Shopify or Custom Ecommerce: How to Decide

Shopify or Custom Ecommerce: How to Decide

The wrong choice costs money either way. Here is how to think it through.

The options

Hosted platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce and Wix Commerce. You pay a monthly fee and use their store software, themes and apps.

Open-source platforms such as WooCommerce and Magento. You host and manage them yourself, with more control and more responsibility.

Headless commerce. A platform like Shopify handles products, checkout and orders in the background, while a custom front end, such as one built with Next.js, controls the shopping experience.

Fully custom. A store built from scratch for your needs, using your own database and logic.

Why Shopify works for most stores

For a store selling physical products with normal pricing, shipping and payments, it is hard to beat.

Where Shopify can hold you back

Ongoing fees. Monthly plans, app subscriptions and transaction fees add up as you grow. Check the current plan pricing before you commit.. Customization limits. Checkout and some data structures are restricted. Deep customization can be difficult or costly.. App sprawl. Many stores bolt on a dozen apps, each costing money and slowing the site.. Complex pricing and rules. Customer-specific pricing, complex bundles, quote requests or unusual B2B workflows can be awkward.. Data ownership and lock-in. Your store lives on their platform.. Unique business models. Marketplaces, rentals, configurators and highly custom products often strain a standard platform.

When custom makes sense

A custom build is worth serious consideration when:

If none of these apply, a custom build is probably premature.

The cost comparison

Shopify and similar.

• Setup: $2,500 to $15,000 for a professionally designed and configured store, depending on design and integrations
• Monthly: platform plan plus apps, commonly $50 to $500 or more a month, with higher tiers for larger stores
• Transaction fees: payment processing fees apply on all platforms, and some plans add platform fees
• Maintenance: light, mainly content, apps and small updates

Custom ecommerce.

• Setup: from about $20,000, depending on complexity
• Monthly: hosting, payment fees, monitoring and maintenance, often $300 to $3,000 or more
• Maintenance: about 15 to 25 percent of the build cost per year
• Flexibility: exactly what you need, with no per-app fees

Headless commerce.

• Setup: about $20,000 to $40,000+ for a custom front end on top of a platform
• Monthly: platform fees plus hosting
• Best for: brands that want a very fast, custom experience, with a proven back end

These ranges are general market figures. Quotes depend on your needs.

Break-even thinking

Compare total cost over three to five years, not just the first year.

For many small stores, the hosted platform wins easily. For larger or unusual stores, custom can be cheaper over time, and gives you capabilities that drive revenue.

Speed, SEO and conversion

Hosted platforms perform well by default, though heavy themes and many apps slow them.. Custom and headless builds can be extremely fast and give you full control over structure, metadata and technical SEO (search engine optimization).. Conversion depends on design, trust, shipping, price and checkout, not on the platform alone. A well-run Shopify store often beats a poorly built custom one.

A practical path

Start on a hosted platform if you're new, testing a product or want speed.. Keep it lean. Use few apps and a clean theme.. Track the limits. Note every workaround, every fee and every feature you can't get.. Consider headless if you want a custom front end while keeping a proven back end.. Go fully custom when the business case is clear, and the limits cost you more than a build would.. Plan the migration carefully: products, customers, order history, URLs and SEO.

Decision questions

Do I sell products in a standard way?. Do I need to launch within weeks?. How much developer budget do I have?. Does my pricing or workflow need logic a platform can't handle?. How much am I paying in fees and apps today?. Is my store experience a competitive advantage?. Who will maintain it?

Common mistakes

Building custom too early, because it sounds more serious. Staying on a platform long after it has become a bottleneck. Installing too many apps, which slows the site and raises the cost. Ignoring migration planning, which can hurt search rankings. Comparing only the build price, not the five-year cost. Skipping security and payment compliance on custom builds

How we decide at DECHY

We build stores on Shopify and other platforms, and we build custom commerce when it earns its cost. Our default advice is to start on a platform and customize it. We move to custom only when the platform blocks something that matters to your revenue.

A professionally set up store with us costs $2,500 to $6,000. Moving an existing store to a new platform costs $3,000 to $10,000. A custom store with integrations into your stock, accounting or fulfillment systems costs $6,000 to $15,000. Headless stores and marketplaces cost $20,000 to $40,000+.

Before we recommend a custom build, we check whether apps, platform features or a light integration can solve the problem. That check often saves money and months of work.

Use the cost estimator to compare options, or send us your store. We will tell you where it is holding you back and what each path would cost.

Next step

Deciding between Shopify and a custom build? Tell us about your products, volume and plans. We'll give you a straight recommendation, even if it means staying on Shopify. Talk to DECHY.