The Shopify vs WooCommerce debate is one of the most common questions from new SA merchants. Here's a direct comparison based on what actually matters for selling in South Africa.
Ease of use
Shopify wins here. It's a hosted platform. Shopify manages servers, security, and updates. You focus on products and sales.
WooCommerce requires more technical comfort. You manage WordPress hosting, plugin updates, security patches, and backups yourself (or pay someone to).
Cost
WooCommerce appears cheaper upfront but adds up. Hosting, domain, premium themes, and essential plugins can easily reach R1,000 to R2,000/month once your store grows.
Shopify has predictable monthly costs. The main sticker shock for SA merchants is needing the Advanced plan (R5,500/month) to unlock carrier-calculated shipping.
South African payment support
Both platforms support the main SA gateways. PayFast, Peach Payments, and Yoco. Neither has a major edge here.
Shipping
This is where Shopify's ecosystem shines for SA merchants. Apps like SmartShip ZA integrate directly and calculate rates across Main, Regional, and Outlying zones in real time. WooCommerce has shipping plugins, but the SA specific ecosystem is smaller and more fragmented.
SEO
Both are capable. WooCommerce (on WordPress) gives you more granular control if you're technically inclined. Shopify's SEO is solid out of the box.
The verdict
For most South African merchants launching their first store, Shopify's ease of use and support ecosystem make it the faster path to revenue.