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22nd April 2026Web Design

Shopify vs WordPress vs Custom-Built: Which Is Right for You?

Shopify vs WordPress vs Custom-Built: Which Is Right for You?

We get asked this constantly, and the honest answer is that none of these platforms is universally "best" — they're good at different jobs. Here's how we actually think about it.

Shopify — best for selling products

If you're selling physical products, Shopify's checkout, inventory and payment handling are hard to beat — it's purpose-built for e-commerce and lets you manage products and orders yourself without a developer for routine changes. We used it for Plumpd, a skincare brand where a smooth product-to-checkout journey was the whole job.

WordPress — best for content you'll update often

If your site is mostly informational and you want to add pages, blog posts or updates yourself without touching code, WordPress's editor is still one of the most approachable around, and it scales well from a simple brochure site to something much larger.

Custom-built (Next.js) — best for speed and a specific design

When performance and a distinctive, exact design matter more than anything else — and you don't need to hand day-to-day editing to someone non-technical — a custom build on modern tech like Next.js is faster and more flexible than either of the above. This site is one.

What we usually recommend

Selling products → Shopify. Content-heavy site you'll update constantly yourself → WordPress. Everything else, especially if speed and design are the priority → custom-built. We'll tell you honestly which fits before quoting, not just sell you whichever we prefer building.

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