WordPress, Shopify, custom build: how to choose without getting it wrong as a retailer.
Honest comparison of the three main solutions for retailers and SMBs: real cost, flexibility, maintenance, and SEO. With a practical verdict.
You run a shop or a small business, you need a website, and you've heard about WordPress, Shopify, and "custom development." Every provider will tell you their solution is the best. None of them are right — the right choice depends on your situation.
What follows is a comparison with no stake in any particular platform.
WordPress: the ageing Swiss army knife
WordPress is the most widely used CMS in the world. It's a mature platform with a large ecosystem and an active community. But being widely used doesn't make it always the right pick.
What WordPress does well
Editorial flexibility. The Gutenberg editor is accessible to non-developers. Publishing posts, updating a menu, editing copy without calling a developer — WordPress handles all of that.
Extensibility. Thousands of plugins exist for online booking, advanced forms, multilingual support, analytics, and more. On a tight budget, a plugin can stand in for expensive custom work.
Community. If something breaks, there's almost certainly a forum thread, a tutorial, or a freelancer who's already fixed it.
What WordPress does less well
Security. WordPress accounts for the majority of CMS compromises — partly because of its market share (Sucuri, 2023). The code itself isn't the problem; the attack surface is enormous, covering millions of sites and thousands of plugins. A site left unmaintained (outdated plugins, no firewall, weak passwords) will eventually be compromised.
Performance. A well-configured WordPress site can be fast. A WordPress site running 20 plugins on a cheap shared host won't be. Most WordPress sites fall into the second category.
Maintenance. WordPress, themes, and plugins all update regularly — necessary for security, but plugin updates can also break things. Without technical skills, you'll rely on someone else to keep the site running.
Who it suits
WordPress works well if:
- You publish content regularly (blog, news, product pages)
- You need e-commerce via WooCommerce
- You have a trusted provider handling ongoing maintenance
- Your budget is limited and your needs are varied
It's probably not right if:
- You want something that runs itself without maintenance
- Performance is critical to your business
- You don't have time to deal with updates
Real cost for an SMB: €1,500 to €4,500 in initial development + €50 to €200/month for serious maintenance (hosting, updates, backups, monitoring).
Shopify: excellent for e-commerce, limited as a brochure site
Shopify is an e-commerce platform. It's built to sell products online, and it does that well. If you just need a simple business website, it's often overkill — and overpriced.
What Shopify does well
Turnkey e-commerce. Stock management, payments (Stripe, PayPal, bank transfer), shipping, taxes, automatic invoices — all included. For getting an online shop live quickly, Shopify is hard to match for completeness.
Stability and security. Shopify handles its own security updates. You don't manage them.
App ecosystem. Over 8,000 apps in the Shopify store to extend what the platform does.
Support. 24/7 support, which is genuinely rare in the web industry.
What Shopify does less well
The real cost. The basic plan starts at €32/month. The apps you'll need (email marketing, customer reviews, product customisation) are often paid on top of that — budget €50 to €150/month in additional apps. Over 5 years, that adds up.
Design flexibility. Shopify is less flexible than a custom build or WordPress. Advanced customisations require editing themes in Liquid code, which isn't something most business owners can do themselves.
Content SEO. Shopify's URL structure is less flexible than WordPress, and some technical SEO settings are hard to control precisely.
Ownership. You don't own your shop — you're renting it. If Shopify changes its terms or shuts down, there's no code to take elsewhere.
Who it suits
Shopify works well if:
- You sell physical products with stock management
- You want to launch quickly without needing technical skills
- You need reliable support
- Your revenue justifies the subscription cost
It's probably not right if:
- You just need a brochure site without e-commerce
- You want to keep recurring costs low long-term
- You have specific customisation requirements
Real cost for a retailer: €32 to €105/month in subscription + €1,000 to €3,000 in theme development + €50 to €150/month in apps. Over 3 years, budget between €4,000 and €10,000.
Custom development: performance and ownership, but not for everyone
Custom development with modern frameworks (Next.js, Astro, Nuxt) means building your site from scratch, in code, with no dependency on a CMS or SaaS platform.
What custom does well
Performance. A well-built Next.js site can reach Lighthouse scores near 100. No unnecessary plugins, no bloated JavaScript, no database query per page load. The difference is visible.
Security. No CMS means no standard attack surface. WordPress and Shopify vulnerabilities simply don't apply.
Ownership. You own the code. You can host it anywhere, modify it, transfer it. No subscription dependency.
Design freedom. The interface can be exactly what you need, with no theme or plugin constraints.
What custom does less well
Editorial autonomy. Without an admin tool (a headless CMS like Sanity or Contentful), you can't update content yourself. Every change goes through a developer.
Initial cost. Custom costs more upfront than a basic WordPress or Shopify setup. For a simple site, the financial benefit only becomes clear over time — when maintenance is minimal and hosting costs almost nothing.
Provider availability. Fewer developers know Next.js or Astro than WordPress. Finding someone to maintain your site can be harder.
Who it suits
Custom works well if:
- You need a fast business site without e-commerce
- Performance and technical SEO matter
- You don't want to be tied to a subscription for life
- You're comfortable going through a developer for structural changes
It's probably not right if:
- You want to manage content yourself day to day
- You need integrated e-commerce
- Your budget is tight (under €400)
Real cost for an SMB: €490 to €2,500 in initial development + €50 to €150/year in hosting. Over 5 years, often the cheapest option if you don't need e-commerce.
Comparison table
| Criterion | WordPress | Shopify | Custom |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-commerce | Via WooCommerce | Native and excellent | Possible, on quote |
| Initial performance | Variable (often 50–70) | Good (70–85) | Excellent (90–100) |
| Security | Requires maintenance | Managed by Shopify | Excellent |
| Editorial autonomy | High | High | Low without CMS |
| Initial cost | €1,500–4,500 | €1,000–3,000 | €490–6,000 |
| Annual cost | €600–2,400 | €400–3,000 | €50–150 |
| Code ownership | Yes | No | Yes |
| Design flexibility | Good | Limited | Total |
| Maintenance | Heavy | Light | Very light |
Questions to ask before choosing
1. Am I selling physical products with stock management? If yes, Shopify or WooCommerce are natural starting points. Custom can handle e-commerce too, but it's not where it stands out.
2. Will I be publishing content regularly? An active blog or frequent content updates means WordPress or a headless CMS paired with a custom build.
3. How much tolerance do I have for technical maintenance? Zero technical involvement means Shopify. Happy to delegate maintenance to a provider means WordPress or custom both work.
4. What's my time horizon? For a fast launch, WordPress or Shopify get you there sooner. For a site meant to run for 5 to 8 years with low ongoing costs, custom usually works out cheaper.
5. Is my priority getting found on Google, or selling directly? For content SEO and organic visibility, WordPress with a real editorial strategy is hard to beat. For converting visitors into buyers from day one, Shopify is built for that.
Verdict for SMBs and retailers
Running a retail business with e-commerce: Shopify is the safe choice. Predictable cost, available support, built for that purpose.
Running a service business (tradesperson, independent professional, consultant) with limited content needs: Custom is often the most cost-effective option over 5 years. Lower maintenance, better performance, minimal recurring costs.
Need a content-heavy site (blog, news, detailed product pages): WordPress with a reliable provider is still a valid choice — as long as you budget seriously for maintenance.
Platform choice matters less than execution. A good developer gets results with any of them; a bad one fails with all of them. The platform is just a tool.