Compare · Ecommerce
Shopify vs Custom Ecommerce.
Shopify handles standard products beautifully. Custom ecommerce wins when your business model breaks Shopify's assumptions. Here is the honest comparison.
(01) — Strengths
What each does best.
Shopify
- Fast time-to-market — days, not months
- PCI + tax + shipping handled
- Massive app marketplace
- Predictable monthly cost
Custom Ecommerce
- Total control over checkout, catalog, business logic
- Custom business models (subscription with config, wholesale, marketplaces)
- No transaction fees to platform
- Own your infrastructure
(02) — Head-to-head
Direct comparison.
| Criterion | Shopify | Custom Ecommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Time to launch | 2-6 weeks | 3-6 months |
| Upfront cost | $3-15K | $25-100K+ |
| Monthly platform cost | $79-399+ + transaction fees | ~$200-1500 hosting only |
| Customisation ceiling | Medium (theme + Liquid) | Unlimited |
| Long-term ownership | Locked in | You own everything |
| Team engineering need | Minimal | Significant |
(03) — Decision
When to pick each.
Pick Shopify when
Standard physical or digital products, sub-$3M annual revenue, limited engineering team, need to launch fast.
Pick Custom Ecommerce when
Non-standard business models, over $5M revenue where transaction fees add up, unique brand experience, or you have in-house engineering.
(04) — FAQ
Common questions.
For most stores under $3M annual revenue — Shopify wins. Faster launch (2-6 weeks vs 3-6 months), lower upfront cost ($3-15K vs $25-100K+), PCI + tax + shipping handled for you, huge app marketplace, and predictable monthly cost. For non-standard business models, revenue above $5M where transaction fees start compounding, unique brand experiences, or teams with in-house engineering capacity — custom ecommerce wins. You own the code, the checkout, the business logic, and pay no platform transaction fees. Our default: Shopify below $3M ARR. Headless Shopify ($15-40K) between $3-10M. Fully custom above that or when your business model genuinely breaks Shopify's assumptions.
Best of both — Shopify backend + custom frontend. Costs $15-40K to build. Worth it once you outgrow theme customisation.
WordPress-based ecommerce is possible but carries WordPress security overhead. Not our first choice.
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