In short: for a Romanian store, WooCommerce wins on control, on integration with local invoicing and courier providers, and on long-term cost; Shopify wins on launch speed and on the absence of technical headaches. The decisive difference in Romania is not the subscription price but how easily you connect e-Factura, SmartBill and local couriers — an area where the WooCommerce ecosystem is visibly richer.
This article is not a universal ranking. It is a comparison for the Romanian context, written by a team that builds online stores from Bucharest and works with both kinds of project. We sell neither WooCommerce nor Shopify — we write custom code — which puts us in a reasonably neutral position to also say when neither is the right choice. If you are still at the budgeting stage, read how much an online store costs in 2026 first.
Head to head: what actually matters for a Romanian store
In short: on core features — catalog, cart, checkout — the two platforms are equivalent for most stores. The differences show up in ownership, local integrations, and what happens to costs after year two.
| Criterion | WooCommerce | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Open-source, runs on your hosting | Hosted SaaS, monthly subscription |
| Start-up cost | Lower (no licence), but needs setup | Less effort, subscription from day one |
| 3-year cost | Usually lower for stores with volume | Grows with plan, apps and fees |
| Data ownership | Total — the database is yours | Data sits with Shopify; limited export |
| e-Factura / SmartBill | Mature local plugins and APIs | Possible, but more often via middleware |
| Romanian couriers | Dedicated, widely used integrations | Depends on apps; patchier coverage |
| Maintenance | Yours (updates, security, backups) | Included in the subscription |
| Customisation | Practically unlimited | Bounded by the platform and theme system |
| Lock-in risk | Low — you can move the store anytime | High — migrating means rebuilding |
Real 3-year cost: where the maths flips
In short: Shopify looks cheaper in year one and becomes more expensive long term, especially as paid apps accumulate. WooCommerce moves the cost from subscription to maintenance — a cost you control, but must not ignore.
| Cost category | WooCommerce (annual estimate) | Shopify (annual estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Platform / subscription | 0 EUR (open-source) | ~350–1,000 EUR depending on plan |
| Hosting | 150–600 EUR | Included |
| Extensions / apps | 100–400 EUR | 200–1,200 EUR (accumulates fast) |
| Technical maintenance | 400–1,200 EUR | Minimal |
| Payment fees | Processor's only | Processor's, plus possible extra fees if you do not use their payments solution |
These figures are indicative and vary a lot with volume, so use the table as a calculation structure, not as a quote. Rule of thumb: under ~50 orders per month the cost difference is small and the decision should rest on other criteria; above ~200 orders per month, control over fees and integrations starts to matter financially.
The Romanian test: e-Factura, couriers, payments
In short: this is where most Romanian projects are actually decided — not on design. A store that cannot issue compliant invoices automatically will consume a few hours of your week, indefinitely.
- e-Factura and SPV. Reporting is an obligation, not an option. WooCommerce has established local plugins and APIs; on Shopify it is usually solved through an intermediary service, which adds a link to the chain. Full context in our e-Factura automation guide.
- Invoicing. Integration with a local invoicing service is essential. We described the practical flow in SmartBill API integration.
- Couriers. Automatic waybill generation and tracking for Romanian couriers are better covered in the WooCommerce ecosystem. On Shopify, check availability before choosing the platform, not after.
- Payments. Both work with the usual Romanian processors. Read the fee structure carefully: on Shopify, using an external processor can attract additional costs.
Choose WooCommerce if…
- You want to own the store, the data and the code, with no vendor dependency.
- You need specific local integrations: e-Factura, SmartBill, couriers, ERP.
- You have your own business logic: per-customer pricing, stock rules, B2B flows.
- You think long term and accept maintenance responsibility (or pay someone for it).
- You already have a WordPress site and want to add commerce without rebuilding.
Choose Shopify if…
- You want to be selling next month, not in three months.
- You do not have, and do not want, someone responsible for the technical side.
- The catalog is simple and the sales flow is standard.
- You also sell internationally, where local integrations matter less.
- You prefer a predictable monthly cost over a larger upfront investment.
When neither is the right answer
In short: if your store is really an application — a product configurator, negotiated pricing, tight integration with production or an ERP — both platforms become brakes. You end up paying for extensions that fight each other and wrestling with platform limits.
In those cases we build stores with code we write ourselves (Next.js and React), where the order flow follows your process rather than the reverse. It is not the default choice and we do not recommend it as a universal solution: it costs more than a platform store and only makes sense when the business logic genuinely demands it. If you are unsure which category you fall into, describe your sales process and we will tell you honestly whether WooCommerce is enough — including when that answer means a smaller project for us.
How to migrate, if you chose wrong
In short: migrating from Shopify to WooCommerce is possible, but it is not a simple import. Products and customers transfer reasonably well; design, apps and customisations get rebuilt.
- What migrates well: products, categories, customers, order history.
- What gets rebuilt: the theme, the checkout flow, integrations, anything added through apps.
- What must not be forgotten: 301 redirects for the old URLs. Without them you lose the positions you earned in Google.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for SEO, WooCommerce or Shopify?
Both can rank well; the difference comes from speed, URL structure and content quality, not from the platform itself. WooCommerce offers more control over technical SEO, but that control only matters if someone uses it. A well-configured Shopify beats a neglected WooCommerce every time.
Can I sell legally in Romania on Shopify?
Yes. The legal obligations — 14-day right of withdrawal, company details, ANPC, SOL, terms and conditions, GDPR — apply on any platform. The difference is how much extra effort compliant invoicing and e-Factura reporting require.
Is WooCommerce free?
The plugin is free; the store is not. You pay for hosting, extensions, development and maintenance. "No licence fee" means you have no platform subscription, not that the store costs nothing.
What if Shopify raises its prices?
You pay or you migrate, and migrating means rebuilding. That is the real cost of the hosted model and it is worth accepting knowingly from the start. On WooCommerce, the equivalent risk is that you remain responsible for updates and security.
Can I start on Shopify and move to WooCommerce later?
Yes, and it is a reasonable strategy if you want to validate demand quickly. Bear in mind you will pay a second time for design and integrations, so it is only worth it if fast validation genuinely has value for you.
Not sure which fits you? Describe what you sell, your volume and the integrations you need through our request a quote page and we will reply within 24 hours with a reasoned recommendation. You can also see how we approach commerce projects on our online store development page.