How to Hide Prices in WooCommerce: A Beginner’s Guide
Want to hide prices on your WooCommerce store? Maybe you’re offering custom quotes, running a membership site, or showcasing products that require prior contact. Whatever your reason, hiding prices in WooCommerce is achievable, even if you’re new to coding or WordPress. This guide will walk you through several methods, from the simplest plugin solutions to custom code approaches.
Why Hide Prices? Real-World Examples
Before we dive into the how-to, let’s look at why you might want to hide prices:
- Custom Quotes/Proposals: For businesses offering bespoke services or products, like architectural design or handmade furniture, displaying a price list might be misleading. Hiding prices allows you to provide personalized quotes based on individual client needs. Think of a tailor – they don’t have a fixed price for a suit, it depends on the fabric and design.
- Membership Sites: If you’re selling access to exclusive content or courses, you might want to hide pricing until a user signs up or logs in. This creates a sense of exclusivity and encourages engagement. Imagine a gym membership website – you wouldn’t list prices for individual classes until someone’s a member.
- Products Requiring Contact: For high-value items or services requiring a consultation, displaying prices upfront might deter potential clients. A luxury car dealership, for example, will likely guide you through their inventory before discussing pricing.
Method 1: Using a WooCommerce Plugin (Easiest Method)
The simplest way to hide prices is by using a dedicated plugin. Many free and premium plugins are designed for this purpose. Here’s what you’ll generally need to do:
1. Install and Activate: Find a plugin like “WooCommerce Price Hide” (search the WordPress plugin repository). Install and activate it through your WordPress dashboard.
2. Configure Settings: Most plugins will have intuitive settings to control which products have their prices hidden. You might be able to hide prices site-wide, for specific product categories, or even individual products.
3. Save Changes: Once you’ve configured the settings, save your changes and test your website to ensure the prices are hidden correctly.
Pros: Easy to use, no coding required.
Cons: May require a premium plugin for advanced features, potential for plugin conflicts.
Method 2: Using Custom Code (Advanced Method)
If you’re comfortable with code, you can customize WooCommerce’s functionality to hide prices. This offers more flexibility but requires a higher level of technical skill. Always back up your website before making code changes.
This example uses a snippet of PHP code to hide prices for specific product categories:
add_filter( 'woocommerce_get_price_html', 'custom_hide_price', 10, 2 );
function custom_hide_price( $price, $product ) {
if ( has_term( array( 'custom-category' ), 'product_cat', $product->get_id() ) ) {
return 'Contact us for pricing';
}
return $price;
}
Explanation:
- This code adds a filter to the `woocommerce_get_price_html` hook.
- It checks if the product belongs to the category “custom-category”. Replace `’custom-category’` with your actual category slug.
- If the product belongs to that category, it replaces the price with “Contact us for pricing”.
- Otherwise, it returns the original price.
Where to add the code: You can usually add this code via a child theme’s `functions.php` file or a custom plugin. Never edit your core WooCommerce files directly.
Pros: Highly customizable, allows for complex logic.
Cons: Requires coding knowledge, risk of breaking your site if incorrectly implemented.
Choosing the Right Method
For beginners, using a WooCommerce plugin is highly recommended. It’s the simplest and safest option. If you need more control or have specific requirements that plugins can’t handle, then learning to implement custom code is a viable alternative, but proceed with caution. Always test your changes thoroughly after implementing any method. Remember to replace placeholder values with your actual category slugs or product IDs.
