WooCommerce is an open-source ecommerce plugin for WordPress. You install it on your own WordPress site and hosting, and extend it with free and paid extensions and themes from the WooCommerce marketplace.
WooCommerce can sell physical products, appointments and members-only digital content, with product variations, subscription options, single items or bundles. Store managers update products and fulfill orders from the familiar WordPress dashboard, and the platform handles automated tax calculations and live shipping rates from carriers. A mobile app for iOS and Android lets you run the store away from your desk.
Out of the box, WooCommerce accepts major credit cards, bank transfers, checks and cash on delivery, and you can add region-specific payment gateways. WooPayments adds Apple Pay and Google Pay, in-person payments, and one dashboard for payments, disputes and refunds. The WooCommerce Shipping extension buys and prints USPS, UPS, DHL Express and FedEx labels from your dashboard at discounted commercial rates and creates tracking numbers automatically.
WooCommerce describes itself as flexible enough for established businesses and for brick-and-mortar shops moving online. Extensions add features such as subscriptions, which let customers pay weekly, monthly or yearly, and bookings for appointments, rentals and classes. A REST API connects it to other services, and it can list products on Google Shopping, email customers through Mailchimp and report through Google Analytics. Help comes from documentation, support forums and the Woo community, and you can hire Woo agencies for development work.
The core plugin is free, so a store’s costs come from hosting, a domain, any paid extensions and payment processing. Extensions are licensed yearly, and processing fees depend on the gateway you choose; WooPayments is WooCommerce’s own option. Current costs are in the pricing box above.