Migrating from Shopify to WooCommerce: A Technical & Financial Breakdown

You've been on Shopify for a year or two. Sales are growing. And then you do the math: you're paying $5,000-$15,000 per year in transaction fees alone on top of your monthly subscription.

Or maybe you've hit Shopify's customization walls. Want to modify the checkout flow? That'll be Shopify Plus at $2,000+/month. Need a custom feature? Hope there's an app for that (and another monthly fee).

After architecting enterprise WooCommerce solutions with custom checkout flows driving $2M+ in annual revenue, I've migrated 15+ stores from Shopify to WooCommerce. This guide shows you exactly what's involved, what it costs, and whether it makes financial sense for your business.

Why Stores Leave Shopify

The Most Common Reasons (From Real Clients)

1. Transaction Fees Are Killing Margins

Shopify's fee structure:

• Basic Shopify ($39/month): 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction (online)
• Shopify ($105/month): 2.7% + 30¢ per transaction
• Advanced Shopify ($399/month): 2.5% + 30¢ per transaction
• Using non-Shopify payment gateway? Add 0.5-2% extra fee

Real cost example:

Store doing $50,000/month in revenue:

• Transaction fees (2.7%): $1,350/month = $16,200/year
• Monthly subscription: $105/month = $1,260/year
• Total platform cost: $17,460/year

Same store on WooCommerce:

• Payment processing (Stripe): 2.9% + 30¢ = $1,450/month
• Hosting (managed WordPress): $80/month = $960/year
• Plugins & maintenance: $200/month = $2,400/year
• Total platform cost: $20,760/year

Wait—WooCommerce is MORE expensive in this example?

Here's the catch: As revenue scales, Shopify fees scale with it. WooCommerce costs stay relatively flat.

At $100,000/month revenue:

• Shopify: $35,000+/year
• WooCommerce: $21,000/year
• Savings: $14,000/year

At $250,000/month revenue:

• Shopify: $83,000+/year
• WooCommerce: $25,000/year
• Savings: $58,000/year

Break-even point: Usually around $75,000-$100,000/month revenue.

2. Customization Limitations

What clients couldn't do on Shopify:

• Custom checkout fields (needed for B2B orders)
• Conditional product pricing (bulk discounts, member pricing)
• Custom product bundles (beyond basic Shopify capabilities)
• Advanced inventory management (multi-warehouse, custom workflows)
• Integration with legacy ERP systems
• Custom admin dashboards
• Subscription products (without expensive apps)

WooCommerce: I can build literally anything. It's WordPress—fully open, fully customizable.

3. App Subscription Fatigue

Typical Shopify app stack:

• Email marketing: $50/month
• Subscriptions: $30-300/month
• Advanced shipping: $20/month
• Reviews: $15/month
• SEO tools: $30/month
• Inventory management: $100/month
• Upsells/bundles: $30/month
• Total: $275-$545/month in apps alone

Many of these features are free or built-in with WooCommerce, or available as one-time purchase plugins ($50-200 total, not monthly).

4. Wanting Data Ownership

On Shopify, you're renting. They can change terms, raise prices, or—in rare cases—suspend your store.

On WooCommerce, you own everything: code, data, hosting choice. Complete control.

5. International Sales Complexity

Shopify handles multi-currency and international taxes well, but many businesses need more control over regional pricing, shipping rules, and tax compliance than Shopify provides without expensive workarounds.

The Complete Migration Cost Breakdown

What You'll Actually Pay

Based on my migrations for stores with 100-500 products:

DIY Migration Using Plugin ($0-$400)

Tools:

• Cart2Cart ($30-$400 depending on product count)
• LitExtension ($70-$350)
• Or manual CSV export/import (free but tedious)

Your time investment: 20-40 hours

What transfers:

• Products (basic info)
• Images
• Categories
• Maybe customer data

What doesn't transfer:

• Custom Shopify apps/features
• Design/theme (need new WooCommerce theme)
• SEO metadata (usually lost)
• Product reviews (unless using specific tools)
• Order history (often incomplete)

Best for: Very small stores (under 50 products), tight budget, technical owner

Assisted Migration ($2,500-$5,000)

What I include:

• Product migration (all data)
• Customer migration
• Order history (if needed)
• Image optimization
• URL preservation (SEO critical)
• Basic WooCommerce theme setup
• Essential plugin configuration
• Payment gateway setup
• Testing on staging site

Timeline: 2-3 weeks

Best for: Small to medium stores (50-300 products), want professional help but watching budget

Full Custom Migration ($8,000-$18,000)

What I include:

Everything in Assisted, plus:

• Custom theme design (matching or improving Shopify design)
• Feature parity (recreating custom Shopify functionality)
• Advanced integrations (ERP, CRM, shipping)
• Custom checkout flow
• Performance optimization (95+ PageSpeed goal)
• SEO audit and preservation strategy
• Email automation setup
• Training for your team
• 60-day post-migration support

Timeline: 6-10 weeks

Best for: Established stores (300+ products), complex customization, high revenue ($100K+/month)

Hidden Costs to Budget For

1. Theme/Design ($500-$5,000)

Your Shopify theme won't transfer. Options:

• Premium WooCommerce theme: $60-$200
• Customized premium theme: $1,500-$3,000
• Fully custom theme: $4,000-$8,000

2. Lost Shopify Apps ($0-$2,000)

Some functionality needs replacing:

• Reviews app → WooCommerce reviews or Yotpo
• Subscription app → WooCommerce Subscriptions ($199/year)
• Email marketing → Mailchimp WooCommerce integration (free)
• Inventory → Built-in or custom solution

3. Downtime/Dual Running Period

I recommend running Shopify and WooCommerce in parallel for 2-4 weeks:

• Test WooCommerce thoroughly
• Build confidence in new system
• Gradual customer communication
• Rollback option if issues arise

Cost: Extra Shopify subscription months ($39-$399)

4. Training

Your team knows Shopify. WooCommerce is different enough to require training:

• Self-training: 10-20 hours
• Professional training from me: 4-8 hours ($500-$1,000 included in full migration)

5. Temporary Performance Dip

New WooCommerce site may need optimization. Budget for:

• Hosting upgrade if needed
• Performance optimization work
• CDN setup

The Migration Process: Step-by-Step

Phase 1: Planning & Audit (Week 1)

What I do:

1. Shopify Store Audit

• Export product count and complexity
• Identify custom apps and their functionality
• Document checkout customizations
• Review integrations (CRM, shipping, etc.)
• Analyze traffic patterns (when to schedule migration)

2. Feature Requirements

• Which Shopify features are critical?
• What can be improved in migration?
• What custom functionality is needed?
• Payment gateway preferences
• Shipping requirements

3. SEO Documentation

• Current URL structure
• Top performing pages
• Current rankings
• Backlink profile
• Metadata approach

Deliverable: Migration plan with timeline, costs, and risk mitigation strategies

Phase 2: WooCommerce Setup (Week 2-3)

What I build:

1. WordPress & WooCommerce Installation

• Secure hosting setup (Kinsta, SiteGround, etc.)
• WordPress installation (latest version)
• WooCommerce activation
• SSL certificate
• Staging environment

2. Essential Plugin Stack

• Payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal)
• Shipping solutions
• SEO (Yoast or RankMath)
• Security (Wordfence)
• Caching (WP Rocket)
• Backups (UpdraftPlus)

3. Theme Setup

• Theme installation and activation
• Brand customization (colors, fonts, logo)
• Menu structure
• Footer content
• Legal pages (privacy, terms, etc.)

Phase 3: Data Migration (Week 3-5)

The critical phase where I transfer:

1. Products (Most Complex)

For each product, I migrate:

• Title, SKU, description
• Pricing (regular + sale)
• Categories and tags
• Product images (optimized)
• Variants (size, color, etc.)
• Inventory levels
• Product dimensions/weight (shipping)
• SEO metadata

Challenges I solve:

Shopify variants → WooCommerce variations: Shopify handles variants differently. I restructure data to match WooCommerce's system.

Image optimization: Shopify's CDN serves optimized images. I ensure WooCommerce images are compressed and WebP-converted.

SEO preservation: Product URLs must match or redirect properly.

2. Customers

What transfers:

• Customer names
• Email addresses
• Physical addresses
• Purchase history (if needed)
• Account creation dates

What doesn't transfer easily:

• Passwords (customers will need password reset)
• Wishlists (unless using specific migration tools)
• Customer notes/tags (may need manual transfer)

I recommend: Import customers but send "Welcome to our new store" email with password reset link.

3. Order History

Decision point: Do you need full order history in WooCommerce?

Pros of migrating orders:

• Complete customer history in one place
• Accurate lifetime value data
• Customer can see past orders in account

Cons:

• Complex migration (time = money)
• Historical data may not need to be in active system
• Can keep Shopify admin open for historical reference

My recommendation: Migrate last 6-12 months of orders. Keep Shopify admin accessible for older history.

4. Reviews

Product reviews boost conversions. I migrate these carefully:

Tools I use:

• Judge.me (if you used it on Shopify)
• Yotpo (cross-platform)
• Custom migration scripts for native reviews

What I preserve:

• Reviewer name
• Rating
• Review text
• Date
• Associated product

Phase 4: Design & Customization (Week 4-6)

Making it yours:

1. Homepage Design

• Hero section (compelling offer)
• Featured products
• Category showcases
• Trust signals
• Call-to-action

2. Product Page Optimization

• Product gallery layout
• Add to cart prominence
• Related products
• Upsells/cross-sells
• Trust badges
• Review display

3. Cart & Checkout This is where custom checkout flows shine on WooCommerce:

• Streamlined checkout fields
• Guest checkout prominence
• Multiple payment options
• Trust signals
• Clear shipping information
• Abandoned cart recovery

4. Account Pages

• My account dashboard
• Order history
• Saved addresses
• Wishlists
• Downloadable products (if applicable)

Phase 5: Testing (Week 6-7)

What I test exhaustively:

1. Checkout Flow

• Add product to cart
• Apply discount code
• Calculate shipping (multiple addresses)
• Complete payment (all gateways)
• Receive confirmation email
• Test as guest and logged-in user

2. Product Functionality

• Variable products (size, color)
• Inventory tracking
• Out of stock behavior
• Sale prices
• Product search
• Filtering/sorting

3. Performance

• Page load speed (target: under 3 seconds)
• Mobile responsiveness
• Cross-browser testing (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge)
• Image loading (lazy load verification)
• Add-to-cart speed

4. SEO

• URL structure (matches Shopify or redirects properly)
• Metadata (titles, descriptions)
• Schema markup (product structured data)
• XML sitemap
• Robots.txt
• Google Search Console setup

5. Integrations

• Email marketing (Mailchimp, Klaviyo)
• Analytics (Google Analytics 4)
• CRM (if applicable)
• Shipping software (ShipStation, etc.)
• Accounting (QuickBooks, Xero)

Phase 6: SEO Transition (Week 7-8)

This is critical—mess this up and lose all your rankings.

My SEO preservation strategy:

1. URL Mapping

Create spreadsheet mapping every Shopify URL to WooCommerce equivalent:

Shopify: /products/blue-widget
WooCommerce: /product/blue-widget
Action: 301 redirect

2. 301 Redirects

Implement permanent redirects from old URLs to new:

• Product pages
• Collection pages
• Blog posts
• Static pages

I use: Redirection plugin (free) or .htaccess rules (more technical)

3. Metadata Preservation

Ensure new site has same (or better) metadata:

• Page titles
• Meta descriptions
• Open Graph tags (social media)
• Image alt text

4. Structured Data

WooCommerce has product schema, but I verify:

• Price
• Availability
• Reviews
• Breadcrumbs

5. Submit to Google

• Submit new sitemap to Google Search Console
• Request re-crawl of important pages
• Monitor for 404 errors
• Fix any crawl issues immediately

Phase 7: Launch (Week 8-9)

Go-live checklist:

1. Final Testing (Day Before)

• [ ] Complete test order with real credit card
• [ ] Verify emails are sending (order confirmation, shipping)
• [ ] Test on mobile (iOS and Android)
• [ ] Check all payment gateways (live mode)
• [ ] Verify SSL certificate active
• [ ] Ensure analytics tracking

2. DNS Update (Launch Day)

• Point domain to new WooCommerce site
• DNS propagation takes 1-24 hours
• Monitor closely during this period

3. Monitoring (Launch Week)

• Watch for 404 errors
• Monitor order flow
• Check email deliverability
• Review analytics (compare to Shopify)
• Respond to customer questions

4. Customer Communication

• Email announcement (optional, or silent launch)
• Social media posts
• FAQ for customers (password reset, new features)

5. Shopify Transition

• Keep Shopify active for 30 days (in case of rollback need)
• Export final backup of all data
• Cancel Shopify apps (to stop billing)
• Eventually close Shopify store

Phase 8: Post-Launch Optimization (Week 10-12)

Making it better:

1. Performance Monitoring

• PageSpeed scores
• Core Web Vitals
• Conversion rate comparison (WooCommerce vs. Shopify)
• Load time tracking

2. Conversion Rate Optimization

• A/B test checkout flow
• Test different product page layouts
• Optimize for mobile (60% of traffic)
• Reduce cart abandonment

3. SEO Monitoring

• Track rankings for key terms
• Monitor organic traffic
• Fix any ranking drops
• Address Google Search Console issues

4. Customer Feedback

• Survey customers about new experience
• Address any confusion
• Improve based on real feedback

Avoiding Common Migration Mistakes

Mistakes I See DIY Migrations Make

1. Breaking SEO

The mistake: Not setting up 301 redirects, changing URL structure without planning.

The impact: Losing months or years of SEO work. Organic traffic drops 40-60%.

How I avoid it: Comprehensive URL mapping, 301 redirects, Google Search Console monitoring.

2. Incomplete Data Migration

The mistake: Using automatic tool that misses product variants, images, or customer data.

The impact: Customers can't find products, orders are missing, inventory is wrong.

How I avoid it: Manual verification of sample products, customer testing, inventory reconciliation.

3. Poor Performance After Launch

The mistake: Not optimizing WooCommerce, using cheap hosting, unoptimized images.

The impact: Site loads slower than Shopify (which has excellent infrastructure). Higher bounce rate.

How I avoid it: Quality hosting, image optimization, caching configuration, performance testing before launch.

4. No Testing Period

The mistake: Migrating Friday evening, going live immediately.

The impact: Finding critical bugs with live customers trying to checkout.

How I avoid it: 2-week parallel running period, thorough testing, soft launch to small audience first.

5. Ignoring Shopify-Specific Features

The mistake: Assuming WooCommerce has equivalent of every Shopify app.

The impact: Lost functionality customers depend on.

How I avoid it: Feature audit before migration, building custom solutions where needed, setting proper expectations.

Real Client Migration Examples

Case Study 1: Fashion Boutique

Shopify stats:

• 350 products
• $75,000/month revenue
• Using 8 paid apps ($280/month)
• Shopify plan: $105/month

Annual Shopify cost: $24,480 + $3,360 in apps = $27,840

Why they migrated:

• Transaction fees ($1,800+/month)
• Wanted custom checkout flow (B2B + retail)
• Hit Shopify's variant limits (needed 50+ variants per product)

Migration investment: $12,500

• Full migration: $8,500
• Custom checkout development: $2,500
• Custom variant system: $1,500

Annual WooCommerce cost: $4,800 hosting + $2,400 maintenance = $7,200

Annual savings: $27,840 - $7,200 = $20,640

ROI: Paid for migration in 7 months

Results after 6 months:

• Load time improved (4.2s → 1.8s)
• Conversion rate increased 22%
• Revenue up to $93,000/month
• Successfully handling B2B + retail in one store

Case Study 2: Supplements Brand

Shopify stats:

• 60 products (mostly variants)
• $180,000/month revenue
• Shopify Plus: $2,000/month
• Apps: $450/month

Annual Shopify cost: $58,000+ (includes transaction fees)

Why they migrated:

• Shopify Plus cost unsustainable
• Needed subscription functionality (Shopify's ReCharge was $300/month)
• Wanted to integrate with custom fulfillment software

Migration investment: $18,500

• Full migration: $9,500
• WooCommerce Subscriptions setup: $3,500
• Custom fulfillment integration: $5,500

Annual WooCommerce cost: $9,600 hosting + $4,800 maintenance = $14,400

Annual savings: $58,000 - $14,400 = $43,600

ROI: Paid for migration in 5 months

Results after 6 months:

• Subscription management easier (lower churn)
• Fulfillment integration saved 15 hours/week
• Ability to add unlimited products (no Shopify product limits)

WooCommerce vs. Shopify: Post-Migration Comparison

What's Better on WooCommerce

1. Customization: Literally anything is possible. Full control over every element.

2. Cost at scale: No percentage-based fees. Costs stay relatively flat as you grow.

3. Data ownership: You own everything. Export anytime, move anywhere.

4. Plugin ecosystem: 59,000+ free plugins. One-time purchases instead of monthly SaaS fees.

5. Integration flexibility: Open source = integrate with anything.

6. SEO control: Complete control over URLs, metadata, schema, technical SEO.

What's Better on Shopify

1. Simplicity: Easier learning curve for non-technical users.

2. Hosting included: No need to manage servers, WordPress updates, security.

3. PCI compliance: Shopify handles this. WooCommerce is your responsibility.

4. Support: 24/7 Shopify support vs. relying on developer/host.

5. Out-of-box features: Shopify has more features ready without configuration.

6. App ecosystem: Some Shopify apps are more polished than WooCommerce equivalents.

The Honest Truth

Shopify is better if:

• You're non-technical
• You value simplicity over control
• Revenue is under $50K/month (fees are tolerable)
• You don't need deep customization

WooCommerce is better if:

• Revenue is $75K+/month (fees hurt)
• You need custom functionality
• You want long-term cost control
• You're willing to manage (or hire someone to manage) WordPress

Is Migration Right for You? Decision Framework

Migrate from Shopify to WooCommerce if:

Financial triggers:

• [ ] Monthly revenue > $75,000
• [ ] Annual platform fees > $15,000
• [ ] 5+ paid apps ($150+/month)

Technical triggers:

• [ ] Hit Shopify's customization walls
• [ ] Need custom checkout flow
• [ ] Want unlimited product variants
• [ ] Need complex integrations

Strategic triggers:

• [ ] Want platform independence
• [ ] Planning international expansion (complex tax/currency)
• [ ] Have technical team or budget for developer
• [ ] Long-term cost control important

You need 3+ of these triggers for migration to make sense.

Stay on Shopify if:

• [ ] Monthly revenue < $50,000
• [ ] Non-technical team, no developer budget
• [ ] Shopify meets all your needs
• [ ] You value simplicity over cost savings
• [ ] Don't have 8-12 weeks for migration

No shame in staying on Shopify—it's excellent for many businesses.

Getting Started with Your Migration

Free Migration Assessment

Wondering if migration makes sense for your store? I'll analyze it for free.

Email hello@talaat.dev with:

1. Shopify store URL
2. Approximate monthly revenue
3. Product count
4. Current pain points with Shopify
5. Custom features you need

I'll respond with:

• Cost-benefit analysis (migration cost vs. long-term savings)
• Technical assessment (complexity, timeline)
• Feature requirements (what you'll need on WooCommerce)
• Honest recommendation (stay or migrate)
• Quote if you want to proceed

No sales pressure. Some clients I advise to stay on Shopify because it's the right fit.

My Shopify → WooCommerce Migration Services

Essential Migration Package ($3,500-$5,000)

Includes:

• Product migration (up to 200 products)
• Customer data migration
• Basic theme setup (premium theme)
• Payment gateway configuration
• SEO-safe URL migration (301 redirects)
• Testing on staging
• Launch support
• 30-day post-launch support

Timeline: 3-4 weeks Best for: Small stores, straightforward requirements

Professional Migration Package ($8,000-$12,000)

Includes everything in Essential, plus:

• Unlimited products
• Custom theme design
• Advanced feature replication (custom Shopify apps)
• Order history migration
• Review migration
• Performance optimization (95+ PageSpeed)
• Custom integrations (2-3 systems)
• Training for your team (4 hours)
• 60-day post-launch support

Timeline: 6-8 weeks Best for: Established stores with custom needs

Enterprise Migration Package ($15,000-$30,000)

Includes everything in Professional, plus:

• Fully custom theme development
• Complex integrations (ERP, CRM, fulfillment, etc.)
• Custom plugin development (unique functionality)
• Multi-site/multi-language support
• Dedicated project manager
• Comprehensive training (8+ hours)
• 90-day post-launch support
• Performance SLA (guaranteed uptime/speed)

Timeline: 10-14 weeks Best for: High-volume stores, complex business logic

Post-Migration Support

Maintenance packages available:

• Essential: $300/month
• Professional: $500/month
• Enterprise: $900/month

All include updates, security, backups, monitoring, and ongoing optimization.

Make the Move

You built a successful business on Shopify. That's an accomplishment.

But if you're reading this, Shopify is either costing too much or limiting your growth.

I've successfully migrated 15+ stores from Shopify to WooCommerce, preserving SEO rankings, maintaining conversion rates, and delivering long-term cost savings averaging $30,000+ per year.

Your migration can be smooth, SEO-safe, and financially smart.

Let's talk about your store.

Email hello@talaat.dev and let's build a migration plan that works for your business.

Last updated: January 2025. Based on my active Shopify to WooCommerce migration practice. Cost estimates and timelines based on typical store complexity.