Total Cost of Ownership: Calculating Your Real 3-Year Platform Spend
The “best ecommerce platform” question is really a total-cost-of-ownership question. The platform that’s cheapest in month 1 is rarely cheapest in year 3. The one that’s most expensive at launch often has the lowest maintenance overhead as you scale.
This piece is the decision framework that the Decision Wizard implements in 5 questions. Read this if you want to understand the math behind the recommendations.
The 5 cost components that matter
Most platform pricing comparisons include only one of these. Real TCO includes all five.
1. Platform plan fee
The published monthly cost. Shopify Basic = $39/mo. BigCommerce Standard = $39/mo. WooCommerce = £0 (plugin) + hosting. This is the number every comparison focuses on. It’s the least interesting number in the TCO calculation.
2. Transaction fees
Per-sale charges from the platform (not the gateway). Shopify charges 0–2% depending on plan and gateway. BigCommerce charges 0% on any plan and any gateway. WooCommerce charges 0%.
On $100K GMV, Shopify’s 2% transaction fee (if not using Shopify Payments) = $2,000/yr. This is 4.3Ã- the annual plan cost on Basic.
3. Payment processing fees
The gateway’s charge for handling the transaction. Not negotiable except at very high volume (Stripe enterprise rates from ~$2M GMV). Standard rates:
- Stripe: 2.9%+30¢ (UK: 1.5%+20p domestic, 2.5%+20p international)
- PayPal: 3.4%+30p (UK)
- Shopify Payments: 2.9%+30¢ in US; varies by country
This cost is identical across all platforms for the same gateway. It’s a pass-through — the platform has no control over it except by offering their own payment product (Shopify Payments, Wix Payments).
4. App / extension / plugin stack
The third cost centre nobody quotes. On Shopify, a professional store typically runs 5–8 apps. On WooCommerce, 5–10 extensions. On BigCommerce, fewer apps but typically more custom developer work.
Typical Shopify app stack (year 1):
| App | Monthly cost | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|
| Klaviyo (up to 1,000 contacts) | $45/mo | $540/yr |
| Judge.me Pro (reviews) | $15/mo | $180/yr |
| Lucky Orange (heatmaps) | $19/mo | $228/yr |
| Gorgias Starter (support) | $10/mo | $120/yr |
| ReCharge (if subscriptions) | $99/mo | $1,188/yr |
| Subtotal (no subs) | $89/mo | $1,068/yr |
Typical WooCommerce extension stack (year 1):
| Extension | Annual renewal |
|---|---|
| WooCommerce Subscriptions | £199/yr |
| WP Rocket (caching) | £49/yr |
| Yoast SEO Premium | £99/yr |
| WooCommerce Product Add-Ons | £49/yr |
| Subtotal | £396/yr |
5. Developer and maintenance overhead
Shopify: near-zero ongoing developer cost for standard use cases. Platform handles updates, security, and infrastructure.
WooCommerce: 4–12 developer hours per quarter for maintenance (WordPress/WooCommerce updates, plugin conflicts, performance tuning). At £80/hr: £1,280–£3,840/yr.
BigCommerce: minimal ongoing developer cost for standard plans. More developer involvement needed for headless or B2B Edition customisation.
3-year TCO comparison — $100K GMV / year
Assuming 30% PayPal payment mix (UK/EU realistic), $60 AOV, single developer-free founder:
Shopify Basic + Shopify Payments only (all GMV on Shopify Payments)
| Year | Plan | Processing | Apps | Transaction fee | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $468 | $2,900 | $1,068 | $0 | $4,436 |
| 2 | $468 | $3,480 (GMV grows 20%) | $1,068 | $0 | $5,016 |
| 3 | $468 | $4,176 (GMV grows 20%) | $1,200 | $0 | $5,844 |
| 3-yr total | $15,296 |
Shopify Basic + 30% PayPal (2% transaction fee on PayPal portion)
| Year | Plan | Processing | Apps | Transaction fee | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $468 | $2,900 | $1,068 | $600 | $5,036 |
| 2 | $468 | $3,480 | $1,068 | $720 | $5,736 |
| 3 | $468 | $4,176 | $1,200 | $864 | $6,708 |
| 3-yr total | $17,480 |
BigCommerce Standard + Stripe + 30% PayPal (0% transaction fee)
| Year | Plan | Processing | Apps | Transaction fee | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $468 | $2,900 | $820 | $0 | $4,188 |
| 2 | $468 | $3,480 | $820 | $0 | $4,768 |
| 3 | $468 | $4,176 | $950 | $0 | $5,594 |
| 3-yr total | $14,550 |
WooCommerce + Cloudways + Stripe (no developer overhead)
| Year | Plan (hosting) | Processing | Extensions | Developer | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £336 | £2,250 | £396 | £0 | £2,982 |
| 2 | £336 | £2,700 | £396 | £0 | £3,432 |
| 3 | £336 | £3,240 | £446 | £0 | £4,022 |
| 3-yr total | £10,436 |
Same, but with 6hr/qtr developer maintenance (£80/hr):
| 3-yr total | £10,436 + £5,760 = £16,196 |
|---|
The insight nobody surfaces
WooCommerce is the cheapest option — if and only if developer time costs you nothing. With a developer, WooCommerce’s 3-year TCO is comparable to (or higher than) BigCommerce Standard.
BigCommerce Standard beats Shopify Basic at any GMV above $60K if you have a mixed payment gateway setup (UK/EU reality). The 0% transaction fee is the deciding variable.
Shopify Basic + Shopify Payments (100% US-only payment mix) is cost-competitive with BigCommerce Standard. The moment you add a second gateway, BigCommerce wins on cost.
Realism caveat
These numbers grow as you scale. A store at $300K GMV will be on Shopify Advanced ($399/mo) or BigCommerce Pro ($399/mo) and paying $8,000–$12,000/yr in processing fees. The app stack will have grown to $200–$400/mo. Developer costs become real at that scale on any platform.
Run your specific numbers with the Decision Wizard — it inputs your Q1 revenue band and outputs platform cost projections personalised to your situation.