LEARNING CURVE

Low for basic store setup; theme, catalog, international, operational, and integration complexity can grow substantially.

HOSTING MODEL

Managed commerce hosting is part of the platform.

CUSTOM DOMAIN

Custom domains connect within store settings; DNS requirements depend on where the name is managed.

EXTENSIBILITY

Themes, apps, APIs, and partner development support a large commerce ecosystem.

BEST USE CASES

+ Stores that need products, payments, orders, and operations

+ Brands requiring a commerce ecosystem

+ Teams whose website is part of a retail workflow

POOR USE CASES

Editorial sites with no commerce operation

Custom applications unrelated to selling

Projects choosing commerce only for a product-like visual style

TRADEOFF LEDGER

What you gain
and what you accept.

  1. 01

    Commerce operations are first-class

  2. 02

    Large ecosystem

  3. 03

    App and theme decisions need governance

  4. 04

    Content-only sites may carry unnecessary commerce complexity

WHO SHOULD CHOOSE SOMETHING ELSE

Choose a general website builder if selling is not central, or a custom commerce stack when product requirements exceed the managed platform model.

Revisit the selector →