Which webshop fits your SME? Shopify, WooCommerce or custom
Shopify, WooCommerce or a custom store — the best choice depends on your products, growth plans and how much control you want. An honest decision guide.
There’s no ‘best’ webshop platform, only the best for your situation. Shopify is ideal if you want to sell fast and reliably with little maintenance. WooCommerce fits if you want content and store in one WordPress system with full control. Custom pays off once you outgrow the standard platform — special logic, B2B, integrations or maximum speed. Choose based on your catalogue, growth plans, needed integrations and how much you want to manage yourself. Start with your process, not the platform.
Shopify — fast, reliable, low maintenance
Shopify is a hosted platform: you pay a fixed monthly fee and don’t worry about hosting, security or updates. Ideal if you want to start fast and sell reliably without technical hassle.
- For whom: starters and growers who mainly want to sell, not tinker.
- Note: monthly and transaction fees, and less freedom outside the platform. See what a Shopify store costs.
WooCommerce — content and store in one, full control
WooCommerce runs on WordPress: you have your content and store in one system, with full control and no fixed platform fees. You do pay for hosting, plugins and maintenance.
- For whom: businesses combining lots of content with selling and wanting to self-manage.
- Note: you’re responsible for maintenance and security (plugin updates).
Custom — when you outgrow the standard platform
Outgrow the standard and a custom store pays off: special order logic, B2B pricing, configurators, deep integrations or maximum speed (e.g. headless commerce). More investment up front, but no limits.
Frequently asked questions
Is Shopify or WooCommerce cheaper?
Shopify has fixed monthly costs but less maintenance; WooCommerce is ‘free’ but you pay for hosting, plugins and management. Over several years they often differ less than expected — the real difference is time and control.
When do I need custom?
As soon as the standard platform gets in your way: special pricing or order logic, B2B, many integrations or strict speed demands. While a platform keeps up, custom is rarely needed.
Can I switch platforms later?
Yes, via a migration. Products, customers and orders can be moved; the key concern is SEO redirects so your rankings and traffic are preserved.
What should I base my choice on?
On your product catalogue, growth plans, needed integrations and how much you want to manage yourself — not on what’s most popular. Start with your process and pick the platform that fits.
Ready to start?
Read our approach to having a webshop built, or request a quote. You’ll hear back within one working day, with a fixed price or a few focused questions.
