Variant limits
- Shopify: 2,048 per product
- WooCommerce: unlimited (in theory)
WooCommerce unlimited but performance degrades at 500+ variants. Shopify's limit is architectural constraint with better performance.
Option types
WooCommerce: 3 native types (dropdown, radio, color/image via plugins). Shopify similar with more mature app ecosystem.
Hosting + performance
- Shopify: managed cloud, sub-second page loads
- WooCommerce: your host determines performance
Total cost
Shopify $29-$2000/mo all-in. WooCommerce $0 platform + $10-500/mo hosting + $10-500/mo plugins + developer time.
Frequently asked questions
WooCommerce variant limit?
Unlimited in theory. Performance degrades past 500-1000 variants.
Shopify vs WooCommerce for large catalog?
Shopify — managed performance. WooCommerce hits self-hosted limits.
WooCommerce option apps?
WooCommerce Product Add-Ons (WC official). Or Uni CPO, Product Options for WooCommerce.
Total cost comparison?
Shopify all-in $29-$2000/mo. WooCommerce = hosting + plugins + dev time.
Better for personalization?
Shopify — Print It My Way, Zakeke, mature ecosystem.
Better for developer control?
WooCommerce — WordPress + PHP + full code access.
Migration WooCommerce to Shopify?
CSV import. Cart66, LitExtension for automated migration.
Better for global multi-currency?
Shopify — native Markets support.
Related reading
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