2026-11-02
Wix, Shopline, WordPress vs custom — five-year cost
Builders are not a scam and custom is not luxury. The difference is whether five years of spend is platform fees and your hours, or a build plus someone on call.
When a builder wins
Tight budget, you will edit the theme yourself, and the features exist as modules. Theme, transaction fees and apps add up; so does your time.
When custom wins
A visual identity of your own, someone accountable for speed and SEO, care after launch, or features a builder cannot do. A brand site plus 60 months of Essential Care is about NT$218,400 excl. VAT, and you are not stuck in their theme.
Compare like with like
Do not stack a builder's monthly fee against a custom build, or a custom year-one against a builder's first month. Put five-year spend and who fixes the site at 1 a.m. on the same page.