WooCommerce gives you almost unlimited control over the checkout — it's PHP code that you can modify directly. Shopify's checkout is managed by Shopify's infrastructure, and on standard plans, customization is limited to what Shopify allows. This is one of the areas where WooCommerce and Shopify diverge most significantly. Here's a clear breakdown of what changes, what you lose, and what options you have.

WooCommerce checkout customization options

On WooCommerce, the checkout can be customized via:

PHP hooks (woocommerce_checkout_fields, woocommerce_before_checkout_form)
Template overrides (checkout/form-checkout.php)
Plugins (WooCommerce Checkout Field Editor, Fluid Checkout, CartFlows)
Custom code in functions.php

This allows: adding custom fields, removing default fields, adding conditional logic, injecting HTML/scripts, adding fees, creating multi-step checkouts, and fundamentally restructuring the checkout form.

Shopify checkout: what you can customize without Plus

On standard Shopify plans (Basic, Shopify, Advanced), checkout customization is limited to:

Logo and colors: Admin → Settings → Checkout → Customize checkout appearance
Font selection: From Shopify's approved font options
Background image: Left panel background image in checkout
Order notes field: Enable/disable "Order special instructions" textarea
Tipping: Enable tip options at checkout
Contact information: Email or phone + email, option to show/hide company name
Shipping address fields: Standard fields, can toggle some optional fields

What you cannot do on standard plans:

Add custom checkout fields (date picker, dropdown, text fields)
Inject custom HTML or JavaScript into checkout
Add fees based on checkout selections
Create conditional field logic
Restructure the checkout flow
Add custom content blocks between checkout sections

Shopify Plus: Checkout Extensibility

Shopify Plus ($2,300+/month) unlocks Checkout Extensibility — a React-based framework for adding UI elements to checkout:

Checkout UI Extensions: Add custom UI components (fields, banners, content blocks) to specific positions in checkout
Custom fields: Add custom input fields and save them to order attributes
Upsell blocks: Show product recommendations within checkout
Dynamic content: Conditional content based on cart contents
Post-purchase pages: Customize the thank-you page with upsells and surveys
Functions: Custom discount logic, shipping rule overrides (via Shopify Functions — serverless code)

Checkout Extensibility is powerful but requires development work (React + Shopify CLI). It's not a plugin — it's an extension framework.

Replacing common WooCommerce checkout customizations

Custom checkout fields

WooCommerce: Add any field (date picker, dropdown, custom text) via WooCommerce Checkout Field Editor plugin.
Shopify (standard): Only the built-in "Order notes" field is available without Plus
Shopify Plus: Add custom fields via Checkout UI Extensions (React)
App alternative: Checkout Blocks ($99/mo) — a no-code builder for Checkout UI Extensions that doesn't require direct coding. Adds custom fields, banners, and content to checkout on Plus stores.

Gift message field

WooCommerce: Custom field plugin.
Shopify (standard): Use the "Order notes" field as a gift message field. Rename it via theme customization. Limited — it's one textarea.
Shopify Plus: Custom gift message field via Checkout UI Extensions.

Delivery date picker

WooCommerce: Order Delivery Date Pro plugin.
Shopify (standard): No native solution. Some stores use: Order note field with date instructions, or a pre-checkout date selection flow via a landing page or cart drawer app. Not ideal.
Shopify Plus: Delivery date picker via Checkout UI Extension, or Zapiet Delivery Dates app (Plus only).

Fee additions (e.g., gift wrapping fee, COD fee)

WooCommerce: Add fees in woocommerce_cart_calculate_fees hook or via fee plugins.
Shopify: No native fee addition. Workaround: create a "Gift Wrapping" product at the price of the fee; customers can add it to cart. For COD fee: difficult on standard Shopify — use a COD app.
Shopify Plus: Via Shopify Functions — calculate and apply fees programmatically.

Age verification

WooCommerce: WooCommerce Age Verification plugin adds a checkbox or gate at checkout.
Shopify (standard): Use a store-entry age gate app (AgeChecker.net, VerifyMyAge), or add an age confirmation checkbox via Order notes workaround.
Shopify Plus: Add proper age verification checkbox via Checkout UI Extensions.

Company/B2B fields at checkout

WooCommerce: Company field is native. VAT/tax number field added via plugins.
Shopify: Company name field can be enabled (optional or required). VAT number: no native field. Use Order notes with instructions ("Enter VAT number here"), or a B2B app, or Shopify Plus B2B with company accounts.
Shopify Plus: Full B2B checkout with company accounts, net terms, custom pricing.

Upsells within checkout

WooCommerce: Checkout upsells via CartFlows or custom code.
Shopify (standard): Cart upsells (before checkout) via cart drawer apps (iCart, Slide Cart). Post-purchase upsell page via ReConvert app (works on all plans for post-purchase page).
Shopify Plus: Native checkout upsells via Checkout Extensibility or apps like Checkout Blocks.

Multi-step checkout

WooCommerce: CartFlows, FluidCheckout, or custom development create multi-step or distraction-free checkout flows.
Shopify: Shopify's checkout is already a guided multi-step flow (Information → Shipping → Payment). You cannot restructure these steps.
Note: Shopify's native checkout has very high conversion rates — trying to rebuild multi-step checkout on Shopify often makes it worse, not better.

WooCommerce checkout conversion rate vs Shopify

Many stores see checkout conversion rate improvements after migrating to Shopify because:

Shopify's one-page checkout (Shop Pay and standard) is highly optimized
Shop Pay (Shopify's accelerated checkout) lets returning Shop Pay users check out with 1 click
Shopify supports Buy Now Pay Later (Klarna, Afterpay, Shop Pay Installments) natively
No plugin conflicts or slow checkout loading times from WooCommerce plugin stack
Mobile checkout is cleaner without WordPress plugin overhead

What's actually lost from WooCommerce

Be honest with yourself about what you'll lose if you're on a standard Shopify plan:

Custom checkout fields (unless you're using Plus)
Checkout-level fee additions (gift wrapping, COD)
Complete checkout restructuring (multi-step custom flows)
PHP-level customization flexibility

For most standard ecommerce stores, these limitations don't matter — the checkout customizations were solving problems that Shopify's native checkout handles better anyway. For specialized businesses (B2B, rental, subscription with complex requirements), the lack of Plus or custom development becomes a real constraint.

Checkout migration checklist

List all current WooCommerce checkout customizations (fields, hooks, plugins)
Categorize each: cosmetic (logo/color — easy), functional (custom field — hard), flow (multi-step — impossible without Plus)
Configure Shopify checkout appearance (logo, colors, font) in Admin → Settings → Checkout
Enable order notes if you need a basic custom field equivalent
Enable tipping if relevant
For custom fields: assess if Plus is required or if workarounds (cart page, order notes, pre-checkout flow) are acceptable
Install post-purchase upsell app (ReConvert) if WooCommerce had checkout upsells
Test complete checkout flow after migration on mobile and desktop
Measure checkout conversion rate for 30 days post-migration to verify no regression

The checkout is often the area where WooCommerce migrants feel the most constraint on standard Shopify plans. Accept the limitation or budget for Shopify Plus. Trying to shoehorn complex checkout logic into standard Shopify often results in poor UX that hurts conversions more than the missing feature would have helped.

Shopify checkout after WooCommerce migration: what changes and what doesn't (2026)