Can I sell on a lower WordPress.com plan?

Some paid plans include simple payment buttons. The full WooCommerce store sits on the top commerce plan, so check what each plan includes.

Which has the better blog?

WordPress.com, clearly. Shopify’s blog works for occasional posts, but categories, layouts and editorial tools are basic.

Is Shopify or WordPress.com better for SEO?

They’re roughly level on SEO control. Shopify: Solid for product SEO; URL structure is fixed. WordPress.com: Good basics, and SEO plugins on paid plans.

Do I own my website on Shopify or WordPress.com?

Shopify (partial): Products, customers and orders as CSV; the theme has to be rebuilt elsewhere. WordPress.com (mostly portable): Posts, pages and media via WordPress export. Design depends on whether the theme is available elsewhere.

Shopify vs WordPress.com

For a store-first business, Shopify is the stronger and simpler choice. WordPress.com makes sense when writing leads and selling is secondary, or when you want WooCommerce without running your own server. The full WooCommerce store is on WordPress.com’s top commerce plan, so budget for that.

Not sure which fits? Send me your site and I’ll give you my honest view.

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Side by side

Ratings are my own assessment for a typical small business, as of October 2026. Platforms change their features and plans often, so check the vendor’s current documentation before you decide.

Shopify vs WordPress.com comparison
	Shopify	WordPress.com
What it is	The hosted commerce platform most small and mid-size stores should start with.	WordPress, hosted and managed for you, with features gated by plan.
Ownership and portability	PartialProducts, customers and orders export; the theme only runs on Shopify.	Mostly portableContent exports in WordPress format; moving to self-hosted is well-trodden.
SEO control	StrongSolid for product SEO; URL structure is fixed.	StrongGood basics, and SEO plugins on paid plans.
AI-search readiness	GoodProduct schema in most themes; content pages are simpler.	GoodServer-rendered pages. Schema depends on theme and plugins.
Performance	GoodA fast platform; heavy app use is the usual cause of slow stores.	GoodManaged hosting keeps it reasonable.
Design freedom	FlexibleThemes plus Liquid; headless for full freedom.	LimitedTheme-based; deeper customization takes more work or a higher plan.
E-commerce	SpecialistThe reason to choose it.	BasicPayment buttons on some plans; the full WooCommerce store on the top commerce plan.
Maintenance burden	LightPlatform managed; app and theme updates need watching.	LightPlatform updates are handled; plugins still need care.
Learning curve	GentleStraightforward admin; good stores take skill.	GentleApproachable editor; the plan differences take some learning.
Pricing model	Monthly plan plus payment processing fees; most stores add paid apps on top.	Free plan plus tiered paid subscriptions. Plugins come with paid plans; full store and developer features sit on higher tiers.
Day-to-day editing	The Shopify admin and theme editor.	The WordPress block editor in the browser.

Which one suits you

Choose Shopify if…

the store is the business
you want checkout, shipping and taxes handled out of the box
you plan to sell across channels from one inventory

Choose WordPress.com if…

you’re a writer or publisher selling a few products alongside your content
you want the WordPress editor without managing hosting
a path to self-hosted WordPress later appeals to you

The difference that matters most

Commerce depth against content depth. Shopify’s blog and pages are basic but its store is excellent. WordPress.com is a strong publishing platform, and its higher tiers add WooCommerce, which is capable but asks more of you than Shopify’s admin does.

A Victoria travel writer selling printed guides alongside a large archive of articles belongs on WordPress.com. A skincare brand where every page leads to a product belongs on Shopify. Ask which half of the CMS you’ll open every day.

Where each one leads

Counted from my ratings in the table above.

Shopify leads on design freedom and e-commerce.

WordPress.com leads on ownership and portability.

Best fit for Shopify: any business where online sales are the main job of the site. Best fit for WordPress.com: bloggers and writers who want WordPress without running a server.

Switching between them

Moving from WordPress.com to Shopify, export posts and pages in WordPress format, and if you used WooCommerce, export products and customers too. Shopify imports the products; blog posts need importing or recreating. Then rebuild the design on a Shopify theme and add 301 redirects, since Shopify’s URL structure is different.

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