Short answer
Which platform should I choose for e-commerce?
The decision is made on two numbers rather than a feature list: your monthly order volume and the platform's commission rate. At low volume a hosted platform is almost always right — setup is fast and fixed cost is low. As volume grows, commission overtakes subscription and the twelve-month total for a custom build moves ahead. If the catalogue is non-standard, that crossover arrives earlier.
Key takeaways
- The comparison is on twelve-month total cost, not features: subscription plus commission plus transaction fees.
- The real limit of a hosted platform is not its look but its data model: on catalogues with non-standard variants, size tables or bundles, the flexibility runs out quickly.
- Being able to export feeds to marketplaces and ad channels is as important a criterion as the admin interface.
- In a custom build the risk is not technology but continuity of maintenance; a widely used framework and a transferable repository close most of it.
- Whichever you choose, the product data structure — GTIN, variants, stock and markup — is part of the build; correcting it later costs twice as much.
Where is the crossover?
A hosted platform's cost has two parts: a fixed subscription and a commission tied to sales. At low order volume the commission is a small number and the hosted route is cheaper without argument. As volume grows, commission rises linearly while the cost of a custom build stays largely fixed — and the point where the two lines cross is where the platform decision belongs.
Which one, when
A store just starting out
- Hosted platform
- Strong
- Custom build
- Early and unnecessary
Standard product, standard variants
- Hosted platform
- Strong
- Custom build
- Makes no difference
Size tables, bundles, personalisation
- Hosted platform
- Limited
- Custom build
- Strong
High order volume
- Hosted platform
- Commission grows
- Custom build
- Strong
Deep integration with enterprise systems
- Hosted platform
- Dependent on apps
- Custom build
- Strong
Small team, limited technical capacity
- Hosted platform
- Strong
- Custom build
- Maintenance risk
| Situation | Hosted platform | Custom build |
|---|---|---|
| A store just starting out | Strong | Early and unnecessary |
| Standard product, standard variants | Strong | Makes no difference |
| Size tables, bundles, personalisation | Limited | Strong |
| High order volume | Commission grows | Strong |
| Deep integration with enterprise systems | Dependent on apps | Strong |
| Small team, limited technical capacity | Strong | Maintenance risk |
Where is the real limit of a hosted platform?
The limit is not in the design but in the data model. Standard variants like colour and size work on every platform; once made-to-measure products, bundles, per-product shipping rules and personalisation options enter, the hosted platform starts being extended app on app. At that point both cost and fragility rise.
Frequently asked
Can you migrate later?
- Yes, and the cost depends on how disciplined the product data is. A catalogue with its fields properly filled moves as a data export; a catalogue whose descriptions carry embedded markup has to be cleaned product by product. Preserving the address structure and preparing a 301 table are inseparable parts of the move.
Why does exporting a marketplace feed matter?
- Because the store does not stay the only sales channel. Sending the same product data to marketplaces and ad channels with the right fields is the platform requirement people notice latest. On a platform that cannot produce feeds, the catalogue gets re-entered by hand for every channel — and as you grow, that becomes a full-time job.
Sources
- 01Merchant listing (Product) structured data — Google Search Central, 2026
- 02Product variant (ProductGroup) structured data — Google Search Central, 2026
- 03Product data specification (GTIN, brand, availability) — Google Merchant Center, 2026
Queries this page answers
- hosted ecommerce platform vs custom
- which ecommerce platform
- ecommerce platform comparison