Shopify vs Wix eCommerce vs Custom: Which Is Right for UK Small Businesses?

I build on all three approaches, so I have no horse in this race. Here's the honest comparison UK small business owners actually need in 2026.

Shopify — best for serious sellers

• **Monthly cost:** £25–£289+
• **Best for:** Stores doing £30k+/year, brands that want to scale, anyone shipping physical product at volume
• **Strengths:** Best-in-class checkout (lifts conversion 5–15% on its own), Shop Pay, huge app ecosystem, rock-solid uptime, brilliant inventory tools
• **Weaknesses:** Transaction fees if you don't use Shopify Payments, theme customisation has a learning curve, content/blog tools are basic

Wix eCommerce — best for first stores under £30k/year

• **Monthly cost:** £22–£139
• **Best for:** New stores, service businesses adding a small shop, anyone who needs a beautiful site they can edit themselves
• **Strengths:** Genuinely the easiest to use, beautiful templates, integrated bookings/blog/email all-in-one, no plugin maintenance
• **Weaknesses:** Outgrows you eventually if you scale past a few hundred orders/month, fewer specialist apps than Shopify

Custom-built eCommerce — best for unique or scaling brands

• **Cost:** £8k–£40k+ one-off, then hosting/maintenance
• **Best for:** Established brands that need bespoke product configurators, B2B trade portals, multi-warehouse logistics, or experiences no template can deliver
• **Strengths:** Exactly the UX you want, no per-transaction fees, total control of data and integrations, scales infinitely
• **Weaknesses:** Bigger upfront investment and you need an ongoing development partner

My honest recommendation

• Under £30k/year or unsure if eCommerce will work: **Wix eCommerce**
• Growing fast, physical product at volume: **Shopify**
• Established brand with bespoke needs or B2B workflows: **Custom build**

The platform is rarely what makes or breaks a store — product, photography, traffic and customer service do. Pick the one you'll actually use, and ship.