Etsy vs Shopify vs WooCommerce: Which Should a Beginner Choose?
Etsy, Shopify and WooCommerce can all run a small online shop, but they are three different kinds of tool: a marketplace, a hosted store builder and a WordPress plugin. For a beginner, the right choice depends less on feature lists than on two questions: who will bring the buyers, and how much setup do you want to handle yourself? This guide compares them in plain terms, with costs checked against each platform's official pages.
The short answer
- Choose Etsy if your products fit its handmade, vintage and craft-supply focus and you don't have an audience yet. Buyers are already searching there.
- Choose Shopify if you want your own brand and domain with a quick setup, and you can bring visitors through social media, email or ads.
- Choose WooCommerce if you already use WordPress, or want maximum control and don't mind looking after hosting and updates.
How each platform works
Etsy: a marketplace
Etsy is a shared marketplace. You open a shop, list items, and buyers find them through Etsy search alongside other sellers. Setup is quick and there's no website to maintain. The trade-offs: limited design freedom, competitors shown next to your listings, and less control over the customer relationship.
Shopify: a hosted store builder
Shopify gives you your own store on your own domain, with hosting, checkout and security handled for you. You pick a theme, add products and connect payments. You get far more brand control than on a marketplace, but no built-in stream of shoppers: you bring the visitors.
WooCommerce: a plugin for WordPress
WooCommerce turns a WordPress site into a store. The plugin is free and almost everything can be customized. In return, hosting, updates, backups and security are your responsibility (or your host's), and the learning curve is steeper if WordPress is new to you.
Side-by-side comparison
| Etsy | Shopify | WooCommerce | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Marketplace | Hosted store builder | WordPress plugin |
| Who brings buyers | Etsy search, plus you | You | You |
| Setup effort | Low | Medium | Higher |
| Cost structure | Per-listing and per-sale fees | Monthly plan plus payment fees | Hosting, domain, extensions plus payment fees |
| Design freedom | Limited | High (themes and apps) | Highest |
| Own domain | Not needed | Yes | Yes |
| Maintenance | Handled by Etsy | Mostly handled by Shopify | You or your host |
What each platform costs
These figures were checked on the official pages on 2 November 2026 and are shown in US dollars. Prices and payment options vary by country.
Etsy
- Listing fee: $0.20 per listing. A listing expires after 4 months; renewing it is charged again.
- Transaction fee: 6.5% of the order total, including shipping and gift wrap if you charge for them.
- Payment processing: a set rate plus a percentage, which varies by country.
- Shop set-up fee: a one-time, non-refundable fee for opening your shop; the amount varies by location.
- Offsite Ads: if a sale comes through an ad Etsy runs elsewhere, the fee is 15% of the order total (12% if you made at least $10,000 on Etsy in the past 365 days), and never more than $100 per order.
- Regulatory operating fee: applies to sellers in some countries, including the UK, France, Italy, Spain and Canada.
Shopify
- Plans: Basic is $39 a month billed monthly or $29 a month billed yearly; Grow is $105 or $79; Advanced is $399 or $299.
- Trial: 3 days free, then $1 a month for 3 months on most plans.
- Card payments: on Basic, 2.9% + 30¢ for online card payments through Shopify Payments.
- Third-party payment providers: an extra transaction fee applies (2% on Basic).
- Paid themes and apps are optional extras.
WooCommerce
- Software: the plugin is free, with no monthly platform fee or sales commission from WooCommerce.
- Running costs: hosting, a domain and any paid extensions you add.
- Payments: fees come from your payment provider. WooPayments has no setup or monthly fees, and WooCommerce's own comparison page lists it at 2.9% + $0.30 per US card transaction.
Which is cheapest depends on your volume. Etsy costs little when you sell little, because most fees are per listing and per sale, but those percentages grow with your sales. Shopify and WooCommerce have a fixed monthly base that weighs more at low volume and less as you sell more. Run the numbers with your own prices and expected orders.
Five questions to help you choose
- Do you already have an audience? An Instagram following, a newsletter or a community makes your own store viable from day one. Without one, a marketplace's built-in search helps.
- Do your products fit Etsy? Etsy is built around handmade, vintage and craft supplies. Read its seller policies to confirm your category is allowed.
- How much setup time do you have? Etsy is the quickest, Shopify sits in the middle, and WooCommerce takes the most work, especially if WordPress is new to you.
- Do you want your own brand and domain now? If building a brand you fully control matters from the start, Shopify or WooCommerce fit better.
- Who will maintain it? Etsy and Shopify take care of hosting and security. On WooCommerce, that's on you and your host.
Whichever you choose, the launch steps are mostly the same. The Shop Launch Roadmap Notion template includes a Platform Picker built around these questions, and its 47 launch steps can be filtered to show only what applies to Etsy, Shopify or WooCommerce.
You don't have to choose forever
A common path is to start on Etsy to find first buyers and test what sells, then add your own Shopify or WooCommerce store once you have repeat customers. Others start with their own site and add a marketplace later for discovery. Running two channels means managing stock and messages in two places, so get one running smoothly before adding the second.
Beginner mistakes when picking a platform
- Comparing monthly prices only and ignoring per-sale fees.
- Choosing a platform with no plan for traffic. A beautiful store with no visitors makes no sales.
- Spending weeks on design before photographing a single product. Clear photos do more for sales than a premium theme; our guide to product photography with your phone shows how to get them at home.
- Copying another seller's choice without checking that your products, audience and time match theirs.
Next step
Once you've picked a platform, follow our online store launch checklist phase by phase. If you'd like it ready-made in Notion, with every step already tagged by platform, the Shop Launch Roadmap template costs $19 and works on the free Notion plan.
Facts checked on 2 November 2026. Platform fees, plans and image rules change, so confirm current figures on each platform's official pages before you decide.
Questions
Frequently asked.
Is Etsy or Shopify better for beginners?
Etsy is easier if you have no audience yet and your products fit its handmade, vintage or craft-supply focus, because buyers already search there. Shopify is better if you want your own brand and domain and can bring visitors yourself through social media, email or ads.
Is WooCommerce really free?
The WooCommerce plugin is free and WooCommerce takes no sales commission. You still pay for hosting, a domain, any paid extensions or themes, and payment processing fees charged by your payment provider.
Can I sell on Etsy and Shopify at the same time?
Yes. You can run a marketplace shop and your own store side by side. The main extra work is keeping stock levels, listings and customer messages in sync, so it is easier to add the second channel once the first runs smoothly.
Do I need my own domain to sell online?
Not on Etsy, where your shop lives on Etsy. On Shopify or WooCommerce, a custom domain is strongly recommended because it is your shop's address and part of your brand.
Which platform has the lowest fees?
There is no single answer. Etsy's per-listing and per-sale fees cost little at low volume but grow with sales, while Shopify and WooCommerce have fixed monthly costs that matter less as you sell more. Calculate with your own prices and expected number of orders, using each platform's current pricing page.
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