A Shopify to WooCommerce migration moves your products, customers, orders and content from Shopify’s hosted platform onto WordPress, then redirects every old URL so your search traffic has the best chance of carrying over. Done in the right order, on a protected staging site first, your customers should barely notice the switch.
The short answer
- WooCommerce’s own guide lists three routes: the built-in CSV importer, a migration extension, or a specialist team.
- The CSV route moves products only. Customers, orders, coupons and content need an extension or custom work.
- Customer passwords do not transfer from Shopify, so plan a password reset email for launch day.
- Keep a URL unchanged when it still serves the same content. Permanently redirect changed URLs to relevant replacements and keep those redirects for at least a year, following Google’s site-move guidance.
- Move only if you need control Shopify cannot give you. A tidy Shopify store with no integration pain is often better left where it is.
Shopify vs WooCommerce: should you move at all?
Shopify vs WooCommerce comes down to convenience versus control. Shopify is a hosted platform that runs the servers, security and updates for you, inside its rules. WooCommerce is open-source software on WordPress that you host and maintain yourself, in exchange for full control over your data, checkout, integrations and cost structure.
Both are mature. WooCommerce is free under the GPLv3 licence and has 7+ million active installations on WordPress.org. WordPress itself runs 39.6% of all websites, according to W3Techs. Shopify’s model is a subscription plus apps, and if you prefer not to use Shopify Payments, Shopify charges third-party transaction fees that vary by plan.
| Factor | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting and security | Included and managed by Shopify | You choose the host and own security and updates |
| Cost drivers | Monthly plan, paid apps, transaction fees if you use a third-party gateway | Free core plugin; hosting, paid extensions and maintenance are the running costs |
| Checkout changes | Limited to what Shopify exposes | Full code access, so custom fees, flows and rules are possible |
| Integrations (ERP, CRM, inventory) | App store, strong for common tools | Any system through the REST API or a custom plugin |
| Content and SEO | Good basics, fixed URL patterns | Full WordPress content tools, editable URL structure |
| Maintenance load | Low | Ongoing: updates, testing, backups, monitoring |
| Best fit | Teams wanting low overhead and standard retail flows | Stores needing custom logic, content-led growth or deep integrations |
I do not think one platform wins every time, and my team does not only move stores in one direction. Recently we scoped a move the other way for an apparel label. Their WooCommerce setup was holding back inventory management and wholesale orders, and they needed stock to sync with their inventory system. Shopify fitted that operation better, so we planned a discovery phase to map every WooCommerce function to Shopify before committing to a launch date.
The opposite case is just as real. For an Australian outdoor equipment brand on WooCommerce, we built separate checkout flows for local and international buyers, with landed cost calculation for duties and taxes. That kind of checkout logic is where WooCommerce earns its keep. Still weighing it up? My guide on whether WooCommerce is right for your store goes deeper on the pros and cons.
The platform should follow the operation. Compare the exact checkout, stock, B2B, content and integration requirements on both platforms. Shopify supports native B2B on several plans; WooCommerce offers code access, with maintenance attached. A technically tidy Shopify store may serve a complex business well, so a migration needs a specific unmet requirement.
What should you prepare before a Shopify to WooCommerce migration?
Preparation for a Shopify to WooCommerce migration is an inventory of everything the store holds: products and variants, customers, orders, apps, content and every live URL. That audit tells you which migration tool fits, what needs custom work, and which Shopify apps have no WooCommerce equivalent and need replacing or dropping.
- List every URL. Pull products, collections, pages and blog posts from your Shopify sitemap and analytics. This becomes your redirect map.
- List every app. Write down what each Shopify app does, then find the WooCommerce extension, custom code or process that replaces it.
- Clean the product data first. Agree which system owns SKU, price, stock and variant facts, then resolve duplicates and mismatches there. A clean import cannot fix a source system that will overwrite it with the old values later.
- Keep Shopify live until the import is done. Shopify’s product CSV export does not include the images, so the new store needs the old one online to fetch them.
- Pick hosting against WooCommerce’s current server requirements and your actual plugin stack. Confirm security support, patches, staging, memory and recovery with the host. A published minimum is a compatibility boundary, not proof that an old runtime or database remains safely supported.
Which tool should you use to migrate Shopify to WooCommerce?
Choose a route by the data it explicitly supports. The built-in CSV importer is for products; extensions differ on customers, orders, content and metadata. Trial the exact version on a small export before paying for or running a full migration. Product names that sound similar do not guarantee the same transfer coverage.
| Method | What it moves | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce product CSV importer (built in) | Products, variations, categories, images by URL | Shopify and WooCommerce CSV columns differ, so variants need reformatting. The importer cannot set image alt text. |
| Shopify Data Migrator (WooCommerce Marketplace) | Products, categories, customers, orders, coupons, pages, blog posts and reviews, plus 301 redirects and a one-way live sync | Passwords are not imported. Cart and checkout paths are not redirected one to one. |
| Migrate & Import Shopify to WooCommerce (WooCommerce Marketplace) | Products, categories, orders, coupons, pages, blogs and customers, as listed by the current product page | Confirm the exact fields, versions and limitations in a sample transfer before buying. |
| S2W (WordPress.org, free with a premium version) | Free: products, variations, categories. Premium adds orders, customers, coupons, pages and blogs | No redirect feature listed. |
| WooCommerce migrator-cli (GitHub) | Products, orders and coupons through WP-CLI | Labelled experimental. Developers only. |
| Specialist team | Everything, including custom data, subscriptions and integrations | The highest cost, so scope it tightly. |
Check the documentation before you choose: the product CSV importer, the Shopify Data Migrator, the migrator-cli and the S2W plugin. Older guides still recommend tools that have since changed, so check the last update date on any plugin before you trust it with customer data. If your store has subscriptions, B2B pricing or an ERP connection, budget for a WooCommerce developer to handle what the tools skip.
How do you migrate Shopify to WooCommerce step by step?
A Shopify to WooCommerce migration works best as a rehearsal followed by a short cutover. Build and test the new store on staging with a full copy of the data, fix what breaks, then run the final import, switch DNS and turn on redirects in one planned window, with sales paused or synced.
- Set up protected staging. Install WordPress and WooCommerce on hosting that meets the server requirements, behind server-level password protection or your host’s private staging environment. A coming soon page is not enough: it hides the storefront from shoppers, but it isn’t access control, and uploaded files and some API endpoints may still be reachable. Staging will hold real customer data, so limit who can log in and delete the copy once you launch.
- Configure the store. Currency, GST and tax rules, shipping zones and emails. Shopify Payments does not come with you, so set up and test a new payment gateway.
- Export from Shopify. In Products, choose Export, then All products and Plain CSV. Shopify emails the file. Export customers and orders too, or let your extension pull them through the API.
- Run a test import. Import a small batch first. Check variants, SKUs, prices, stock, categories and images against Shopify.
- Import customers and orders. Confirm order history displays correctly in customer accounts, and draft the password reset email.
- Rebuild the storefront. Theme, templates, filters, search and the features your Shopify apps provided.
- Load the redirect map. Every old URL to its closest new match.
- Test end to end in sandbox or test mode with safe data: successful and failed payment, refund, stock adjustment, email and account recovery. Reconcile records in WooCommerce, the gateway and accounting. Any final live transaction needs explicit authorisation and a plan to prevent fulfilment, reconcile fees and remove test data from reporting.
- Cut over. Run a final delta import or live sync, then compare product, customer and order counts and order totals between Shopify and WooCommerce before you switch DNS. Afterwards, watch orders, 404 errors and payment logs closely for the first days.
How do you keep your SEO when you move from Shopify to WooCommerce?
SEO has the best chance of surviving a Shopify to WooCommerce migration when every old URL redirects to its closest new equivalent with a permanent 301 redirect. Redirects reduce the risk; they don’t guarantee rankings. Shopify’s URL patterns, such as /products/ and /collections/, differ from WooCommerce’s defaults, so without a redirect map, pages that rank today turn into 404 errors on launch day.
Google’s site move guidance is clear: use permanent redirects, map each old URL to a relevant new one rather than the home page, and keep the redirects for at least one year. Google also says small to medium sites can take a few weeks to settle, with some ranking movement along the way.
Record the final write time in Shopify, the delta-import window and who may reopen sales. Reconcile order IDs and amounts, not just row counts. If you must roll back, account for orders and customer changes created on the new store after cutover; restoring yesterday’s database is not a complete rollback plan.
- Products: Shopify uses /products/handle. You can set WooCommerce’s product permalink base to /products/ so many URLs stay the same and need no redirect.
- Collections, pages and posts: /collections/, /pages/ and /blogs/ URLs map to product categories, pages and posts.
- Titles and descriptions: Shopify’s CSV leaves out SEO titles and descriptions unless you customised them, so carry them over with an extension or a separate export.
- Image alt text: the core CSV importer cannot set it, so plan a second pass.
When we consolidated duplicate pages for a high-volume tile retailer, the redirect plan was agreed before a single page moved. The same rule applies to a platform move: redirects are part of the build, not a launch-week afterthought. For the wider picture, see my SEO tips for eCommerce stores.
What to do next
- Write down why you want to move. If the only reason is app costs, compare the full running cost of both platforms first, including hosting and maintenance.
- Audit your data and URLs. Products, variants, customers, orders, apps and every indexed page.
- Choose a method from the table above and run a test import on staging before you commit.
- Build the redirect map before launch, not after.
- Plan for life after launch. A WooCommerce store needs hosting, updates and monitoring. My guide to WooCommerce performance and uptime covers what that involves.
- Get a second opinion. If you want someone to pressure-test your migration plan, book a free call with me and my team.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a Shopify to WooCommerce migration take?
A Shopify to WooCommerce migration takes as long as the rebuild around the data. Importing products and orders is usually the quick part. Rebuilding the theme, replacing Shopify apps, setting up payments and testing every order path take most of the time. A simple catalogue moves in a short project. Subscriptions, B2B pricing and ERP integrations add weeks of testing.
Will my customers need to reset their passwords?
Shopify’s API does not provide customer passwords. The documented Shopify Data Migrator creates new accounts with random passwords and uses the reset route. Check how your chosen tool handles account creation, order history and notifications before sending an approved customer message; not every method moves the same history.
Can I migrate from Shopify to WooCommerce for free?
You can move products for free with WooCommerce’s built-in CSV importer or the free version of the S2W plugin. Customers, orders, coupons and content usually need a paid extension or developer time. You will also pay for hosting and any premium extensions that replace your Shopify apps. Free tools suit small, simple catalogues where you can check every product by hand.
Will I lose my Google rankings if I move to WooCommerce?
Nobody can guarantee rankings through a platform move, but they have the best chance of holding if every old Shopify URL has a 301 redirect to a relevant new page, page content stays comparable and the new store is at least as fast. Google says rankings can fluctuate for a few weeks during a site move. Losses come from missing redirects, thinner product pages or a slower store, so check all three before launch.
Is WooCommerce cheaper than Shopify?
WooCommerce is free software and takes no transaction fee of its own, but it is not free to run. Hosting, premium extensions, security and ongoing maintenance are the real costs. Shopify bundles hosting into a monthly plan and adds app fees, plus transaction fees if you use a third-party gateway. Compare the total yearly cost for your store, not the headline price.
