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
Will the Storefront API Hold Up on Your Next Flash Sale?
WAITShopify says real-buyer requests face no fixed per-minute limit on the Storefront API. The ceiling is checkout creation, and it fails with a 200, not a 429.
ERP, Accounting & Integrations
Flow Loops or Bulk Operations for Hundreds of Shopify Records?
BUYFlow's Get data actions run on lists of up to 100 items, so a For each loop cannot sweep a large catalog. Catalog-wide edits need a real bulk lane.
AI & Automation
Your App Has No Flow Connector: Build the Bridge or Wait?
DEPENDSOnly an app's own developer can ship its Flow tasks. Outbound automation needs just Send HTTP Request; inbound needs a bridge app from $29/month (verified Sep 2026).
AI & Automation
Flow Failure Alerting on Shopify: Build the Watcher or Buy One?
CUSTOMIZEShopify ships no store-wide Flow alert. Build a watcher on the Workflow error occurred trigger, which fires once per workflow version within a 30-day window.
AI & Automation
Flow Workflow Retries on Shopify: Build Your Own Safety Net?
CUSTOMIZEFlow retries transient errors like step timeouts and 5XX statuses, and never retries permanent ones. Critical workflows need their own error branches.
AI & Automation
Flow HTTP Requests or a Real Integration Build on Shopify?
CUSTOMIZESend HTTP Request is limited to Plus, Advanced and Grow, waits 30 seconds for a response, and can retry for up to 24 hours. Fine for a few calls, not for a sync.
ERP, Accounting & Integrations
Flow Wait Steps or a Lifecycle Tool for a 90-Day Win-Back?
BUYShopify Flow allows 40 wait steps per workflow and 90 days of total waiting. A 90-day win-back needs a lifecycle platform; shorter operational waits stay in Flow.
AI & Automation
Flow's Run Code Action or a Custom App: Where's the Ceiling?
CUSTOMIZEFlow's Run code action runs ECMA2020 JavaScript within 5 seconds and 10MB, with no imports and no network calls. Past that ceiling you need a real app or service.
AI & Automation
Flow's Scheduled Trigger or an External Cron Job for Shopify?
CUSTOMIZEFlow's Scheduled trigger runs at most once every 10 minutes, with one year the longest interval. A true sub-10-minute sync needs a scheduler outside Flow.
AI & Automation
Flow Test Mode on Shopify: Enough, or Build a Staging Path?
CUSTOMIZEFlow's test mode validates workflow logic against real store data but takes no actions. Proving the action half needs a staging store, which Shopify Plus includes.
AI & Automation