On this page
We build on nopCommerce, so read this with that in mind. We have still tried to be fair: nopCommerce is the wrong choice for many stores, and this comparison says which ones. Competitor prices are the monthly-billed list prices in October 2026; check each provider’s pricing page before deciding.
The short answer
| Criterion | nopCommerce | Shopify | WooCommerce | BigCommerce |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Self-hosted application | Hosted service (SaaS) | WordPress plugin, self-hosted | Hosted service (SaaS) |
| Software cost | Free | Monthly plan | Free | Monthly plan |
| Fee on sales | None | Extra 0.2–2% unless you use Shopify Payments | None | None, but plans have sales limits |
| Technology | C#, ASP.NET Core | Liquid themes, apps via API | PHP, WordPress | Stencil themes, apps via API |
| You own the code | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Multi-store built in | Yes | Separate stores | Via multisite or plugins | Multi-storefront on some plans |
| Multi-vendor built in | Yes | Via apps | Via plugins | Via apps |
| Best for | B2B, multi-store, custom rules, .NET companies | Fast launch, D2C brands, small teams | Content-led stores on WordPress | Growing stores that want SaaS with fewer fees |
Hosted or self-hosted: the difference that decides the rest
Shopify and BigCommerce run the software, servers, security and updates for you. You pay a monthly plan and work inside what the platform allows: themes, settings, and apps that talk to it through an API. You never see or change the platform’s code.
WooCommerce and nopCommerce are software you install on a server you choose. The software is free and you can change anything, but hosting, security updates, backups and upgrades are your job or your agency’s. WooCommerce is a plugin for WordPress, written in PHP. nopCommerce is a standalone ASP.NET Core application written in C#; read what nopCommerce is for the full picture.
Cost compared
| Platform | Plans | Fees and limits |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Basic $39 · Grow $105 · Advanced $399 · Plus from $2,300 | Extra 2% / 1% / 0.6% / 0.2% when you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments |
| BigCommerce | Standard $39 · Plus $105 · Pro $399 · Enterprise on request | No transaction fee. Plans are capped by yearly online sales: $50k, $180k and $400k |
| WooCommerce | Free plugin | Hosting, a theme and paid extensions (subscriptions, bookings and so on) |
| nopCommerce | Free | Hosting, an optional paid theme and plugins, and development |
Shopify and BigCommerce are cheaper to start and more expensive to grow. A store on Shopify Advanced that sells $1 million a year through its own payment provider pays $4,788 for the plan and $6,000 in extra fees, before apps. Paying yearly lowers the plan price, and using Shopify Payments removes the extra fee, but then you use Shopify’s card rates. BigCommerce has no fee on sales, but moves you to a higher plan as sales grow.
WooCommerce and nopCommerce cost more at launch, because someone has to set up hosting, the theme and the integrations, and nothing after that grows with your sales. Payment providers charge their own fees on every platform. For the cost items of a nopCommerce store, see what nopCommerce costs.
B2B, multi-store and multi-vendor
This is where the platforms differ most, and where nopCommerce is strongest.
- B2B. nopCommerce 5.00 includes customer-role prices and catalogs, tier prices, price lists, request for quote and PunchOut for procurement systems. Shopify’s B2B features are built mainly for Shopify Plus; check which ones your plan includes. WooCommerce and BigCommerce cover B2B through extensions or higher plans.
- Several stores. nopCommerce runs any number of stores from one installation and one admin area, each with its own domain, theme, catalog and prices. On Shopify each store is a separate subscription.
- Marketplaces with vendors. nopCommerce has vendors built in: vendor accounts, products per vendor and a vendor area. The others need a marketplace app or plugin. We extend this built-in multi-vendor support into full marketplaces.
- Languages and currencies. All four handle several languages and currencies. On nopCommerce they are part of the core, including right-to-left languages.
For more on what nopCommerce does for trade customers, see our B2B eCommerce solutions.
Customisation and developers
- Shopify: themes in Liquid, and apps that connect through Shopify’s APIs. Checkout and core behaviour can only be changed where Shopify allows it. Developers are easy to find.
- WooCommerce: PHP hooks and plugins on top of WordPress. Anything can be changed, and developers are plentiful, but many plugins together can slow the store and conflict at updates.
- BigCommerce: Stencil themes and APIs, similar to Shopify, with headless options.
- nopCommerce: plugins in C#, using events and dependency injection, so custom features don’t require editing the core. Any behaviour can be changed. .NET developers cost more and are fewer than PHP developers, but suit companies already on Microsoft systems.
If you need something built, our nopCommerce plugin development page shows the kinds of plugins we write.
Hosting, security and updates
On Shopify and BigCommerce you don’t run anything: uptime, security patches and PCI compliance of the platform are the provider’s job. On WooCommerce and nopCommerce they are yours. In practice that means a reliable host, an SSL certificate, regular patch updates, backups and a plan for major upgrades. A nopCommerce store moves to a new major version every year or two; our nopCommerce upgrade guide explains what that involves. Card details should go to a payment provider’s hosted fields or page on any platform, which keeps most of the PCI scope with the provider.
SEO
All four platforms can rank well, and none is a shortcut. The differences are in control:
- nopCommerce: editable URLs at the root, such as
/oak-desk, titles and descriptions per page and language, sitemap.xml, robots.txt and canonical URLs. Some SEO settings are off after installation; our nopCommerce SEO checklist lists them. - Shopify: good defaults, but fixed URL patterns such as
/products/and/collections/, and a robots.txt you edit through a template. - WooCommerce: full control through WordPress and SEO plugins, and the best tools for content-heavy sites.
- BigCommerce: editable URLs and solid defaults.
Which one to choose
Choose Shopify if
You sell direct to consumers, want to launch in weeks with a small team, don’t want to run servers, and the app store covers what you need.
Choose WooCommerce if
Your business already runs on WordPress, content and blogging drive your sales, and you have PHP developers.
Choose BigCommerce if
You want a hosted platform without fees on sales, with more built-in features than Shopify’s lower plans, and accept the sales limits per plan.
Choose nopCommerce if
You sell B2B, run several stores or a marketplace, need custom rules or ERP integration, want to own the code with no fees on sales, and work with .NET developers.
Switching between platforms
Moving in either direction follows the same plan: export products, customers and orders, import them in the right order, and 301-redirect every old URL. Customer passwords rarely transfer. Our migration guide covers moving to nopCommerce from WooCommerce, Magento or Shopify, and its last section covers moving away.
Thinking of leaving nopCommerce because the store is slow or hard to update? Check first whether the cause is the platform or how the store was built. An upgrade, a performance review or moving core edits into plugins is often cheaper than a new platform.
Frequently asked questions
Is nopCommerce better than Shopify?
For some stores. nopCommerce is better when you need B2B pricing, several stores or vendors, custom business rules or deep integrations, and have .NET developers. Shopify is better when you want to launch fast, avoid running servers and rely on its app store. Neither is better for every business.
Is nopCommerce cheaper than Shopify?
Over several years, often yes, because nopCommerce has no monthly plan and no fee on sales. At launch, usually no, because you pay for hosting, setup and development up front. The larger your sales, the more the comparison favours nopCommerce.
Does nopCommerce charge transaction fees?
No. nopCommerce takes nothing from your sales. Your payment provider, such as PayPal or Stripe, charges its own fees, as it would on any platform.
Can I move from Shopify to nopCommerce, or the other way?
Yes. Products, customers and orders can be exported from either platform and imported into the other, with 301 redirects from old URLs. Customer passwords don’t transfer: Shopify doesn’t export them, and nopCommerce’s hashes aren’t readable by Shopify, so customers set a new password.
WooCommerce or nopCommerce for B2B?
nopCommerce includes customer-role pricing, tier prices, price lists, request for quote and PunchOut in 5.00 without extra plugins. WooCommerce can do B2B too, but through several paid extensions that have to work together. For B2B with an ERP, nopCommerce usually needs less assembly.
Which platform is best for SEO?
All four can rank well. nopCommerce and WooCommerce give full control of URLs and templates. Shopify fixes the URL patterns, such as /products/ and /collections/, which is fine for most stores but can’t be changed. Content quality and site speed matter more than the platform.
Get a recommendation
Send us what you sell, who your customers are, your yearly sales range and the systems you use. We will tell you which platform fits, including when it isn’t nopCommerce.