E-commerce Comparison

Custom E-commerce vs Shopify — Which Is Right?

Shopify is great for a simple store. But when you need more, the costs and limitations add up.

Updated 24 September 2026

The short answer

Shopify is the smarter choice for a standard online store: fast to launch, reliable and cheap to start. A custom e-commerce platform makes sense when you need native B2B features, a checkout Shopify cannot support, deep ERP or warehouse integration, or when platform fees and paid apps add up. Custom platforms typically cost 20,000–80,000 EUR and take 3–5 months to build.

Custom E-commerce vs Shopify (2026): Costs

Custom Solution

Pros

• No transaction fees — you only pay the payment processor
• Checkout, UX, and flows fully customizable
• Native B2B features (per-customer pricing, bulk orders, invoicing)
• Total control over performance and SEO

Cons

• Higher upfront investment (20,000-80,000 EUR)
• Requires a team or partner for maintenance and updates

Shopify

Pros

• Fast launch — functional store in days
• Vast ecosystem of apps and themes
• Hosting, security, and updates managed automatically

Cons

• Transaction fees that grow with volume (outside Shopify Payments)
• Checkout limited on standard plans — Shopify Plus is 2,000+ EUR/month
• Weak B2B — requires expensive third-party apps

When does custom e-commerce make sense?

• 01 You need B2B features (per-customer pricing, payment terms, approvals)
• 02 Sales volume makes Shopify fees significant (>5,000 EUR/month)
• 03 Standard checkout doesn't cover your flow (configurators, complex subscriptions)
• 04 SEO is critical for your business and you need total control
• 05 You have specific integrations (ERP, WMS, CRM) that need custom APIs

What drives the cost of a custom e-commerce platform

• Checkout and payment flows
• B2B features: customer-specific pricing, bulk orders, invoicing
• Integrations with ERP, WMS, CRM, payment and shipping providers
• Catalogue size, variants and search requirements
• Multi-language, multi-currency and multi-store setups

What drives the cost of Shopify

• Monthly plan, from basic tiers to Shopify Plus
• Transaction fees when not using Shopify Payments
• Paid apps for features the core platform lacks
• Theme customisation and developer time within platform limits

Other options worth considering

Shopify Plus

Enterprise Shopify with more checkout control and B2B tools, at a much higher monthly cost.

WooCommerce

WordPress-based and flexible; needs good hosting and maintenance at scale.

Adobe Commerce (Magento)

Powerful for complex catalogues and B2B; expensive to implement and maintain.

Headless commerce

Keep a commerce engine for products and orders and build a custom front end for speed and UX.

Questions to answer before you decide

1. 01 What do you pay per month today in plan fees, transaction fees and apps?
2. 02 Do you sell B2B with customer-specific prices or payment terms?
3. 03 Which systems must orders flow into automatically?
4. 04 Is your checkout flow standard, or does it need custom steps?
5. 05 How important is full control over SEO and page speed?

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a custom e-commerce platform cost?

Between 20,000 and 80,000 EUR for a complete store with admin, checkout, payment integration, and CMS. ROI comes from eliminating transaction fees and B2B features that drive higher revenue.

How long does development take?

A complete e-commerce store takes 3-5 months. A functional MVP can be ready in 6-8 weeks.

What about security?

We implement PCI DSS through certified payment processors (Stripe, Netopia). We don't store card data. Server security is managed through AWS with ISO 27001 certification.

Can I migrate from Shopify?

Yes — products, customers, orders, and content can be migrated. The process typically takes 2-4 weeks, in parallel with development.

Has your store outgrown Shopify?

Let's see if custom e-commerce makes sense for you.

Schedule a discussionContact