WooCommerce Stripe Gateway is a payment plugin that connects your WooCommerce store to Stripe. It lets customers pay by credit/debit cards and other supported methods, and it records the payment inside WooCommerce orders. It is the official Stripe + WooCommerce plugin for many stores.

Go to WordPress Dashboard → Plugins → Add New. Search “WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway”, then Install and Activate. Next, go to WooCommerce → Settings → Payments → Stripe → Manage. Enter your Stripe Publishable Key and Secret Key (or connect your Stripe account if available). Enable test mode to test, then save and run a test checkout.

Yes. Stripe integrates with WooCommerce using the official Stripe payment gateway plugin. It lets you accept card payments and often supports wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay, depending on your country and settings. You can take payments directly on your checkout, and orders update automatically after a successful payment.

Choose Shopify if you want quick setup, fewer technical tasks, centralized support, and built-in infrastructure that includes SSL and PCI compliance handled by the platform. It’s often a strong fit for small teams without a developer, stores that value predictable operations, and merchants who prefer an all-in-one dashboard for products, orders, and payments. The trade-off is less backend control than a self-hosted WooCommerce setup.

Shopify is a hosted ecommerce platform (subscription) where hosting, core security, and many essentials are included. WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin where you choose hosting and manage updates, performance, and security. Shopify is usually faster to launch and easier to manage; WooCommerce usually offers more customization, WordPress content control, and flexibility with development. Costs differ: Shopify plan + apps vs hosting + plugins + dev time.

Shopify can be “safer by default” because Shopify manages the infrastructure and states it’s Level 1 PCI DSS compliant across Shopify stores. WooCommerce can be very secure too, but security depends more on your hosting, setup, and how well you maintain WordPress, WooCommerce, themes, and plugins. In practice, Shopify reduces your security workload; WooCommerce gives control but requires ongoing maintenance.

Move to Shopify if you want a simpler, “hosted” setup where Shopify handles hosting, core security, and updates, and you prefer an all-in-one platform. Stay on WooCommerce if you need deeper WordPress control, custom code flexibility, and you’re comfortable managing hosting, updates, and plugins. A common approach is: Shopify for speed and simplicity, WooCommerce for maximum control and customization.