Which WordPress shop plugin is the best? 6 options compared

With a WordPress shop plugin, you can transform the open-source software into a fully func­tion­al ecommerce platform. Compared to tra­di­tion­al shop systems, this com­bi­na­tion gives you more flex­i­bil­i­ty in designing and expanding your own store.

What are WP ecommerce plugins?

WordPress shop plugins are ex­ten­sions that add ecommerce func­tion­al­i­ty to an existing WordPress project. Like other WordPress plugins, both free and paid versions are available. Once installed, a shop plugin allows you to manage the sale of physical or digital products and services through the familiar WordPress backend. You can set up shopping carts, checkout processes, and integrate various payment and shipping options. Depending on the plugin, ad­di­tion­al features like coupons, inventory man­age­ment, or mul­ti­lin­gual support for in­ter­na­tion­al stores may also be included.

What’s the dif­fer­ence between plugins and shop systems?

Ecommerce plugins expand your current WordPress setup with shop func­tion­al­i­ties not included by default. Without an extension like this, it’s not possible to create an online store with WordPress.

In contrast, dedicated shop systems like Shopify or Shopware are built from the ground up for ecommerce. They operate in­de­pen­dent­ly of any CMS and offer every­thing needed to sell products—typically in a closed, ready-to-use en­vi­ron­ment.

If you’re looking for a pure ecommerce solution, shop systems are usually easier to set up and use. However, if you already run a WordPress website, using a shop plugin requires little ad­just­ment. It’s also a great choice for content-heavy stores (e.g., blogs with in­te­grat­ed product sales).

The best WordPress ecommerce plugins compared

In­for­ma­tion correct as of March 2025

IONOS eCommerce plugin

The IONOS eCommerce plugin in­te­grates directly into existing WordPress websites, and is also com­pat­i­ble with other CMS platforms like Drupal or TYPO3. It targets users looking for a simple, GDPR-compliant solution hosted in Europe, or al­ter­na­tive­ly in the US.. Small busi­ness­es and beginners in par­tic­u­lar benefit from its intuitive setup and seamless in­te­gra­tion. The plugin also connects with platforms like Facebook, Google Shopping, Instagram, and Amazon.

Key features:

• Intuitive setup via IONOS backend
• Sell services as well as physical and digital products
• In­te­grates with Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, eBay
• Supports over 30 payment providers including PayPal, credit cards, Klarna
• Tax and shipping rules for in­ter­na­tion­al markets

While not free, the WP ecommerce plugin is bundled with a paid IONOS hosting plan. Pricing starts in the low double digits per month. Plans vary by available features and product limits. Cen­tral­ized support is provided by IONOS—including 24/7 phone and email support, and help with store setup and man­age­ment.

WooCom­merce

WooCom­merce is one of the most popular WordPress ecommerce plugins. It works well for both small stores and large-scale projects. Highly cus­tomiz­able, WooCom­merce scales with your needs and offers hundreds of ex­ten­sions (WooCom­merce plugins). As an open-source plugin, it gives you full control over your data, which you can export and migrate at any time.

Key features:

• Sell services and physical/digital goods
• Ex­pand­able with hundreds of WooCom­merce ex­ten­sions
• In­te­gra­tions for PayPal, Stripe, Klarna, and more
• Built-in payment solution available
• Variable products and inventory man­age­ment supported
• Large selection of themes

While WooCom­merce itself is free—unlike the IONOS plugin—many ad­di­tion­al features such as sub­scrip­tion sales, PDF invoicing, or bookings are only available as paid ex­ten­sions. Support is primarily provided through the large community and official doc­u­men­ta­tion, along with optional paid as­sis­tance. If needed, you can hire pro­fes­sion­al experts for your project directly through the official website.

Easy Digital Downloads (EDD)

Easy Digital Downloads is a WordPress shop plugin specif­i­cal­ly designed for selling digital products like eBooks, software, music, or licenses. It primarily targets creatives, de­vel­op­ers, and agencies who don’t need shipping features but want to pro­fes­sion­al­ly sell digital content.

Key features:

• Sale of digital products only
• License and file man­age­ment
• In­te­grates with PayPal, Stripe, and other payment options
• Discount and coupon tools (All Access Pass)
• Sub­scrip­tions, invoices, and more available in paid plans

The basic version of EDD is free, but advanced features (such as sub­scrip­tion models or ac­count­ing tools) require a paid annual sub­scrip­tion. Support is available through a central knowledge base and email for paying users.

Ecwid by Light­speed Ecommerce Shopping Cart

Ecwid by Light­speed is a fully hosted shop solution that in­te­grates with WordPress and other systems via plugin. Its feature set ranges from simple product sales to mul­ti­chan­nel commerce. Provider Light­speed manages hosting, security, and updates—making it ideal for stores without an in-house IT team.

Key features:

• In­te­gra­tion with websites, social media, and mar­ket­places
• Automatic mobile op­ti­miza­tion
• 50+ global payment providers
• Mul­ti­lin­gual and multi-currency support
• Manage via Ecwid dashboard or WordPress backend

Ecwid offers a free plan for up to 5 products. Advanced features (e.g., coupons, templates, SEO tools, inventory man­age­ment) and increased product capacity require a paid sub­scrip­tion. Support is available via email, live chat, or phone, depending on your plan.

SureCart

SureCart is a modern WordPress ecommerce plugin focused on digital products, services, and recurring payments. It features a stream­lined interface and modern checkout flows, designed with con­ver­sion op­ti­miza­tion in mind. SureCart is es­pe­cial­ly suitable for coaching websites and agency or software provider websites.

Key features:

• Flexible checkout forms via shortcode
• GDPR-friendly and mobile optimized
• Built-in support for Stripe and PayPal
• No tra­di­tion­al shopping cart required

SureCart offers a free version with essential features. Premium features like VAT cal­cu­la­tions, Zapier in­te­gra­tion, or email au­toma­tion are only available in paid plans. Support is offered via ticket system and a well-main­tained knowledge base.

Big­Com­merce

Big­Com­merce combines a powerful SaaS shop system with the flex­i­bil­i­ty of the WordPress frontend. Product data, checkout, and order man­age­ment run through Big­Com­merce, while the frontend is fully cus­tomiz­able in WordPress—ideal for large-scale shops with complex needs. The plugin creates a WordPress post for each product. A connected Big­Com­merce account is required.

Key features:

• Headless commerce with external backend
• Manage large product catalogs outside WordPress
• REST and GraphQL APIs for cus­tomiza­tion
• Built-in support for B2B and in­ter­na­tion­al shops

The WordPress plugin is free, but a paid Big­Com­merce plan (monthly sub­scrip­tion) is required for store op­er­a­tions. Plans include hosting, security, and scal­a­bil­i­ty. Support is provided directly by the Big­Com­merce team—including technical on­board­ing.