WooCommerce is a free, open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress that was launched in 2011. Because it runs on your own WordPress site, you control the design, hosting and extensions, and you also take on the setup, security and performance work. This page collects usage figures from primary sources and explains what each one measures.
WooCommerce usage figures (verified October 2026)
| Measure | Figure | What it counts | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active installations of the plugin | 7+ million | WordPress sites where the WooCommerce plugin is active (a plugin-directory count, not a count of live shops) | WordPress.org plugin page, checked October 2026 |
| Share of all websites | 7.8% | Websites W3Techs detects as using WooCommerce | W3Techs, 18 October 2026 |
| Share of sites with a known CMS | 11.5% | Websites with a detectable CMS that use WooCommerce | W3Techs, 18 October 2026 |
| Share of e-commerce systems | 47.5% | E-commerce systems W3Techs detects, not sales or revenue | W3Techs, 18 October 2026 |
| WordPress share of all websites | 39.6% | Websites running WordPress (58.4% of sites with a known CMS) | W3Techs, 18 October 2026 |
| Launch and early downloads | Launched 2011; passed seven million downloads in 2014 | Plugin downloads reported by the company; current totals are not verified here | WooCommerce.com |
These figures are rounded and change continuously. They were checked on the dates shown, directly against each source.
Do not mix these numbers
Active installations, live stores, market share and downloads measure different things. An installation can be a test site or a store that has no products. Market share depends on which sites a survey can detect and how it defines e-commerce. Downloads count file downloads, including updates, not shops. Sales and revenue figures are a fourth category again, and the sources above do not publish them.
Why published numbers differ
Different tools sample different sets of websites and detect platforms in different ways. That is why one source may report WooCommerce as the largest e-commerce platform by number of sites while another reports a different share. When you quote a statistic, name the source, the date and what it counts.
What this means for a store owner
A large user base means a large ecosystem of themes, extensions and developers, so most common needs have an existing solution. The plugin itself is free, but a store still has costs for hosting, a theme, extensions and payment processing fees. Performance, security and updates are your responsibility, so plan for ongoing maintenance. For a side-by-side look at the trade-offs, read our Shopify vs WooCommerce overview, or see our ecommerce services.
FAQs
Is WooCommerce free?
The core plugin is free to install. Running a store involves other costs, such as hosting, themes, paid extensions and payment processing fees.
How many websites use WooCommerce?
W3Techs reported 7.8% of all websites on 18 October 2026, and the WordPress.org plugin directory shows 7+ million active installations. These are different measures; see the table above.
Related reading: Shopify vs WooCommerce: Unbiased 2025 Comparison. Looking for professional support? See our ecommerce services from FiveUp Technologies.
