Start a Webshop in the Netherlands: Shopify vs WooCommerce vs Lightspeed

Once you decide to sell online in the Netherlands, the first question is which platform to build on. Shopify, WooCommerce and Lightspeed all appear in every search and all claim Dutch support. Comparing feature lists does not tell you what matters.

A Dutch buyer expects to pay with iDEAL, see prices including BTW (VAT), and receive the parcel through PostNL or DHL. Whether a platform fits depends less on how many features it has than on five conditions: payment, tax, shipping, language and law. 2026 is also the year iDEAL starts moving to Wero and the withdrawal button for consumers began to apply.

This article compares the three platforms on those five conditions and ends with a decision flow. Prices come from each company's official pages, checked on 31 October 2026, and anything I could not confirm is left out. DevNJ's own fees are not listed. The aim is to help you decide before you compare quotes from agencies.

Main sources (checked 31 October 2026)

• Official pricing pages of Shopify and Lightspeed, and the WooCommerce site and plugin directory
• iDEAL | Wero, the European Payments Initiative (EPI) and Stripe's migration notes
• The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) on the withdrawal button and its seller checklist
• business.gov.nl on distance selling and price labelling, and the Chamber of Commerce (KVK) on EU VAT

1. Five conditions every Dutch webshop must meet

The conditions come from buyers and law, not from feature lists

Starting from a feature table is a common mistake. In the Netherlands, buyer habits and consumer law come first, and the platform is only a way to meet them.

The five conditions are payment (iDEAL), price display (euros including BTW), shipping (PostNL or DHL with pickup points), language and terms (clear, understandable information) and the withdrawal right (14 days plus a cancel button).

The table shows that these are duties and habits of the seller, not features of a platform. Whichever platform you pick, you must configure and keep to them. The platforms differ in how much they do for you, and that is the comparison here.

Two things moved in 2026

The first is the withdrawal button. In a notice dated 11 June 2026, the ACM asked online sellers to offer a clear, accessible cancel function from 19 June 2026. business.gov.nl gives 25 June for the same requirement. The dates differ, so this article simply says "from June 2026".

The second is the move from iDEAL to Wero. Per Stripe, 29 January to 31 March 2026 was the period in which checkouts had to show the combined "iDEAL | Wero" brand.

2. From iDEAL to Wero: timing and platform support

The timeline

iDEAL was run by Dutch banks and is being phased into the European payment brand Wero. The dates below come from the official announcements and a payment provider's notes.

Solid circles mark what has started; dotted circles are targets. In its July 2026 announcement, EPI says all Dutch issuing banks are to be connected to Wero in October 2026, after which iDEAL payments move gradually onto the Wero infrastructure. The parties share the goal of completing the migration by 31 December 2027, and Wero's pricing is to stay broadly in line with iDEAL | Wero until 31 December 2028.

Each shop's switch depends on its provider

In the official pages I read, the actual switch date depends on the payment service provider (PSP) the shop uses. Stripe describes enabling Wero and disabling iDEAL in its dashboard from Q4 2026 and recommends moving during 2027. Subscriptions use a different mechanism, expected in 2027.

So the question for a shop owner is not "when do I switch?" but "when will my provider support Wero, and have I updated my checkout display?" You need that answer on any platform.

Where each platform stands

Shopify and WooCommerce show Wero or the new branding in official material. For Lightspeed I could not confirm it from the official help, so ask the vendor in writing before signing.

3. The character of each platform

Rent it, own it, or use the Dutch ecosystem

Shopify: fastest to launch

Shopify needs no server or software updates. Pay with Shopify Payments and iDEAL | Wero and cards come together. To use iDEAL | Wero you need a euro store, the Netherlands as an active market, identity verification and a KVK number, even for sole proprietors. iDEAL | Wero cannot be used for subscriptions or pre-orders.

WooCommerce: freedom and responsibility together

WooCommerce is open source for WordPress and the core is free. Its plugin page shows over seven million active installations. Hosting, updates, security and backups are your responsibility or your contractor's. Required PHP and WordPress versions apply, and neglected updates can break the shop.

Lightspeed: Dutch-oriented integrations

Lightspeed is a subscription service whose plans cap products, users and languages. It has a built-in PostNL integration and help articles for connecting Mollie and MultiSafepay. That depth of integration is why it appeals to shops that combine online and in-store sales.

4. Prices with a checking date

Monthly plans

Prices change, so check the official pages. The figures below are what the pages showed on 31 October 2026. I could not tell from the Shopify page whether its prices include BTW, and for Lightspeed I could not tell either, nor whether they were monthly or annual billing. Read this as a list of displayed prices, not a like-for-like comparison.

The figure shows that even mid-tier plans differ a lot in price, but each company bundles different limits, so price alone says little. The table lists the conditions per plan.

Shopify also lists Plus from €2,100 a month, and Lightspeed's Enterprise plan is quoted individually. WooCommerce has no monthly plan table because the core software is free.

Payment fees are separate

Shopify Payments charges €0.29 per iDEAL | Wero payment on Basic to Advanced, and 1.9% + €0.25 for standard cards on Basic. WooPayments lists €0.29 for iDEAL | Wero and 1.50% + €0.25 for cards, and says 21% VAT applies to WooPayments fees (it may not be charged to VAT-registered merchants with a valid VAT ID).

I could not find transaction fees on Lightspeed's pricing page. With Lightspeed, fees follow the contract with the payment provider you choose.

Costs that are easy to miss

The sources I read give no figures for the following, so I list them without amounts. Ask for them as line items in a quote.

• WooCommerce hosting: varies by provider and performance, and needs upkeep time
• Paid extensions and apps: shipping labels, accounting links and translation may add monthly or yearly fees
• Design and set-up: done by you or outsourced
• Staff time: product entry, order handling, updates

A cheap monthly fee can be overtaken by apps and labour. Compare total cost over a year.

5. Payment: build around iDEAL | Wero

Choose a payment setup

Payment is a choice of provider rather than of platform. Shopify centres on Shopify Payments, WooCommerce lets you pick WooPayments, Mollie and others, and Lightspeed connects to Mollie and MultiSafepay.

Where it can go wrong

Per Shopify's help centre, iDEAL | Wero cannot be used for subscriptions or pre-orders, and processing fees are not returned on refunds. Payments can be refunded within 180 days and buyers cannot file chargebacks.

Some 2026 community posts (not official) describe the iDEAL | Wero switch staying unavailable for weeks. That is anecdotal, but it is a reason to leave slack in your launch date and keep a second payment method ready.

6. BTW-inclusive prices and selling across the EU

Consumer prices include BTW

The Dutch business portal says consumer prices are shown in euros including VAT, with shipping and service costs included in the total. Costs that cannot be fixed beforehand, such as shipping, must be explained before the sale. Dutch VAT rates are 21%, 9% and 0%.

Platforms differ in how tax-inclusive display is handled by default and where per-product rates are set. Shopify's help centre has a page on including taxes in prices. In every case you are responsible for the right rates, so have an accountant check.

Selling to other EU countries

For EU consumer sales, Dutch VAT can be charged while total cross-border sales stay under €10,000 a year. Above that, the rate of the buyer's country applies. You can file through each country or through the One-Stop Shop (OSS), but not both. If you plan to sell abroad, check that the platform supports country-specific rates.

7. Shipping with PostNL and DHL

How each platform connects

Dutch buyers expect home delivery and the choice of a pickup point (PostNL points, DHL ServicePoints). Offering that at checkout is part of the choice.

WooCommerce has official PostNL and DHL plugins. The DHL one is for stores shipping from the Netherlands, Belgium or Luxembourg. Shopify's help centre lists PostNL (for eligible stores) and DHL eCommerce domestic as carriers whose labels you can buy in the admin.

Lightspeed shows PostNL rates at checkout, but PostNL labels cannot be bulk-printed. DHL is not built in and goes through Sendcloud, DeliveryMatch or MyParcel. That is the first thing to check with Lightspeed.

Origin changes the options

Integrations depend on where you ship from. Because the official DHL plugin is for shipping from the Netherlands, Belgium or Luxembourg, a shop shipping directly from Japan may fall outside the supported setups. Decide on a Dutch warehouse or direct shipping first, then check eligibility in the carrier's documents.

8. Dutch terms, language and withdrawal

Language is about trust more than law

business.gov.nl's distance-selling page sets no language rule for shops. It asks only that information is clear, correct and understandable. Even so, Dutch buyers will hesitate if prices, delivery and returns are not in Dutch, so Dutch first with English alongside is the sturdy choice.

Because Lightspeed caps languages per plan, Dutch plus English rules out the single-language Essential plan.

What to show and send

The ACM checklist asks for your company name, address, phone, email and KVK number in an easy-to-find place, a delivery time before purchase, and a return address with who pays return costs. After purchase you confirm the order and resend key product and company information. Deliver within 30 days or the agreed period.

The withdrawal right and the withdrawal button

Consumers have at least 14 days after receiving goods to cancel without giving a reason. Refunds follow within 14 days of the cancellation. The button requirements below come from the ACM notice of 11 June 2026.

If a shop does not comply, the withdrawal period may automatically extend to one year, and the ACM can fine it. Whether each platform ships such a button as a standard feature could not be confirmed in the official material I read; you may need an added page, form or app, so ask before choosing. Business buyers (B2B) have no statutory withdrawal right.

9. Which one to choose: a decision flow

Four questions in order

1. Are registration and tax in place? Without a KVK number, iDEAL | Wero will not activate in Shopify Payments. The registration and tax set-up for a Japanese company selling to Dutch buyers depends on the business structure (this part is my inference, so confirm it with an accountant or the KVK).

2. Can someone run the shop every day? If nobody can handle updates, security and backups, WooCommerce becomes a burden. Hosted Shopify or Lightspeed is more realistic.

3. How big and complex is the catalogue? Lightspeed caps variants per plan, so a large catalogue pushes you to higher plans.

4. Do payment and shipping connect the way you want? Check DHL on Lightspeed, and eligibility if you ship from Japan.

Answers by situation (hypothetical examples)

The three cases below are invented to show how to use the flow. They are not real businesses.

These are guides, not verdicts. All three can meet the five conditions. The difference lies in who runs the shop and how much integration work it takes.

10. Common pitfalls

For every item, the surest check is to place a test order yourself. Try payment, the BTW-inclusive total, the delivery choice and the cancellation steps in order. Look at it as the buyer does, on a phone: how the price appears, the pickup-point choice, the iDEAL | Wero display and the wording of the confirmation email. Settings pages alone can hide differences from what buyers see. Keep dated notes of the results so they are easy to revisit when rules or integrations change.

11. What to prepare before you talk to an agency

Writing these down makes quotes faster and more accurate.

1. Number of products and variants (sizes, colours)
2. Shipping origin and preferred carriers
3. KVK and BTW registration status
4. Who handles daily updates
5. Which countries you sell to (Netherlands only, or EU-wide)
6. Links to a physical shop or other sales channels
7. Target launch date
8. Initial budget and monthly running budget

With these eight answers, a conversation about the right platform can use concrete numbers.

12. Launching in four stages

Once the platform is chosen, this order reduces rework. Durations depend on catalogue and team, so none are given.

Decide who owns the work after launch

Who receives the provider's Wero notice and changes the settings? Who updates the carrier link when PostNL or DHL change their specifications? Who notices a change in BTW rates or withdrawal rules? Decide these three before launch.

On hosted platforms (Shopify, Lightspeed) the provider handles system updates, so your work is mostly reviewing settings. With WooCommerce, core, theme and plugin updates are yours, and neglecting them can stop payment and shipping links. If you cannot name an owner, solve that before choosing a platform.

13. Summary

• Five conditions for selling in the Netherlands: payment, BTW-inclusive prices, shipping, Dutch terms and the withdrawal right
• iDEAL is moving to Wero, with a 31 December 2027 target, and each shop's switch follows its provider
• Compare prices by yearly total, including fees, apps and upkeep
• For shipping, WooCommerce has official PostNL and DHL plugins; Lightspeed fills the DHL gap by other means
• Do not rely on the platform to provide the withdrawal button; test it before launch
• Before choosing, settle registration, who runs the shop, catalogue size and integrations

If you are weighing a platform choice, Dutch-market set-up or outsourced operation, see how DevNJ works on the service page. To start from your own conditions, get in touch, and you can read related articles in the column.

Sources used

Platforms and pricing

• Shopify pricing (Netherlands) — Shopify: plan prices, external-provider fees, Shopify Payments rates
• Lightspeed eCom pricing — Lightspeed: plan prices, product, user and language limits
• WooPayments — WooCommerce: no monthly fee, supported payment methods
• WooPayments fees — WooCommerce: fees in the Netherlands
• WooCommerce — WordPress.org: free open source, requirements
• iDEAL | Wero in Shopify Payments — Shopify Help Center: requirements, refunds, unsupported uses
• Languages — Shopify Help Center: published languages and translations
• Mollie Payments for WooCommerce — WordPress.org: Wero added in 8.1.9
• Connecting Mollie — Lightspeed Help: connecting a payment provider

iDEAL and Wero

• iDEAL | Wero — iDEAL: combined brand
• iDEAL to phase into Wero starting in 2026 — iDEAL: the three phases
• iDEAL to Wero migration — EPI: 31 December 2027 target and pricing stance
• iDEAL to Wero Migration — Stripe: co-branding period and merchant actions

Shipping

• Ship with PostNL — Lightspeed Help: built-in PostNL integration
• Shipping integrations by region — Lightspeed Help: Dutch options
• PostNL for WooCommerce — WordPress.org: official plugin
• DHL eCommerce (Benelux) for WooCommerce — WordPress.org: official plugin
• DHL eCommerce — Shopify App Store: ServicePoints and labels
• Sendcloud — Shopify App Store: multi-carrier shipping

Law and tax

• ACM calls on online retailers to prepare for the withdrawal button — ACM: button requirements
• Dropshipping checklist — ACM: seller information duties, 14-day withdrawal
• Rules for online sales and purchases — business.gov.nl: withdrawal period, confirmation, 30-day delivery
• Product price labelling — business.gov.nl: prices including VAT and extra costs
• VAT rules for e-commerce in the EU — KVK: the €10,000 threshold and OSS

All were checked on 31 October 2026. Prices, Wero dates and legal requirements change, so confirm them on the official pages before you sign or launch. For tax and legal decisions, consult an accountant or lawyer.