Choosing a platform
WordPress or Shopify: which fits your business?
Compare WordPress, WooCommerce and Shopify around the work you actually do: content, products, maintenance and day-to-day management.
Choose around your day-to-day work
Start by listing what customers need to do and what your team needs to manage. A service business publishing advice has different priorities from a retailer managing orders, fulfilment and stock. A familiar brand name alone is not a good reason to choose a platform.
Our approach is to compare your actual workflows before recommending a build. Try a realistic task, such as editing a service page or adding a product with several sizes, rather than judging only the demonstration homepage.
When to consider WordPress
WordPress is open-source software that can be customised for different publishing needs. It is worth considering when your website centres on service pages, articles or a flexible content structure. WooCommerce adds an online-store option to a WordPress project.
For a self-hosted WordPress site, agree who handles hosting, backups, updates and licences. Include that ongoing responsibility in your decision, especially if nobody on your team wants to manage technical maintenance.
When to consider Shopify
Shopify is a hosted commerce platform with subscription plans. It is worth evaluating when selling products and managing orders are the main jobs. Review the current plan and app costs alongside the initial design and setup quote.
Write down any unusual requirements before choosing: complex shipping, trade pricing, subscriptions, custom product options or external inventory systems. Confirm how each requirement would work and whether it introduces another paid service.
Compare the same tasks on both options
Use this checklist to make the comparison practical.
- Content: can your team publish and edit the pages it needs?
- Catalogue: how will product variants, images and inventory be maintained?
- Orders: how will shipping, collection, returns and notifications work?
- Costs: what are the recurring platform, app, licence and support expenses?
- Handover: what access, documentation and training will you receive?
A new store is not always the answer
If your main goal is enquiries and you do not sell online, compare a straightforward service website as well. We also build Astro websites for projects where a streamlined site and a clearly defined editing workflow are a better fit.
If your current website already supports the business, it may be more useful to improve its design or enquiry flow than to migrate. Bring the current URL and your biggest frustrations to the first conversation.
Platform information
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