WooCommerce turns a WordPress site into an online store. It lets you add products, set prices, manage inventory, and create a checkout page. You can accept payments using gateways like cards or PayPal, set shipping rules, and handle taxes. WooCommerce also manages orders, customer accounts, coupons, and emails for receipts and updates. With extensions, you can add subscriptions, bookings, memberships, and more. It’s a flexible eCommerce plugin that helps you sell physical or digital products directly from WordPress.

WordPress and WooCommerce are not direct alternatives. WordPress is the website platform used to build and manage a site. WooCommerce is a plugin that adds online store features to WordPress. If you only need a blog or business site, WordPress alone is enough. If you want to sell products or accept online payments, WooCommerce is the better choice because it provides cart, checkout, order, and shipping tools. In most cases, the best setup is WordPress combined with WooCommerce for e-commerce.

WooCommerce itself is free to install and use on WordPress. Your overall cost depends on what your store needs. You’ll usually pay for web hosting and a domain name, plus an SSL certificate (often included with hosting). Many themes and plugins are free, but premium themes, paid extensions, and some payment gateways can add monthly or yearly fees. You may also spend on email, backups, security, and developer help. Small stores can start low-cost, while growing stores often invest more.

To set up payments in WooCommerce, go to WordPress Dashboard → WooCommerce → Settings → Payments. Enable the payment methods you want, like WooCommerce Payments, PayPal, Stripe, or bank transfer. Click each method to enter required details, such as API keys or account login. Set your currency in WooCommerce → Settings → General. Then place a test order in sandbox/test mode to confirm checkout works, emails are sent, and the order status updates correctly.