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
Klarna vs. Affirm on Shopify: Which BNPL Provider Should You Offer?
WAITKlarna wins the head-to-head as the one distinct BNPL network worth adding; Shop Pay Installments already runs on Affirm for most US, Canada and UK stores.
Checkout & Conversion
Klaviyo vs. ActiveCampaign on Shopify: Which Email Platform Wins?
BUYKlaviyo wins for Shopify-first DTC programs past ~10K profiles; ActiveCampaign wins when a CRM pipeline shares the contact record; Shopify Email covers the rest.
Email, SMS & Push
Klaviyo vs. Attentive on Shopify: Which SMS Platform Wins?
BUYKlaviyo wins for email-led programs with SMS as a module; Attentive wins when SMS is the headline channel with an owner; Shopify Email covers campaign-only email.
Email, SMS & Push
Klaviyo vs. Braze for Shopify: Which Engagement Platform Wins?
BUYKlaviyo wins Shopify-first DTC lifecycle marketing; Braze fits enterprise programs priced by quote on active users; Shopify Email covers stores under ~10K profiles.
Email, SMS & Push
Klaviyo vs. Drip for Shopify: Which Email Platform Wins?
BUYKlaviyo beats Drip for Shopify-first DTC past ~10K profiles. Drip wins for lean teams on a $39/month base (verified Sep 2026); Shopify Email covers campaigns below.
Email, SMS & Push
Klaviyo vs. HubSpot for Shopify: Which Marketing Platform Wins?
BUYKlaviyo beats HubSpot for Shopify-first DTC brands past ~10,000 profiles; HubSpot wins when a sales CRM shares the contact record; Shopify Email covers below.
Email, SMS & Push
Klaviyo vs. Mailchimp on Shopify: Which Email Platform Wins?
BUYKlaviyo beats Mailchimp for Shopify-first DTC past ~10K profiles. Mailchimp's suite starts at $13/mo (verified Sep 2026); Shopify Email owns the lane below.
Email, SMS & Push
Klevu vs. Algolia for Shopify Search: Which Engine Wins?
BUYAlgolia beats Klevu as the buy for mid-size Shopify catalogs, free to start and usage-priced after; Klevu wins on fixed module pricing; native covers under ~1K SKUs.
Search & Discovery
Klevu vs. Shopify Search & Discovery: Is Native Enough?
WAITShopify Search & Discovery is free with semantic search, 1,000 synonyms and boosts (verified Sep 2026); Klevu's $649/month Site Search earns its place past 10K SKUs.
Search & Discovery
Mailchimp vs. Shopify Email: Which Email Tool Should You Use?
WAITShopify Email covers campaigns and basic automations at 10,000 free sends a month; Mailchimp wins for a general marketing toolkit or a non-Shopify audience.
Email, SMS & Push