Shopify vs Own Website

Overview

Shopify vs own website is a common decision for entrepreneurs starting or expanding an online store. This comparison looks at hosted platforms (Shopify) versus owning and operating a self-hosted site (most commonly WordPress + WooCommerce or a custom-built storefront). Key decision criteria include time to market, technical control, ongoing costs, payment processing, scalability, design flexibility, and the need for third-party integrations.

Shopify positions itself as an all-in-one, managed platform that minimizes setup friction and technical maintenance, while an own website (self-hosted) approach emphasizes full control, customization, and potentially lower long-term costs if you can manage or hire development resources. Quick summary: Shopify is often best for entrepreneurs who want speed, reliability, predictable pricing, and fewer technical headaches. An own website is best for businesses that need bespoke functionality, full design control, or want to avoid platform lock-in and pay-as-you-scale fees.

This article presents side-by-side comparisons, concrete pricing breakdowns, a decision checklist, and FAQs to help you choose the right path for your ecommerce business.

Shopify vs Own Website

This section highlights target scenarios and a short table to anchor the comparison before diving into detailed option profiles.

• Typical Shopify strengths: fast launch, built-in payments, hosting, security, app marketplace, 24/7 support.
• Typical Own website strengths: custom workflows, ownership of data, lower marginal costs at scale, ability to use alternative stacks or headless architectures.
• Quick use cases: Shopify for DTC brands, pop-up shops, sellers who want simple POS integration; Own website for complex catalogs, marketplaces, or businesses that require heavy custom integrations.

Shopify

Overview and Positioning

Shopify is a hosted ecommerce platform that combines store building, hosting, payments (Shopify Payments), order management, shipping tools, and an app marketplace into a single subscription product. It is positioned for merchants who prioritize simplicity, reliability, and fast time to market. Shopify removes much of the infrastructure and maintenance burden by managing hosting, SSL, backups, and platform updates.

Key Features and Strengths

• Managed hosting with global CDN, built-in SSL, and uptime SLAs.
• Easy store setup via themes (free and paid) and a visual editor.
• Shopify Payments (native) simplifies payment acceptance and reconciliations.
• App store with thousands of apps for marketing, subscriptions, accounting, shipping, and more.
• Built-in POS for in-person selling, multichannel selling (Instagram, Facebook, Amazon integration).
• 24/7 support and a large ecosystem of developers and agencies.
• Regular platform updates and new commerce features (discounts, flows, analytics).

Limitations and Tradeoffs

• Less technical flexibility than a self-hosted site - custom back-end logic or unusual flows may be constrained.
• App dependency: advanced features often require paid apps which add recurring costs.
• Transaction fees if you use an external payment gateway (Shopify charges additional fees unless you use Shopify Payments).
• Data portability is possible but migrations off Shopify can be complex for large catalogs, custom apps, or complex theme customizations.
• Costs can scale up as you add apps, channels, and higher plan levels.

Pricing and Value

Standard Shopify pricing (subject to change; verify current rates for your country):

• Shopify Starter: $5/month (simple buy buttons, limited storefront capabilities)
• Basic Shopify: $29/month (online store, basic reports)
• Shopify: $79/month (standard features, better reporting)
• Advanced Shopify: $299/month (advanced reporting, third-party shipping rates)
• Shopify Plus: custom pricing (for enterprise merchants, typically starting around $2,000+/month)

Payment processing with Shopify Payments (US example rates; vary by country):

• Basic: ~2.9% + $0.30 per online transaction
• Shopify: ~2.6% + $0.30
• Advanced: ~2.4% + $0.30

If you use an external payment provider, Shopify charges an added transaction fee (for example 2.0% on Basic) in addition to your processor fees unless you are on Shopify Payments.

Real-world value: For many merchants the predictable subscription plus integrated services justify the cost for faster launch and lower operational overhead. Expect to add $10-$100+/month for apps and themes in many cases.

Best For

• New DTC brands and small retailers who want to launch quickly.
• Merchants who prefer a single vendor to handle hosting, security, and payments.
• Stores that need strong multichannel selling and easy POS integration.
• Teams without in-house developers who want vendor support and a large app ecosystem.

Own Website

Overview and Positioning

An “own website” typically refers to a self-hosted ecommerce solution such as WordPress with WooCommerce, Magento (now Adobe Commerce), or a fully custom stack. This approach gives you complete control over hosting, data, code, and integrations. Ownership implies responsibility: you handle hosting, backups, security, and updates, or you hire vendors to do so.

Key Features and Strengths

• Full control over design, customer experience, and backend logic. You can implement custom checkout flows, pricing rules, or integrations that hosted platforms may not support.
• Greater data ownership and flexibility for analytics and migrations.
• Potential to optimize long-term costs - if you scale, per-transaction platform fees are avoided.
• Rich plugin ecosystems (e.g., WooCommerce extensions) and the ability to build or buy custom modules.
• Choice of hosting: shared, VPS, managed WordPress, or cloud-native hosting for performance and scaling.

Limitations and Tradeoffs

• Higher initial complexity and steeper technical requirements. You need to manage hosting, security, performance, and updates or pay a managed provider.
• Time to market is usually longer than Shopify for comparable storefronts.
• Quality varies: plugins and themes can conflict, and maintenance burden increases with complexity.
• Ongoing costs for plugins, hosting, SSL, and developer support can be unpredictable.
• Scaling, backups, and PCI compliance require deliberate planning.

Pricing and Value

Example cost breakdowns (estimates, actuals vary by provider and country):

Low-cost starter (DIY, WordPress + WooCommerce):

• Hosting (shared): $5 - $15/month
• Domain: $10 - $20/year
• SSL: often included ($0)
• WooCommerce plugin: free core
• Theme: $0 - $60 one-time
• Payment processor fees: ~2.9% + $0.30 (Stripe/PayPal) - same as Shopify Payments in many cases

Estimated monthly cost: about $10 - $20/month (plus transaction fees), with a small initial setup cost.

Professional store (managed hosting, paid plugins, support):

• Managed VPS/WordPress hosting: $30 - $150/month
• Security and CDN: $10 - $50/month
• Premium plugins/extensions: $20 - $100+/month or one-time fees
• Developer/agency support: $500 - $5,000+ one-time setup depending on scope

Estimated monthly cost: $100 - $400/month plus development amortization and transaction fees.

Enterprise/custom:

• Cloud hosting (AWS/GCP/Azure): $200+/month depending on traffic
• Ongoing dev/devops retained costs: $1,000+/month
• Advanced integrations and compliance: variable

Total cost: $1,000s/month for complex, large-scale operations.

Real-world value: With a solid technical team, an own website can reduce per-transaction overhead at scale and enable features that hosted platforms cannot provide. For small sellers, initial management complexity can be a hidden cost.

Best For

• Companies that need custom functionality, complex product models, or unique checkout processes.
• Merchants who want full ownership of data and lower long-term platform fees at scale.
• Businesses with in-house development or a budget to hire experienced developers/agencies.
• Those building marketplaces, subscription services with custom billing, or heavy integrations with ERP/CRM systems.

How to Choose

Decision checklist (4-5 points)

1. Time to market: If you need to launch in days or weeks with minimal technical setup, choose Shopify. If you can afford 1-3 months of development, an own website is feasible.

2. Technical resources: If you have developers or can pay an agency, an own website unlocks customization. If not, Shopify reduces technical overhead.

3. Desired control and complexity: Choose an own website for custom checkout logic, bespoke integrations, or complex product catalogs. Choose Shopify for standard product sales, subscriptions via apps, and multichannel selling.

4. Cost model considerations: If predictable monthly costs and all-in-one services are valuable, Shopify fits. If you expect large order volumes where transaction fees become significant, an own website could be more economical long term.

5. Growth and migration tolerance: If you want vendor-managed scalability and support, Shopify is attractive. If vendor lock-in is a concern and data portability is critical, an own website is preferable.

Short decision tree (high-level)

• Need to launch fast and minimize ops? - Shopify
• Need custom workflows, full data control, or lower marginal cost at scale? - Own website
• Have limited budget and no dev skills? - Shopify Starter/Basic
• Have dev resources and complex needs? - Own website (WooCommerce, Magento, or custom)

Quick Comparison

Feature | Shopify | Own website (self-hosted) — | —: | —: Pricing (typical entry) | $29/month (Basic) + payment rates | $10 - $20/month hosting + setup costs Pricing (typical professional) | $79 - $299/month + apps | $100 - $400+/month (hosting, plugins, dev) Payment processing | Shopify Payments (2.9%+30c typical) or external (extra fees) | Any gateway (Stripe, PayPal); no platform surcharge Hosting & security | Managed, included | You manage or pay managed hosting Customization | Theme + Liquid templating; apps extend features | Full code control; custom plugins and integrations Time to launch | Days to weeks | Weeks to months Scalability | Managed scaling, Shopify Plus for enterprise | Scales with cloud/architecture and engineering costs Best for | Fast DTC, small-to-medium stores, multichannel | Complex catalogs, marketplaces, enterprise custom needs

Pricing Breakdown Examples

Example 1: Small shop on Shopify (approximate)

• Basic Shopify: $29/month
• Transaction fees via Shopify Payments: 2.9% + $0.30 per sale
• Theme: free or $0 - $180 one-time
• Apps: $20 - $80/month (email, subscriptions, analytics)

Monthly estimate first year: $49 - $200/month plus transaction costs.

Example 2: Small self-hosted shop (WordPress + WooCommerce)

• Hosting (managed shared): $12/month
• Domain: $1/month equivalent ($12/year)
• WooCommerce core: free
• Theme: $60 one-time (amortized)
• Plugins (payments, SEO, shipping): $10 - $50/month

Monthly estimate first year: $25 - $50/month plus transaction costs and a setup hour cost if DIY.

Example 3: Growing merchant (Shopify)

• Shopify (middle plan): $79/month
• Apps: $50 - $200/month
• Transaction costs: 2.6% + $0.30 per sale

Monthly estimate: $200 - $400/month plus transaction fees.

Example 4: Growing merchant (Own website)

• Managed VPS hosting: $60/month
• CDN and security: $30/month
• Paid plugins and integrations: $50 - $200/month
• Developer retainers or ad hoc: $500+/month (amortized)

Monthly estimate: $640+/month plus transaction fees.

Note: All pricing is illustrative. Payment processing rates depend on your country, processor, and merchant profile. Always confirm current Shopify plan prices and payment rates, and get hosting quotes for your expected traffic.

Decision Checklist

• Launch speed: Need to sell immediately? Choose Shopify.
• Control vs convenience: Prefer control and custom features? Choose own website.
• Budget predictability: Prefer predictable platform fees? Choose Shopify.
• Long-term scale: Expect high transaction volume and want lower marginal fees? Consider own website.
• Technical operations: Comfortable with maintenance and security? Own website is viable; otherwise Shopify reduces risk.

FAQ

Can I Start on Shopify and Move to My Own Website Later?

Yes. Many merchants start on Shopify for speed and migrate later as needs become more complex. Plan ahead for data exports (products, customers, orders) and be prepared for development work to recreate custom features and theme behavior on your new platform.

Will I Pay More in Transaction Fees on Shopify than with a Self-Hosted Site?

Possibly. Shopify charges additional transaction fees if you use an external payment gateway instead of Shopify Payments. Even with Shopify Payments, card processing rates are comparable to Stripe/PayPal.

At high volumes, the absence of platform surcharges on a self-hosted site can make it cheaper per-transaction.

Is Security and PCI Compliance Easier on Shopify?

Yes. Shopify handles PCI compliance, SSL, security patches, and server hardening as part of the platform, reducing merchant liability for infrastructure security. On a self-hosted site you must ensure PCI compliance and keep software, plugins, and servers secure, or pay a managed provider.

Do Shopify Stores Limit SEO or Custom Analytics?

Shopify supports solid SEO fundamentals (meta tags, sitemaps, canonical tags), but some advanced SEO or analytics setups may require apps or custom development. A self-hosted site allows full control of server-side optimizations, custom analytics collection, and advanced technical SEO tactics.

How Do Apps and Plugins Compare Between the Two Approaches?

Both ecosystems are large. Shopify apps are easy to install and integrated, but they often have recurring fees and run outside your codebase. Self-hosted plugins (WooCommerce extensions, Magento modules) provide deep customization but can conflict and require maintenance.

Choose based on desired depth of control and maintenance capacity.

Which Option is Better for International Sales and Multi-Currency?

Shopify supports multi-currency and international selling via Shopify Payments and localization apps, and Shopify Plus offers advanced internationalization features. A self-hosted site can offer similar or superior international control (custom tax rules, currency routing) if you implement them, but requires more development effort.

Further Reading

• Shopify vs Woocommerce Reddit Comparison
• Shopify vs Magento vs Woocommerce Comparison
• Shopify vs Bluehost Ecommerce Comparison
• Launch Shopify Store Guide for Entrepreneurs