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
HubSpot vs. Shopify Segments: Do You Need a CRM to Segment?
WAITHubSpot vs. Shopify Segments is a WAIT for Shopify-first stores: native segments already ship a 9-group RFM filter and a predicted spend tier at no extra cost.
Analytics & Attribution
Impact vs. Shopify Collabs: Do You Need an Affiliate Platform?
WAITShopify Collabs covers creator-led programs at no platform fee; Impact earns its Essentials tier only when publishers, agencies and contract terms enter the program.
Loyalty, Referrals & Retention
Judge.me vs. Loox on Shopify: Which Reviews App Wins?
BUYJudge.me wins the head-to-head for text-and-star reviews on flat tiers; Loox wins when photo and video reviews sell the product; build only for owned data.
Reviews & UGC
Judge.me vs. Stamped on Shopify: Which Reviews App Wins?
BUYJudge.me wins on price and adoption (free plan, $15/mo tiers, verified Sep 2026); Stamped wins when reviews and loyalty must share one vendor.
Reviews & UGC
Judge.me vs. Trustpilot on Shopify: Which Reviews App Wins?
BUYJudge.me wins Shopify product reviews at every band; Trustpilot earns a slot only for company-level trust on annual-only tiers; own the data layer above ~$15M.
Reviews & UGC
Katana vs. MRPeasy for Shopify Manufacturers: Which Wins?
BUYKatana wins for Shopify-first makers; MRPeasy wins for production-planning-led manufacturers; native inventory covers finished goods but has no bill of materials.
Inventory & Operations
Should You Build or Buy a Multi-Carrier Shipping Platform on Shopify?
BUYBuying a multi-carrier shipping platform wins from 200 to 1,500 orders a day; below that Shopify Shipping is included, and above it you build only the routing layer.
Shipping, Delivery & Fulfillment
Narvar vs. Shopify Order Status Page: Is the Native Page Enough?
WAITWAIT on the native order status page for one storefront; Narvar's listing is a free returns app and its tracking platform is quote-only; build past 5,000 orders/mo.
Shipping, Delivery & Fulfillment
Numeral vs. Avalara for Shopify Sales Tax: Which Filing Lane Wins?
BUYNumeral wins for Shopify-first stores with nexus in 2–30 states (Shopify Tax calculates, Numeral files); Avalara only at 30+ states, certificates or multi-entity.
Trust, Legal & Compliance
Omnisend vs. Attentive on Shopify: Which Email + SMS Platform Wins?
BUYOmnisend beats Attentive for email-led Shopify programs on one bundled bill; Attentive wins when SMS is the headline channel with its own owner and contract budget.
Email, SMS & Push