Launching an AliExpress dropshipping business is easier than ever, but your choice of platform shapes everything from daily workflows to margins and growth. If you want a simple, low-cost start with AliExpress product importing, AI optimization, and one-click fulfillment, you are likely looking at WooCommerce or Shopify. This guide gives you a pragmatic, beginner-friendly decision framework, real total costs, and where WooDropship’s $89 lifetime WooCommerce plugin or $49 prebuilt Shopify store provides the fastest path to launch.

The short answer for beginners

• Choose WooCommerce if you want maximum control, ultra-low ongoing platform costs, and you are comfortable with basic WordPress tasks. WooDropship’s one-time dropshipping plugin automates AliExpress importing and fulfillment so you can keep recurring expenses tiny.
• Choose Shopify if you want the fastest, cleanest path to market with a proven checkout and you are fine with a monthly plan. Shopify’s pricing and payment fee structure is transparent, and WooDropship’s prebuilt Shopify stores get you live in 7 days for a one-time $49.

Real costs in 2025 that matter to dropshippers

Shopify’s official pricing shows Basic at 29 dollars per month billed annually, Grow at 79 dollars, and Advanced at 299 dollars, with online card rates starting at 2.9 percent plus 30 cents on Basic and third-party payment provider fees of 2 percent on Basic if you do not use Shopify Payments. These third-party transaction fees decrease to 1 percent on Grow and 0.6 percent on Advanced, per the Shopify pricing page. Shopify further clarifies third-party transaction fees and currency conversion in the Shopify Help Center, including a 1.5 percent currency conversion fee for the United States when you sell in non-domestic currencies.

If you use Stripe or PayPal on WooCommerce, your processing fees will look similar to the platform norm. The Stripe pricing page lists 2.9 percent plus 30 cents per successful domestic online transaction, with an additional 1.5 percent for international cards and 1 percent if currency conversion is required. For PayPal, the current US business fees indicate 2.99 to 3.49 percent plus a fixed fee for many standard online transactions as described on PayPal’s Merchant Fees. These gateway fees apply on Shopify too if you route payments through PayPal or other non-Shopify methods.

WooCommerce’s platform cost is elastic. The official WooCommerce blog explains that quality hosting often starts around 250 dollars per year and can scale by traffic and needs, with domains from about 15 dollars per year and premium themes roughly 100 dollars per year in many cases, although many stores operate on free themes and bundled SSL from hosts. You can review the current ranges and categories in the WooCommerce pricing guide. For many beginners, a lean setup with reliable hosting, a domain, and WooDropship’s one-time plugin keeps monthly totals lower than a typical Shopify plan plus apps.

App spend is an undercounted line item on Shopify. Market snapshots suggest real merchants commonly pay for multiple add-ons. One widely cited summary notes that the average merchant spends about 120 dollars per month across Shopify apps, although usage varies heavily by store maturity and niche, according to MobiLoud’s Shopify statistics. You can absolutely run lean, but plan for incremental add-ons like upsells, bundles, reviews, and email automations as your traffic grows.

Here is how this plays out for a beginner in month one:

• Shopify beginner blueprint: 29 dollars for Basic billed annually, plus any paid apps you decide to keep after trials, plus card fees. If you use a third-party gateway instead of Shopify Payments, add the plan’s transaction percentage from Shopify pricing.
• WooCommerce beginner blueprint: 20 to 25 dollars per month equivalent for solid hosting, roughly 15 dollars per year for a domain, free SSL in many cases, WooDropship plugin at a one-time 89 dollars, and standard Stripe or PayPal processing rates as shown on Stripe pricing and PayPal’s fees page. No platform subscription required.

Workflows for AliExpress dropshipping on each stack

Both stacks can power AliExpress dropshipping. The workflow differences are mainly in setup time, app reliance, and day-to-day execution.

WooCommerce with WooDropship’s plugin

WooDropship’s dropshipping plugin is designed for speed and simplicity on WordPress. In one click you can import AliExpress products, then use the built-in AI to improve titles and descriptions, and set global or per-collection pricing rules. The Chrome extension pushes orders to AliExpress for quick fulfillment and syncs tracking back to your store. Bulk editing and pricing automation reduce repetitive work so you can focus on traffic, conversion, and customer service. If you plan to manage many SKUs, the step-by-step strategies in our power guide on handling large catalogs can help you scale cleanly, as explained in this article on managing 500 SKUs in WooCommerce.

From a content and SEO perspective, WordPress gives you full control. WordPress powers roughly 43 percent of all websites according to W3Techs, which means you benefit from mature ecosystems of themes, plugins, and tutorials. If you are new to WordPress, our wiki can get you oriented on WooCommerce, WordPress, WordPress plugins, and SEO.

Shopify with a WooDropship prebuilt store

If you want to start selling within a week and skip the technical stack decisions, WooDropship delivers prebuilt Shopify stores for a one-time 49 dollars. You get 30 vetted products, a premium theme, essential legal pages, PayPal and Stripe setup, on-page SEO basics, and conversion features like bundles, popups, countdowns, bought together, and quick view. Your store is ready in 7 days, so you can turn immediately to niche validation and traffic. For buyers who want to move even faster, read our sprint-friendly playbooks on storefront conversion and fast ad testing, including the high-converting storefront teardown and the 10 day ad testing guide.

Shopify’s checkout often performs very strongly. Shopify states that its checkout converts 15 percent better on average than other platforms, as shown on the Shopify pricing page, which can matter if you are paying for traffic early.

Shipping reality for AliExpress

Transit speed depends on your suppliers and shipping methods. AliExpress documents that Standard Shipping typically arrives in 15 to 45 days to many destinations, while Premium options often land in 7 to 15 days, as outlined in this AliExpress shipping explainer. We also break down ePacket alternatives, Cainiao, and region-by-region expectations in our guide to AliExpress logistics and workarounds at AliExpress shipping methods.

Plan your policy pages and expectations accordingly. If you need help building compliant policies and workflows, our wiki covers topics like order fulfillment, return policy, and shipping fees, and our legal center provides references you can review at Legal.

A simple decision framework for beginners

Use this quick litmus test to choose in minutes:

• Pick WooCommerce with WooDropship’s plugin if you want minimal recurring platform costs, full content control, and you are comfortable installing WordPress on a decent host. You can start lean, invest in traffic, and add features only when needed. The WooDropship plugin has a free trial and then a one-time 89 dollar lifetime license.
• Pick Shopify with a prebuilt store if you want launch speed, a professional design out of the box, and a streamlined admin. The one-time 49 dollar prebuilt store lowers your startup friction and puts you into marketing mode in 7 days. If you prefer to roll your own, you can start a trial with Shopify and layer apps only as you validate your niche.

Either choice benefits from consistent marketing and data-driven iteration. Our articles on 48 hour niche validation and email and SMS automations with benchmarks are strong next steps once your storefront is live.

Scenarios and realistic TCO snapshots

• The budget side hustle. You want to keep platform costs near zero and push funds into testing creatives and audiences. A WooCommerce stack with the WooDropship plugin, a modest host, and Stripe or PayPal fees as listed on the Stripe pricing page and PayPal fees page fits well. You own your data and content, choose exactly which add-ons to pay for, and skip platform subscriptions.
• The time-constrained beginner. You want launch speed and fewer moving parts. A WooDropship prebuilt Shopify store is a low-risk entry. After you scale, plan for app costs as needed. Market summaries show many merchants add roughly 120 dollars per month on apps, although your spend may be lower or higher depending on your growth plan, per the MobiLoud statistics.
• The SEO-first content builder. You want long-term organic traffic and deep control of technical SEO. WordPress remains dominant, powering about 43 percent of all sites as shown by W3Techs. Combine WooCommerce with WooDropship’s workflow, then follow our wiki on SEO and our blog on speed wins without code.

When WooDropship’s plugin or prebuilt store is the smart move

• Choose the plugin if you already run WordPress, care about avoiding monthly platform fees, or plan to manage a large SKU catalog with automated imports and fulfillment. The one-time 89 dollar lifetime pricing keeps OPEX low and pairs well with structured content and email flows. You can also explore our playbooks on pricing strategy and abandoned carts to lift your conversion rates.
• Choose the prebuilt Shopify store if you want a professionally assembled storefront with 30 vetted products and conversion boosters, ready in 7 days. It includes legal pages and payment gateway setup, so you can start running ads and building email capture forms immediately. If you prefer to start from scratch and self-configure, begin a trial from this Shopify link.

Payments, compliance, and trust building

Payment approvals and charge management matter in dropshipping. Processing fees and policies can affect your working capital. Stripe lays out the standard 2.9 percent plus 30 cents per online transaction and associated adders for international cards on the Stripe pricing page. PayPal’s business fees explain when 2.99 to 3.49 percent plus a fixed fee applies in the United States and how disputes and chargeback fees are handled in the PayPal Merchant Fees. For smoother onboarding, read our guide to PayPal and Stripe approval playbooks.

You should also prepare store policies, tracking, and service practices that keep customers confident. Our wikis on order tracking, customer complaints, and customer retention outline best practices that reduce disputes. If you plan to run promotions, review patterns for A/B testing and identify the micro-conversions that move your funnel.

Putting it all together

If your priority is the lowest ongoing cost with full control, WooCommerce paired with the WooDropship plugin gives you a one-time 89 dollar automation engine for AliExpress importing, AI optimization, and one-click fulfillment via Chrome. If your priority is speed with battle-tested checkout, Shopify plus a prebuilt store is hard to beat for 49 dollars delivered in 7 days. Either way, validate one niche quickly, add email and SMS flows, and scale what works.

If you need help choosing or want to discuss your niche, reach our friendly team at Contact us. When you are ready, start your WooCommerce journey with the dropshipping plugin, or launch fast with a prebuilt Shopify store. Prefer a custom Shopify start? Begin a trial using this Shopify link, then apply the same validation and conversion steps outlined in our beginner guides.

Happy WooDropshipping!