How much does WooCommerce + Stripe cost compared to Shopify Payments?

WooCommerce + Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. If used as an external gateway on Shopify, Shopify adds an extra 2.0% fee on Basic, 1.0% on Grow, or 0.6% on Advanced. Switching to native Shopify Payments eliminates the third-party surcharge entirely.

When does upgrading from Shopify Basic to Grow or Advanced pay for itself?

On annual billing, upgrading from Basic ($29/mo at 2.9%) to Grow ($79/mo at 2.7%) pays for itself at $25,000/month in sales. Upgrading from Grow to Advanced ($299/mo at 2.5%) pays for itself at $110,000/month in sales.

2026 E-Commerce Margin Audit

WooCommerce Stripe vs Shopify Total Cost Calculator

Compare self-hosted WooCommerce card rates against Shopify's tiered processing discounts on Grow and Advanced plans.

Comparing against: WooCommerce + Stripe (2.9% + $0.30)

Monthly Gross Volume $45000

$2,000/mo $125,000/mo $250,000/mo

Average Order Value (AOV) $70

$15 0 orders/mo $500

Estimated Annual Profit Recovered

$0 / year

By eliminating third-party gateway penalties and optimizing your plan tier.

Claim Shopify Trial & Lock Rate →

External Gateway

WooCommerce + Stripe + Surcharge

2.9% + $0.30 + Shopify 3rd-party penalty

Total Monthly Cost

0.0% of revenue

Shopify Basic

2.9% + $0.30

$29/mo plan + processing

Total Monthly Cost

0.0% of revenue

Shopify Grow

2.7% + $0.30

$79/mo plan + processing

Total Monthly Cost

0.0% of revenue

Shopify Advanced

2.5% + $0.30

$299/mo plan + processing

Total Monthly Cost

0.0% of revenue

How WooCommerce + Stripe vs. Shopify Fees Work in 2026

1. The Third-Party Gateway Penalty: When you process payments through an external provider like WooCommerce + Stripe (2.9% + $0.30 per order), Shopify charges an additional transaction surcharge of 2.0% on Basic, 1.0% on Grow, and 0.6% on Advanced. Activating Shopify Payments waives that surcharge immediately.

2. Plan Upgrade Break-Even Points: Higher Shopify plans reduce your credit card rate from 2.9% (Basic) to 2.7% (Grow) and 2.5% (Advanced). On annual billing, upgrading from Basic to Grow pays for itself once your store passes $25,000/month in sales, and upgrading from Grow to Advanced pays for itself above $110,000/month.