WooCommerce
Free software on your own hosting. Full control and no platform fee, but someone has to look after updates, backups and security.
WooCommerce in plain words
WooCommerce turns a WordPress website into an online shop. It is free, runs on your own hosting and leaves you in full control of your products, customers and data. You pay for hosting, payment fees and any extensions you choose.
- Freecore plugin
- Your dataon your own hosting
- 7 statusesevery order moves through
Follow one order
Every WooCommerce order moves through statuses, and each step can send an email and change your stock. Decide what happens to this order and watch WooCommerce react, the way it does in a real shop. Try a bank transfer, then start again and try a declined card.
Order #1042
In the cartLinen beach towelMia Novak, 2 × €29.00
€58.00- Pending payment
- Failed
- On hold
- Processing
- Completed
- Cancelled
- Refunded
Order notes
- Nothing yet. Notes appear as the order changes.
Emails sent
- No emails yet.
WooCommerce or Shopify
The two most common choices for a small online shop, and who each one suits.
Shopify
A monthly subscription where Shopify runs everything for you. Quicker to start, with less freedom and extra fees for some apps and payment options.
Which one
Already on WordPress, selling something unusual or want to own everything: WooCommerce. Want no maintenance at all: Shopify.
The basics in plain words
Learn these eight and you understand how a WooCommerce shop works behind the scenes. Hover or tap any item to see the details.
- Simple, variable, grouped
- Sizes and colours as variations
- Virtual and downloadable products
- Cards through Stripe or WooPayments
- PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay
- Bank transfer and cash on delivery
- Zones by country or region
- Flat rate, free shipping, local pickup
- Rates by weight or class
- Prices with or without VAT
- Rates by country
- Checked with your accountant
- Pending, processing, completed
- On hold for bank transfers
- Try it above
- New order to you
- Processing and completed to the customer
- Your logo and colours
- Reduced when paid or on hold
- Unpaid orders hold stock for 60 minutes
- Low stock alerts
- Subscriptions, bookings, invoices
- Only what you will really use
- Each one kept up to date
Open a shop in five steps
The shop itself is quick to set up. Good products, photos and texts take the time.
- Step 1
Add your products
Start with your best sellers: good photos, clear prices and descriptions that answer questions.
- Step 2
Set up payments
Cards through Stripe or WooPayments, plus PayPal or bank transfer if your customers expect it.
- Step 3
Shipping and VAT
Shipping zones and rates, and VAT settings checked with your accountant.
- Step 4
Shop pages
Terms of sale, returns, delivery and privacy, written for the countries you sell to.
- Step 5
Place test orders
A real test order with every payment method and email, before the first customer arrives.
Four mistakes that cost sales
- A long checkoutEvery extra field loses customers.
- Surprise costs at the endShow shipping costs early.
- Slow product pagesCompress photos and choose good hosting.
- No guest checkoutLet people buy without an account.
Questions about WooCommerce
Is WooCommerce free?
Yes, the plugin is free. You pay for hosting and a domain, payment fees on each sale, and any paid extensions you choose.
Which payment methods can WooCommerce take?
Cards, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay through payment plugins such as Stripe or WooPayments, plus bank transfer and cash on delivery, which are built in.
Can WooCommerce handle VAT?
Yes. It can charge different VAT rates by country and show prices with or without VAT. The right setup depends on where you sell, so check it with your accountant.
How many products can a WooCommerce shop have?
Thousands, with good hosting and a well-built website. Most small shops have a few dozen to a few hundred.
Can you build our online shop?
Yes. We build WooCommerce shops with your products, payments, shipping and emails set up and tested. See online shops.
Ready to sell online?
Tell us what you sell and where. We come back with how we would build the shop and a fixed price.