WordPress vs Shopify: which should you actually build on?

A no-nonsense guide to picking the right platform for your business — from someone who builds on both every week.

One of the first questions clients ask is: "WordPress or Shopify?" The honest answer — it depends on what you sell and how you want to run it.

Choose WordPress (WooCommerce) if…

You want full control over design, content and structure.
Content and SEO matter as much as sales — blogs, landing pages, resources.
Budget matters: WordPress is usually the most affordable build.

Choose Shopify if…

E-commerce is the whole point — orders, inventory, checkout.
You want payments, shipping and tax handled out of the box.

My rule of thumb

If the store is the business, Shopify's guardrails save time. If the website is a marketing engine that also sells, WordPress gives you room to grow. Either way I set up hosting, SEO and analytics so it launches ready to perform.