Custom e-commerce, Shopify, or WooCommerce: how to choose

Your best store platform depends on your products, workflow, budget, and maintenance needs. Compare the trade-offs before choosing a stack.

Here’s an honest comparison to help you choose.

Platform Comparison

When to Go Custom

Choose custom development when:
- You need unique checkout flows or pricing logic
- Transaction fees matter (high-volume stores)
- You need deep integrations with existing systems
- Performance is critical for conversion rates
- You want full ownership without platform lock-in

When Shopify Makes Sense

Choose Shopify when:
- You’re starting small and want to launch quickly
- You don’t have a technical team
- You need a simple store with standard features
- Speed to market is more important than customisation

When WooCommerce Works

Choose WooCommerce when:
- You already have a WordPress site
- You want a plugin-based approach with flexibility
- Budget is tight but you need more features than Shopify free tier
- You have access to a WordPress developer

My E-Commerce Development Services

I build custom e-commerce solutions that maximise conversions and minimise costs. From simple product catalogs to full-featured stores with:

• Custom checkout and payment integration (Stripe, PayPal)
• Inventory management systems
• Customer accounts and order tracking
• SEO-optimised product pages
• Mobile-first responsive design

Starting from $899 for a business web app. Every store includes performance optimisation and SEO setup.

👉 Explore my web development packages or discuss your e-commerce project.

Where to start

Pick the part of this guide that addresses your current problem. Make one change, check the result, and decide what to do next. If you need help applying it to a Django website or app, tell me about your project.