PLATFORM COMPARISON
Shopify vs Etsy vs WooCommerce
Compare Shopify, Etsy, and WooCommerce for your online store. Fees, features, ease of use, and which platform fits your business best.
Fee Calculator
Annual Savings (Best vs Worst)
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Full Comparison
| Feature | Shopify | Etsy | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Fee | $39/mo (Basic) | $0 (free to list) | $0 (self-hosted) |
| Transaction Fee | 2.9% + 30¢ | 6.5% + listing fees | Payment gateway only |
| Listing Fee | None | $0.20/item | None |
| Built-in Traffic | ✘ None | ✔ Marketplace | ✘ None |
| Customization | Themes + apps | Limited | ✔ Unlimited |
| Ease of Use | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★ |
| SEO Control | Good | Limited | Best |
| Dropshipping | ✔ (Oberlo, DSers) | ✘ Not allowed | ✔ (AliDropship) |
| Digital Products | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Print on Demand | ✔ (Printful) | ✔ (Printful) | ✔ |
| Own Domain | ✔ | ✘ (yourshop.etsy.com) | ✔ |
| Hosting Needed | No (included) | No (included) | Yes ($5-30/mo) |
| Best For | Brand-builders, scale | Handmade, vintage, crafts | Full control, developers |
Who Should Use What?
| First-time seller | → Etsy (free, built-in traffic) |
| Brand builder / DTC | → Shopify (own store, own brand) |
| Developer / full control | → WooCommerce (WordPress-based) |
| Handmade / crafts | → Etsy (marketplace audience) |
| Dropshipping | → Shopify (best app ecosystem) |
| On a budget | → Etsy (no monthly fee) |
| $10k+/mo revenue | → Shopify (lower % fees at scale) |
Smart move: Start on Etsy to validate your product with zero upfront cost. Once you hit $1k/mo, launch a Shopify store for your brand. Use our Profit Margin Calculator to check if your pricing works on each platform’s fee structure.