If you’re considering starting an online shop, chances are you’ve come across WooCommerce—one of the most popular ecommerce platform (over 7 million stores use it) choices for businesses of all sizes. As a WordPress plugin, it provides a flexible solution that turns a website into a fully functional WooCommerce store.
But here’s the big question: how much does WooCommerce cost?
While WooCommerce itself is free to install, running a successful store involves essential expenses, such as hosting, domain registration, design themes, security, and marketing tools. Some businesses manage with minimal costs, while others invest heavily in premium plugins, custom development, and other solutions to scale their operations.
So, is WooCommerce free? The short answer: not entirely. Even though the core software can be used without paying, there are inevitable WooCommerce fees that come into play, depending on how you set up and customize your website.
Next, we’ll break down the true WooCommerce pricing—from hosting and design to third-party integrations and security—so you know what to expect and budget accordingly. And before you proceed, make sure you understand what is WooCommerce thoroughly, so you get the most out of this article.
WooCommerce Pricing Essentials: What You'll Actually Pay
Yet, if you Google “how much is WooCommerce,” the answer won’t be as straightforward. The cost you’ll incur depends on factors like store size, features, and customization needs.
The annual cost of running a WooCommerce store can range from $135 for a basic setup to over $30,000 for large-scale businesses. With such a spread, it’s easy to get confused about WooCommerce pricing.
Mandatory vs. Optional Expenses
First, let’s explore two major categories of WooCommerce costs.
Mandatory costs: These are the essential expenses required to launch and operate a store. Without them, it’s impossible to set up and run it. These include:
- Hosting & domain—Your website's foundation. Costs go from $3 to $200/month, depending on your needs. Shared hosting starts at the lower end but may slow down during traffic spikes, while managed WooCommerce hosting offers better performance and specialized support at higher price points.
- Security (SSL, backups, firewalls)—Essential for protecting customer data and building trust with your customers. While basic SSL certificates can be free with some hosts, premium security features like daily backups, malware scanning, and advanced firewalls typically cost $100-300 annually. Many hosting providers bundle these features into their packages.
- Transaction fees—Payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe charge around 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction on average. These fees can impact your profit margins, especially on lower-priced items. Some payment processors offer volume discounts once you reach certain monthly sales thresholds, and rates may vary by country and transaction type.
Optional costs: Depend on your store’s needs and budget, such as:
- Premium themes & custom design—Free themes exist, but premium ones range from $29–$200+.
- Marketing & automation tools—Costs vary based on features and platform.
- Advanced plugins & integrations—Costs are based on functionality, typically $50–$500+ per year.
Ultimately, WooCommerce pricing depends on the level of customization and tools you need. Now, let’s explore each of these expenses in more detail.
WooCommerce Pricing for Hosting and Domain Name
When setting up a WooCommerce store, one of the most critical decisions you'll make is choosing the right hosting and domain name. Your hosting provider determines your store’s speed, security, uptime, and scalability, all of which impact customer experience and sales.
But how much should you budget for hosting? The WooCommerce cost of hosting depends on the type of plan you choose. Below, we break down the three most common hosting options and their price ranges.
Types of Hosting for WooCommerce
- Shared hosting ($3–$15/month)—Best for small stores
If you're just starting out and have a low-traffic store, shared hosting is the most budget-friendly option. Your website shares server resources with other sites, which keeps costs low but can lead to slower performance during high-traffic periods.
Best for: Small-scale stores or new businesses testing the waters.
Popular providers: Bluehost, SiteGround.
- VPS hosting ($10–$200/month)—Balanced performance & cost
A Virtual Private Server (VPS) provides more dedicated resources than shared hosting, improving site speed, security, and reliability. It’s a good middle ground for growing stores that need better performance without committing to expensive cloud hosting.
Best for: Mid-sized stores with growing traffic.
Popular providers: SiteGround, Pressable.
- Cloud hosting ($20–$500+/month)—Scalable & reliable
Cloud hosting distributes your store across a network of connected servers, offering excellent scalability and reliability. Resources can be adjusted in real-time to handle traffic spikes, and you only pay for what you use.
Best for: Stores with variable traffic patterns or international customers.
Popular providers: AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, Cloudways.
- Dedicated hosting ($100–$500+/month)—Maximum performance & control
A dedicated server provides exclusive access to an entire physical server for your WooCommerce store. This offers the highest level of performance, security, and customization options.
Best for: Large-scale stores with high traffic volumes or specific security requirements.
Popular providers: Liquid Web, GoDaddy, HostGator.
- Managed WordPress hosting ($25–$300+/month)—Optimized & hands-off
Managed WordPress hosting provides specialized optimization for WordPress and WooCommerce sites. These services handle technical aspects like security, updates, caching, and backups.
Best for: Store owners who want premium performance without technical overhead.
Popular providers: WP Engine, Kinsta, Flywheel.
Domain Name Costs
A domain name is your store’s unique address on the internet (e.g., yourstore.com). While some hosting providers offer a free domain for the first year, expect to pay between $10–$20 per year after that.
Many hosting providers like Bluehost and SiteGround include free domain registration, while services like GoDaddy and Namecheap allow standalone purchases.
Best Hosting Providers for WooCommerce
If you’re looking for the best WooCommerce pricing on hosting, here are some popular providers:
| Hosting Provider | Features | Price Range |
| Bluehost | Affordable, beginner-friendly, often includes a free option for the first year. | $3.50 - $15/month |
| SiteGround | Excellent speed, great support, recommended by WordPress. | $5 - $25/month (initial), higher on renewal |
| Pressable | WooCommerce-optimized, scalable, strong security. | $25 - $155/month |
| AWS (Amazon Web Services) | Highly scalable, pay-as-you-go, wide range of services. | $30-900+/month depending on traffic |
| Liquid Web | Managed hosting, VPS, dedicated servers, cloud options. | From $5-600+/month depending on setup |
| GoDaddy | Affordable shared hosting, various plans. | $5.99 - $24.99/month (initial), more on renewal |
| WP Engine | Managed WordPress hosting, specialized support, CDN, staging environments. | $50 - $400/month |
| Kinsta | Managed WordPress hosting, fast load speeds, focuses on visitor limits instead of bandwidth. | $30 - $500+/month |
A proper hosting and domain are critical for the lasting success of your store. However, it’s only the first piece of the puzzle.
WooCommerce Pricing: From Basic Themes to Custom Design
A WooCommerce store isn’t just about functionality—it also needs an attractive and user-friendly design to convert visitors into customers. Your store’s theme determines its overall look, layout, and shopping experience, making it a critical investment. Whether you choose a free or premium theme depends on your budget and customization needs.
Free vs. Premium WooCommerce Themes
- Free themes—Basic but functional
If you're just starting and want to minimize expenses, free WooCommerce themes provide a solid foundation. Two of the most popular options include:
- Storefront—WooCommerce’s official free theme, offering a simple yet effective design.
- Astra—A lightweight and fast theme that works well for online stores.
While these themes are functional, they often lack advanced customization options, requiring additional plugins or custom coding to achieve a unique look.
- Premium themes—More customization & features
For a more polished and professional design, many store owners opt for premium WooCommerce themes, which typically cost $59–$200+. Premium themes offer:
- Advanced customization without coding.
- Built-in performance optimization for faster page speeds.
- Ongoing updates and customer support.
Some popular premium themes include Flatsome, Porto, and WoodMart, all of which come with extensive design flexibility.
At this point, you might think that good design is a luxury not worth investing into. Here’s something for you to consider: A well-designed user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) can significantly improve conversion rates. Studies suggest an intuitive user interface can increase conversion rates by up to 200%. When put like this, it becomes more justified, isn’t it?
Customization & Hiring Developers
While premium themes provide ready-to-use designs, businesses with unique branding needs often require customizing stores beyond the basic themes. If you need custom layouts, advanced UI/UX elements, or specific integrations, hiring developers may be necessary.
It’s impossible to provide a clear evaluation for custom design expenses. However, here’s the ballpark WooCommerce pricing:
- Minor theme customizations: $100–$500
- Full custom WooCommerce theme development: $1,000–$10,000+
- Ongoing maintenance and updates: Varies based on complexity
WooCommerce Pricing Breakdown: Security Features & Communication Tools
A successful shop isn’t just about products and pricing—it also requires strong customer communication and airtight security to maintain trust and drive sales. Whether you’re emailing customers about promotions or securing transactions, you can’t do it without the right tools.
Email Marketing & Automation
Email remains one of the most cost-effective ways to engage customers and boost sales. WooCommerce store owners can use email marketing platforms to send newsletters, promotions, and abandoned cart reminders.
Marketing costs:
- Mailchimp: Free for up to 500 contacts, paid plans start at $9.99/month.
- Brevo: Free for up to 300 emails per day; paid plans with more features start at $9/month for 5,000 emails. Brevo also provides SMS, WhatsApp, and CRM capabilities.
- MailerLite: A free plan is available; the Growing Business plan (one of their paid options) starts at $10/month for up to 500 subscribers. MailerLite is known for being user-friendly, especially for small to medium-sized businesses.
- HubSpot: Offers a free version, but it has HubSpot branding. Paid plans start at $20 per month.
- Yespo: Features a robust free plan to help budding store owners with marketing automation. Meanwhile, our Professional CDP Plan covers most needs of an online store, like customer segmentation or multiple communication channels, for only €349 per month. Like with many other expenses on our list, a CDP can be a very smart investment that can pay for itself very quickly. For example, some of Yespo’s users achieved a tremendous ROI of 1000%.
SSL Certificates: Protecting Customer Data
Every WooCommerce store needs an SSL certificate to encrypt transactions and protect sensitive data. Many hosting providers offer free certificates, but premium SSL options with higher encryption and extended validation range from $8–$65/year.
So, why do you need SSL in the first place? It checks a couple of vital boxes:
- Encrypts sensitive information like credit card details and passwords.
- Helps improve SEO rankings, as Google prioritizes secure websites.
- Builds customer trust by displaying the padlock symbol in the browser bar.
Security Plugins: Protecting Your Store from Threats
Being proactive about security risks like hacking, malware, and data breaches can save you from a lot of trouble down the road. Security plugins help automate store protection, preventing unauthorized access and fraud.
Some of the most popular options for security plugins include:
- Sucuri—starts at $199/year for website firewall and malware scanning.
- Jetpack Security—Premium security features start at $50–$300/year.
These tools provide automated security monitoring, backups, and brute force attack prevention to protect your store.
WooCommerce Pricing for Third-Party Plugins & Integrations
One of the biggest advantages of using WooCommerce is its flexibility. With thousands of plugins and extensions available, you can customize your store to meet specific needs. Whether you need SEO optimization, advanced analytics, or secure payment gateways—a plugin exists to do the job.
However, these extensions come at a cost. While some are free, many require an annual or monthly subscription. Below, we break down the pricing of some WooCommerce integrations.
Essential WooCommerce Plugins & Their Costs
- SEO Plugins—Optimize your store for search
To improve search visibility and drive organic traffic, WooCommerce users often install SEO plugins like Yoast SEO.
Pricing:
- Yoast SEO Premium—$69/year
- Free version available with limited features
Yoast SEO helps optimize meta descriptions, product pages, and internal linking to improve Google rankings.
- Analytics Tools—Track performance and customer behavior
Every WooCommerce store needs data to make informed business decisions. Google Analytics is the most widely used tool for tracking traffic, conversions, and user behavior.
Pricing:
- Google Analytics—Free
- Enhanced ecommerce tracking add-ons may cost extra
With real-time data, store owners can analyze customer behavior and improve marketing strategies.
- Payment Gateways – Secure Online Transactions
To accept credit cards, PayPal, and other payment methods, WooCommerce requires payment gateway plugins. Popular options include:
Pricing:
- PayPal Standard and PayPal Pro—Fees range 2.29-4.99% + $0.49 per transaction
- Stripe—Fees: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
These gateways enable secure transactions, offering fraud protection and PCI compliance.
How Additional Customization Affects WooCommerce Pricing
One of the greatest strengths of WooCommerce is its flexibility. However, many businesses find that the default settings and themes don’t fully meet their needs. To stand out from competitors and improve user experience, you may need to customize your store beyond basic options.
Customization Costs: Developers & Advanced Features
While WooCommerce includes basic features, many stores need extra customization to improve their shopping experience. This might include streamlining checkout pages, setting up special pricing for bulk orders, or adding AI-powered product recommendations.
These changes help businesses create a unique store that better serves their customers' needs. WooCommerce provides plenty of built-in customization options, yet more advanced changes often require hiring developers or premium tools.
Freelance WooCommerce developers charge between $20–$200+ per hour, depending on expertise and project complexity. Full website customization can cost $3,000–$10,000+ for complete design, custom checkout processes, and specialized integrations.
If you need custom features such as a dynamic checkout process or interactive shopping experiences, expect to pay anywhere from $500–$5,000+, depending on the complexity.
Using Page Builders for Customization
For store owners who want more control over design without coding, page builders like Elementor and WPBakery offer a drag-and-drop interface for designing pages.
Elementor Pro: $59-99/year—Offers advanced styling, WooCommerce widgets, and mobile-friendly design tools.
WPBakery Page Builder: $69 (one-time fee)—Provides pre-made templates and WooCommerce-specific features.
These tools offer a cost-effective way to customize your store without extensive coding knowledge.
The Role of Customer Data in Customization
To improve their results even further, businesses often integrate Customer Data Platforms (CDPs). What is customer data platform? It’s a solution that collects customer data from different sources and creates unified customer profiles to run highly personalized marketing activities.
Next, we’re going to explore how a CDP can drastically increase sales of your online store without too much effort.
How to Reduce Your Marketing Fees with Yespo Plugin for WooCommerce
Marketing costs can add up quickly when running a WooCommerce store. However, with Yespo’s WooCommerce plugin, you can slash your expenses and have just one tool to handle all of your marketing tasks.
Our plugin opens a way to use both basic and advanced options, such as cutting-edge segmentation options, automation, AI-driven personalization, omnichannel marketing and more. Store owners can lower acquisition costs and increase customer retention without spending extra on multiple third-party tools.
Here’s how Yespo can help you achieve your ecommerce and retail marketing goals:
- Advanced Customer Segmentation & Churn Reduction
Our plugin collects and processes customer data in real-time, allowing for:
- Behavioral segmentation—grouping users based on actions and purchase history.
- Predictive segmentation—identifying potential buyers and at-risk customers to prevent churn.
- RFM & cohort analysis—targeting customers based on purchase frequency and lifetime value, and other segmentation methods.
With precise targeting, store owners can send more relevant promotions, reducing wasted ad spend.
If you’d like to learn more about churn reduction and how segmentation helps retain customers, we have an article on churn analysis.
- Marketing Automation Across 9 Channels
Yespo allows businesses to automate marketing workflows across multiple channels, including email, web push, mobile push, SMS, Viber, and Telegram.
By reducing manual campaign management, store owners can spend less time and money on fragmented marketing efforts.
- AI-Driven Personalization & Product Recommendations
Yespo leverages AI-based product recommendations to deliver personalized experiences across multiple touchpoints:
- In your WooCommerce store
- In bulk campaigns (e.g., email, Viber, and other channels)
- In mobile apps & even offline stores
AI-driven personalization helps increase average order value and conversion rates, making marketing efforts more cost-efficient. For example, personalized product recommendations can boost monthly revenue from email campaigns by 20%.
Yespo ensures secure customer data handling with GDPR compliance & ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification. You retain full control over your data—when something is deleted in your WooCommerce store, we remove this from our system too.
Conclusion
While not entirely free, the WooCommerce price is highly flexible, making it an attractive option for businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re launching a small store on a tight budget or scaling a large operation with premium tools, the costs can vary based on hosting, themes, security, plugins, and marketing integrations.
One of WooCommerce’s biggest strengths is its ability to adapt to different budgets. Store owners can start with affordable solutions like free themes and shared hosting, then upgrade to premium features, advanced customization, and automation tools as their business grows. By carefully selecting cost-effective marketing strategies, businesses can maximize their return on investment without overspending.
For those looking to reduce marketing expenses while boosting sales, Yespo CDP provides an excellent solution. With customer segmentation, personalized messaging, and AI-driven recommendations, Yespo helps owners lower acquisition costs while increasing conversions.
If you’d like to improve sales of your WooCommerce store with Yespo, fill out the form below, and our experts will get back to you with answers to all your questions.