WordPress, a page builder, Shopify and a custom-coded site are all sound ways to put a business online. They differ in who can edit the site, how much there is to maintain and what it costs to keep running.
We build custom-coded sites, and Shopify stores where they fit, so read this knowing where we stand. We have tried to state the case for each option as its own supporters would.
What each option is.
- WordPress. Open-source content management software that you install on your own hosting. A theme controls the design and plugins add features.
- Page builders. Hosted tools such as Wix and Squarespace, or builder plugins inside WordPress such as Elementor, where pages are assembled visually from ready-made blocks.
- Shopify. A hosted platform for online stores, paid for by monthly subscription, with themes for design and apps for extra features.
- Custom code. Pages designed for one business and written by a developer in a framework such as Next.js, with no theme underneath.
The comparison.
| Question | WordPress or page builder | Custom code |
|---|---|---|
| Editing content | A built-in dashboard that a non-technical person can use. | Through a developer, or through a headless CMS added to the build. |
| Adding features | Install a plugin or an app. | Written or integrated by a developer. |
| Design | Starts from a theme and changes within its limits. | Drawn for the business, with no theme to work around. |
| Page weight | Grows with the theme and each plugin, since each adds code to the page. | Only the code the pages need. |
| Maintenance | Regular updates to the core software, the theme and every plugin. | Fewer parts, though dependencies still need updating. |
| Security | A login page, a database and plugins to keep patched. | A smaller attack surface, most of all when pages are static. |
| Running costs | Hosting or a subscription, plus any paid themes and plugins. | Hosting, plus developer time for changes. |
| Finding help | A very large pool of developers and agencies. | A developer who knows the framework. |
| Ownership | A self-hosted WordPress site is yours to move. A hosted builder keeps the site on its platform. | The code is yours if the contract transfers it. |
When WordPress or Shopify is the better choice.
- You publish often and nobody on the team is technical. A news site, an active blog or a catalogue of events needs an editor that staff can use every day, and that is what WordPress was built for.
- You need many features on a tight budget. Memberships, courses, bookings and multiple languages all exist as plugins, at a fraction of the cost of having each one written.
- Your team already knows it. If the people who will run the site are fluent in WordPress, retraining them has a cost of its own.
- You are opening a standard online store and want to manage products and orders yourself. Shopify takes care of hosting, checkout and payments so that you do not have to.
- You need to be online within days. A theme and a short list of plugins gets a serviceable site up quickly.
In each of these cases the trade is a reasonable one. You accept regular updates and heavier pages in return for a fast start and independence from a developer.
When custom code is the better choice.
- The site is a small set of pages that changes a few times a year, as it often is for a service business. An editing dashboard you rarely open is a cost with little return.
- Page speed matters to you. Google uses the Core Web Vitals, which are Largest Contentful Paint, Interaction to Next Paint and Cumulative Layout Shift, as a ranking signal. Pages that carry only the code they need are easier to keep within the thresholds.
- You do not want to maintain plugins. With no plugin layer there is no list of third-party updates to keep up with.
- The design has to be specific to the business, and a theme would need to be fought to get there.
- You want to own the site outright, as a repository that any developer can host with any provider.
The costs on this side are just as real. Content changes go through a developer unless a CMS is added, every new feature has to be built, and you depend on finding people who know the framework.
Speed and security, stated carefully.
WordPress is not slow by nature. A WordPress site with a light theme and a short plugin list can pass Core Web Vitals. The difficulty is accumulation: each plugin and each builder adds scripts and styles to the page, and each is software from a different author that needs its own updates.
Security follows the same pattern. More plugins mean more code to keep patched, and an out-of-date plugin is a well-known way for a WordPress site to be compromised. A custom site made of static pages has no public login page and no plugin layer, which leaves less to attack. It is not immune. Its dependencies, forms and integrations still need attention.
What each costs to keep.
Compare the first three years, not the first invoice.
- WordPress. Usually the lowest build price, then hosting, any yearly theme and plugin licences, and the time of whoever applies the updates.
- Shopify. A monthly subscription for as long as the store is open, paid apps where you need them, and payment processing fees on orders.
- Custom code. Often a higher build price, then hosting and paid developer time whenever something changes.
For the custom column, our own figures are published: a business website from ₹14,999, changes after delivery at ₹999 per hour, or a maintenance retainer from ₹4,999 a month. Ask any WordPress or Shopify seller for the same three numbers and you can compare like with like.
A middle route.
A headless CMS gives a custom-coded site an editing dashboard. Staff write and publish through a simple interface, and the pages visitors see are still custom code. It adds to the build price and is one more service to look after, so it is worth it only if you will publish regularly. If that is your plan, say so before the build is scoped.
How to decide.
Four questions settle most cases.
- Who will edit the site, and how often.
- Which features does it need in its first year.
- Who will maintain it, and what will they charge.
- What happens to the site if you change supplier.
If the answers are frequent publishing, a long feature list and a team that knows WordPress, choose WordPress and keep the plugin list short. If you are opening a standard store, choose Shopify. If the answers are a few pages that must load quickly and belong to you, choose custom code.
If you ask us, we will tell you which one fits before you commit, including when the answer is not us.