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
Should You Build or Buy Past Shopify's 3-Catalog B2B Cap?
BUYA pricing-rules app lifts Shopify's 3-catalog B2B cap from $24.99/month (verified Sep 2026); Plus's unlimited catalogs pay off once a second Plus-only need appears.
B2B & Wholesale
Should You Consolidate Checkout Rules into Validation Functions?
BUILDReplacing three or four single-purpose checkout-gating apps with one or two validation functions is a Plus-only consolidation; storefront presentation apps stay.
Checkout & Conversion
Should You Build a Multi-Store Theme Pipeline on Plus?
CUSTOMIZEShopify CLI theme environments are configured per store, so a portfolio deploy is a CI matrix job you build. No app pushes one theme codebase to many stores.
Platform & Architecture
Shopify Plus Multipass or a Modern SSO App?
CUSTOMIZEMultipass needs legacy customer accounts, deprecated 2026-02-26 with the sunset date pending, and the only Shopify SSO app is delisted. Connect your IdP instead.
Content & Storefront
Plus's 1TB File Storage or a Dedicated DAM Tool?
WAITPlus includes 1 TB of file storage per store, which image-led catalogs rarely strain. A DAM earns its price on approvals, rights and multi-store distribution.
B2B & Wholesale
Should You Build a Custom Order Routing Rule on Plus?
BUILDCustom warehouse routing through the Order Routing Location Rule Function is Plus-only; a rules app or your 3PL decides on every other plan.
Shipping, Delivery & Fulfillment
Should You Build or Buy Business Entity Management on Plus?
WAITThe Plus Organization admin already manages business entities and billing across stores. No app does this; an ERP consolidation is a finance call, not a Shopify fix.
ERP, Accounting & Integrations
Should You Build or Buy Cross-Store Analytics on Shopify Plus?
WAITPlus aggregates cross-store sales natively; multi-store reporting shipped in 2025. Buy a report app for missing shapes; build a warehouse only to blend outside data.
International & Localization
Should You Build or Buy Org-Level Role Permissions on Plus?
WAITCustom org-level roles are native to Plus and Partner organizations; no app can grant them. The audit trail is the real gap: 250 log rows, no export, a 0-review app.
Trust, Legal & Compliance
Is Oxygen Hosting Really Free, or Are There Hidden Costs?
WAITOxygen costs nothing extra on any paid Shopify plan, Starter through Plus. The hidden costs of headless sit in the build, the apps and the surrounding stack.
Platform & Architecture