WooCommerce, Shopify or a custom-built store: when to choose which, with prices from 98 quotes
Shopify for a fast launch and subscription, WooCommerce for control without a platform fee, custom for warehouse integration and business prices. A store from us costs 840-6 300 € based on 98 of our quotes, most often around 1 950 €.
For businesses choosing an online store platform and not wanting to switch it after a year.
Ивелин КириловChief Technology Officer (CTO) ·Managing editor:
Владислав БарковManaging Director· Updated Shopify, when you want the fastest launch, a standard catalogue and are happy to pay a monthly platform subscription. WooCommerce, when you want the store and data to be yours without a platform fee and your catalogue is standard. A custom-built store, when stock comes from a warehouse or ERP, you have business customer pricing, or you have a catalogue with thousands of products and variants: an online store with us costs €840-€6,300, usually around €1,950, across 98 of our quotes as of 14 August 2026, while WooCommerce stores are at the lower and middle end of this range.
We do both: WooCommerce stores and custom-built stores connected to warehouse software. That is why the comparison below is not “ours versus theirs”, but about when each platform is the right choice. Shopify prices were taken from its Bulgaria page on the date shown next to them.
WooCommerce and custom-built
WooCommerce gives you control without a monthly platform fee; hosting and paid extensions are separate. A custom-built store makes sense when you have a warehouse, business customer pricing and a large catalogue where plugins run out of options.
Shopify
Shopify offers a fast launch and a maintained platform in exchange for a monthly subscription and a fee when using an external payment provider. Suitable when you do not need an integration with your own warehouse.
Comparison by criteria
| Criterion | WooCommerce and custom-built | Shopify | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform price | WooCommerce: free, open-source plugin, with no monthly platform fee; hosting and paid extensions are separate. Custom: €840-€6,300 one-off | Shopify: Basic 19 € per month with annual billing or 27 € with monthly billing; Grow 56 € or 74 € | Compare the total cost over two years |
| Payments | WooCommerce and custom: you choose the payment provider, with no fee to the platform | Shopify: with a third-party payment provider, an additional fee of 2 % on Basic and 1 % on Grow | Check the fees for your provider |
| Control | WooCommerce and custom: the code and data are yours, on your hosting | Shopify: the store runs on Shopify's platform and is exported according to its rules | WooCommerce or custom-built |
| Inventory and business pricing | Custom: shared stock with the warehouse, prices synced both ways, business prices and quote requests | Shopify: depends on the available apps, each with its own fee | Custom-built for inventory and business customers |
| Large catalogue | Custom: thousands of products with variants, Excel import, fast search and filters, bot protection | Shopify: standard variants and search; filters are an app | Custom for thousands of products |
| Starter | WooCommerce: two to six weeks; custom: two to three months | Shopify: days, if the catalogue is ready | Shopify for a fast launch |
Ready-made products our clients weigh up
The facts come from each product's public page, read on the date next to the link. A figure we could not read there is not included on the page.
| Product | What it is and how you pay | Who it is for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Subscription platform: Basic 19 € per month with annual billing (27 € with monthly billing), Grow 56 € (74 €), Advanced 289 € (384 €). With a third-party payment provider, a fee of 2 % on Basic, 1 % on Grow and 0.6 % on Advanced. | A store with a standard catalogue that needs to launch in days, without integration with its own warehouse. | shopify.com, prices for Bulgaria as of 14 October 2026 |
| WooCommerce | An open-source platform for WordPress, free to download; hosting, the theme and extensions are separate. We build stores on it. | A company that wants control and a blog on the same site, with a standard catalogue of up to hundreds of products. | woocommerce.com as of 14 October 2026 |
When Shopify is enough to get started
A store with a few dozen products sold to end customers, without inventory software, that needs to launch this week can start on Shopify with the monthly subscription and the per-order fee charged by an external payment provider.
When you also sell to businesses, with different prices and invoices, or your stock levels live in inventory software, Shopify's limit is its apps: each one solves a problem, each comes with its own fee, and the connection to inventory is where the compromises begin.
When WooCommerce is enough-and when it is not
Pelikan DTM’s store runs on WooCommerce and uses custom warehouse software: orders from the store enter the ERP, while products are published from the ERP to the store. WooCommerce is a good choice for a catalogue of up to hundreds of products, with a blog and an admin area the client can use themselves.
WooCommerce stops being enough when you have thousands of products with variants and filters, business customer pricing, or quote requests instead of a cart. A store with a large catalogue needs its own server and protection from bots that crash stores with filters: at Pelikan DTM, requests from visitors who are not real users to filtered pages are rejected.
When a custom-built store is worth it
When inventory comes from a warehouse or ERP and must be the same in both places. A wholesaler asked us for a store where products, prices and inventory come from Microinvest Pro, the order returns to the software as a sale, and the invoice is issued there automatically: this is a custom store costing around €1,950, not a plugin. Labimex sells laboratory supplies to universities and hospitals, which send a list and receive a proposal instead of using a cart; Q-Parts.bg has an auto-parts catalog where searches work by VIN, make and model, with Econt shipping labels. Akbari Perfume is a custom store where the owner manages products, inventory and promotions herself, while Econt and Speedy shipping costs are calculated live in the order.
The 3DPrintX solution shows the complete connection: prices synced in both directions between the website and the system, online orders, a warehouse with shipment tracking, serial-number-based servicing and B2B sales. It opens without registration.
Real systems and solutions you can open
An office equipment store where orders go into the warehouse system and products are published from it.
A catalogue with filters by manufacturer and CAS number, plus an enquiry and quotation system for universities, hospitals and laboratories.
Search by VIN, filters by make and model, and shipping labels and shipment tracking through Econt.
A custom-built store we have maintained since 2023: the owner manages products and promotions herself, with live Econt and Speedy rates in the order and server-side Meta tracking.
Prices synced both ways between the website and the system, orders, a warehouse with shipments, and serial-number service tracking.
WooCommerce, if:
- you want control without a monthly platform fee
- the blog and easy administration are important
- the catalogue is standard, with up to hundreds of products
Shopify, if:
- you want the fastest start and accept the subscription
- you do not need a connection to your own warehouse
- you do not want to deal with hosting and updates
A custom-built store, if:
- stock levels come from a warehouse or ERP
- you have business customer pricing or quote requests
- search needs to work across a catalogue with thousands of products
Next step
Considering “Online store development”? Describe what you need.
You describe the project, we come back with questions and a price range, then a demo and a written proposal.
Frequently asked questions
WooCommerce or Shopify?
WooCommerce has no monthly platform fee, but hosting and extensions are paid separately, and the store is yours. Shopify launches faster in exchange for a subscription starting at 19 € per month with annual billing for Basic, plus a fee when using an external payment provider, as of the date above. Both work for a standard catalogue; the deciding factor is whether you want the store to be yours.
When is a custom-built store worth it?
When inventory comes from a warehouse, there are company prices, or the catalog is large and includes variants and filters. We show this type of connection in the 3DPrintX solution and are implementing it for Pelikan DTM. It costs €840-€6,300, usually around €1,950, and takes two to three months.
Can the store be connected to Microinvest?
Yes. Products, prices and stock levels come from the software, the order is returned to it as a sale, and the invoice is issued there. We clarify exactly how the integration will work with the person who maintains Microinvest before preparing the quote.
Can we switch platforms later?
Yes, but migration costs time and Google rankings if page URLs change. That is why we plan category and product URLs, payments and integrations from the start so they can be migrated.
What does it cost after launch?
With Shopify, the subscription and apps. With WooCommerce and custom-built stores, hosting and, optionally, support for €100-€350 per month: updates, nightly backups, checks that the store is responding, and minor changes.
How long does it take?
Shopify launches in days if the catalogue and photos are ready. We build a WooCommerce store in two to six weeks. A custom-built store with a catalogue, card payments and shipping labels is usually ready in two to three months, like Q-Parts.bg and Labimex.
