WordPress vs Shopify: Which Platform Fits Your Belgian SME?

TL;DR: For Belgian SMEs, WordPress WooCommerce is ideal when you have technical support and want full control over your webshop. Shopify is the better choice if you want to start quickly without technical knowledge. WordPress costs from €50/month total, Shopify from €29/month plus transaction fees.

At LUNIDEV, we regularly help SMEs choose between WordPress and Shopify for their webshop. This choice determines not only your startup costs, but also how your webshop can grow and be customized. Let's thoroughly compare both platforms.

Real Costs for Belgian SMEs

WordPress WooCommerce total costs:

• Hosting: €15-50/month (depending on traffic)
• WooCommerce plugin: free
• Premium theme: €50-200 one-time
• SSL certificate: free via hosting
• Premium plugins: €100-300/year
• Total first year: €600-1200

Shopify total costs:

• Basic subscription: €29/month
• Transaction fees: 2% per sale (waived with Shopify Payments)
• Premium themes: €150-350 one-time
• Premium apps: €50-200/month
• Total first year: €700-3000 (depending on revenue)

For a Belgian SME with €5000 monthly revenue, the actual monthly costs are usually comparable, but WordPress becomes relatively cheaper at higher revenues due to eliminated transaction fees.

Technical Knowledge Requirements

WordPress WooCommerce requires:

• Basic HTML/CSS knowledge for customizations
• Understanding of hosting and domain management
• Regular updates and backups
• Security monitoring

At LUNIDEV, we see that entrepreneurs without technical backgrounds often get stuck with WordPress updates or security issues. A development partner or internal IT knowledge is essentially indispensable.

Shopify requires:

• No technical knowledge
• Automatic updates
• Built-in security
• Simple drag-and-drop interface

Shopify is specifically designed for entrepreneurs without technical backgrounds. You can have a complete webshop online within a day.

SEO Capabilities Comparison

WordPress SEO advantages:

• Full control over URL structure
• Advanced plugins like Yoast or RankMath
• Faster loading times possible with optimization
• Unlimited content marketing possibilities
• Fully customizable schema markup

Shopify SEO limitations:

• Limited URL customizations
• Less advanced SEO tools
• Slower loading times due to platform overhead
• Basic-level blog functionality

For content marketing and local SEO in Belgium, WordPress clearly has the upper hand. At LUNIDEV, we use WordPress for clients who heavily invest in organic visibility.

Pros and Cons for Online Sales

WordPress WooCommerce advantages:

• No transaction fees
• Unlimited products and variations
• Complete ownership of data
• Integration with any third-party system
• Custom checkout processes

WordPress WooCommerce disadvantages:

• More complex installation
• Own responsibility for security
• Hosting performance management
• More maintenance required

Shopify advantages:

• Simple setup and use
• Built-in security and compliance
• Automatic updates
• 24/7 support
• App store for extensions

Shopify disadvantages:

• Monthly costs keep rising
• Limited data ownership
• Transaction fees (unless Shopify Payments)
• Less flexibility in customizations

Belgian Payment Methods and Integrations

WordPress WooCommerce supports:

• Mollie (popular in Belgium)
• Stripe
• PayPal
• Bancontact via various providers
• Direct bank integrations
• All Belgian accounting software (Exact, Silverfin, etc.)

Shopify supports:

• Shopify Payments (no transaction fees)
• Mollie integration
• PayPal
• More limited accounting software integrations
• Less flexibility for local payment methods

For Belgian SMEs that need specific local integrations, WordPress offers more possibilities.

Scalability for Growing SMEs

WordPress scalability:

• Can handle millions of products
• Hosting upgrades for more performance
• Custom development for specific needs
• B2B functionalities possible
• Multi-site capabilities

Shopify scalability:

• Shopify Plus for enterprise (from €2000/month)
• Automatic performance scaling
• More limited customizability during growth
• Good international expansion tools

Growing SMEs often choose WordPress because of lower scaling costs and more customization possibilities.

Customization Possibilities

WordPress customizations:

• Fully custom design possible
• Thousands of plugins available
• Custom functionalities developable
• Integration with any external system
• Complete control over user experience

Shopify customizations:

• Liquid templating system
• App store for functionalities
• More limited design freedom
• Fewer technical possibilities
• Dependent on platform limitations

At LUNIDEV, we choose WordPress for clients who need unique functionalities or designs that don't fit in standard e-commerce platforms.

Experiences from Belgian Entrepreneurs

In our experience as developers, we see that:

• SMEs with technical support are usually more satisfied with WordPress due to flexibility
• Entrepreneurs without IT backgrounds often experience frustrations with WordPress maintenance
• Shopify users appreciate the simplicity but feel limited during growth
• WordPress users retain more profit due to lower operational costs
• Shopify offers more certainty for entrepreneurs who want to focus on sales

Which Choice Fits Your SME?

Choose WordPress WooCommerce if:

• You have technical support
• Flexibility and customizations are important
• You want to grow without rising platform costs
• SEO and content marketing are priorities
• You need specific Belgian integrations

Choose Shopify if:

• You want to start quickly without technical worries
• Simplicity is more important than flexibility
• You don't have technical support
• You plan international expansion
• You want predictable monthly costs

At LUNIDEV, we usually recommend WordPress for ambitious SMEs that want to grow, and Shopify for entrepreneurs who want to focus entirely on sales without technical complications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I switch from Shopify to WordPress or vice versa later?

Yes, but this requires migration of products, customer data, and SEO settings. The transition from Shopify to WordPress is technically more complex and usually costs €2000-5000 in development work. The reverse is simpler but you lose customizations.

Which platform is safer for my customer data?

Shopify offers automatic security and compliance, which means fewer worries. WordPress requires active security management but gives you complete control. Both can be equally secure with good configuration.

What are the costs for professional support?

WordPress developers charge €50-100/hour for customizations and maintenance. Shopify specialists ask €75-150/hour but are needed less often. Monthly maintenance for WordPress usually costs €100-300/month.

Can I rank well in Google with both platforms?

WordPress has better SEO possibilities due to complete control over technical aspects. Shopify can also rank well but requires more optimization work. For local Belgian SEO, WordPress usually has preference.

What platform costs should I budget for 2026?

Plan for WordPress total costs of €50-150/month with average usage. Shopify costs €29-79/month basic plus 0-2% transaction fees. At revenues above €10,000/month, WordPress usually becomes cheaper.