# WooCommerce

**Source:** https://geo.sig.ai/brands/woocommerce  
**Vertical:** E-commerce  
**Subcategory:** E-commerce Platform  
**Tier:** Leader  
**Website:** woocommerce.com  
**Last Updated:** 2026-04-14

## Summary

Automattic open-source WordPress e-commerce plugin powering 6M+ stores with 37% platform market share; competing with Shopify for online store creation through unlimited customization and WooPayments processing.

## Company Overview

WooCommerce is the world's most widely deployed e-commerce platform — an open-source WordPress plugin owned by Automattic (the company behind WordPress.com) — powering an estimated 6 million+ active online stores globally and holding approximately 37% market share of all e-commerce websites by platform count. WooCommerce transforms a standard WordPress website into a fully functional online store with product catalogs, shopping cart, checkout, payment processing, inventory management, and order fulfillment — leveraging WordPress's existing content management as the foundation. The open-source model (core plugin is free; revenue comes from WooCommerce.com marketplace extensions and WooPayments processing) enables massive distribution without upfront cost barriers.

WooCommerce's technical architecture provides maximum flexibility for developers and agencies: the plugin is fully open-source (PHP, available on GitHub), allowing complete customization of the store design, checkout flow, and functionality without the template restrictions of hosted platforms. The WooCommerce extension marketplace (800+ official extensions for subscriptions, memberships, bookings, B2B pricing, and multi-vendor marketplaces) and the broader ecosystem (10,000+ third-party plugins) enable stores to add specific functionality without custom development. WooPayments (Automattic's hosted payment processing, launched 2021) provides Stripe-backed payment processing directly within WooCommerce with no third-party account required — Automattic's path to monetizing processing volume from the installed base.

In 2025, WooCommerce (Automattic, private) competes in the e-commerce platform market with Shopify (NYSE: SHOP, the leading hosted platform at $8.9B revenue), BigCommerce (NASDAQ: BIGC, SaaS e-commerce), and Squarespace (NYSE: SQSP, website builder with e-commerce) for online store creation and management. WooCommerce's self-hosted model is both its advantage (unlimited customization, no platform lock-in, no revenue share to platform) and its challenge (store owners must manage hosting, security, and updates themselves). Automattic's 2025 WooCommerce strategy focuses on growing WooPayments adoption across the installed base, building headless commerce capabilities (WooCommerce as API-first commerce backend), and acquiring merchant tools (Woo Subscriptions, Woo Memberships) that increase platform stickiness.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is WooCommerce?
WooCommerce WooCommerce serves merchants as open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress with flexibility and customization, following 2011 Mike Jolley founding with James Koster before Automattic acquisition

### When was WooCommerce founded?
WooCommerce was founded in 2011 in United Kingdom. Mike Jolley and James Koster (WooThemes) founded WooCommerce in United Kingdom in 2011 as open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress with flexibility and customization including extensions, themes, payments, and shipping reaching 5M+ active installations before Automattic acquisition as free self-hosted solution with community and developer ecosystem for SMB.

### What are WooCommerce's major milestones?
WooCommerce's history includes several key milestones: 2011: WooCommerce Founded UK 2015: Automattic Acquisition 2020: 5M+ Active Installations 2024: WordPress E-commerce Plugin

### What is WooCommerce's mission?
WooCommerce's mission is to Empower anyone to sell online.

### Who founded WooCommerce?
WooCommerce was founded by Mike Jolley. WooThemes founders who built WordPress plugin before Automattic acquisition

### Who uses WooCommerce?
WooCommerce WooCommerce serves merchants as open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress with flexibility and customization, following 2011 Mike Jolley founding with James Koster before Automattic acquisition

### Is WooCommerce free and what does it cost to operate a WooCommerce store?
WooCommerce itself is free and open source. However, operating a WooCommerce store involves costs including WordPress hosting, domain registration, SSL certificate, and any premium plugins or themes needed for specific features (payment gateways, shipping integrations, subscription management, etc.). Total costs vary widely from a few dollars per month for basic stores to thousands per month for high-volume enterprise deployments.

### What is the difference between WooCommerce and Shopify?
WooCommerce is an open-source plugin for WordPress that gives merchants maximum flexibility and control over their store's code, data, and hosting, but requires more technical management. Shopify is a fully hosted, closed-platform SaaS that is easier to set up and maintain but offers less customization flexibility. WooCommerce is often preferred by merchants who need deep customization or want to avoid ongoing platform fees, while Shopify suits those who prioritize simplicity and managed hosting.

## Tags

b2b2c, global, marketplace, platform, retailtech, saas, b2b

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*Data from geo.sig.ai Brand Intelligence Database. Updated 2026-04-14.*