In this guide · 8 sections
- 01Shopify vs WooCommerce: the short version
- 02Three-year cost: Shopify vs WooCommerce
- 03PayNow and payment fees: where the platforms differ most
- 04GST settings on Shopify and WooCommerce
- 05Upkeep and security: the cost people forget
- 06Which suits which Singapore business
- 07Do it yourself or get help?
- 08Frequently asked questions
Short answer
Choose Shopify if you want a store that runs itself with little technical upkeep. Choose WooCommerce if you already run WordPress, have someone to maintain it, or sell mostly via PayNow, where it avoids Shopify's 2% third-party transaction fee on the Basic plan.
Shopify vs WooCommerce: the short version
Both can run a professional Singapore store with cards, PayNow, GST-inclusive prices and local delivery. They differ in who looks after the technology and how fees are charged.
Shopify
Least upkeepFrom S$29/mo (yearly)
- Hosted: Shopify handles servers, security and updates
- Shopify Payments for cards: 3.2% + S$0.50 on Basic
- PayNow via a third-party app adds Shopify's 2% fee on Basic
- Large app store; many apps charge monthly
Best for: Product shops that want to focus on selling, not software.
WooCommerce
Most controlFree plugin + hosting
- Runs on WordPress on hosting you choose and pay for
- No platform transaction fee; you pay only your payment provider
- Stripe, HitPay and others connect through plugins
- You (or your developer) handle updates, backups and security
Best for: Businesses already on WordPress, or with content-heavy sites.
Prices are from Shopify's Singapore pricing page and WooCommerce's pricing page, which states there are no platform fees or revenue share. For a wider view including Wix, see our WordPress vs Shopify vs Wix comparison.
Three-year cost: Shopify vs WooCommerce
A like-for-like estimate for a small store, excluding payment fees and build cost. Approximate, as of October 2026; third-party prices change often and promotional prices usually rise on renewal.
| Cost item | Shopify Basic | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | S$29/mo yearly = S$1,044 over 3 years | Free |
| Hosting | Included | About S$340 to S$410 (shared) or about US$1,050 (managed) over 3 years |
| SSL certificate | Included | Usually included with hosting |
| Theme | Free themes, or a one-off paid theme | Free themes, or a one-off paid theme |
| Extensions or apps | Many apps are monthly subscriptions | Many extensions are yearly subscriptions |
| Updates and backups | Handled by Shopify | Your time, or a care plan |
On plan and hosting alone, WooCommerce on shared hosting looks cheaper. The gap closes once you price in maintenance. A WooCommerce store that is not updated is a security risk; if you pay someone to look after it, a care plan such as our Care plan at S$129 a month costs more than Shopify Basic over three years. If you already pay for WordPress upkeep for your main site, adding WooCommerce costs little extra.
Our Shopify store cost guide breaks down Shopify's plan, theme, app and payment costs in more detail.
PayNow and payment fees: where the platforms differ most
Most Singapore customers expect PayNow. Shopify Payments does not list PayNow in Singapore, so Shopify stores usually add it through an app such as HitPay. Shopify then charges a third-party transaction fee on those orders: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced. WooCommerce has no equivalent fee.
HitPay's Singapore pricing lists PayNow at 0.9% (minimum S$0.20) under S$100, or 0.65% + S$0.30 from S$100, plus 0.5% for its Shopify app or 0.2% for its WooCommerce plugin. Worked through on S$5,000 a month of PayNow orders averaging S$80:
| PayNow via HitPay | Fees per month | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify Basic (0.9% + 0.5% app + 2% Shopify) | About S$170 | 3.4% |
| Shopify Grow (0.9% + 0.5% app + 1% Shopify) | About S$120 | 2.4% |
| WooCommerce (0.9% + 0.2% plugin) | About S$55 | 1.1% |
For cards the gap is smaller. Shopify Payments on Basic is 3.2% + S$0.50 online. On WooCommerce, Stripe's Singapore pricing is 3.4% + S$0.50, and HitPay's domestic card rate is 2.8% + S$0.50 plus its 0.2% plugin fee. A store that sells mostly by PayNow saves the most on WooCommerce; a store that sells mostly by card sees little difference.
GST settings on Shopify and WooCommerce
If you are GST-registered, IRAS requires the prices you show the public to include GST. Both platforms can do this, but neither is set up that way by default.
- Shopify: turn on tax collection for Singapore at 9% and set prices to include tax. Our Shopify GST guide walks through the settings and invoices.
- WooCommerce: enable tax rates, add a 9% standard rate for Singapore, set 'Prices entered with tax' to inclusive and display prices including tax in the shop and cart.
- Both: order emails are not tax invoices by default. Add your GST registration number, or use an invoice plugin or app for business customers.
- Not GST-registered: leave tax collection off on both and do not mention GST anywhere.
Upkeep and security: the cost people forget
Shopify patches its platform for you. With WooCommerce, WordPress core, the theme and every plugin need regular updates, and outdated plugins are a common way small sites are hacked.
Shopify upkeep
- Platform security and updates handled by Shopify
- Hosting, backups of the platform and uptime included
- You maintain apps, products and settings only
WooCommerce upkeep
- Monthly WordPress, theme and plugin updates
- Off-site backups and test restores are your job
- Hosting choice affects speed and security
- A broken update can take the shop offline
If WooCommerce is your choice, plan for this from day one: managed WordPress hosting with daily backups, MFA on admin accounts, and a monthly update routine. Our Care plan covers updates, daily off-site backups and monitoring.
Which suits which Singapore business
| Your situation | Usually the better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New product shop, no developer | Shopify | Lowest upkeep, quick to launch |
| Already on WordPress with a blog or many pages | WooCommerce | One site, one login, strong content tools |
| Most customers pay by PayNow | WooCommerce, or Shopify Grow and above | Avoids or reduces the third-party fee |
| Many products, variants and marketplace syncing | Shopify | Mature inventory and channel apps |
| Unusual checkout or custom pricing rules | WooCommerce | Full code access |
| Owner wants to edit everything without help | Shopify | Simpler admin, fewer moving parts |
Switching later is possible but takes work: products, customers and URLs all move, and redirects are needed to keep Google rankings. Our website migration guide covers the SEO side.
Do it yourself or get help?
Shopify is the more DIY-friendly of the two: an owner can launch a simple store in a few weekends. WooCommerce is quick to install but needs more care to run safely.
Shopify Store (S$1,890) sets up a ready-to-sell store with up to 30 products, cards, PayNow, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and shipping. For a WordPress site that sells, Website Pro (S$2,990) builds up to 12 pages with a blog and enquiry or booking forms; WooCommerce stores are quoted to scope. For ongoing upkeep, Care (S$129 a month) handles updates, daily backups and monitoring.
Frequently asked questions
On software and hosting, usually yes: WooCommerce is free and shared hosting costs around S$10 a month, against S$29 to S$39 for Shopify Basic. Once you add paid extensions and someone to update and back up the site, the totals are often similar. WooCommerce saves most for stores selling mainly by PayNow.
Shopify Payments does not list PayNow in Singapore, so stores usually add it through a provider app such as HitPay. HitPay charges its PayNow rate plus a 0.5% app fee, and Shopify charges a third-party transaction fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced.
Yes, through payment plugins. HitPay's WooCommerce plugin supports PayNow with a 0.2% plugin fee on top of its PayNow rate, and Stripe charges 1.3% for PayNow if your Stripe plugin version offers it. WooCommerce itself charges no transaction fee, so you pay only the payment provider.
It can be, if it is maintained. Keep WordPress, the theme and all plugins updated, use reputable plugins only, turn on MFA for admins, use managed hosting with a firewall and take daily off-site backups. Most WordPress hacks exploit outdated plugins, so a monthly update routine matters more than any single tool.
Yes. Products, customers and orders can be imported into Shopify with migration tools or CSV files. The main risk is losing Google rankings if product and category URLs change, so map old URLs to new ones and set up redirects before switching your domain.