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among online store builders, read from WooCommerce’s own pages.
Made by WooCommerce, Inc. · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from WooCommerce’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on WooCommerce’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 2 of the 9 other online store builders we grade
WooCommerce is a free, open-source plugin that turns a WordPress site into an online store, on whatever web host you choose. The core handles products, carts, checkout and orders with no platform fee or revenue share, and extensions from Woo and other developers add subscriptions, shipping, marketing and more. You pay for hosting, any paid extensions and payment processing.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about WooCommerce, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Pick it if you want to own every bit of your store, not if you'd rather never look after a website.
- 1
Best for adding a store to a WordPress site
WooCommerce turns a WordPress site into a shop, and the software itself is free, with no cap on products and no cut of your sales.
- 2
There is a free plan
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.
- 3
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 4
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.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
A 2.2 GPA, above 2 of 9
That is against the other online store builders we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
To replace WooCommerce you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
WooCommerce at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- WooCommerce, Inc., since 2011
- Category
- Online Store Builders
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
- Store rating
- 4.8 on the App Store, 7,797 ratings
The report card
Best for adding a store to a WordPress site
WooCommerce turns a WordPress site into a shop, and the software itself is free, with no cap on products and no cut of your sales. You do pay for hosting, which Woo puts at $25 to $350 a month for most stores, plus any paid extensions. Pick it if you want to own every bit of your store, not if you'd rather never look after a website.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | The 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 | B | The 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 | C | Products, 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 | D | You 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 | B | Web, 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who WooCommerce is for
- Great if you already have a WordPress site and want to add a shop to it
- Handy when you want to pick your own payment provider and never pay a platform fee
- Good for developers and agencies building a custom store for a client
Who it is not for
- 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 and extensions are paid separately
Good to know
Good for
- WordPress sites that want to add a store
- Sellers who want to own their code and data and pick their own host
- Developers and agencies building custom stores for clients
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
1
plan
WooCommerce has a free plan.
Woo takes no fee on sales, whichever payment provider you use.
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.
The free plan
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.
Read from woocommerce.com on Oct 18, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
Free, open-source store plugin for WordPress that you host yourself. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, public API, online store.
Products, carts, checkout and orders are all in the free core, any payment provider works, and the app takes payments in person.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Stripe
- ShipStation
- Shippo
- Easyship
- Klaviyo
- TikTok
WooCommerce is made by WooCommerce, Inc., and has been around since 2011.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
2/9
Other online store builders it is graded above
WooCommerce's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 2 of the 9 other online store builders we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 7 of 9) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 10 online store builders we grade, cut by the letter each got. WooCommerce’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 9
- BFree plan and trialAbove 7 of 9
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 9
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 9
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 9
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace WooCommerce you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 5 of the 9 other online store builders grade higher. WooCommerce is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could not
- Checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Stripe, ShipStation and Shippo among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. WooCommerce’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Shopify, PrestaShop, BigCommerce, Ecwid and WordPress.com
The 5 tools WooCommerce is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
Shopify
Free trial · from $29/mo
Hosted commerce platform for online, in-person and social selling.
- WooCommerce has a free plan. Shopify does not, though it has a free trial.
- WooCommerce is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Shopify also covers email campaigns, inventory and shipping labels.
- 2.4GPA
PrestaShop
Free plan · from €24/mo
Open-source ecommerce software, free to self-host or sold hosted.
- Only WooCommerce lists iOS and Android apps.
- 2.6GPA
BigCommerce
Free trial · from $29/mo
Hosted ecommerce platform with plans set by yearly sales.
- WooCommerce has a free plan. BigCommerce does not, though it has a free trial.
- WooCommerce is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- BigCommerce also covers reports and inventory.
- 2.2GPA
Ecwid
From $5/mo
Online store you can add to any website or run as its own site.
- WooCommerce has a free plan. Ecwid does not.
- WooCommerce is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Ecwid also covers inventory, digital downloads and shipping labels.
- 3.4GPA
WordPress.com
Free plan · from $4/mo
Hosted WordPress with themes, plugins and a free plan.
- Only WordPress.com lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- WooCommerce is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- WooCommerce also covers online store.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is WooCommerce free?
WooCommerce has a free plan. The WooCommerce plugin is free and open source, with unlimited products and orders and no revenue share.
How much does WooCommerce cost?
WooCommerce lists one plan. WooCommerce: $0.
What platforms does WooCommerce work on?
WooCommerce is available on Web, iOS and Android.
How is WooCommerce rated?
WooCommerce's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 out of 5 from 7,797 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does WooCommerce have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. WooCommerce is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does WooCommerce have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. WooCommerce is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is WooCommerce open source?
Yes. WooCommerce is open source, according to its own site.
Does WooCommerce have an API?
Yes. WooCommerce offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does WooCommerce integrate with?
WooCommerce's listing names Stripe, ShipStation, Shippo, Easyship, Klaviyo, Google, TikTok and Pinterest.
Who makes WooCommerce?
WooCommerce is made by WooCommerce, Inc. It dates from 2011.
What are the alternatives to WooCommerce?
The closest alternatives to WooCommerce in our directory are Shopify, PrestaShop, BigCommerce, Ecwid and WordPress.com.
How does WooCommerce compare with other online store builders?
WooCommerce's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 2 of the 9 other online store builders we grade, and level with 2.
Could I make my own version of WooCommerce?
To replace WooCommerce you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from WooCommerce’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from WooCommerce's own pages on 18 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by WooCommerce, Inc. Prices change, so check woocommerce.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,068
Tools graded, in 57 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,068
tools graded
57
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- WooCommerce, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/woocommerce
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "WooCommerce: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/woocommerce
Know someone choosing between online store builders?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/woocommerce/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded online store builders after WooCommerce, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Online Store Builders Insider's GuideEvery one of the 10 online store builders we grade, compared
- Big Cartel Insider's GuideSimple online store for artists, makers and independent sellers2.8 GPA
- Shopify Insider's GuideHosted commerce platform for online, in-person and social selling2.8 GPA
- BigCommerce Insider's GuideHosted ecommerce platform with plans set by yearly sales2.6 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what WooCommerce’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. WooCommerce is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by WooCommerce, Inc. Prices and plans change: check woocommerce.com before you buy.