Building a webshop: Shopify, WooCommerce or custom?

You need a webshop and are evaluating Shopify, WooCommerce or a custom build. The choice narrows to cost, time-to-market, flexibility and long-term growth. Each option serves different priorities.

This article compares those priorities with practical examples, cost ranges and a decision checklist. No fluff — just what you should expect and the trade-offs.

Quick take: when to pick what

• Shopify: fastest to launch, low operational overhead, limited deep customization. Good if you want to start selling quickly.
• WooCommerce (WordPress): flexible and cost-effective initially, reliant on hosting and plugins. Good if content and SEO are core.
• Custom: expensive and longer to build, but fully adaptable. Choose for complex flows, heavy integrations and performance/SLA needs.

Cost and timeline (indicative)

Ranges differ per project. Typical numbers:

• Shopify: setup €1,000–6,000; ongoing €30–300/month (exclude paid apps/themes).
• WooCommerce: setup €1,500–8,000; hosting €10–150/month; maintenance €50–300/month.
• Custom: setup €10,000–60,000+; hosting & support €100–1000+/month.

Time to first MVP:

• Shopify: 1–4 weeks.
• WooCommerce: 2–8 weeks.
• Custom: 3–6 months for a mature launch.

Comparison table

Performance and UX

Performance matters for conversions. Google measures user-facing metrics such as LCP, INP and CLS — the Core Web Vitals. Aim to optimize images, minimize render-blocking resources and keep layout stable: https://web.dev/articles/vitals and https://web.dev/articles/lcp

Platform notes:

• Shopify has optimized hosting; theme and apps affect scores.
• WooCommerce performance depends heavily on hosting and caching.
• Custom solutions allow the most control, but you must implement performance best practices yourself.

For responsive layout basics, follow established principles so mobile users aren’t blocked: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/CSS/CSS_layout/Responsive_Design

Security and maintenance

Security responsibilities differ by choice. Platforms like Shopify handle infrastructure security. With WooCommerce and custom builds, you control updates, hardening and backups. Follow OWASP guidance and best practices for authentication, data validation and storage: https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/

Integrations and extensibility

• Payments: all platforms support common gateways, but connector effort varies.
• ERP/stock sync: custom builds generally integrate most cleanly; Shopify usually needs paid connectors.
• Marketing & content: WooCommerce + WordPress excels when content marketing drives discovery.

Decision checklist

• List required features: variant rules, discounts, B2B pricing, subscriptions.
• Estimate traffic and order volumes to size hosting.
• Set a launch date and map to platform timelines.
• Compare short-term budget vs total cost of ownership.
• Decide who maintains the store: internal or agency.
• Plan for GDPR, backups and incident response.

Implementation steps

• Define an MVP and map user flows.
• Choose the platform that fits the MVP and growth plan.
• Select hosting, backups and monitoring tools.
• Import/product model and configure tax/shipping rules.
• Test checkout end-to-end, including chargebacks and refunds.
• Measure Core Web Vitals and iterate on performance.

When to go custom

Choose custom if you need unique product logic, heavy automation or enterprise integrations. Don’t default to custom because you want “everything possible.” Custom adds cost and long-term maintenance responsibility.

If you want a solid starting point, check our webshop laten maken services or explore broader site builds at website laten maken. DevCru is a senior-led web and app development studio in the Netherlands; we build and maintain custom shops and apps.

If you’re ready to scope this properly, contact us at /contact for a focused intake and realistic estimate.