Is Shopify Right for Your Business? An Honest Look

Shopify powers over 4 million online stores. It’s the most popular e-commerce platform for small businesses. But is it right for your business?

Let me give you an honest breakdown, including the things Shopify’s marketing doesn’t emphasize.

What Shopify Actually Is

Shopify is a hosted e-commerce platform. That means:

• They handle the servers, security, and updates
• You get a dashboard to manage your products and orders
• Everything is included in a monthly subscription
• You don’t need to be technical to use it

It’s designed to let non-technical people run an online store without hiring developers.

The Real Pros of Shopify

Easy to Start

You can have a basic store running in an afternoon. The setup wizard walks you through adding products, setting up shipping, and connecting payments. No coding required.

For someone who’s never built a website, this is genuinely valuable. The learning curve is much gentler than alternatives like WooCommerce.

Reliable Infrastructure

Shopify handles hosting, security, SSL certificates, and PCI compliance. You don’t have to worry about your site going down or getting hacked (as long as you use basic security practices on your end).

For context, I’ve seen plenty of self-hosted stores get hacked or crash during high-traffic periods. Shopify’s infrastructure is genuinely robust.

Large App Ecosystem

Need to add email marketing, reviews, subscriptions, or print-on-demand? There’s probably an app for it. The app store has thousands of add-ons.

This flexibility lets you start simple and add features as you grow.

Good Payment Processing

Shopify Payments (powered by Stripe) is built in. Rates are competitive, especially at higher plans. You don’t have to set up a separate payment processor.

Solid Support

24/7 support via chat, email, and phone. They’re generally responsive and helpful. The documentation and community are also good.

The Real Cons of Shopify

Monthly Costs Add Up

The Basic plan is $39/month. Shopify plan is $105/month. Advanced is $399/month.

But that’s just the start. Most stores end up paying for:

• Paid apps ($10-300/month each)
• Premium themes ($180-400 one-time, sometimes with ongoing updates)
• Third-party tools that integrate with Shopify

A “real” Shopify store often costs $100-300/month when you factor in apps you actually need.

Transaction Fees (Unless You Use Shopify Payments)

If you use a third-party payment processor instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify charges an extra fee: 2% on Basic, 1% on Shopify, 0.5% on Advanced.

This is on top of whatever your payment processor charges. It pushes most people toward Shopify Payments, which limits your options.

Limited Customization Without Code

The visual editor has improved, but if you want something the theme doesn’t support, you’ll need to edit code (Liquid, HTML, CSS) or hire someone who can.

Complex customizations can get expensive. Shopify developers typically charge $75-150/hour.

You Don’t Own the Platform

Shopify is rented, not owned. If Shopify decides to change their terms, raise prices, or discontinue a feature, you’re affected. You can export your data, but migrating to another platform is a significant project.

Some Apps Are Poor Quality

The app store has gems and garbage. Some apps are overpriced, buggy, or have hidden fees. Research thoroughly before installing anything that costs money.

The True Cost Breakdown

Here’s what stores I’ve worked with actually pay:

Small Store (just starting)

• Shopify Basic: $39/month
• Free theme: $0
• 2-3 basic apps: $30/month
• Total: ~$70/month

Growing Store (500+ orders/month)

• Shopify plan: $105/month
• Premium theme: $350 one-time
• 5-7 apps: $150/month
• Total: ~$255/month + theme

Established Store (high volume)

• Advanced Shopify: $399/month
• Custom theme work: Variable
• Enterprise apps: $300+/month
• Total: $700+/month

Plus transaction fees on every sale (typically 2.4-2.9% + 30¢).

When Shopify Makes Sense

Shopify is a good choice if:

You’re selling physical products Shopify is built for physical goods. Inventory management, shipping calculators, and fulfillment integrations are strong.

You want to focus on selling, not tech If managing servers and updates sounds like a nightmare, paying for Shopify to handle it is worth it.

You need to start quickly A functional store in a day is possible. Other platforms take longer to set up properly.

Your products fit standard layouts If you’re selling relatively straightforward products with a few variations, Shopify themes work well out of the box.

You plan to scale Shopify can handle growth. The infrastructure scales with you, and there are apps for more advanced needs.

When Shopify Might Not Be Right

You’re selling only digital products Shopify works for digital products, but platforms like Gumroad, Podia, or Sellfy are simpler and cheaper for purely digital businesses.

You need highly custom functionality If your product requires complex configurations, calculators, or unusual checkout flows, you’ll spend a lot on customization.

You’re on a very tight budget If $70+/month is a stretch, free or low-cost alternatives like WooCommerce or Square Online might be better starting points.

You only have a few products If you’re selling 3 items, a full e-commerce platform may be overkill. A simple payment link or buy button might suffice.

You want complete control If owning your platform and data is important to you, self-hosted options like WooCommerce give you that.

Alternatives to Consider

WooCommerce (WordPress)

Free plugin, but you pay for hosting, security, and maintenance. More customizable, more work to maintain. Good if you already use WordPress or need heavy customization.

Square Online

Free plan available. Good for businesses that also sell in person using Square POS. Limited features but simple.

BigCommerce

Similar to Shopify but with fewer transaction fees. Good for larger catalogs. Slightly steeper learning curve.

Squarespace Commerce

Beautiful templates. Good if design is priority. Less e-commerce features than Shopify.

Wix eCommerce

Easy to use. Better for simple stores or people who want more design freedom. Less robust for serious e-commerce.

How to Decide

Ask yourself:

1. What’s your budget? Be honest about monthly costs including apps.
2. How many products are you selling? 10 or 10,000?
3. How technical are you? Be realistic.
4. What features do you need? Subscriptions? Pre-orders? Custom products?
5. Do you also sell in person? Some platforms integrate POS better.

There’s no universally “best” platform. Shopify is excellent for many businesses and wrong for others.

My Honest Take

I’ve built stores on Shopify, WooCommerce, and other platforms. Here’s my summary:

Shopify is ideal when you want to sell online without becoming a web developer, you’re okay with monthly fees for convenience, and your products fit standard e-commerce patterns.

Shopify is not ideal when you need extensive customization, you’re selling purely digital products, or budget is extremely tight.

If you’re still unsure, sign up for a free trial and build a basic store. Get a feel for it. The free trial gives you enough time to know if it clicks for you.

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Gustavo has worked in web development and digital marketing for 15 years. He writes these guides to help small business owners understand technology without the jargon.