How to import from Shopify to WooCommerce: A step-by-step guide

Switching to a new e-commerce platform is a lot like moving into a new house: There’s a ton of packing, heavy lifting, and reorganizing to do before you can settle in. If you want to import your Shopify inventory to WooCommerce, you’ve got several options to make the move smoothly, without losing any of your valuable store data. 

Whether you’re moving for lower costs, more flexibility or control, or another reason, this Jotform article will guide you through the process from start to finish, so you can migrate your store and figure out how to sell online your way.

What to know before switching from Shopify to WooCommerce

The most important thing to understand is how the two platforms differ. Shopify is an all-in-one e-commerce solution, and WooCommerce is a WordPress plug-in. That one distinction gives you an idea of how much freedom you’ll have with design, hosting, and pricing when working with the two.

Key differences between Shopify and WooCommerce

	Shopify	WooCommerce
Platform type	All-in-one hosted e-commerce platform	Open-source e-commerce plug-in for WordPress
Setup experience	Fast and beginner-friendly	Requires WordPress setup and configuration
Customization level	Limited by a closed ecosystem	High flexibility with full code access
Technical responsibility	Shopify handles updates and security	Store owner manages updates and security
Best for	Users who want simplicity and minimal maintenance	Users who want flexibility and customization

Shopify is a hosted service (that is, it’s managed by a third party). You pay a monthly subscription, and Shopify manages your store’s hosting, security, and maintenance. 

WooCommerce, by contrast, is open-source software that runs exclusively on WordPress. Because you install the WooCommerce plug-in on your website through your own hosting provider, you have more control, but you also have more responsibility.

Consider these practical differences:

• Costs: Shopify charges transaction fees unless you use its payment processor. WooCommerce doesn’t add platform transaction fees, but it does rely on your chosen payment gateway.
• Features: Shopify apps offer more features, but these often increase your monthly costs. WooCommerce plug-ins are usually one-time purchases or freemium models (you get basic features free but advanced features require a paid version).
• Support: Shopify offers built-in support, while users of WooCommerce rely on community documentation, forums, and their host provider’s customer service feature.

Pros and cons of moving away from Shopify

If you already know how to sell on Shopify, you’re probably aware of its upsides: a polished interface, 24-7 support, and quick setup. These are clear advantages, especially for business owners who lack the patience or know-how to fuss with technical details.

That said, Shopify also has its limits. Its transaction fees can take a bite out of your profits, and its closed system restricts customization. 

Open-source WooCommerce, on the other hand, gives you more freedom to customize, control costs, and expand functionality. The downside is that you’ll need to handle hosting, security, and updates yourself.

When is migration the right decision?

Migration makes sense if you want long-term flexibility. For example, businesses that need custom checkout flows, detailed analytics, or unique catalog structures often gravitate toward WooCommerce. If you rely on integrations or advanced WooCommerce tools, the switch can pay off.

If you’re shopping for WooCommerce alternatives, consider how each option manages payments, support, and scalability. Shopify may still be a better fit if simplicity is your priority, but if you prefer to list products on your website with full control over its structure, WooCommerce is an excellent choice.

Considerations

Before taking the plunge, think about hosting, plug-ins, and your comfort level with open-source software. With WooCommerce, you’ll need a hosting plan that can handle your traffic and store size. You’ll also need to budget for security certificates, backups, and plug-ins to fill functionality gaps.

WooCommerce’s strength lies in its flexibility, but research plug-ins carefully. Some are free, while others have annual costs. 

If you’re used to Shopify handling everything behind the scenes, selling your products on WooCommerce can feel like a massive change at first. Still, if you want more control, WooCommerce’s open-source framework makes that possible.

What can you import from Shopify to WooCommerce?

Once you’ve decided to make the move, you should know what you can import automatically, what you can’t, and how to prepare your store for migration.

Using the official Shopify WooCommerce plug-in or third-party tools, you can transfer Shopify data, such as products, customers, orders, images, collections (or “categories”), coupons, blog posts, and pages. 

You cannot automatically import custom themes, Shopify’s apps, or deeply customized app logic. Moving over any Shopify-specific features (such as subscription apps, metafields, or private apps) may require manual rework.

Before you export, audit your Shopify store:

• Remove outdated or low-selling products.
• Check for duplicate SKUs or missing values.
• Standardize category names.
• Clean up malformed image URLs.
• Take note of URL slugs, SEO metadata, and collections.

Trying to migrate with messy data needlessly overcomplicates the process. If you audit first, you can avoid the headache.

How to import Shopify to WooCommerce: Step-by-step instructions

Now, we’ll detail how to export information from Shopify to WooCommerce. 

Step 1: Export data from Shopify.

Go to Shopify Admin → Products → Export (CSV) to export your product data. Repeat for customers, orders, and other data if your migration tool supports those exports. 

Step 2: Set up WooCommerce on WordPress.

Install WordPress on your chosen host platform. Add the WooCommerce plug-in, and conduct a few basic setup tasks, including settings for currency, taxes, shipping, and pages. 

Note: Set permalinks to “post name” or another structure compatible with your current site.

Step 3: Import products, customers, and orders.

Use the built-in WooCommerce importer or a migration plug-in (such as the Migrate Shopify to WooCommerce plug-in) to bring over your CSV files. Some plug-ins will automatically map fields such as title, price, SKU, and images. 

If your products have multiple variants, complex attributes, or app-generated metafields, you may need to adjust the field mapping manually.

Step 4: Adjust permalinks, categories, and image URLs.

Your Shopify URLs will differ from WooCommerce’s structure. Set up 301 redirects from your Shopify URLs to the new WooCommerce ones to preserve your site’s SEO. Update internal links, menu structures, and category slugs. 

If image URLs didn’t import perfectly, run a Search & Replace across your database (or use a tool like the Better Search Replace WordPress plug-in) to correct their paths.

Step 5: Test extensively.

Now, put your WooCommerce setup to the test. Place dummy orders. Verify customer records. Check images, descriptions, taxes, shipping, and coupons. Confirm that everything looks as it should on your front end.

Manual vs plug-in vs automated

Depending on your technical prowess, you can use manual, plug-in based, or automated alternatives to migrate data. Here’s what each involves:

• Manual: You can export CSV files, tweak files, and import them. This option is good for small catalogs or for having granular control.
• Plug-in: Use a plug-in built for Shopify-to-WooCommerce migration (be sure it can map most fields, handle images, etc.).
• Automated: Pay a migration service or agency to migrate your data for you.

Select a method after weighing cost, time, and risk.

Alternative method: Use Jotform to clean Shopify data before importing

When you export products from Shopify, the platform generates a CSV file that you can later upload to WooCommerce. However, these files don’t always map perfectly. Common issues involve SKU mismatches, missing categories, and formatting errors.

To simplify the process, you can use Jotform’s Product List field with WooCommerce import support. By uploading your Shopify CSV file to Jotform first, you can

• Review and clean up product names, descriptions, and prices
• Standardize SKUs and categories so WooCommerce recognizes them correctly
• Remove products you don’t want to migrate
• Create additional product forms for wholesale or pre-orders while migrating

How it works

Jotform’s Product List field makes it easy to add several products to your form. Here’s how:

1. Export your product catalog from Shopify as a CSV file.
2. In Jotform’s Form Builder, add a Product List field and click Import.
3. Upload your Shopify CSV file; Jotform automatically maps details such as names, prices, and SKUs.
4. Review, adjust, and finalize the data.
5. Export the cleaned file, and import it directly into WooCommerce with fewer errors.

Final thoughts: Is migrating from Shopify to WooCommerce worth it?

So is it worth the pain (and effort) to import Shopify to WooCommerce? The answer is yes, if you want long-term control, lower platform fees, or a custom store that accommodates features and functionalities that Shopify doesn’t.

If your store is small, you don’t want to deal with updates, or you prefer to have everything handled for you, staying on Shopify might be the better option.

Switching to WooCommerce gives you ownership over data, flexibility in design, and fewer constraints. But it also requires more work: hosting, maintenance, and occasional debugging. The advantage is that after migrating from Shopify to WooCommerce, you can customize your site to reflect your brand, not your platform’s rules.