Shopify vs Custom Build: Which Is Right for Your Raleigh Business?
When Shopify is the obvious answer, when it isn't, and the honest tradeoffs.
Every Raleigh ecommerce founder asks the same question: 'Should I just build on Shopify, or do I need something custom?' The honest answer is Shopify, for 90% of you. Here's how to know if you're in the other 10%.
When Shopify wins
You sell physical products. You need launch speed (4–8 weeks). You don't have a dedicated engineering team. You want PCI compliance, uptime, and an app ecosystem solved for you. You're under $10M in revenue.
When to go headless Shopify
You need a marketing site stitched to commerce (editorial-heavy brands, content + product hybrid). You want app-level performance Liquid themes can't reach. You have a designer who wants pixel-level control. You're between $5M and $50M.
When to go fully custom
You have a B2B portal with negotiated pricing per customer. You have a configurator (custom kitchens, signage, apparel printing) Shopify apps can't handle. You have unusual fulfillment (subscriptions + custom + drop-ship mixed). You're $25M+ with a real engineering team.
The hidden cost of custom
A custom build costs $40K–$150K up front and another $30K+/year to maintain. Shopify Plus is $2,300/mo all-in. Run the math on a 3-year window — most brands save money on Shopify even at high volume.
Our default recommendation
Start on Shopify. Customize the theme. Add Klaviyo, Recharge, and the 5 apps that match your model. Reinvest the saved engineering budget into ads and SEO. Migrate to headless only when conversion or content needs genuinely force the move — usually around $5M.