Shopify vs WordPress: The Same Store on Both Platforms — Cost & Speed Compared

I get asked this daily. Instead of giving opinions, I ran the numbers.

I built the same exact store on both platforms: 50 products across 5 categories, a blog section, a contact form, a newsletter signup, and 5 standard pages (About, FAQ, Shipping, Terms, Contact). Same content. Same basic design goal. Here’s what I found.

Setup Time

Shopify took me 2 days. Pick a theme, drop in products via CSV, install Mailchimp and Contact Form apps, tweak colors. Done. The app ecosystem makes it fast — too fast, honestly. You can have a store that looks decent in an afternoon.

WordPress took 5 days. Finding and configuring a WooCommerce-compatible theme took half a day alone. Setting up tax tables, shipping zones, and payment gateways all required more manual work. But on day 5, I owned every piece of it.

Monthly Cost

This is where it gets interesting. Shopify’s basic plan is $39/month, but you’ll need at least 3 apps (email marketing, form builder, SEO) to match WordPress functionality. That pushes you to about $79/month.

WordPress with good managed hosting (I used WP Engine’s startup plan at $15/month) plus a handful of premium plugins runs about $40/month. Almost half the price.

Page Speed

Conventional wisdom says Shopify is faster because it’s hosted on their optimized infrastructure. But with a solid host and proper caching, my WordPress store consistently scored higher on Lighthouse — 88 vs 82 on mobile. Good hosting matters more than the platform.

Flexibility

WordPress wins, no contest. I can modify every template file, choose any hosting provider, install any analytics tool, and never worry about platform-level restrictions. Shopify locks you into their checkout, their payment processing fees, and their app store rules.

So Which One Should You Pick?

It depends entirely on your situation. That’s why I built a Platform Quiz — answer 7 quick questions about your budget, technical skill, and business model, and it’ll recommend the right platform for you.

Take the quiz at /platform-quiz and get your personalized recommendation in under a minute.