Shopify vs a custom shop
Shopify charges you every month, on every sale, for as long as you trade. A hand-coded shop is built once and owned by you. Put your own numbers in and see what each costs over one, three and five years, and when owning your shop pays for itself.
Over five years
| Running total | Year 1 | Year 3 | Year 5 |
|---|
What you pay Shopify, every year
What a shop you own costs
Shopify and Stripe UK rates, checked 15 October 2026. Figures exclude VAT. Shopify Plus is not compared. Not made by Shopify. See a shop we built.
What the numbers leave out
Fees are only part of it. On Shopify you rent your shop: the platform sets what you can sell and how, every feature beyond the basics is an app with its own monthly bill, and you cannot take the shop with you. A custom shop is built around how you actually sell, whether that is sets, bundles, made-to-order products or trade prices, and the code and the customer data are yours.
Shopify still suits many small shops, and when the figures say so, this calculator says so. For the full picture, read our Shopify vs custom e-commerce comparison or see how we build online shops.
Shopify vs custom: your questions answered
Not always, which is why this calculator will tell you to stay on Shopify when the figures say so. Shopify suits small shops that sell simple products in simple ways. A custom shop wins when your monthly bill of plan, apps and fees has grown, when you sell in ways Shopify handles badly (sets, bundles, made to order, trade prices), or when you want to own your code and your customer data outright.
More than the plan price. Add Shopify's card fee on every sale (2% + 25p on Basic for UK cards, more for Amex and international cards), its transaction fee if you use another payment provider, and the paid apps most shops rely on. Over five years that runs to tens of thousands of pounds for a busy shop, and it never stops. The calculator adds it up for your own numbers.
Most custom online shops we build cost between £5,000 and £12,000, quoted as a fixed price after a short call. After launch you pay hosting and upkeep, which we quote with the build, and card fees at your payment provider's rates. There is no plan fee, no app fees and no cut of your sales.
No. The things you pay apps for on Shopify (reviews, bundles, subscriptions, search, discounts) are built into a custom shop, around how you actually sell. Payments run through Stripe or another provider of your choice, and you manage products and orders yourself in your own admin.
Yes. We bring your products, customers and order history across and redirect every old product, category and page address to its new home, so you keep the rankings you have earned.
No. The calculator shows costs without VAT. If your business is not VAT-registered, VAT is added to Shopify's subscription and app charges and to a custom build.
No. It is an independent tool from Custom Coded Websites, a UK web studio that builds custom online shops. The rates come from Shopify's and Stripe's UK pricing pages, and the date we last checked them is shown under the calculator.
Ready to own your shop? Let’s talk it through.
We hand-code online shops you own outright: no platform subscription, no app fees and no cut of your sales. Tell us about your shop and we’ll come back with a fixed quote.
Free 30-minute call, no commitment. Or email customcodedwebsites@gmail.com