When it comes to setting up an online store, there are two notable routes you can go: building on Shopify or creating your customized website from scratch. Of course, you can consider other Shopify alternatives like WooCommerce or BigCommerce, but in this article we will focus on Shopify as an ecommerce representative. 

Which brings us to: Shopify or a custom website, which is a smarter choice. Before making a decision, you need to consider a number of factors. 

In this article, we will explore all these factors, and the pros and cons of these two options. But before, then, let’s consider…

An Overview of Shopify

What is Shopify? Is it a marketplace, a platform, or a shop? What if Shopify is none of those? 

Shopify is an eCommerce solution that enables you to set up an online website with minimal technical know-how and run it efficiently.  

But wouldn’t that pass as an eCommerce platform? Not quite! If it were a platform, you would have to apply to get in and you would have to abide by all the rules and regulations of the platform. Plus, you can get kicked out at any time without prior warning. 

But with Shopify, you run the show. You don’t have to apply, there are no rules to abide by except Shopify’s TOS — who doesn’t have a TOS these days? Even though Shopify powers your website, no one will ever know. This is because your website is on-brand, right out of the box. 

Shopify provides you with all the tools to run your store efficiently right out of the gate once you launch your store. Cool, huh?

So why would anyone want to consider building a store from scratch if there is Shopify? Well, for starters, Shopify isn’t free, and it’s not surprising. Depending on the size of your business, running a store on Shopify will set you back by anywhere between $24 and $299 per month. You could also spend north of $2,000 monthly if your business is an enterprise. 

An Overview of Customized Website

Running a store on Shopify means you will fork out almost $300 minimum a year on subscription fees alone, sales or no sales. This excludes the costs of getting key apps to streamline your processes. 

While this might not look like much, not every entrepreneur can afford it. If that’s not the case for you, consider building an online store yourself. 

There are a couple of options you can consider for this. If you have the skills and the time, coding a website from the ground up can work. Alternatively, you can build a website on WordPress and extend its eCommerce capabilities by installing plugins like WooCommerce, Ecwid, Memberpress, etc. You can use these plugins for free and upgrade to the paid version as your business grows. Wix and Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento) are also good options to consider. 

Another reason why building a customized website is an attractive option for a lot of people is that it offers unlimited flexibility. This allows you to build custom-made solutions for your e-commerce business that best fit your needs. 

Pros and Cons of Shopify

Now you have a good idea of what Shopify is all about, let’s now talk about the pros and cons of using it to set up and run your online store. 

Pros

• Ease of Use: Ease of use is probably the top reason why many people prefer to run their online store on Shopify rather than building one. When you create a website via Shopify, hosting and SSL are handled automatically for you. Plus, you can easily purchase a domain name with a few taps of the button. Best of all, all the basic tools you need to run your store are provided right out of the box. 
• Access to thousands of apps: Although a robust eCommerce solution, Shopify has its set of limitations. Thankfully, these limitations are compensated by the thousands of apps available on the Shopify app store. With these apps, you can add enhanced capabilities to your website without spending a fortune. 
• Several payment gateways: Shopify makes it easy to collect payments from customers no matter where they might be in the world, thanks to the numerous payment gateways it offers.
• Shopify POS: You can use Shopify online and offline if you have a brick-and-mortar business. This is because Shopify has a POS feature that enables you to collect payments from customers, no matter how and where they interact with your store. 
• Security and support: Shopify takes away that fear of an unscrupulous hacker breaking into your site and stealing your money, thanks to its advanced security features. In addition, using Shopify gives you instant access to 24/7 support.

Cons

• Kind of pricey: If you are on a shoestring budget, Shopify might not be the best option for you. 
• Limited flexibility: Shopify was built using the programming language known as Liquid, which has a steep learning curve. Unless you have a mastery of it, you might have a hard time customising your store just the way you want. 
• Lack of email hosting: Unfortunately, you can’t set up custom emails using Shopify, as it doesn’t provide email hosting services. 

Pros and Cons of Customized Website

Setting up your website also has its fair share of pros and cons, and they are as follows: 

Pros

• Potentially cost-saving: Going the DIY (do-it-yourself) route can save you hundreds of dollars when setting up and running your online store. Chances are you will only get to pay for web hosting, which you can get for as low as $1/month.
• Unmatched flexibility: One of the major upsides to building your store off Shopify is that you get to design and program it however you want. 
• Instant access to email hosting: Most hosting providers offer free email hosting as a free add-on. This means you get to enjoy a branded email box right off the gate. 
• Better SEO: If you choose to build your website on WordPress, you are in luck because it is highly optimized for SEO. 

Cons

• Requires technical know-how: Building a website on your own requires possessing some form of technical expertise. 
• Can cost more: If you don’t have the skill to build a custom website, you will have to resort to hiring a skilled developer. And you know, hiring one isn’t cheap. Plus, you will need to pay them to maintain your website to avoid outages. 
• Lack of support: Since you are running a one-man show, don’t expect help to come at the snap of a finger when you need it. Should something break on your website, you’d have to search the web for solutions, which can be time-consuming.
• Security issues: You have to take proactive steps to guard your store against nefarious hackers, and this will cost you time and money. 

Shopify vs Customized Site: A Side-By-Side Comparison

Even though we’ve reviewed their pros and cons, comparing these two options side by side using yardsticks like SEO, content management, cost, etc. will help you see which is much better for your business. 

Cost

How much would you spend on average if you DIYed your website or built it using Shopify? Let’s break it down by considering the minimums – that is, the least amount you would spend:

Shopify Cost

• Monthly subscription: What you pay in subscription fees will depend on whether you pay monthly or yearly – the latter being the cheapest at $24/month.
• Apps: It’s hard to peg a price to app fees since this will largely depend on your needs. But we can safely say budget $20/month on apps
• Shopify themes: There are lots of free Shopify themes you can use to design your online storefront. However, free and good hardly go together. You will get better value from premium themes, which cost an average of $300 (one-off fee). 

Total cost a year: 300 + 240 + 288 = $828

Customized Site Cost

• Setup cost: Setup cost depends on how you choose to build your customized website. If you choose to build with WordPress together with WooCommerce – which happens to be the cheapest and most convenient – your yearly expenditure will come out at: 

Domain registration: $15/year

Hosting: $4/month 

Total: $15 + $48 = $63

• Plugins (same as apps): Like Shopify, it’s hard to accurately calculate how much you’d spend on plugins to keep your store running smoothly. Though a wild guess, expect to spend about $30/month. 
• Themes: There are lots of free eCommerce-focused themes you can start with when you launch your for the first time. However, if you prefer quality, premium themes, expect to spend $70/year on average. 

Total: $63 + $360 + 70 = $493

Verdict: Clearly, a customized website built using WordPress is a cheaper option. If you use Wix, you might spend even less. However, if you decide to hire a developer to build one for you, expect to spend way more. 

Ease of Setup

This one requires no debate; Shopify is the easiest to set up to use. Plus, it’s more time-saving than building a site yourself. 

Themes

When it comes to the number of themes, Shopify can’t hold a candle to WordPress. Put simply, WordPress has a large collection of themes. However, platforms like Wix or Adobe Commerce don’t have that much. 

Support

This is a no-brainer: Shopify is your best bet if round-the-clock support matters most to you. 

Conclusion

So between creating your eCommerce website using Shopify or custom-building using WordPress, coding, Wix, etc., which is the best option? The truth is, you alone can answer that. 

We’ve done our best to provide pointers, such as cost, ease of use, support, etc., to help you make the right choice. 

We hope the points we discussed nudges you one step towards making the right “website” choice.