When you start comparing WooCommerce vs Shopify to open your eCommerce cannabis stores, the choice seems simple, but deeply confusing at the same time. Shopify is hosting more than 5 million eCommerce stores as an all-in-one hosted solution. On the other hand, WooCommerce serves as an open-source plugin for WordPress that brings unparalleled flexibility to manage your eCommerce store.
Now, when it comes to selling Cannabis online, there are a lot of questions that might appear in your mind while choosing the platform to build your store. Is it legal? Is it safe? Is it profitable?
But in reality, the real concern is how much compatibility and hands-on experience you require when choosing between Shopify vs WooCommerce. In this article, we are going to compare WooCommerce and Shopify to understand which platform is more suitable for a Cannabis Store.
WooCommerce vs Shopify: Brief Overview
Shopify
Shopify simplifies the process of launching your eCommerce store quickly and easily. Until June 2025, Shopify had more than 5 million live stores worldwide, handling more than 292 billion in transactions, out of which 57% of the revenue came from the United States.
These numbers have made Shopify a popular choice for eCommerce brands, which also goes true for Cannabis merchants. In the USA, more than 29% of the stores are running on Shopify, and nearly 28% of eCommerce stores in the US are top million websites. In contrast, WooCommerce has only 18.2% share of the top million group in the USA.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce gained its popularity due to WordPress, which serves as an open-source platform, making it free to install and giving you complete control without costing a single dime. WooCommerce is integrated with WordPress, which holds more than 43% of all websites globally.
Until October 2024, WooCommerce was used for 9.2% of the eCommerce websites globally. For cannabis stores, WooCommerce can be a popular choice due to its customizable features and seamless SEO plugins.
Shopify vs WooCommerce: Is it Legal to Sell Cannabis via eCommerce?
Selling Cannabis online is not like selling décor products or T-shirts. You have to go through a lot of compliance steps, keep track of sales limitations, and manage inventory weight and product weight. And last but not least, you have to deal with regional restrictions, sales, and shipping limitations for CBD-related products.
The only important thing to understand in terms of legality is that it has nothing to do with Shopify or WooCommerce. Legality to sell cannabis depends on the compliance of the eCommerce store under the defined rules and regulations.
Compliance and POS Integrations
Online stores designed for selling cannabis or any other dispensary-related products require compliance and POS integration, no matter if your store is on Shopify, WooCommerce, or a custom-built website. Therefore, your cannabis store must enforce age-check gates, weight-based stock management that syncs with your in-store system.
Shopify for an Online Cannabis Store
Ever since the legalization of cannabis in Ontario, Shopify has been used by cannabis retailers to make sales online and in-person through established stores. However, since Shopify serves as the mainstream hosted solution, it does not natively include cannabis-specific compliance tools, such as an age gate or limitations on purchasing cannabis products.
WooCommerce for an Online Cannabis Store
The favorable thing about running an online cannabis store via WooCommerce is that it offers niche plugins. As a result, you can display THC, CBD, aroma, flavor, and even the effects of cannabis-based products. Moreover, WooCommerce brings cannabis friendly payment gateways, which ultimately saves the customers from redirecting to another payment platform, which makes the conversion a lot easier.
In simple words, Shopify or WooCommerce for a cannabis store depends on how much customization you require for your eCommerce cannabis store. But a winning edge of WooCommerce is that some built-in plugins can be useful for niche niche-specific approaches, which is useful for running niche niche-specific business-like cannabis stores.
WooCommerce or Shopify: Which One is Easy to Use for a Cannabis Store?
If you are still confused while choosing between Shopify and WooCommerce for a cannabis store, then let us elaborate things more simply for you. Here is how it works:
Shopify
Shopify is used by those eCommerce business owners who prefer speed and simplicity. Shopify offers hosting, themes, SSL, PCI compliance, and customer support all in one place. With Shopify, you can get your cannabis store online in just a couple of hours. Moreover, the app store on Shopify brings thousands of integrations, which can be useful for a Shopify store, such as inventory, logistics, marketing, and POS.
WooCommerce
Choosing between WordPress WooCommerce vs Shopify for the cannabis online store, considering complete control of customization, would definitely declare WooCommerce the winner. However, the experience could be overwhelming since you have to set the WordPress, manage security integrations, choose a host, and install required plugins with themes as well. In simple words, there is more work to do up front if you want to set up a WooCommerce cannabis store.
While comparing Shopify vs WooCommerce is a sense of business management, think about which setup you are more comfortable with in terms of technical knowledge. Shopify is clearly much easier to set up and manage, while WooCommerce offers better flexibility.
WooCommerce vs Shopify: Pricing
Whenever it comes to setting up a new business online, such as a cannabis store, the budgeting has to be done beforehand. This is where you have to align all the costs, so let us give you an overview of what you will get with Shopify and WooCommerce:
Shopify
Typically offers plans ranging from $29 to $299 per month. For themes, apps, and other additions, you may have to pay extra. Also, if you don’t want to choose a payment gateway other than Shopify Payments, then you may have to pay additional transactional fees.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce itself is free due to its open-source nature. However, you still have to consider external costs, which include hosting, domain, security, and plugins. The early hosting costs can start from $6–$7/month, which may grow as the complexity arises.
Besides the basic setup costs, you also have to get the compliance, POS, and customized functionalities for a cannabis online store. But if you are on a budget, then WooCommerce for a cannabis store will certainly be a winner in the long run.
Shopify vs WordPress WooCommerce: Which one is better for SEO and Marketing?
Let’s talk about WordPress vs Shopify SEO metrics and which one would be better for marketing. WooCommerce utilizes WordPress, which gives you complete control over SEO. You can customize URL structure, metadata, schema, blog integration, and plugins like Yoast.
All this control over the fine-tuning of your website’s marketing makes WooCommerce a much better option for promoting your cannabis store. Unlike Shopify, which offers a more enclosed system.
Shopify Limits SEO in Comparison to WooCommerce
The best thing about WooCommerce is that it lets you tweak everything from the code to page builders. On the other hand, Shopify is code-free, which makes it pretty limited for the deeper changes, unless you have Shopify Plus or integrated APIs through. However, it makes it easier for beginners in the eCommerce business to polish things effectively.
Does Cannabis Store Work for Dropshipping?
When it comes to comparing Shopify and WooCommerce dropshipping, you can drop ship products with both platforms. Apps for Shopify, like Oberlo, and WooCommerce plugins like AliDropship can make drop shipping products much easier for you. However, dropshipping might not be a viable option in terms of running an online cannabis store.
Shopify vs WooCommerce: Scalability & Support
The cannabis product is a highly growing business industry, and that is why it may need scalability and upgradation quite often. According to a report, the global sales of cannabis jumped 38% in 2020 (from $14.8B to $19.7B) and are expected to hit over $70B by 2028.
Shopify is easily scalable as it provides a hosting service that grows with your store and also provides round-the-clock support. WooCommerce is also scalable, but the reliability, support, and scalability of the domain depend on your hosting service provider.
WooCommerce vs Shopify: Which Offers Better Support?
To reliably run your business operations through a cannabis store, Shopify is a better option since it provides 24/7 support and has many agencies partnered. Meanwhile, WooCommerce support relies more on community support or the technical knowledge of the developers. So, it is more of a DIY unless you get reliable help.
WooCommerce vs Shopify: Which Platform is Better for a Cannabis Store?
Let’s keep it simple for you to choose between WordPress WooCommerce or Shopify for a cannabis store, based on what is best and why:
Why Should You Choose Shopify for a Cannabis Store?
If you want to launch a cannabis store quickly without any complexities, then you should go with Shopify. With less technical overhead, Shopify is much easier to manage if you have the right cannabis-specific compliance features. Moreover, it brings long-term reliability, a user-friendly interface, and upscaling opportunities without much changes.
Shopify for Cannabis Store is:
- Easy to use, which makes it perfect for beginners.
- All-in-one solution with hosting, SSL, and PCI compliance included.
- Offers its own app store with thousands of integrations for marketing, logistics, and customer loyalty.
- Point of Sales integration from Shopify makes it suitable for hybrid in-store and online sales of cannabis products.
- Quicker time to market helps you to launch your cannabis store in a matter of days instead of weeks.
Why Should You Choose WooCommerce for a Cannabis Store?
If you prefer maximum control and deeper tuning options for your cannabis store, then WooCommerce would be a suitable option for running your cannabis store online. With WooCommerce WordPress, you get full ownership, fine-grained SEO tools, and the ability to tailor your site exactly for cannabis with the right plugins. Besides customization, WooCommerce is more strategic, but it comes with higher upfront costs for external setup.
WooCommerce for Cannabis Store is:
- Freedom in payments allows users to choose processors that allow cannabis transactions to be more seamless.
- You get ownership of your site, your rules. Shopify could suspend you; WooCommerce won’t.
- SEO Superiority with WordPress is still king for content-driven growth.
- Cannabis-specific plugins are suitable for THC/CBD filters, product effects, and lab test uploads.
- Scalability with WordPress becomes seamless with strong hosting, and WooCommerce can scale just as well as Shopify.
Understanding the Legality of Cannabis in eCommerce
Deciding to start your own cannabis store online is a big step, and it’s vital to have a comprehensive understanding of its legal status as well. The cannabis industry operates under federal and state laws, with some complex terms and conditions that vary. Here is what you should be aware of while launching your cannabis store on WooCommerce, Shopify, or even through a custom website:
Federal vs State Laws
Even though many states in the USA have legalized cannabis or medical marijuana, the federal government in the USA still considers marijuana a Schedule 1 controlled substance. Now the federal law says it’s illegal, and some states say it’s fine to have specific types of marijuana, which makes it a complex scenario.
To make sure that your Shopify or WooCommerce cannabis store runs successfully, make sure to become familiar with the local and state laws. If you are going nationwide, it’s better to learn about specific regulations in each state and remain updated with any changes or regulations.
Example
Let’s take a scenario of a state where cannabis is legal, but you may find some limitations on the quantity of cannabis that you carry or sell in that state. Plus, there could be certain package requirements and the types of products that can be sold (formation). These regulations are placed to protect consumers while ensuring safe and legal consumption of cannabis.
Legal Considerations to Sell Cannabis via eCommerce
Before you start selling cannabis online, there are certain legal obligations that you should be familiar with. These legal considerations include age restrictions, licensing requirements, ad limits, and record obligations as well. Therefore, one should develop strategies while considering all these factors in mind, while making sure your online cannabis store is compliant.
For Example
Age restrictions are probably as important as the licensing requirements for cannabis businesses online. Most of the states in the USA have an age restriction of 21 years old, as the legal age for someone to buy cannabis. Therefore, it would be suitable for an online cannabis store to set up a reliable age verification method to protect its business from legal repercussions.
International Laws and Regulations
If you are planning to go international with your cannabis online store, then it’s better to have an understanding of international laws and regulations as well. However, it can become an overwhelming experience with rising complexity.
For Example
In Canada, the recreational consumption of cannabis became legal in 2018, but that does not mean you can freely sell cannabis products there just like that. Each province in Canada has its own regulations when it comes to marijuana/cannabis products, which require compliance, licensing, and other legal requirements to be met. Understanding this little bit of technicalities is essential to expand your business in any country.
Besides federal laws, state laws, consumption and quantity of cannabis, some countries have strict policies when it comes to the import and export of cannabis products. Therefore, it’s essential to perform thorough research before making any more cannabis or cannabis related products.
These facts related to legalization and compliance of cannabis become more relevant above the fact of choosing the right platform for selling your cannabis products. Whether you go with WooCommerce or Shopify for a cannabis store, just make sure you are doing it legally.
Conclusion
While choosing between WooCommerce vs Shopify, it’s not all about options and features, but you also have to consider a number of other factors. Legal compliance, the way of marketing, and technical knowledge are things that will impact your business revenue directly.
Shopify is the platform if you prefer speed and simplicity in managing your cannabis store. WooCommerce allows you to go deeper with the customization for a more personalized cannabis selling experience. With the factors mentioned in this guide, you will certainly be able to make the right decision with your business operations.
FAQs
Is it Legal to Sell Cannabis Products via WooCommerce or WordPress?
WooCommerce and Shopify have strict policies based on the region, federal, and state laws when it comes to cannabis sales. Shopify permits hemp-derived CBD products but prohibits anything that contains THC. On the other hand, WooCommerce offers more control and flexibility as long as you comply with the local laws and ensure your cannabis store is compliant. Also, for WooCommerce, you have to set up payment policies.
How do payment gateways stand on cannabis stores, Shopify, or WooCommerce?
Shopify has restrictions when it comes to traditional payment gateways for cannabis related sales and products. Therefore, cannabis sellers have to avail the third-party services, which are a bit high risk and also increase fees while limiting the options. On the other hand, WooCommerce supports a number of payment integrations, which makes it suitable for payment integration.
Is there a risk of account suspension in the cannabis business with Shopify or WooCommerce?
Shopify can suspend your account if your business violates its cannabis related policies. On the other hand, WooCommerce has little to no risk of suspension since the cannabis business owners have to manage the hosting themselves. However, even with WooCommerce, you have to follow the compliance and laws/regulations to avoid any legal issues.
Which platform offers better scalability for a cannabis eCommerce store?
Shopify makes it much easier to scale your cannabis online store since there is no coding involved and everything is handled right on the platform. WooCommerce can also scale effectively if you have the right hosting partner and you know how to use the plugins the right way. Still, if we compare WordPress WooCommerce vs Shopify, WooCommerce offers a better path for customization with deeper tuning options and a less restricted path.
