- Best for
- ShopifyMost stores: standard catalogs and buying flows that fit the platform mold.
- Custom storefrontCatalogs, pricing or buying flows that genuinely don’t fit the platform mold.
- Checkout
- ShopifyA proven checkout you don’t have to build or maintain.
- Custom storefrontCheckout designed around your flow, on Stripe or a headless cart like Snipcart or Medusa.
- Infrastructure
- ShopifyManaged by Shopify — hosting and security are handled for you.
- Custom storefrontA Next.js storefront you own, hosted and maintained by us or your team.
- Design control
- ShopifyTheme customization and Liquid templates go far, within the platform’s structure.
- Custom storefrontFull design and performance control, with nothing on the page you didn’t ask for.
- Adding features
- ShopifyA huge app ecosystem, though each app adds cost and page weight.
- Custom storefrontIntegrations built for exactly what you need, with no app subscription per feature.
- Time to launch
- ShopifyA themed Shopify build lands at the shorter end of 4–10 weeks.
- Custom storefrontLonger, especially with heavy integrations or a migration from another platform.
- Ongoing costs
- ShopifyA predictable monthly platform cost, plus app subscriptions.
- Custom storefrontNo platform subscription, but hosting and maintenance are yours to fund.