Platforms
The right platform for what your website has to do
Webflow, Shopify, and custom development each do a different job well. We match your site to the one built for what it needs to do, and explain how each one charges.
The problem
Every platform says it fits your business
Every platform’s own site says the same thing. Wix says build anything. Shopify says anyone can start a store. WordPress points to the share of the internet that already runs on it. Read them back to back and there is no wrong choice.
The differences only show up after the site is built. They arrive as a plan fee that renews every month, a cut of every sale, or the first feature your business needs that the platform cannot add. By then the site is live, and moving it is a second project with its own price.
That is why our list is three platforms long, and why Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress are not on it. Webflow for sites that run on content. Shopify for selling. Custom code when a site needs what neither allows.
Which of the three is yours comes down to one question.
What does your site have to do all day?
Publish content and persuade a reader. Sell a product and process a checkout. Load fast enough to win the search that started the visit. Answer that, and the platform question mostly answers itself.
Webflow vs Shopify, and when a custom build fits better
Most businesses fall into one of three situations. Find the one that matches yours, then see the cost and tradeoff differences below.
Content-led marketing site, blog, or pages your team updates weekly
Webflow
Visual editing and built-in content tools, so content changes do not need a developer. The tradeoff is a recurring Webflow plan fee whether or not you ever sell a product through it.
Learn moreSelling physical products with checkout, inventory, and shipping
Shopify
Checkout, payments, tax, and shipping already work on day one. The tradeoff is a per-transaction fee on every sale, stacked on top of the monthly plan.
Learn moreOutgrown what a template menu allows, or need the site wired into software you already run
Custom build
Full control over speed, search performance, and integrations, with no platform ceiling. The tradeoff is a larger cost upfront in build hours instead of a smaller plan fee spread over time.
Learn moreWhat we give you before a platform is chosen
Platform recommendation in writing
A short, plain-language recommendation you can share internally before we build anything.
A site built for the platform, not against it
We use each platform the way it was designed to work, so it stays maintainable after launch.
A cost breakdown before you commit
Plan fees, transaction cuts, and estimated build hours for whichever platform fits, on one page you can react to.
Before you decide
Is Webflow cheaper than a custom build (Astro.js)?
Upfront, usually yes. Webflow charges a recurring plan fee that is smaller than paying for a full custom build in build hours.
Over several years the comparison can flip. A Webflow plan renews every month and scales with the plan tier for as long as the site stays live, while a custom build’s hosting is a small cost that follows its traffic.
Which one costs less for your business depends on how long the site stays live and how much content your team publishes in that time. Bring us those two facts and we run the comparison for you.
How is Shopify pricing structured?
Two pieces: a monthly plan fee for the platform itself, and a per-transaction processing fee on every sale.
The processing fee runs lower if you check out through Shopify Payments and higher if you run payments through an outside company, which adds that company’s own cut.
Both figures move with your plan tier, and Shopify updates them periodically. The current published rates live on Shopify’s pricing page instead of a number we would print here and let go stale.
Does the platform change how easily people find the site on Google or through AI tools?
Less than the build quality does. Any of the three can rank well when its pages load fast and carry the details Google reads.
The same goes for AI. When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity for a business like yours, those tools lean on your site’s structured details, your Google Business Profile, and a consistent name, address, and phone across the map listings.
We set all of that up as part of every build, whichever platform it lands on.
Can I start with Webflow and move to a custom build (Astro.js) later if I outgrow it?
Yes, that path is common. When a site grows into more integrations or more custom functionality than a template-driven platform handles, a custom build picks up from there.
Content does not carry over automatically between the two, so the move gets scoped and built like its own project rather than a simple copy. That cost is real, which is part of why we would rather help you pick the right platform up front.
Is Shopify still worth it in 2026?
For most businesses selling physical products, yes.
Shopify remains the fastest path to a reliable checkout, inventory system, and payment stack without building that infrastructure from scratch.
It is worth less to a business whose site is mostly content, not a store.
Does a custom build (Astro.js) take longer than Webflow or Shopify?
Usually, yes. A custom build starts from nothing, while Webflow and Shopify start from a working platform already built.
That extra time buys full control over speed, structure, and the integrations the site runs on.
We give you a real timeline once we understand what the site has to do, not a generic range before we know the scope.
Get a platform recommendation for your site
Tell us what you sell, how you sell it, and how the site needs to grow. We reply with which of the three builds fits.