Shopify to WooCommerce Migration: The Complete 2026 Guide

Who This Guide Is For

This guide addresses anyone considering or actively planning a move from Shopify to WooCommerce. The content is structured to help specific audiences find the information most relevant to their role and experience level.

• Shopify store owners who are tired of paying transaction fees and want to own their data
• WordPress beginners who have used Shopify but are new to WooCommerce
• Developers and agencies tasked with migrating client stores from Shopify
• B2B merchants who need more flexible pricing, custom roles, and tax controls than Shopify offers
• Enterprise stores that outgrew Shopify's catalog limits or customisation ceiling

What You'll Learn

• What the Shopify to WooCommerce migration process actually involves
• Which data types transfer cleanly and which require manual handling
• How to choose between a plugin, a service, or a manual CSV import
• How to preserve your SEO rankings, URL structures, and traffic during the move
• The real costs and timeframes for each migration method
• How to test your WooCommerce store before going live
• Common mistakes that cause data loss or downtime
• Advanced strategies for product variants, customer passwords, and order histories

Why Migrate from Shopify to WooCommerce?

Shopify remains a strong platform, but it is not the right fit for every business. WooCommerce offers structural advantages that matter more as your store grows.

Total Cost of Ownership

Shopify charges a monthly subscription plus transaction fees unless you use Shopify Payments. WooCommerce itself is free. You pay for hosting, a domain, and any premium plugins. For stores with high order volumes, the difference in annual cost can be significant. According to Shopify's own enterprise data, businesses that migrated away from other platforms saw a 50% reduction in total cost of ownership (TCO) after moving. The same logic applies in reverse: moving to WooCommerce eliminates per-transaction fees and platform rent increases tied to revenue.

Data Ownership and Portability

With WooCommerce, your data lives in your own WordPress database and hosting server. You can export it any time, move hosts, or build custom integrations without asking for permission. Shopify's platform locks product and customer data inside its API rate limits and terms of service.

Customisation Without Limits

Shopify restricts what you can change in checkout, the admin panel, and product pages unless you pay for Shopify Plus. WooCommerce, running on WordPress, lets you edit any PHP template, hook into any action, and install thousands of free plugins.

What Data Can You Migrate from Shopify to WooCommerce?

A complete Shopify to WooCommerce migration covers six core data types. Knowing what transfers and what does not saves you surprises later.

Which Migration Method Should You Choose?

There are three primary ways to move from Shopify to WooCommerce. Each comes with trade-offs in cost, speed, and technical complexity.

How to Migrate from Shopify to WooCommerce: Step-by-Step Implementation

This walkthrough uses the Migrate & Import Shopify to WooCommerce plugin, which handles the process directly via API. The same general steps apply to any automated migration tool.

Step 1: Prepare Your Shopify Store

Log into your Shopify admin. Navigate to Settings > Apps and sales channels > Develop apps. Create a private app (or use a custom app) and generate an Admin API key. The key needs read access to products, customers, orders, discounts, content, and blog posts. Copy the API key and password (or access token) to a secure location.

Step 2: Set Up WooCommerce

Install WordPress on your hosting server. Then install the WooCommerce plugin from the WordPress repository. Run the WooCommerce setup wizard to configure your store's currency, shipping zones, and payment gateways. This should be done before any data import so that orders and products reference real tax classes and shipping methods.

Step 3: Install the Migration Plugin

Purchase and download the Import shopify to WooCommerce plugin by FmeAddons from WooCommerce.com. Upload it to your WordPress site via Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin. Activate the plugin.

Step 4: Configure the Plugin

Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Shopify to WooCommerce tab. Enter your Shopify store URL and the API key and password you generated. The plugin validates the credentials immediately. You then choose which data types to import: Products, Customers, Orders, Pages, Blogs, and Coupons. Each data type has optional filters. For example, you can import only products whose title contains a specific keyword, or only orders created after a certain date.

Step 5: Run the Import

Click the Start Import button. The plugin displays a progress bar that updates in real time. Depending on the volume of data, this can take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours. During the import, the plugin maps Shopify data fields to WooCommerce fields automatically. Do not close the browser tab until the process finishes.

Step 6: Verify the Data

After the import completes, check each data type in the WooCommerce admin: Products, Orders, Customers, Coupons, Pages, and Posts. Spot-check a handful of products to confirm images, prices, categories, and stock levels transferred correctly. Test an order's financial status and fulfillment status against your Shopify records. If you skipped customer addresses during the order import, verify that orders still contain the essential billing fields.

How Do You Preserve SEO During a Shopify to WooCommerce Migration?

Loss of organic traffic is the most expensive mistake in any migration. The good news is that with the right approach, you can maintain or even improve your search rankings.

URL Structure Mapping

Shopify uses URL paths like /products/product-name. WooCommerce by default uses /product/product-name. If your Shopify URLs are already indexed, you need to set up 301 redirects from the old Shopify paths to the new WooCommerce paths. Many migration plugins handle this automatically. In the Migrate & Import Shopify to WooCommerce plugin, product slugs are preserved, so the URL path after the base slug remains identical, reducing the need for manual redirects.

Meta Titles and Descriptions

Shopify stores often rely on SEO apps (e.g. SEO Manager, Plug in SEO) that insert meta data at the template level. This meta data does not exist as a database field and cannot be exported via API. You must recreate meta titles and descriptions for your most important pages after the migration using an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math.

XML Sitemap and Indexing

After the migration, regenerate your XML sitemap through your SEO plugin. Submit the new sitemap to Google Search Console. Monitor the Index Coverage report for any sudden drops. If you changed page slugs, request indexing for the new URLs.

Advanced Strategies for a Smooth Migration

Larger or more complex stores need additional steps beyond a standard import.

Product Variants and Attributes

Shopify and WooCommerce handle variants differently. Shopify stores variants as a flat list under a product, while WooCommerce stores them as variations tied to attribute terms. The Migrate & Import Shopify to WooCommerce plugin converts Shopify variant data (size, colour, material) into WooCommerce attributes and variations automatically. After import, double-check that variation stock levels and SKUs match your Shopify records.

Customer Password Reset Flow

Since passwords cannot be exported from Shopify, you must notify your customers to reset their passwords. Send an email campaign before the migration explaining the change. WooCommerce's built-in Lost Password flow lets customers reset via email.

Order History and Financial Data

Importing historical orders preserves customer purchase history and allows analytics tools (e.g. Metorik, Klaviyo) to continue working. The plugin imports order dates, line items, totals, financial status (paid, refunded, pending), and fulfillment status (shipped, unshipped, partial). If you use an accounting integration like QuickBooks or Xero, you may need to re-sync historical orders after the migration.

Multi-Site and Network Considerations

The migration plugin is compatible with WordPress Multi-Site installations. If your WooCommerce store runs on a sub-site within a network, activate the plugin on that specific sub-site. The API connection works the same way, but you must configure it per sub-site.

Best Practices for a Shopify to WooCommerce Migration

• Back up everything before you start. Export your Shopify data as a CSV and take a full database and file backup of your WordPress site. Rollback is only possible if you have a clean restore point.
• Run a test migration first. Set up a staging copy of your WooCommerce site and run the import there. Identify missing fields or mapping errors before touching the live site.
• Keep your Shopify store active during the migration. Do not close or cancel your Shopify subscription until you have verified that WooCommerce is running correctly and all data has transferred.
• Redirect old URLs after going live. Even if the plugin preserves slugs, install a redirect plugin to catch any URLs that changed. Monitor 404 errors in Google Search Console for the first two weeks.
• Test payment gateways thoroughly. Place a test order using each payment method you offer. Confirm that order statuses update correctly and that emails reach customers.
• Communicate the change to customers. Announce the migration on your blog and social channels. Explain that they may need to reset their password and that their order history will remain intact.
• Use a staging environment for the final switch. Migrate to a staging site, verify everything, then clone the database and files to the production site. This minimises downtime.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Not mapping tax classes before import. Shopify taxes are often set at the product level while WooCommerce uses tax classes. If you do not configure WooCommerce tax settings first, imported products may have incorrect tax rates.
• Assuming all images will transfer. Most migration plugins import product images via URL. If the Shopify product image URLs are valid, they will download and attach to products. But if Shopify blocks hotlinking or the image is missing, the product appears without an image. Verify product images after import.
• Forgetting to redirect blog and page URLs. Shopify's blog URL structure (e.g. /blogs/news/post-name) differs from WordPress's (/year/month/post-name or /post-name). Set up 301 redirects for each blog post and page that had search traffic.
• Ignoring plugin debt. According to migration experts, the biggest cost driver is not data transfer but plugin debt: most stores run 30-60 active plugins or apps. Replacing that functionality in WooCommerce adds setup time and cost. Audit your Shopify apps before starting.
• Migrating during a peak sales period. High-traffic periods like Black Friday or Christmas are the worst times to migrate. Choose a low-traffic window, ideally at least 60 days before your next major sales event.

Practical Migration Checklist

• ☐ Export a full CSV backup from Shopify (Products, Orders, Customers, Discounts).
• ☐ Set up WordPress hosting and install WordPress.
• ☐ Install and activate WooCommerce.
• ☐ Configure WooCommerce base settings (currency, country, shipping zones, tax rates, payment gateways).
• ☐ Generate a Shopify Admin API key with read access to all required data types.
• ☐ Purchase and install the migration plugin on your WordPress site.
• ☐ Enter API credentials in the plugin settings and validate the connection.
• ☐ Select data types to import and apply optional filters (date ranges, product types, order statuses).
• ☐ Run a test import on a staging site and verify product images, prices, stock, and order histories.
• ☐ Run the final import on the production site.
• ☐ Verify all imported data: products, customers, orders, coupons, pages, and blog posts.
• ☐ Set up 301 redirects for any changed URL paths.
• ☐ Submit the new XML sitemap to Google Search Console.
• ☐ Test checkout with each payment gateway.
• ☐ Send a customer email about the new site and password reset requirements.
• ☐ Monitor Google Search Console for 404 errors for at least two weeks.

Recommended Plugin

The right tools reduce risk and save time. Below are the most relevant resources for a Shopify to WooCommerce migration, starting with the plugin that covers the entire process.

• Migrate Shopify to WooCommerce The official WooCommerce plugin for transferring products, customers, orders, coupons, pages, and blog posts directly via Shopify API. Includes product updates, customer support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Requires WordPress version 4.6+, WooCommerce version 2.6.0+, and PHP version 7.4+.
• Migrate & Import Shopify to WooCommerce, Product Page Detailed documentation, installation guide, and support links.
• Website Migration Services For stores that need a white-glove migration handled by experts.
• Magento to WooCommerce Migration Services If you are also considering migrating from Magento, this resource covers that path separately.
• PrestaShop to WooCommerce Migration Services Alternative migration path for PrestaShop stores.

Related Guides

• How to Migrate Shopify to WooCommerce (Step-by-Step)
• Professional Website Migration Services for Ecommerce
• Magento to WooCommerce Migration: Complete Guide
• PrestaShop to WooCommerce Migration Guide

Key Takeaways

Moving from Shopify to WooCommerce is a well-documented process that gives you full ownership of your store's data and removes platform-imposed limits. The most important factors for a successful migration are choosing the right transfer method, preserving your SEO structure through redirects and slug mapping, and thoroughly testing your new store before deactivating Shopify. Using a dedicated migration plugin like Migrate & Import Shopify to WooCommerce simplifies the technical work, handles all core data types, and includes the filtering options you need for selective transfers. After the migration, focus on SEO monitoring, customer communication about password resets, and testing order workflows. The result is a store you control completely, with lower ongoing costs and unlimited customisation potential.

Frequently Asked Questions