Choose a platform around the jobs you perform every week. A feature list is insufficient if your variants, payment route or exports do not fit. First write down three real products, one difficult order and your accounting requirements. Run the same trial on both options.
What are you comparing?
WooCommerce adds ecommerce to WordPress. You choose hosting, a theme and any extensions. MicroCart combines hosting and store management in a subscription. With either option, the merchant must make decisions about products, tax settings, payment accounts and customer service processes.
| Task | MicroCart | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Part of the platform | Arrange yourself or through a management partner |
| Payment account | Provider account and activation required | Select provider and suitable integration |
| Tax | Check correct assumptions and settings | Check correct assumptions and settings |
Budget the complete cost
MicroCart costs €39.95 per store per month or €399.50 per year excluding VAT, with all MicroCart apps and B2B included. The trial lasts 14 days without a card. WooCommerce’s free core does not make hosting, development or paid extensions free; some requirements need no paid extension.
Who manages the technology?
For WooCommerce, ask for a recovery demonstration in a separate test environment: restore a recent backup and check a product, order and payment settings. Establish who approves updates and responds to outages. For MicroCart, ask about platform support and export options; your own data and settings still need attention there.
Configure payments and tax
A payment integration does not replace a provider account. Check verification, supported methods, activation and payouts. MicroCart charges 0% own transaction fees; provider charges still apply. Tax settings must match products, destinations and customers. WooCommerce documents settings without deciding your tax obligations for you.
When might WooCommerce fit?
If you already use WordPress, ask to see an existing page and your most difficult order workflow demonstrated together. List the plugins, custom changes and suppliers required. Agree on one contact for faults between components and budget for maintenance. This shows whether added flexibility solves work you actually have.
When might MicroCart fit?
Investigate MicroCart when you want hosting and store management together. Use the trial to assess your catalogue and daily fulfilment. Included apps do not prove that every workflow fits: test exceptions such as unusual customer pricing, address formats or the export your accountant needs.
Migration questions
Before moving from WooCommerce, check which data the available import method can process. Test products, images, variants, customers and historical orders separately; do not assume passwords or subscriptions can be transferred.
Decide using the same trial
Compare subscriptions and quotes over the same period, showing VAT treatment, payment mix, labour and one-off costs. Complete a payment, cancellation and refund. When switching, check URLs and redirects as well. Read the costing approach before making your decision.
Sources and checks
Primary sources checked on 26 October 2026: WooCommerce: tax settings · Tax Administration: VAT entrepreneurship
