Platform choice

Shopify or WooCommerce in South Africa?

Both can run a great store. The difference is who carries the work: Shopify carries more of it for you, WooCommerce gives you more control. Here is how to choose.

Compare the fees Price a build

The short answerChoose by who runs it.

Choose Shopify if you want a store that is fast, secure and supported out of the box, and you would rather spend your time on products and marketing than on servers and updates.

Choose WooCommerce if you already run on WordPress, need deep customisation, or want full ownership of your code and hosting and have someone to look after it.

Side by sideWhat actually differs.

	Shopify	WooCommerce
How you pay	A monthly plan, plus fees on sales that depend on the payment option you use.	The plugin is free. You pay for hosting, a theme, extensions and developer time.
Hosting and security	Handled by Shopify.	You choose and manage the host, updates and backups.
Speed	Fast by default on Shopify infrastructure.	As fast as your hosting and build make it. It can be excellent, but it needs care.
Payments in South Africa	Works with local gateways such as PayFast and Ozow. Fees on third-party gateways can add up.	Works with local gateways through plugins, with no platform fee on sales.
Customisation	Deep, within the Shopify framework. Complex logic often needs apps or custom code.	Very deep: you can change almost anything, because you own the code.
Maintenance	Light. Shopify updates the platform for you.	Ongoing: updates, plugin conflicts and security are your responsibility.
Growing later	Scales smoothly, with more cost at higher volumes.	Scales with the infrastructure you build, and the work that goes with it.

Fees change often, so we keep them in a calculator rather than on this page. Put in your monthly sales and see Shopify, WooCommerce, Takealot, Amazon and Makro side by side, in rand.

Run the fee calculator

Which one is rightThree questions.

01
Who will look after it?
If nobody on your team wants to manage updates and hosting, Shopify removes a whole category of work.
02
How unusual is your store?
If you need pricing rules, memberships or bookings that no standard setup offers, WooCommerce gives you more room.
03
What does it cost in total?
Compare the whole year: plan, fees on sales, apps or plugins, hosting and developer time, not just the sticker price.

We build on both and connect them to the same channels: Takealot, TikTok Shop, WhatsApp, Klaviyo, Meta Ads and Google Ads. If you are not sure, the Audit gives you a recommendation based on your own numbers, and the roadmap is yours to keep.

QuestionsQuick answers

Is Shopify or WooCommerce cheaper in South Africa?

Neither is always cheaper. Shopify costs more in monthly plan and sales fees; WooCommerce costs more in hosting, maintenance and developer time. The fee calculator shows the monthly fees at your sales volume, and the estimate tool prices a build on either.

Which is better for SEO?

Both can rank well. What matters most is speed, clean structure and good content. Shopify gives you speed by default; WooCommerce gives you more control over technical SEO.

Can I switch from WooCommerce to Shopify later?

Yes. Products, customers and orders can be migrated, and redirects protect your rankings. It is easier to plan it than to be forced into it, so choose with growth in mind.

Do both work with PayFast and Ozow?

Yes. Both support the main South African gateways. The difference is in the fees the platform adds on top.

Free toolsRun your own numbers

Stop choosing between beautiful branding and profitable growth.

You can have a brand people feel and a bank account that proves it.

The first step is an ACR Diagnostic. We find the leak. You decide if you want us to fix the pipe.

The short answerChoose by who runs it.

Side by sideWhat actually differs.

Which one is rightThree questions.

Who will look after it?

How unusual is your store?

What does it cost in total?

QuestionsQuick answers

Free toolsRun your own numbers

Let's talk growth