Updated 31 August 2026 · Turing Websites
Shopify or custom ecommerce?
A practical Shopify versus custom ecommerce comparison for UK product brands: scope, costs, ownership, integrations and the questions to test before choosing.
Choose Shopify when an established hosted platform, theme system and store admin meet the job. Put a custom build in the comparison when the brief calls for a specific product journey or integration model. The selected theme, apps, catalogue, scope and ownership terms determine the useful comparison.
When Shopify fits the brief
- You want a hosted commerce platform. Hosting and the core store administration sit within one service.
- Your team will manage the catalogue. Products, prices and pages can be handled through the store admin.
- A theme supports the required journey. Test the selected theme with representative products, variants, content and devices.
- Compatible apps cover the agreed features. Check subscription prices, data access and the effect of each app on the live store before approving it.
Use Shopify's current pricing and terms when you cost this route. Plan, theme, app and payment charges change, so date each live figure in the worksheet.
When a custom build belongs in the comparison
- The product journey needs a specific interaction or layout. Put that requirement into an acceptance sheet so suppliers quote and test the same thing.
- The store needs defined data handoffs. Write down what must pass to the CRM, analytics and fulfilment systems, and who owns each account.
- You need explicit handover terms. Confirm ownership of the code, payment account, customer data and documentation.
- You want the implementation tested to a stated performance budget. Measure the proposed build with representative products and third-party services included.
Performance evidence comes from testing the implementation, content and third-party services against the agreed budget.
Side by side
| Decision | Shopify | Custom build |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing basis | Current plan, theme, apps, payment terms and setup | Written build scope, hosting, third-party services and support |
| Store editing | Shopify admin | Admin or CMS included in the agreed scope |
| Product journey | Selected theme and compatible apps | Agreed components and checkout handoff |
| Performance | Test the chosen theme, apps and catalogue | Test the agreed build, services and catalogue |
| Integrations | Native connector, app or scoped custom work | Scoped custom work or service connector |
| Ownership | Confirm account, data, theme and export terms | Confirm code, account, data and handover terms |
Compare costs without using market averages
Ask both suppliers for the same three-year worksheet:
- initial setup, design, build and migration
- platform, theme and app subscriptions
- payment charges based on your own order data
- hosting, support and maintenance
- integration and change-request allowances
- content, photography and product-data work
Date every third-party price and link it to the supplier's current pricing page. This makes the comparison auditable when a plan or app changes.
Our ecommerce builds start at £5,000, fixed and itemised. The scope can include a Stripe checkout under your account, CRM integration and analytics. The full list of price inputs is in how much a DTC website costs.
A useful decision test
Write the store's five most important customer tasks, then complete them on the proposed setup with representative products. Record:
- whether the theme or build supports each task
- which app or custom component is required
- what data is collected and where it goes
- how the task will be measured after launch
- who can change it later, and at what quoted cost
Choose from that evidence rather than a platform preference. Our ecommerce web design page sets out how we scope those tasks for product brands.
FAQ
Is Shopify cheaper than a custom build?
It depends on the written scope and comparison period. Use Shopify's live plan, theme, app and payment prices alongside the setup quote. Compare that total with a custom build quote that includes the same catalogue, content, integrations, support and migration work.
Do we lose Shopify's checkout if we go custom?
A custom store needs an agreed payment flow. Our ecommerce scope can use Stripe under your own account. Ask the supplier to document the checkout handoff, payment-provider responsibilities, test cases and account ownership.
Can we move from Shopify to a custom store later?
Yes, subject to a migration plan. Check export formats for products, variants, customers and orders, then identify app-specific data and redirects that need separate work.
When should we keep the Shopify setup?
Keep it when the current theme and apps support the required customer tasks, the costs are understood, the team can operate it and measured performance meets the agreed target.
Use the two-minute scorecard to compare the route against your brief and leave with a tailored plan that is yours to keep.
ecommerce · comparison