Almost every website project we scope starts with the same question: should we use WordPress, Shopify, or have it built from scratch? All three can produce a fast, good-looking site that ranks in Google — and all three can go badly wrong. The right choice depends on what your site has to do, who will look after it and how much you expect it to change.
This guide compares them honestly, including the parts agencies don't always mention.
The short answer
- WordPress — best for content-led company websites and blogs where you want lots of control, a huge choice of themes and plugins, and the freedom to host anywhere.
- Shopify — best for online stores that want to start selling quickly, with payments, checkout, hosting and security handled for them.
- Custom-built — best when your site is part of how the business operates: unusual workflows, integrations with your own systems, customer portals, or performance and security requirements that templates can't meet.
At a glance
| WordPress | Shopify | Custom-built | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Open-source CMS you host yourself | Hosted e-commerce platform (subscription) | Code written for your business, with its own CMS |
| Best for | Company sites, blogs, content | Online stores of most sizes | Bespoke functionality, integrations, portals |
| Upfront cost | Low to medium | Low to medium | Medium to high |
| Running costs | Hosting, premium plugins, maintenance | Monthly plan, apps, payment fees | Hosting and support plan |
| Editing content | Familiar editor, very flexible | Simple for products and pages | As easy as the CMS that's built |
| Flexibility | High, via plugins and custom code | Medium — within Shopify's rules | Unlimited |
| Speed | Varies widely with theme and plugins | Good, CDN included | Excellent when built well |
| Security & updates | Your responsibility | Handled by Shopify | Small attack surface; needs a support plan |
| Ownership | You own everything | Your data, Shopify's platform | You own the code |
WordPress
WordPress is the most widely used website platform in the world: according to W3Techs, it runs around 40% of all websites and almost 60% of sites built on a known content management system. When people say "WordPress" they usually mean self-hosted WordPress.org, which is free software you install on your own hosting — not the hosted WordPress.com service.
Advantages
- Enormous ecosystem. Thousands of themes and plugins for forms, bookings, memberships, multilingual sites and more — plus WooCommerce if you want to sell online.
- Built for content. The block editor, categories, tags and revisions make it a strong choice for blogs, news and resource-heavy sites.
- Freedom. Host it anywhere, move agencies whenever you like and access the database and code directly.
- Easy to find help. Almost every web agency and freelancer knows WordPress.
Disadvantages
- Plugin sprawl. Each plugin adds code, updates and potential conflicts. Many slow WordPress sites are the result of fifteen plugins doing what three lines of code could.
- Security is on you. Because WordPress is so popular, it's a constant target. Most problems come from outdated plugins and themes, so core, plugin and theme updates — and backups — are non-negotiable.
- Performance varies. A lean custom theme on good hosting is quick; a heavy page builder on cheap shared hosting rarely passes Core Web Vitals.
- Hidden running costs. Premium plugins and themes are often annual subscriptions, and someone has to test updates.
Choose WordPress if…
You publish a lot of content, want to edit everything yourself and are prepared to pay for (or do) regular maintenance.
Shopify
Shopify is a hosted platform designed for selling online. You pay a monthly subscription and Shopify handles hosting, security, the checkout and PCI compliance for card payments.
Advantages
- Fast to launch. Products, collections, checkout, shipping rates and taxes are built in.
- Excellent checkout. Shopify's checkout and express payment options are hard to beat for conversion — and you don't have to maintain them.
- Security and uptime handled. No server updates, no plugin patches for the core platform.
- Sales channels. Connect Google, Meta, TikTok Shop and marketplaces, and use Shopify POS for in-person sales.
Disadvantages
- Ongoing fees. On Shopify's UK pricing, plans start at £19 a month on annual billing (£25 monthly) for Basic, £49 (£65) for Grow and £259 (£344) for Advanced. Card payments through Shopify Payments start at 2% + 25p on Basic, and there's an extra transaction fee if you use a different payment provider.
- Apps add up. Reviews, subscriptions, filters, B2B pricing and advanced SEO often mean several monthly app subscriptions, and each one adds scripts to your store.
- Platform rules. URL structures (such as
/products/and/collections/), checkout customisation and data access follow Shopify's rules. Complex B2B pricing or unusual product logic can be awkward. - Less suited to non-store sites. It can host a blog and pages, but a content-heavy company site is easier elsewhere.
Choose Shopify if…
Selling online is the main job of the site, you want to launch quickly and you'd rather pay a monthly fee than manage hosting and security.
If you're choosing between Shopify and WordPress with WooCommerce, our Shopify vs WooCommerce comparison goes deeper.
A custom-built website
A custom-built site is written specifically for your business with a modern framework, and usually comes with its own content management system so your team can edit pages, posts and products without a developer. This site is an example: it's custom-built with its own CMS, lead inbox and analytics dashboard.
Advantages
- It does exactly what you need. Quote builders, booking rules, trade pricing, customer portals, integrations with your stock, CRM or accounting system — without forcing a plugin to fit.
- Speed. No unused theme code or plugin scripts. Pages contain only what they need, which helps Core Web Vitals, SEO and conversion.
- Security. No public plugin ecosystem to attack and a much smaller surface. You still need updates and monitoring, but far fewer moving parts.
- Ownership. You own the code and can host it where you choose. No per-sale platform fees.
- A CMS that fits your team. Editors see only the fields they need, so content stays consistent and on-brand.
Disadvantages
- Higher upfront cost and longer build. Everything is designed and built for you, so it costs more than configuring a theme.
- You depend on good engineering. Clean code, documentation and tests matter. A poorly built custom site is harder to hand over than a poorly built WordPress site.
- New features need a developer. There's no plugin store. For most businesses that's a benefit, but it means budgeting for a support plan.
Choose a custom-built site if…
Your website is part of how you operate — not just a brochure — or you've outgrown the workarounds a template platform needs.
Cost: what you really pay over time
Don't compare build quotes alone. Over three years, the total cost of ownership usually looks like this:
- WordPress: build + hosting + premium plugin licences + maintenance time (or a care plan) + fixes when updates break things.
- Shopify: build + monthly plan + app subscriptions + payment and transaction fees, which grow with your sales.
- Custom-built: build + hosting + a support and improvement plan. No platform fee per sale and no plugin licences.
A low build price can hide high running costs, and the reverse is also true. For realistic UK price ranges, see how much a website costs in the UK.
SEO: can all three rank?
Yes. Google doesn't prefer one platform over another. What matters is:
- Speed and Core Web Vitals — easiest with custom code, achievable on WordPress with discipline, generally good on Shopify.
- Clean structure — sensible URLs, headings, internal links and a sitemap.
- Structured data — schema for your business, products, articles and FAQs.
- Content quality — pages that genuinely answer what your customers search for.
Platform choice affects how easy these are, not whether they're possible.
Security and maintenance
- WordPress: update core, themes and plugins regularly, keep backups, use a firewall and strong admin logins.
- Shopify: the platform is maintained for you, but review app permissions and remove apps you no longer use.
- Custom-built: keep dependencies updated, monitor the site and choose a team that offers ongoing support.
Hybrid options
You don't always have to pick just one:
- Custom front end with Shopify behind it ("headless" Shopify) — a bespoke, very fast storefront that still uses Shopify for products, checkout and payments.
- WordPress as a content source for a custom-built front end.
- Shopify store plus a custom app or portal for trade customers, connected to the same products and stock.
These suit growing businesses that want the strengths of a platform without its limits.
How to decide in five questions
- Is selling online the main job of the site? If yes, start with Shopify.
- Is it mainly content and enquiries? WordPress or a custom site with a simple CMS.
- Does it need to work with your own systems or processes? Lean towards custom.
- Who will maintain it? If nobody, avoid a plugin-heavy WordPress site.
- How much will it change in the next three years? The more it needs to grow with the business, the more a custom build pays off.
Summary
WordPress gives you flexibility and a huge ecosystem in exchange for maintenance. Shopify gives you a proven, secure store in exchange for monthly and per-sale fees and platform limits. A custom-built site costs more to start but fits your business exactly, is fast and secure by design, and is entirely yours.
Not sure which fits your business? Explore our company and e-commerce websites, or tell us what your site needs to do and we'll recommend the right route — even if it's not the one we build most often.
Platform figures and Shopify prices as published at the end of October 2026.