WooCommerce Product Type Picker
Answer a few quick questions and get the right WooCommerce product type: simple, variable, grouped, or external, plus how to set it up.
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Your result · updates as you type
Recommended product type
Simple product
One product, one price, one SKU, no options. This covers most physical products, and, with a box or two ticked, most digital ones too.
Products → Add new → leave Product data set to Simple product → fill in the price, SKU, and stock.
Breakdown
- Needs its own SKU/price per option
- No
- Bundles existing products
- No
- Checkout happens off-site
- No
- Nothing to ship
- No
WooCommerce's core product types
WooCommerce ships four core product types, plus two add-ons that layer on top of Simple products (or individual variations): Virtual (nothing to ship) and Downloadable (an attached file).
| Type | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Simple | One product, one price, one SKU, no options. |
| Variable | One product with options (size, color…), each with its own SKU, price, and stock. |
| Grouped | A set of existing simple products, linked so they can be bought together or separately. |
| External / Affiliate | The Buy button sends the shopper to another site to pay, such as an affiliate link. |
Setting the type
- 01
Set it on the product
Products → Add new (or edit an existing one) → Product data dropdown, near the top of the editor.
Pitfalls
- Grouped and External products can't also be Variable, Virtual, or Downloadable. Those add-ons only apply to Simple products and to individual variations.
- A Grouped product isn't a single-SKU bundle: each item in it keeps its own product page and can still be bought alone. A true single-SKU bundle usually needs a plugin.
- On a Variable product, mark Virtual or Downloadable on each variation that needs it, not on the parent.
Questions people ask
What's the real difference between Grouped and Variable?
Variable is one product with options, each a variation of the same item. Grouped links separate products that already exist on their own, so shoppers can buy them together or apart.
Can a Variable product be Virtual?
Not the parent. Mark individual variations as Virtual or Downloadable instead, for the ones that have nothing to ship.
Does WooCommerce have a real “bundle” product type?
Not in core. Grouped products are the closest built-in option, but each item keeps its own page and price. A true single-SKU bundle usually needs a plugin.
When should I use External/Affiliate instead of Simple?
When the Buy button needs to send the shopper elsewhere to actually pay, such as dropshipping through a partner's checkout or an affiliate link.
Related tools
Want this builtinto your store?
I'm Emmanuel, a Shopify and WooCommerce developer. If this tool pointed at something you'd rather have fixed for you (a faster store, cleaner product data, a migration, a custom feature), send me a note.
Emmanuel Asika
Shopify & WooCommerce developer, Dublin
I build and fix online stores: new builds, migrations, speed, SEO and the custom bits apps can't do.
Last reviewed 30 September 2026.