WordPress, Wix, Shopify or custom: which solution for your website?
Every technology has its strengths and limits. An honest comparison to choose the solution suited to your business, your budget and your SEO ambitions.
By Léo Chuzel · Published on · 2 min read
Even before talking about design, a technical question arises: which solution should you build your website on? The choice has lasting consequences for speed, SEO, ease of management and total cost. Here’s an unbiased comparison.
Wix and website builders
Wix, Squarespace or Webflow let you create a website by dragging and dropping blocks, with no technical skills.
- Strengths: quick to learn, low starting cost, hosting included.
- Limits: constrained customisation, average performance, total dependence on the platform. If you want to leave, you often have to redo everything.
Ideal for: a freelancer starting out who wants a simple online presence, until something better comes along.
WordPress
WordPress powers a considerable share of the world’s websites. It’s a versatile tool, with thousands of themes and plugins.
- Strengths: very widespread, many providers, great flexibility thanks to plugins.
- Limits: every plugin adds code and a security risk. Without regular maintenance, a WordPress website becomes slow and vulnerable. “All-in-one” themes are often heavy.
Ideal for: an editorial website or a large blog, with a maintenance budget planned. See also what website maintenance covers.
Shopify
Shopify is a platform dedicated to online commerce, handling hosting, security and payments.
- Strengths: reliability, easy management of products and orders, rich ecosystem, link with in-store sales.
- Limits: monthly subscription, paid apps that add up, some customisations require a developer.
Ideal for: any business for which selling online is a central goal. Our guide creating a Shopify store walks through the steps.
Custom development
A custom website is developed specifically for your project, with modern technologies like Next.js, and paired if needed with an admin area to manage your content. We compare this approach with WordPress in our article headless CMS or WordPress.
- Strengths: maximum speed, stronger security (no vulnerable plugins), complete freedom of design and features, an excellent foundation for SEO.
- Limits: higher initial investment than a template, requires a skilled provider.
Ideal for: businesses for which the website is a major acquisition tool, that want to stand out and rank well on Google.
Quick decision table
- You’re starting out with a very small budget: website builder.
- You publish a huge amount of content and have a maintenance budget: WordPress.
- You sell products online: Shopify.
- Your website must be fast, unique and well ranked, or have specific features: custom.
And for SEO?
All these solutions allow you to rank, but they don’t start with the same assets. Speed and code quality play a growing role in rankings, and that’s where custom development takes the lead. That said, a solid content strategy on WordPress will always beat an empty custom website. Technology is a foundation; content and local SEO make the difference.
Undecided? We’ll advise you for free on the most suitable solution in an initial conversation. Discover our approach to website design in Marseille.