Choosing an E-Commerce Platform: WooCommerce, Shopify or a Custom Build

An e-commerce platform is the full set of software and services your online store runs on: product and inventory management, cart and checkout, order and shipping flow, and the admin dashboard. There are three main paths: WooCommerce, the open-source option that runs on WordPress; Shopify, a ready-made platform you use on a monthly subscription; and custom software built specifically for your business. Which e-commerce platform is right depends on how many products you have, your sales model, your budget and how much control you want.

What questions should you answer when choosing an e-commerce platform?

Clarifying your own needs before comparing platforms helps you avoid the wrong choice:

• How many products will you sell, and how complex are they? A boutique store with ten products and a catalog with thousands of variants don't have the same needs.
• Who are you selling to? Individual consumers (B2C), or dealers and organizations (B2B)? B2B brings needs such as customer accounts, special price lists and a quote flow.
• Which systems does it need to talk to? Accounting and e-invoicing, shipping companies, inventory/ERP, marketplaces.
• How important is content? Are a blog, guides and corporate pages part of how you sell?
• Who will run it? Will your team enter orders and products, and who will handle technical maintenance?
• How are you calculating the total cost? Besides the setup cost, you need to count monthly subscriptions, plugin/app fees, transaction fees and maintenance.

WooCommerce: open-source e-commerce on WordPress

WooCommerce is open-source e-commerce software that you install as a plugin on WordPress. The core plugin is free. However, some features, such as subscriptions, bookings or advanced shipping rules, come with free or paid extensions. According to its WordPress.org page, it has more than 7 million active installations.

Strengths

• Ownership: The site, the data and the customer list are on your server. Switching platforms or exporting data is under your control.
• Content power: Thanks to WordPress's content management, you manage product pages, the blog and corporate pages in the same system. This is also an advantage for SEO.
• Flexibility: You can adapt design and functionality almost without limit, through plugins or custom development.
• No platform commission: WooCommerce itself takes no commission per sale. That said, the payment provider's fees apply separately.

Things to watch out for

• Hosting and performance: You choose and manage the server. Then, as products and traffic grow, server resources, caching and database settings become important.
• Maintenance and security: WordPress, WooCommerce and plugins need regular updates. On a site that takes orders, therefore, this isn't something you can postpone. We covered the details in our post on website maintenance.
• Number of plugins: Adding a new plugin for every need strains both performance and security.

Shopify: a ready-made platform on a subscription

Shopify is an e-commerce platform you use on a monthly subscription (SaaS). The platform handles hosting, security and software updates, and you build your store with ready-made themes and add-ons from the app store.

Strengths

• Quick start: You don't have to set up a server or update software.
• Predictable technical burden: Keeping the infrastructure running is the platform's responsibility.
• A large app ecosystem: Ready-made apps can meet many needs.

Things to watch out for

• Ongoing costs: On top of the monthly subscription, many apps also charge their own monthly fees.
• Payment and transaction fees: As of September 2025, Shopify's own payment service, Shopify Payments, is not available in Turkey. According to Shopify's help pages, in countries where Shopify Payments isn't supported, you need to use a third-party payment provider, and Shopify charges an additional transaction fee on sales that go through third-party payment providers. Rates vary by plan, so check the current figures on Shopify's pricing page.
• Platform lock-in: You can export product and customer data, but you can't move themes, apps and customizations to another platform.
• Local integrations: You need to research up front how you will integrate with payment institutions, shipping companies and e-invoicing systems in Turkey using ready-made apps.

Custom e-commerce software: when do you need it?

Custom software means developing the e-commerce system around your business processes, either from scratch or on top of a framework. It comes up when you hit the limits of a ready-made platform:

• Complex B2B setups that sell to dealers, organizations and end users with different pricing, inventory and approval flows.
• Deep, two-way integration with production, warehouse or ERP systems.
• Business models that don't fit a standard cart, such as product configurators, quote-based sales or subscriptions.

However, the price of custom software isn't just the initial development. You also need a permanent team for security, for keeping payment integrations up to date and for new features. We discussed this decision in detail in our posts What is custom software and custom software cost.

E-commerce platform comparison: WooCommerce vs. Shopify vs. a custom build

There are also marketplaces. Selling on a marketplace gives you a quick start; however, you pay a commission on every sale, and the customer relationship and brand experience depend largely on the marketplace's rules. Many businesses use marketplaces not as an alternative to their own site but as a complement to it.

Payment processing in Turkey: the general picture

There are two common ways to accept payments online:

• Banks' virtual POS service: The business signs a contract directly with a bank to accept card payments. In addition, the application and approval process varies by bank.
• Payment institutions: Institutions that provide payment services in Turkey obtain an operating license from the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (TCMB) under Law No. 6493. TCMB publishes the list of licensed institutions on its website. Also, these institutions usually offer a faster application process and ready-made e-commerce plugins.

When choosing a payment provider, look beyond commission rates: Is there a ready-made, up-to-date plugin for your platform? How does 3D Secure (additional verification by the cardholder) work? How long does it take for money to reach your account? What happens with refunds and installments? Finally, always check that the institution you will work with is on the TCMB list.

Legal obligations: a short checklist

Whichever e-commerce platform you choose, a business selling online in Turkey has certain obligations. This list is for general information:

• E-commerce legislation: Law No. 6563 on the Regulation of Electronic Commerce governs commercial communications and the service provider's information obligations.
• ETBİS registration: Under a communiqué dated 11 August 2017, service providers that sell through their own website or app must register with the Electronic Commerce Information System (ETBİS).
• Distance selling: The Law on Consumer Protection and the Distance Contracts Regulation cover matters such as the preliminary information form, the distance sales contract and, as a general rule, a 14-day right of withdrawal. There are exceptions for some product groups.
• Personal data: Membership, orders and marketing permissions require privacy notices and explicit consent processes under the PDPL.
• Invoicing: Documenting sales with e-invoices (e-Fatura) or e-archive invoices (e-Arşiv) raises the question of integration with your accounting system.

These items directly shape the site itself: the checkout step must show the contract texts, the consent checkboxes must work correctly and the site must collect billing information correctly. That is why you need to address them with your legal and financial advisors before site design begins.

Our experience

We built a WooCommerce-based e-commerce site for Juliette Artisan Chocolatier. In this setup, products, the order flow and the content pages that tell the brand's story all live in the same WordPress dashboard.

Our approach in e-commerce projects is this: first we clarify the product structure, the payment and shipping flow and where the legal texts will be shown. Only then do we choose the platform based on these needs. Because we build most of our projects on WordPress, we see WooCommerce as a natural option for stores where content and SEO matter. For business models that don't fit a standard cart, we consider custom software.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

Choosing an e-commerce platform is less a software choice than a business model decision. WooCommerce offers ownership and flexibility, Shopify a low technical burden and a custom build unlimited adaptability. However, you pay for each one in a different way. The right decision emerges when you weigh your product structure, your payment and legal processes and the total cost over several years together.

If you'd like to set up an online store or review the platform behind your existing store, take a look at our web design, WordPress development and software and digital solutions pages, or get in touch with us.