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
Shippo vs. Shopify Shipping: When Does the App Beat Native Labels?
BUYShippo earns its keep at carrier #2 or roughly 500 orders a month; below that, native Shopify Shipping labels cover the queue at no software cost.
Shipping, Delivery & Fulfillment
ShipStation vs. Shippo: Which Shipping App Wins on Shopify?
BUYShipStation wins for multi-channel batch shipping; Shippo wins for pay-per-label simplicity; native Shopify Shipping covers one store at low volume.
Shipping, Delivery & Fulfillment
ShipStation vs. Shopify Shipping: When Does the App Earn It?
BUYShipStation earns its fee past roughly 500 orders a month or a second carrier; below that, native Shopify Shipping labels cover the day's orders.
Shipping, Delivery & Fulfillment
Shogun vs. Theme Sections: Buy the Builder or Build the Library?
BUILDBuilding an OS 2.0 section library beats Shogun once dev support exists; Shogun's 2025 A/B-testing unbundling shows how rented feature sets shift.
Content & Storefront
Signifyd vs. Forter: Which Chargeback Guarantee Wins?
DEPENDSSignifyd wins for mid-market Shopify stores past roughly 0.3% chargebacks; Forter wins at enterprise contract scale. Native plus Flow covers stores below the line.
Trust, Legal & Compliance
Signifyd vs. NoFraud: Which Fraud Guarantee Fits?
DEPENDSNoFraud wins mid-market past roughly 0.3% chargebacks; Signifyd wins at enterprise scale. Native Fraud Analysis plus Flow covers stores below the line free.
Trust, Legal & Compliance
Simprosys vs. the Free Google & YouTube Channel: Buy Anything?
WAITGoogle Shopping starts free on Shopify: the native channel covers clean catalogs, and Simprosys earns its fee once feed rules and multi-market feeds matter.
Product Data, Catalog & Merch Ops
Smartrr vs. a Custom Portal on Native APIs: Rent or Own?
DEPENDSSmartrr rents portal polish in weeks; a custom portal on native Subscription APIs owns it outright. Dev bench and subscription share decide the lane.
Subscriptions & Memberships
Smile.io vs. LoyaltyLion: Which Points Program Pays?
BUYLoyaltyLion wins the mid-market fee math at less than half Smile.io's Plus-plan anchor; Smile.io wins below Plus scale. The custom lane caps fees past ~$50M.
Loyalty, Referrals & Retention
SparkLayer vs. Native B2B: Is the App Still Worth It in 2026?
CUSTOMIZENative B2B covers core wholesale on every paid plan since April 2026; SparkLayer earns its fee when the 3-catalog cap binds or ordering UX must ship now.
B2B & Wholesale