WooCommerce is the most widely used e-commerce platform — a free, open-source WordPress plugin powering over 6 million online stores. As the natural e-commerce extension for the world's most popular CMS, WooCommerce enables adding a full-featured store to any WordPress site with unlimited products, flexible payment options, and thousands of extensions. From simple digital downloads to complex physical product stores with subscriptions, memberships, and B2B pricing, WooCommerce's open-source architecture gives merchants full control over code, data, and customization.
E-commerceVerified listing
WooCommerce
Free open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress that turns any site into a full-featured online store, with a large marketplace of free and paid extensions.
Best for: Developers and store owners who already use WordPress and want full control over their store code and data, or who need the specific combination of WordPress content and e-commerce in one installation
- Free plan
4.4/5 ratingEditorial score 83/100Last reviewed Oct 4, 2026woocommerce.com
Entry plan
Free (open source)
Get started free
Opens the official website in a new tab.
Editorial score83/100
The editorial note
What to know about WooCommerce
Is it right for you?
Who WooCommerce suits
Choose it if
- Developers and store owners who already use WordPress and want full control over their store code and data, or who need the specific combination of WordPress content and e-commerce in one installation
Look elsewhere if
- Non-technical merchants wanting a managed, maintenance-free e-commerce experience — Shopify handles hosting, security, updates, and PCI compliance automatically while WooCommerce requires technical management that is a poor fit for busy store owners without developer support
What you get
Key features
- Free open-source e-commerce
- Unlimited products and orders
- 800+ official extensions
- Flexible payment gateways
- Subscriptions and memberships (paid)
- Product variations
- Inventory management
- Tax and shipping configuration
Works with
Integrations8
What it costs
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Core Plugin | Free (open source) | Full e-commerce functionality: unlimited products, cart, checkout, order management, shipping, and WooPayments (2.9% + $0.30/transaction). Requires WordPress hosting. |
| Extensions | Varies ($0–$299/year per extension) | Optional extensions from WooCommerce.com and third parties: subscriptions, memberships, bookings, product bundles, shipping calculators, and 800+ more. Many are free. |
Prices are recorded from the vendor's public pricing page and can change. Check before you buy.
The trade-off
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free core plugin — no platform fees or transaction fees beyond payment processor charges
- Complete ownership of store data and code — no vendor can change pricing or shut down the store
- Vast extension ecosystem with 800+ official extensions and thousands of third-party plugins
- WordPress ecosystem provides unmatched content marketing integration for SEO-driven stores
- Fully customizable with developer access to every aspect of the store's functionality
Cons
- Requires WordPress hosting, maintenance, security, and updates — significant technical overhead
- Performance requires careful optimization — WooCommerce stores on cheap hosting can be slow
- Total cost of ownership is higher than SaaS alternatives when accounting for hosting and maintenance
- Support is fragmented across WordPress, WooCommerce, hosting, and third-party plugin providers
Quick read
At a glance
- Category
- E-commerce
- Pricing model
- Freemium
- Entry plan
- Free (open source)
- Free plan
- Available
- Free trial
- Not listed
- Platforms
- Web
- Website
- woocommerce.com
- Last reviewed
- Oct 4, 2026
Head to head
WooCommerce compared
The verdict
Our take on WooCommerce
WooCommerce is the best e-commerce choice if you're already in the WordPress ecosystem or need maximum flexibility and data ownership. The free core plugin is genuinely powerful. But the total cost of ownership—including hosting, extensions, and ongoing WordPress maintenance—often equals or exceeds Shopify's all-in fees. If you want a store without WordPress complexity, Shopify or BigCommerce are easier to run.
Editorial review
From the journal
Editorial review of WooCommerce
WooCommerce is the best e-commerce choice if you're already in the WordPress ecosystem or need maximum flexibility and data ownership. The free core plugin is genuinely powerful. But the total cost of ownership—including hosting, extensions, and ongoing WordPress maintenance—often equals or exceeds Shopify's all-in fees. If you want a store without WordPress complexity, Shopify or BigCommerce are easier to run.
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