The one question we all face.
For many small businesses, a site builder like Squarespace or Shopify is the right answer.
If you just need a "digital business card" — static pages, forms, limited interactivity — a builder like Squarespace is much cheaper to launch and maintain.
If you lean heavy into SEO/content marketing or require complex interactivity, a custom site provides performance that a builder can’t reasonably deliver.
Click a question card below for our recommendations and what to watch out for.
Do you sell products and take payments online?
They’ve already solved checkout, PCI compliance, fraud tools, shipping, taxes, and app integrations. Rebuilding that is wasted budget for 99% of stores.
Good fit: catalog, carts, subscriptions, discounting, POS add-ons.
Caution: additional app and service fees, design constraints.
Edge cases: highly bespoke pricing/workflows → consider custom front-end with Shopify backend or a billing layer.
Is the site basically a digital business card?
Faster to launch, lower cost, minimal upkeep. You’ll get hosting, SSL, templates, forms, and analytics in a few clicks.
Good fit: "web brochure", service listings, hours/map, basic blog, lead form.
Caution: template layout, limited fine-tuning, impact to SEO.
Upgrade path: if content/SEO grows or integrations snowball, revisit custom.
Do you need complex connections to other systems?
Custom sites let you connect internal systems to the web, design bespoke portals or interactivity, or ship fast pages for top-notch SEO across thousands of URLs. Do it only when the business case is clear.
Good fit: dashboards, portals, complex connections to other systems.
Caution: MUCH higher maintenance; you’re responsible for builds, updates, security, analytics.
Rule of thumb: if a platform can cover 80% with 20% effort, don’t custom-build the other 20% unless it prints money.
Is aggressive SEO/content performance a core driver?
When search drives almost all revenue, performance tuning and content structure matter. A custom framework lets you control images, caching, and templating at a fine level.
Good fit: media sites, large blogs, content marketing knowledge bases, off-page SEO.
Caution: genuine risk of over-engineering; measure real gains.
Compromise: Webflow with discipline can be a “good enough” graduation from Squarespace.
Squarespace and Shopify exist to save you time and reduce risk. Custom is for when business needs truly don’t fit in the box.
Why not Wordpress? It'll get the job done, but you’re signing up for constant updates, security patching, and everything will take ~15% longer.
Not sure which way to go?
Schedule a Free Consultation| Squarespace | Shopify | Custom Site | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Use | Brochure sites, simple content, lead forms | Online sales, catalog, checkout, POS | Custom flows, portals, high-scale content |
| Time to Launch | Low — site up in days | Medium — site up in weeks | High — site up in months |
| Monthly Cost | Lowest, $20-30/mo. | Low, platform fee + app/payment fees | Varies widely based on hosting + developer time |
| Flexibility | Limited, drag-and-drop templates | Strong commerce features w/themed front-end | Full control (design, data, performance) |
| Performance | “Good enough” if you keep it simple | Optimized checkout; theme performance varies | Can be first class — you own the tuning! |
| Integrations | Basic; limited options | Large app store; payments, shipping, tax | Anything with an API; unlimited |
| Maintenance Burden | Almost zero | Low–based on shop complexity | Almost constant (builds, updates, testing) |
| Use When | You need presence, not engineering | You take payments or ship things | The others don't fit |
“It’s not a faith in technology. It’s a faith in people.”— Steve Jobs