Shopify, WooCommerce or MerchantPro: which to choose for a store in Romania
I've worked on all three. The comparison for a store in Romania: real costs, local integrations, flexibility, SEO and what I'd pick by store type.
Vasile Dingă
I've worked on all three: Shopify, WooCommerce and MerchantPro. Each one is a good choice for a certain type of store and an expensive choice for another. In this article I compare them from the perspective of a store in Romania: real costs, local integrations (couriers, invoicing, payments), flexibility and how easily you can grow on them. In short Shopify , if you want to sell quickly, including outside Romania, and accept higher monthly costs and paid apps for local integrations. WooCommerce , if you want full control and have someone technical to handle maintenance. MerchantPro , if you sell mainly in Romania and want native local integrations, no commission on sales and no server worries. Comparison by criteria .comparison-cards { display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 1.5rem; } .comparison-card { background: #fff; border-radius: 16px; padding: 20px; border: 2px solid #efefef; } .comparison-header { display: flex; justify-content: space-between; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 12px; } .comparison-row { display: flex; justify-content: space-between; padding: 8px 0; border-top: 1px solid #efefef; font-size: 14px; color: #1f2937; } .comparison-label { font-size: 14px; width: 100%; } .comparison-value { width: 100%; text-align: right; } @media (max-width: 600px) { .comparison-row { flex-direction: column; align-items: flex-start; } .comparison-value { text-align: left; margin-top: 4px; } } Shopify Details Type hosted SaaS platform Monthly cost Basic $29, Grow $79, Advanced $299 (annual billing) Transaction fee 2% / 1% / 0.6% when using a third-party payment provider Romanian integrations through apps: invoicing (SmartBill, Oblio, FGO), couriers Flexibility high through apps and themes, limited at checkout on smaller plans Maintenance minimal, handled by Shopify Best for brands selling internationally, fast launches WooCommerce Details Type open-source WordPress plugin Monthly cost free plugin, you pay for hosting, plugins and maintenance Transaction fee none,…