Build vs. Buy on Shopify
Build, buy, customize, or wait — decided with numbers. Capability-by-capability verdicts with honest 3-year cost math.
Custom wins on 3-year cost or fit — with maintenance counted honestly.
The app wins your scenario — we say so plainly.
Buy the app, build the glue: very often the honest mid-market answer.
Shopify is shipping this natively. Don't spend yet; we'll tell you when it flips.
Latest Decisions
Does Plus's Bigger REST Bucket Remove the GraphQL Migration Case?
BUILDPlus multiplies the REST Admin API bucket tenfold, to 400 requests and 20 per second (verified Sep 2026). REST has been legacy since October 1, 2024.
ERP, Accounting & Integrations
Plus's 100 Themes vs. a Multi-Tenant CMS for Sub-Brands?
BUILDPlus allows up to 100 themes per account, so theme count rarely decides anything. What decides sub-brand storefront architecture is who maintains the divergence.
Content & Storefront
Should You Rely on Plus's Uptime SLA for a Big Drop?
CUSTOMIZEPlus's 99.99% SLA is a contract clause about Shopify's platform, not your theme, apps or bots. Spend drop-day money there; buy a waiting room only for huge drops.
Commerce Models
Shopify Plus vs. Advanced: What Do You Really Gain?
WAITCheckout market overrides and carrier-calculated shipping already work on Advanced. What Plus adds is control over checkout itself, not access to those two.
Checkout & Conversion
Build or Buy Multi-Location Retail Ops on Shopify Plus?
WAITPlus includes 20 POS Pro locations and waives the fee up to 200 with Shopify Payments. Outside Plus, POS Pro is $89/month per location (verified Sep 2026).
Retail & POS
One Shared Codebase or a Forked Theme per Store?
BUILDNo Shopify app syncs theme code between stores; the multi-store sync category moves data only. One repository deployed per store is the honest answer.
Platform & Architecture
Shopify Audiences vs. a CDP: Which Builds Better Ad Lists?
WAITShopify Audiences is included with Plus but gated to US and Canada stores on Shopify Payments. Switch it on first; a CDP answers a different question.
Email, SMS & Push
Hitting Shopify's 25-Function Cap: Consolidate or Buy an App?
BUILDWhen one Function type nears its per-store activation cap, consolidate rules into fewer data-driven functions; no app raises the 25 discount function ceiling.
Email, SMS & Push
Should You Build or Buy Automated Staff Provisioning on Plus?
WAITPlus already ships SCIM provisioning through Okta, OneLogin or Entra. The Plus-only User REST API only reads staff, so build nothing but a reconciliation report.
Trust, Legal & Compliance
Should You Suppress Native Emails for a Custom ESP Flow?
CUSTOMIZEOn Plus, Support can turn off specific notifications so your ESP flow sends alone. Suppress one email at a time after 30 clean days; below Plus, brand the templates.
Email, SMS & Push