WordPress to Shopify Migration Cost: What Drives the Price
"How much will it cost to move my store?" is the first question almost every owner asks, and the honest answer is that WordPress to Shopify migration cost depends on what you are moving. Two stores with the same number of products can need very different amounts of work. This article is part of our complete WordPress to Shopify migration guide, and it lays out what actually drives the price so you can read any quote with confidence.
We are not going to throw numbers at you. Prices vary widely between providers and change over time, and a figure given without seeing your site would only be a guess. What we can do is show you the factors, so you know which ones apply to your store and which questions to ask.
What drives WordPress to Shopify migration cost
Every migration has the same parts: data, design, features, content and SEO. The cost comes from how much of each your store has, and how tidy it is.
| Factor | Lighter job | Heavier job |
|---|---|---|
| Product count | Dozens of simple products | Thousands of products |
| Variants | Few or no options | Many sizes, colours and custom attributes |
| Customer and order history | Customers only, or a fresh start | Years of orders to keep |
| Design | A ready-made Shopify theme in your brand | A custom theme built from your design |
| Plugins to replace | Mostly covered by built-in Shopify features | Custom plugins or complex logic |
| Subscriptions | None | Recurring billing to move |
| Content and blog | A few pages | Hundreds of posts |
| Redirects | Small site, simple URLs | Large site, many URL patterns |
| Integrations | None, or standard tools | Accounting, POS, inventory or warehouse links |
The factors in detail
Product count and variants
Products move by CSV, so a hundred clean products and a thousand clean products are not as different as they sound. What changes the cost is clean-up: duplicate SKUs, inconsistent attribute names, missing images and descriptions full of old shortcodes. Variants matter too. WooCommerce attributes have to be mapped into Shopify options, and products with lots of combinations need checking against Shopify's current option and variant limits.
Customer and order history
Customers import fairly easily. Order history takes more effort because it usually needs an import app or a script, and the totals have to be checked afterwards. If you do not need old orders inside Shopify, keeping them as a safe export file is the lighter option. The process is in how to move WooCommerce products, customers and orders to Shopify.
Design: adapt a theme or rebuild
This is often the largest single factor. Adapting a well-made Shopify theme to your brand is quicker than building a custom theme from scratch. If you already have a design file, Figma to Shopify turns it into an editable theme, and Shopify theme development covers a full custom build.
Plugins to replace
List every active plugin and what it does for you. Many become built-in Shopify features, such as discounts, SEO fields and shipping zones. Others become apps. A few, usually the custom-built ones, need a small custom section or a different way of working. The more custom the plugin, the more it adds to the job.
Subscriptions and memberships
Recurring billing is the trickiest part of many migrations. It depends on your current plugin, your payment gateway and whether saved payment details can move at all. Sometimes customers have to subscribe again. Raise it at the quote stage, not halfway through the build.
Blog and content
Pages and posts come across, but each one needs checking for broken formatting, leftover shortcodes and missing images. A store with a large blog simply has more to check.
Redirects and SEO
Every old URL with traffic needs a 301 redirect to its new Shopify address. A small store might need a few dozen, a large one thousands. This step protects your rankings, so it belongs in every quote. The method is in WooCommerce to Shopify SEO and redirects.
Integrations
Accounting software, an inventory system, a physical POS, a warehouse or a marketplace sync. Each link has to be reconnected and tested, and some need custom work.
DIY vs freelancer vs agency
Doing it yourself
Possible for a small, simple store if you are patient. You pay mainly in time: learning the CSV formats, cleaning data, setting up the theme and building the redirect map. The risk is in what you do not know to check, especially redirects and order history.
Hiring a freelancer
A good freelancer can handle a straightforward move well. Check that they have done Shopify migrations before, ask whether redirects and testing are included, and agree in writing what happens if something breaks after launch.
Hiring an agency
An agency usually covers the data, design, redirects and launch as one project, with more people on it. You pay for that coverage. Ask for a fixed scope in writing so you know exactly what is and is not included.
Whichever route you choose, compare quotes on scope, not just the total. A cheaper quote that skips redirects or order history is not cheaper once you count the lost traffic or the extra work later.
Hidden costs to plan for
- Apps: replacing plugins with apps can add several monthly subscriptions. Add them up before launch, not after.
- Transaction and payment fees: your payment provider charges per order, and depending on your plan and gateway, Shopify may add its own fee. Confirm the current rules, and check with your provider which local options, such as GCash or Maya, it supports right now.
- Data clean-up: messy product data is the most common cause of delays. Budget time, yours or your developer's, to fix it at the source.
- Theme licence: a premium theme is a one-time purchase.
- Your own time: approvals, product checks and staff training all take hours from your team.
- Overlap: you may pay for the old hosting and the new Shopify plan at the same time for a short period while both run.
How to get an accurate quote
A quote is only as good as the information behind it. Send these and you will get a number you can plan around:
- Your site address, plus admin access or a screen share of the admin.
- Your product count, roughly how many have variants, and whether you want order history moved.
- A list of active plugins, with a note on which ones you actually use.
- Whether you want to keep the current look, use a Shopify theme or start from a new design.
- Any subscriptions, memberships, wholesale pricing or integrations.
- Your deadline, such as a sale or a product launch.
At RizeHub we look at your site and give you a fixed quote within the hour. You own the store, the theme and the data, and you get 30 days of care after launch. Our WordPress to Shopify migration service page explains what is included, or you can send us your site directly.
Ongoing Shopify running costs
The migration is a one-time cost. Running the store is ongoing, so plan for these factors too:
- Your Shopify plan: billed monthly or yearly, with features and fees that vary by plan.
- Apps: each with its own subscription.
- Payment and transaction fees: charged per order.
- Domain: a yearly renewal with your registrar.
- Growth work: SEO, ads and conversion rate optimization to turn more visitors into buyers after launch.
Compare that against what you pay now on WordPress: hosting, premium plugin licences and the hours spent on updates. For the platform side of that comparison, see WooCommerce vs Shopify for Philippine sellers, and for website pricing more generally, how much a website costs in the Philippines.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't you give a price without seeing my site?
Because the work depends on your data, design and plugins, and two stores with the same product count can need very different effort, so seeing the site turns a guess into a fixed quote.
Is moving order history worth it?
It depends on how you use it: if you handle returns, loyalty or many repeat customers, keeping history in Shopify helps, and if not, a safely stored export file may be enough.
Will Shopify cost more per month than WordPress?
Sometimes it will and sometimes it will not, because Shopify bundles hosting and security into the plan while WordPress spreads costs across hosting, plugins and maintenance, so list both for twelve months to compare fairly.
What usually makes a migration cost more than expected?
Messy product data, subscriptions and custom plugins that were not mentioned at the start, which is why sharing those details up front keeps the quote accurate.
Can I spread the work out to manage the cost?
Yes. Some stores move the data and redirects first onto a ready-made theme, then invest in a custom design later once sales are running on Shopify.