"Should we use Shopify, or build something custom?" is one of the first questions we hear. There is no single right answer, but there is usually a clear one once you know what you are selling and how you plan to grow.
The short version
- Mostly selling physical products online? Start with Shopify.
- Selling services, or need unusual features? A custom website is usually the better fit.
- Both? Use both: a fast custom site for content and services, and Shopify for the store.
Where Shopify wins
Shopify is a complete commerce platform. Out of the box, you get:
- Checkout and payments that customers already trust, including popular wallets and instalment options.
- Products, stock and orders managed in one admin that non-technical staff can use.
- A large app ecosystem for reviews, subscriptions, shipping, loyalty and more.
- Hosting, security and uptime handled for you.
What you trade for that convenience is a monthly subscription, app fees that add up, transaction fees on some plans, and less control over the underlying code and performance.
A custom Shopify theme is the middle ground. You keep Shopify's commerce engine, but the storefront is designed and coded for your brand rather than adapted from a template. That is what we built for Noirelle Premium.
Where a custom website wins
A custom-built site, for example with Next.js, makes sense when:
- You sell services, not products. You need persuasive pages, case studies and lead capture, not a cart.
- Speed and SEO are critical. A custom site can be very lean, with nothing loaded that the page does not need.
- You need features platforms do not handle well: quote builders, calculators, client portals, bookings tied to your own systems.
- You want to own the whole thing, without per-app subscriptions.
The trade-off is that you need someone to build and maintain it. Content editing needs a CMS set up thoughtfully, or your team will be stuck waiting for a developer.
Comparing the real costs
| What matters | Shopify (stock theme) | Shopify (custom theme) | Custom website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Lowest | Medium | Medium to high |
| Monthly running cost | Subscription plus apps | Subscription plus apps | Hosting, often low |
| Time to launch | Fastest | Weeks | Weeks |
| Design freedom | Limited | High | Total |
| Selling products | Excellent | Excellent | Needs integration |
| Selling services | Awkward | Possible | Excellent |
We have deliberately left dollar figures out. They swing widely with scope, and any honest quote starts with understanding your business.
Questions to ask before you decide
- What will most visitors do on the site: buy a product, or get in touch?
- How many products do you have, and how often do they change?
- Who will update the site day to day, and how technical are they?
- What other systems must it connect to: accounting, stock, a POS, a CRM?
- How important is organic search to how customers find you?
Our take
For most product brands, Shopify with a custom theme is the sweet spot: proven commerce with a storefront that does not look like everyone else's. For service businesses, a fast custom site wins on SEO and conversion. And when your store and your shop counter need to agree on stock, the answer is usually to connect them, which is where automation and custom systems come in.
Not sure which fits you? Tell us about your business, or read more about our websites and Shopify service.