WooCommerce is good but…is it too expensive?

Feb 5, 2025 | Ecommerce

WooCommerce is good but...is it too expensive

WooCommerce is a leading Ecommerce solution that powers millions of online stores worldwide. Its flexibility, scalability, and customisation options make it the preferred choice for many businesses.

It’s excellent, and it’s open source. Open-source means programmed by many freelance developers who do it for the love of it. This results in the application being free of cost and potentially well-developed. Who doesn’t like that?

However, are there any drawbacks that customers frequently mention?

Woo-commerce is great, but….

1. Over reliance on plugins

While WooCommerce itself is free, customers often need multiple plugins to extend its functionality. Features like advanced reporting, customised shipping methods, and marketing automation typically require third-party plugins.

  • Hidden costs: Many plugins are premium and require annual subscriptions
  • Compatibility issues: Plugins from different developers sometimes conflict with each other, causing problems.
  • Frequent updates: Updating plugins is a full-time job, especially when updates for individual plugins occur at different times and can cause incompatibilities with themes or other plugins.

2. Support frustrations

WooCommerce customers frequently mention dissatisfaction with the level of support available.

  • WooCommerce support is decentralised. Customers rely on forums, documentation, or paid support services.
  • When issues arise from plugins or themes, customers must contact the individual developers, often leading to finger-pointing and delayed resolutions.

Regarding support, WooCommerce may still be better than Shopify (its customers crucify it on Trustpilot), but not as good as Uptivity’s JustSell.

3. The Customisation conundrum

WooCommerce is praised for its flexibility, but that flexibility can quickly become overwhelming for customers without technical knowledge.

Challenges include:

  • Coding knowledge (HTML, CSS, and PHP) is needed to make significant changes.

This level of complexity can feel like a burden for business owners who prefer a plug-and-play solution.

4. Hosting and security are YOUR own responsibility

Unlike managed platforms like Shopify, Uptivity’s JusSell WooCommerce doesn’t have built-in hosting or security. Customers need to be careful when choosing hosting or outsource it, adding to expense.

Hosting concerns:

  • Many customers opt for budget hosting, which can’t handle WooCommerce’s demands as traffic grows.
  • The need for regular backups, caching, and server optimisation often requires technical know-how or hiring professionals.

Security concerns:

  • Customers must handle SSL certificates, install security plugins, and regularly update WooCommerce, WordPress, and plugins to prevent vulnerabilities.
  • Poorly maintained sites can become targets for hackers.

5. Performance challenges and poor customer experience

This isn’t so much a WooCommerce problem as it is often seen on WooCommerce sites. WooCommerce can handle small and medium-sized stores well, but scaling to a larger store usually introduces performance bottlenecks. Issues such as slow page load times, checkout lags, and overall sluggish performance become common as product catalogues or traffic increase. Slow sites lead to poor user experience and lower conversion rates, potentially driving customers away.

  • WooCommerce relies heavily on plugins for additional functionality, which can strain server resources.
  • Many customers rely on shared or low-cost hosting, which isn’t ideal for high-traffic stores.

6. Limited out-of-the-box features

Although WooCommerce is highly customisable, the base platform needs some essential features that other Ecommerce platforms provide by default. Such as:

  • Advanced analytics and reporting tools.
  • Optimised checkout flows with modern features like one-click payments or express checkout options.
  • Built-in CRM and email marketing integrations.

Adding these features requires third-party tools, increasing costs and complexity.

7. SEO and Mobile Optimization Require Extra Effort

While WooCommerce is built on WordPress, a known SEO platform, customers must actively configure their stores for optimal results.

  • Basic WooCommerce installations lack advanced SEO tools, requiring plugins like Yoast SEO for WooCommerce.
  • Customers unfamiliar with SEO practices might struggle to rank their products effectively.

Mobile responsive Issues:

  • Performance (speed and how well it fits the screen) on tablets and mobile phones depends greatly on the theme used. Some themes give poor user experience on mobiles.

8. High Cost of Ownership

Ironically, free comes at a high cost. WooCommerce markets itself as a free platform, but running a fully functional store often comes with significant costs.

Where Costs Add Up:

  • Premium themes and plugins.
  • Hosting services (especially for high-traffic stores).
  • Development and maintenance if hiring professionals.

Compared to other platforms with fixed monthly fees (e.g., Shopify and Uptivity’s JustSell), WooCommerce can sometimes become more expensive in the long run.

Final Thoughts

WooCommerce is a good and flexible Ecommerce solution. The plugins enable you to tailor it to your specifications. As the title suggests, WooCommerce is great but not ideal for everyone. Those with expertise or who recruit the right professionals will love WooCommerce. But those who don’t might prefer a more straightforward, all-in-one solution that is less complex, less costly, and less overwhelming.

I’m here to make a case for Uptivity’s JustSell Retail & Wholesale Ecommerce platform. Full disclosure: The author works for Uptivity, but the sentiment is still correct. JustSell is different from WooCommerce, with one subscription cost and one support team to deal with who will help your business go from an acorn to an oak tree.

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