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
Recharge vs. Loop Subscriptions: Who Wins After Skio?
DEPENDSLoop wins for retention-led programs while Recharge digests Skio; Recharge wins on incumbent scale and integrations. Native covers simple replenishment free.
Subscriptions & Memberships
Recharge vs. Smartrr: Which Subscription Path Wins?
DEPENDSSmartrr wins for brand-led DTC programs while Recharge digests Skio; Recharge wins on incumbent breadth. Native covers fixed-cadence replenishment free.
Subscriptions & Memberships
Redo vs. Native Returns + Flow: Does the Returns App Earn It?
DEPENDSRedo wins when exchange conversion and shopper-funded coverage move a quarterly number; native returns, store credit, and Flow cover simple flows free.
Returns & Exchanges
Redo vs. Route: Which Package Protection Model Wins?
BUILDSelf-insured protection wins past roughly 5,000 orders a month; Redo earns the app path when returns ride along, Route when insurer backing matters.
Shipping, Delivery & Fulfillment
Replo vs. Theme Sections: Test-Page Speed or an Owned System?
BUILDBuilding an OS 2.0 section library beats Replo for evergreen pages; Replo earns a fenced lane only at 5–10 experiment pages a month with an owner.
Content & Storefront
Richpanel vs. No Helpdesk: Is the Native Stack Enough?
BUYRichpanel earns its subscription past roughly 500 tickets a month; below that boundary, a shared inbox plus native self-service and Flow covers support.
Support & Self-Service
DataFeedWatch vs. Feedonomics: Which Feed Tool Wins on Shopify?
BUYDataFeedWatch wins for self-serve feed rules; Feedonomics wins as a managed service at enterprise scale; the native Google channel covers channel one free.
Product Data, Catalog & Merch Ops
Easyship vs. Native Carrier Rates: Who Wins International Checkout?
BUYEasyship aggregates pre-negotiated couriers and landed-cost display for cross-border stores; native carrier-calculated rates win once owned contracts arrive.
Shipping, Delivery & Fulfillment
Elevar vs. a Built Data Layer: Buy Tracking or Own the Pipes?
BUYElevar wins for maintained destination tracking — it runs on 59.4% of analytics-app-using stores; build the web-pixel + tagging-server lane to own the event stream.
Analytics & Attribution
Elevar vs. Littledata: Which Tracking App Wins on Shopify?
BUYElevar wins for ad-destination tracking with 59.4% category share; Littledata wins for GA4-and-warehouse stacks; a custom pixel relay owns the stream.
Analytics & Attribution