Shopify's fees make sense at $5,000/month in revenue. At $50,000/month, you're paying $1,500+ in transaction fees alone, before hosting, apps, or themes. WooCommerce on WordPress costs a fraction of that. Here's the full migration guide: products, customers, orders, and your storefront design.
Why stores migrate from Shopify to WordPress
The transaction fee math
Shopify's Basic plan charges 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction, plus $39/month for the platform. Here's what that looks like at different revenue levels:
- $10,000/month GMV: ~$290 in transaction fees + $39 platform fee = $329/month
- $50,000/month GMV: ~$1,450 in transaction fees + $39 platform fee = $1,489/month
- $100,000/month GMV: ~$2,900 in transaction fees + $39 platform fee = $2,939/month
WooCommerce is free software. You pay for hosting ($30 to $100/month) and your payment processor (Stripe: 2.9% + 30¢). That's it. No platform cut on top of the processor fee.
At $50k/month GMV, you'd pay Stripe's standard rate either way. But on Shopify you're also paying the platform's margin. On WooCommerce you're not.
Plugin flexibility
WooCommerce has access to 80,000+ WordPress plugins. Shopify's app store is more limited and tends to charge recurring monthly fees for functionality that's free or one-time-purchase on WordPress.
Content + commerce
WordPress was built for content. WooCommerce adds commerce on top. If your store runs on content marketing, a blog, or SEO, the WordPress foundation gives you tools Shopify can't match.
You own everything
On WooCommerce, you own your data, your code, and your hosting. You can export everything, move hosts anytime, and modify anything in your theme or database. Shopify's Liquid template system keeps your storefront code locked to their platform.
What Shopify exports
Products
Shopify gives you a solid products CSV export. It includes title, description, price, SKU, variants, images, tags, and collections.
To export: go to Shopify Admin, then Products, then Export, then choose "All products." Download the CSV.
The CSV format is Shopify's own. WooCommerce uses different column names. When you import into WooCommerce, the product CSV importer has a column mapping step. You'll match Shopify's columns to WooCommerce's expected fields. It takes about 10 minutes the first time.
Customers
Customer exports include name, email, phone, address, and total order count. Export from Shopify Admin, then Customers, then Export.
Import to WordPress using WP All Import or a dedicated customer migration plugin. WP All Import Pro handles WooCommerce customer records and maps custom fields.
Orders
Shopify exports order history as a CSV. You can import past orders into WooCommerce via WP All Import. This is useful for reporting and customer history, even if the orders aren't "live."
One thing that doesn't transfer: payment methods. Shopify Payments stores card data with their payment processor, not with you. Customers will need to re-enter payment info when they check out on WooCommerce.
Blog posts
Shopify blog posts export as XML, which is compatible with WordPress's built-in importer. Go to Shopify Admin, then Blog Posts, then Export.
Post body content and titles come through cleanly. Images will be referenced as Shopify CDN URLs. You'll want to re-host them in your WordPress media library after import. The "Import External Images" plugin can automate this.
What Shopify doesn't export
Your Shopify theme is built on Liquid, Shopify's own template language. There's no WooCommerce-compatible equivalent. You can't download your Shopify theme and upload it to WordPress. The two systems are completely different.
Shopify Payments card data stays with the payment processor for PCI compliance reasons. You can't export saved payment methods. Your customers will re-enter their cards at next purchase on WooCommerce.
Shopify-specific apps don't transfer their data automatically. Reviews from apps like Loox (if stored in Loox's system) need their own migration path. Loyalty points, subscription data, and any other app-specific records need to be handled app by app.
Custom storefront code that calls Shopify's Storefront API is Shopify-specific. It won't work on WooCommerce without being rebuilt.
Migrating your Shopify storefront design
Your live Shopify store is publicly accessible at yourstore.myshopify.com (and your custom domain if you have one set up). That's your way in.
Paste that URL into StaticToWP. It renders your store in a real browser, captures all the computed CSS from your Shopify theme (whether you're running Dawn, Debut, or a custom theme), and packages it as a WordPress and WooCommerce-compatible theme zip.
What you keep: your exact visual design, fonts, colors, layout, and responsive breakpoints. The output is what a browser sees, not Shopify's Liquid source. That means it works regardless of which Shopify theme you're using.
What needs WooCommerce wiring: product pages, cart, and checkout. WooCommerce has its own templates for these. The captured design provides the visual shell: typography, colors, navigation, header, footer. WooCommerce fills in the dynamic product and cart content.
Inner page templates also inherit the design's typography and colors. So your About page, blog posts, and category pages all look consistent with your storefront.
This is the same approach covered in guides like Webflow to WordPress and Wix to WordPress. The public URL is the export mechanism when the platform doesn't give you one.
Step-by-step Shopify to WooCommerce migration
- Export products CSV from Shopify. Shopify Admin → Products → Export → All products. Save the CSV file.
- Export customers CSV. Shopify Admin → Customers → Export. Download the full customer list.
- Export blog posts XML. Shopify Admin → Blog Posts → Export. This gives you a WordPress-compatible XML file.
- Capture your Shopify design. Paste your Shopify store URL into StaticToWP. Download the WordPress theme zip. The whole process takes under 60 seconds.
- Set up WordPress hosting. Kinsta, WP Engine, and SiteGround all handle high-traffic WooCommerce stores well. Get a fresh WordPress install up and running.
- Install WordPress and the WooCommerce plugin. Go to Plugins → Add New → search WooCommerce. Install and activate it. Run through the WooCommerce setup wizard.
- Upload and activate the StaticToWP theme. Go to Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme. Upload your zip file and activate it.
- Import products via WooCommerce CSV importer. Go to WooCommerce → Products → Import. Upload your Shopify products CSV. Use the column mapping step to match Shopify's field names to WooCommerce's expected fields.
- Import customers via WP All Import. Install WP All Import Pro. Create a new import for WooCommerce customers. Map the fields from your Shopify customer CSV.
- Import blog posts. Go to Tools → Import → WordPress. Upload your blog posts XML. Run the import and check posts for formatting issues.
- Set up payment gateway. Install the Stripe for WooCommerce plugin. Connect your Stripe account. This replaces Shopify Payments and charges the same 2.9% + 30¢ rate without any platform fee on top.
- Set up 301 redirects. Shopify product URLs use
/products/slug. WooCommerce uses/product/slug. Install the Redirection plugin and map all changed URLs before you switch your domain. - Test checkout thoroughly. Place test orders. Check the full flow: product page, add to cart, checkout, payment, confirmation email. Fix anything that's broken before you switch your domain.
- Switch your domain. Update your domain's DNS to point at your new WordPress host. Keep your Shopify store live until you've confirmed the WordPress store is working.
URL structure and SEO
Shopify and WooCommerce use different URL patterns. If you don't handle this, you'll lose rankings for every product and collection page.
Shopify product URLs look like: /products/product-slug
WooCommerce product URLs look like: /product/product-slug
That's a one-character difference ("s" removed), but Google treats them as different pages. Every product URL needs a 301 redirect.
Shopify collections use: /collections/collection-name
WooCommerce uses: /product-category/name
Set up 301 redirects for all changed URLs using the Redirection plugin. Don't skip any. Even one missed redirect on a high-traffic category page can hurt rankings.
Within 48 hours of going live, submit your new XML sitemap in Google Search Console. Your sitemap is at yoursite.com/sitemap.xml if you're using Yoast SEO or Rank Math. Monitor the Coverage report for 404 errors during the first two weeks.
Payment setup on WooCommerce
Stripe for WooCommerce is the direct replacement for Shopify Payments. It supports credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay out of the box. The transaction rate is the same 2.9% + 30¢ you're already paying. The difference is that Shopify is no longer taking a cut on top of it.
PayPal is also available as a WooCommerce extension. If your customers use PayPal, add it as a second gateway.
Shopify Payments customers will need to re-enter their payment info when they check out on WooCommerce. This is expected. PCI compliance rules mean saved card data stays with the processor. You can email customers a heads up before you switch, or handle it passively as they come back to buy.
For more on combining a WordPress store with content marketing, the convert a static site to WordPress guide covers how static frontend designs can be turned into full WordPress and WooCommerce themes.
FAQ
Will my Shopify product reviews transfer?
It depends on which review app you're using. Shopify's native product reviews have a CSV export. Judge.me and Stamped both have documented WooCommerce migration paths. If you're using a Shopify-only review app with no export option, you may need to recreate reviews manually or start fresh. Check your review app's documentation for a migration guide before you commit to the move.
What happens to my Shopify store during migration?
Keep it live. Don't cancel your Shopify subscription until your WooCommerce store is fully tested and your domain is pointing at WordPress. Run both stores in parallel during the transition period. Once you've confirmed that checkout, payments, and emails are all working on WooCommerce, then switch the domain and cancel Shopify.
Does WooCommerce handle as much traffic as Shopify?
Yes, with the right hosting. Shopify handles infrastructure for you. WooCommerce puts that responsibility on you and your host. Use a managed WordPress host like Kinsta or WP Engine for any store doing significant volume. Both platforms are built for high-traffic WooCommerce stores and include caching, CDN, and autoscaling. A $50/month managed WordPress plan handles traffic that would push you into Shopify's higher-cost tiers.
How long does the migration take?
Product import takes 1 to 2 hours for most stores, including the column mapping step. Design migration with StaticToWP takes under 60 seconds. Setting up hosting, WooCommerce, payments, and redirects takes another half day. Testing takes as long as you give it. Total project: 1 to 3 days depending on store size, number of products, and how thorough your testing is.