Platforms to build an online store: which one to choose for your project

The 4 main options for building an online store

When someone looks for what to build an online store with, they usually run into dozens of names. In practice it almost all boils down to four paths: a closed SaaS platform (Shopify), an ecommerce on WordPress (WooCommerce), a self-hosted open source solution (PrestaShop) or a custom-built store.

There is no universally best platform for an online store: there is a best one for your catalogue, your volume and your way of working. A brand selling 20 products that is just starting out does not need the same thing as an ecommerce with 5,000 SKUs, an ERP integration and thousands of orders a month.

Before choosing, it is worth being clear on three things: how much you can invest at launch, how much you are willing to pay every month in fees and commissions, and whether you want to own the code or depend on a platform in the long run.

• Shopify: all-in-one SaaS, hosting and updates included, fixed monthly fee.
• WooCommerce: free WordPress plugin, maximum flexibility, requires hosting and maintenance.
• PrestaShop: open source with strong roots in Spain, designed for large catalogues.
• Custom-built store: your own development with no platform fees or per-sale commissions.

Comparison table: Shopify vs WooCommerce vs PrestaShop vs custom-built

This comparison sums up the differences that matter most when deciding. The amounts are indicative and depend on the project, the hosting you contract and the apps or modules you add; they are not fixed Zenith rates.

Pay particular attention to two columns: the recurring cost and who controls the code. That is where a decision that is cheap at the start can turn out expensive two years later, or the other way round.

Shopify: fast to launch, but with a fee and commissions

Shopify is the most convenient option to get started: you forget about hosting, updates and security, and you have a store up and running in no time. In exchange you pay a fixed monthly fee and, if you do not use its own gateway, an extra fee on every sale.

Its weak point is the same as its strength: it is a closed system. You customise within what its ecosystem allows, many features come via apps with a monthly fee, and the code is not yours. If one day you want to migrate, you take the data, not the store.

On fees, it is worth looking at the gateway separately from the plan. According to the rates published by Shopify for Spain, with Shopify Payments card processing starts at around 2.1% + 0.30€ per transaction and drops to close to 1.6% + 0.30€ on the higher plans; if you use another gateway, Shopify adds its own fee on top.

WooCommerce and PrestaShop: open source, with no platform fees

WooCommerce turns any WordPress into a store. It is the favourite option when the project combines content, a blog and SEO with selling: you gain almost total flexibility and you pay no per-sale fee to the platform. The cost lies in the hosting, the maintenance and quality plugins.

PrestaShop is open source with strong adoption in Spain and is designed from the ground up for ecommerce with broad catalogues and advanced management of stock, taxes and shipping. Like WooCommerce, it charges no per-sale fee, but it demands more technical muscle to set up and maintain properly.

The important nuance with both: 'free' refers to the license, not the project. You need hosting, an SSL certificate, backups, updates and someone to handle them. Without that maintenance, an open source store ages badly and becomes slow or insecure.

• Choose WooCommerce if your brand lives on content and SEO as well as selling.
• Choose PrestaShop if you have a large catalogue and need advanced product management.
• In both cases, budget for monthly maintenance from day one.

Custom-built store: full control and zero platform fees

A custom-built online store is your own code, built for your business. You pay no platform fee or per-sale commission to any SaaS, and the store does exactly what you need, with no features you do not use dragging along. That translates into speed, control and real ownership of the project.

It is not the right option for everyone: it requires more upfront investment and a team to develop and maintain it. It makes sense when the ecommerce is the core of the business, when you need integrations that standard platforms do not handle well, or when you want to stop depending on a platform's growing fees in the long run.

At Zenith we build custom websites and stores on fast infrastructure, and building the website is free; then we set a budget per project and a monthly positioning partnership, with the domain included in that partnership. If you are torn between setting up on Shopify or going custom, we look at it with you based on your real numbers.

How to build an online store: what to choose for your case

To decide what to build your online store with, start from your situation, not from the trend. If you want to validate an idea quickly and with little technical complexity, Shopify gets you live sooner. If your brand already has a website, a blog and SEO, WooCommerce makes the most of all that work.

If you handle a large catalogue with demanding management of stock and taxes, PrestaShop is made for that. And if the ecommerce is the heart of your business or you need something the platforms do not cover, a custom-built store gives you control and removes the recurring platform fees.

No decision is irreversible, but migrating costs time and money. That is why it is worth choosing well from the start, looking at the total cost over two or three years and not just the launch price.

• Validate fast with no technical team → Shopify.
• Brand with content, a blog and SEO → WooCommerce.
• Large catalogue and advanced management → PrestaShop.
• Ecommerce as the core of the business or unique needs → custom-built.

Keep reading: online stores and ecommerce · Shopify vs a custom-built store · online store with no fees · pricing and budget · talk about your project