WooCommerce powers over 6.5 million active online stores worldwide, making it the most widely used eCommerce platform on the internet. But who actually owns WooCommerce? The answer involves a $30 million acquisition, a company that also runs WordPress.com, and a commitment to open-source software that continues to shape how millions of businesses sell online.
Whether you are deciding to use WooCommerce for your store or just curious about the business behind the plugin, this guide covers everything: ownership history, what has changed under new management, the current state in 2026, and what it means for store owners.
Who Owns WooCommerce Today?
Automattic Inc. owns WooCommerce. Automattic is the same company behind WordPress.com, Jetpack, Tumblr, WPScan, and several other web products. The company was founded by Matt Mullenweg, who also co-created the WordPress open-source project.
Automattic acquired WooCommerce in May 2015 for approximately $30 million, making it one of the largest acquisitions in WordPress ecosystem history at the time. As of 2026, Automattic remains the sole corporate owner of WooCommerce.
Important distinction: Automattic owns the WooCommerce brand, trademarks, WooCommerce.com marketplace, and employs the core development team. However, the WooCommerce plugin code itself is released under the GPLv3 open-source license, meaning anyone can use, modify, and distribute it freely.
The Origins: How WooCommerce Was Created
WooCommerce was not built by a large corporation. It started as a project by WooThemes, a small company founded in 2008 by three developers:
- Adii Pienaar (South Africa)
- Magnus Jepson (Norway)
- Mark Forrester (South Africa)
WooThemes initially focused on premium WordPress themes. In September 2011, they launched WooCommerce as a fork of an existing eCommerce plugin called Jigoshop. The goal was simple: give WordPress users a reliable, extensible way to sell products online without leaving the WordPress ecosystem.
WooCommerce grew rapidly. Within two years, it had over 1 million downloads. By 2014, it was already powering more online stores than any competing platform. The combination of WordPress’s massive user base and WooCommerce’s free core plugin created a flywheel effect that no SaaS competitor could match.
Automattic’s Acquisition of WooCommerce (2015)
On May 19, 2015, Automattic announced it had acquired WooThemes and WooCommerce. The deal was valued at approximately $30 million, paid in a combination of cash and Automattic stock.
At the time of acquisition, WooCommerce already powered roughly 30% of all online stores. The entire WooThemes team of 55 employees joined Automattic, continuing to work on WooCommerce development.
Why Did Automattic Buy WooCommerce?
Several strategic reasons drove the acquisition:
- eCommerce expansion: Automattic wanted to offer a complete website-to-store solution through WordPress.com
- Revenue diversification: WooCommerce’s extension marketplace and WooCommerce.com subscriptions provided recurring revenue beyond hosting
- Ecosystem control: Owning the dominant eCommerce plugin gave Automattic significant influence over WordPress commerce
- Open-source alignment: Both companies shared a commitment to GPL-licensed, open-source software
- Competing with Shopify: As Shopify grew rapidly, Automattic needed a strong eCommerce offering to keep WordPress relevant for online sellers
What About Automattic? Who Are They?
Automattic is a privately held technology company founded by Matt Mullenweg in 2005. As of 2026, the company has raised over $985 million in funding and was last valued at approximately $7.5 billion (2021 valuation round led by Salesforce Ventures).
Automattic’s product portfolio includes:
- WordPress.com – Managed WordPress hosting
- WooCommerce – eCommerce plugin and marketplace
- Jetpack – WordPress security, performance, and growth tools
- Tumblr – Social blogging platform (acquired from Verizon in 2019)
- WPScan – WordPress vulnerability database
- Pressable – Managed WordPress hosting for agencies
- WooPayments – Built-in payment processing for WooCommerce
- Day One – Journaling app
The company operates as a fully distributed (remote) company with over 1,900 employees across 90+ countries. There is no central office.
How WooCommerce Has Changed Under Automattic (2015-2026)
Since the acquisition, Automattic has invested heavily in WooCommerce development. Here are the major changes store owners should know about:
Development Resources and Release Cadence
Pre-acquisition, WooCommerce had a small team. Under Automattic, the dedicated WooCommerce team has grown to over 300 contributors. Major releases now follow a predictable quarterly cycle, with WooCommerce 9.x being the current stable version in 2026.
High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS)
One of the biggest technical changes was the introduction of HPOS (High-Performance Order Storage), which moved order data from WordPress post meta tables to dedicated custom tables. This dramatically improved performance for stores processing thousands of orders daily.
Block-Based Checkout and Cart
WooCommerce replaced the legacy shortcode-based checkout with a modern block-based checkout system. This gives store owners visual editing control over their checkout experience without writing code.
WooPayments (Built-In Payment Processing)
Automattic launched WooPayments (formerly WooCommerce Payments) as a built-in payment processor powered by Stripe. It lets store owners accept credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay directly within WooCommerce without needing a separate payment gateway account. To understand how fees work across different gateways, see our breakdown of WooCommerce’s true costs.
WooCommerce.com Marketplace Expansion
The official WooCommerce extension marketplace now features over 800 extensions and themes. Automattic curates quality standards while also developing first-party extensions for subscriptions, bookings, memberships, and product bundles.
WooExpress (Simplified Hosted WooCommerce)
In 2023, Automattic launched WooExpress through WordPress.com, offering a simplified hosted WooCommerce experience. This competes directly with Shopify by providing an all-in-one solution where hosting, SSL, and essential extensions are bundled together. As of 2026, WooExpress continues to evolve with improved onboarding and AI-powered store setup tools.
WooCommerce Market Share in 2026
According to BuiltWith data from early 2026:
| Platform | Market Share (Top 1M Sites) |
|---|---|
| WooCommerce | 36.68% |
| Shopify | 21.26% |
| Wix Stores | 5.12% |
| Squarespace Commerce | 3.89% |
| BigCommerce | 2.14% |
WooCommerce remains the clear market leader among eCommerce platforms. Its advantage comes from the WordPress ecosystem: any WordPress site can add WooCommerce for free, while competitors require separate platforms. For a detailed comparison, see our Shopify vs WooCommerce analysis.
Is WooCommerce Still Open Source?
Yes. Despite being owned by a private company, WooCommerce remains 100% open source under the GPLv3 license. This means:
- Anyone can download, install, and use WooCommerce for free
- Developers can modify the source code for custom needs
- Third-party developers can build and sell extensions
- The community can contribute bug fixes and features via GitHub
- No vendor lock-in: you can move your store to any host
Automattic makes money from WooCommerce through paid extensions, WooPayments transaction fees, WooExpress hosting subscriptions, and the WooCommerce.com marketplace. The core plugin remains free.
WooCommerce Ownership Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2008 | WooThemes founded by Adii Pienaar, Magnus Jepson, Mark Forrester |
| 2011 | WooCommerce plugin launched (September) |
| 2013 | 1 million+ downloads reached |
| 2015 | Automattic acquires WooThemes/WooCommerce for ~$30M |
| 2017 | WooCommerce 3.0 released with major REST API improvements |
| 2019 | WooCommerce powers 28% of all online stores globally |
| 2020 | COVID-19 drives massive eCommerce growth, WooCommerce installations surge |
| 2021 | WooCommerce Payments (now WooPayments) launched globally |
| 2023 | WooExpress launched, HPOS introduced, block checkout becomes default |
| 2024 | WooCommerce 8.x with full HPOS migration, 6M+ active stores |
| 2026 | WooCommerce 9.x, 6.5M+ stores, AI-powered store management tools |
What Does Automattic’s Ownership Mean for Store Owners?
For WooCommerce store owners, Automattic’s ownership has both advantages and considerations:
Advantages
- Long-term stability: Automattic is well-funded and committed to WooCommerce as a core product
- Active development: Regular updates, security patches, and new features
- WordPress integration: Tight alignment with WordPress core development (Gutenberg blocks, Full Site Editing)
- No vendor lock-in: Open-source license means you always own your store data
- Massive ecosystem: Thousands of themes, plugins, and developers support WooCommerce
Considerations
- Extension costs: While the core is free, premium extensions from WooCommerce.com can add up quickly
- WooPayments push: Automattic promotes WooPayments heavily, though you can still use any payment gateway
- WordPress dependency: WooCommerce requires WordPress, so you are tied to that CMS
- Self-hosted complexity: Unlike Shopify, you need your own hosting, backups, and security management
For a deeper look at what running a WooCommerce store actually costs, check our complete WooCommerce pricing guide.
Community Contributions: Who Else Builds WooCommerce?
While Automattic employs the core WooCommerce team, the platform benefits from significant community contributions. The WooCommerce GitHub repository has over 500 external contributors who submit bug fixes, feature improvements, and translations.
Major hosting companies like SiteGround, Bluehost, Cloudways, and Kinsta also invest in WooCommerce compatibility and performance optimization. Third-party extension developers have built a multi-billion dollar ecosystem around WooCommerce, with companies like YITH, WooCommerce.com marketplace vendors, and independent developers creating thousands of add-ons.
This community-driven model is a key reason WooCommerce continues to lead the market. No single company can match the collective innovation of thousands of developers building for the platform. If you are considering whether WooCommerce or a competing platform like BigCommerce is right for you, ownership model and ecosystem size should factor into your decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WooCommerce owned by WordPress?
Not exactly. WooCommerce is owned by Automattic, a private company. WordPress (the open-source software) is not owned by any company. Automattic’s founder Matt Mullenweg co-created WordPress, but WordPress.org is managed by a non-profit foundation. Automattic owns WordPress.com (the hosted version) and WooCommerce separately.
Can Automattic make WooCommerce paid?
The existing WooCommerce code is released under GPLv3, which means anyone can fork it and continue distributing it for free. Automattic could theoretically stop releasing new versions for free, but the community could continue development independently. In practice, keeping WooCommerce free is central to Automattic’s business model.
Who founded WooCommerce?
WooCommerce was created by WooThemes, a company founded by Adii Pienaar, Magnus Jepson, and Mark Forrester in 2008. The WooCommerce plugin was released in September 2011.
How much did Automattic pay for WooCommerce?
Automattic paid approximately $30 million in cash and stock for WooThemes/WooCommerce in May 2015.
Is WooCommerce still free in 2026?
Yes, the core WooCommerce plugin is completely free. You pay for hosting, domain, premium extensions, and optional services like WooPayments processing fees. For a full cost breakdown, see our guide on whether WooCommerce is truly free.
Does Matt Mullenweg own WooCommerce?
Matt Mullenweg is the CEO of Automattic, which owns WooCommerce. As Automattic’s majority shareholder, Mullenweg has significant control over WooCommerce’s direction, though the open-source license means the community always has the freedom to fork and maintain the code independently.
Bottom line: WooCommerce is owned by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, and has been since 2015. Under Automattic’s ownership, WooCommerce has grown from powering 30% of online stores to over 36% market share. The plugin remains free and open source, backed by a well-funded company and a global community of developers. For store owners, this means long-term stability, active development, and freedom from vendor lock-in.
