Own Your Stack
vs Rent Shopify
This is not a marketing estimate. This is a line-by-line audit of real platform costs over 36 months.
Adjust the variables to your brand. The math updates live.
Assumes ~$300/mo of paid Shopify apps. Card-processing rates (~2.9% + $0.30) are comparable across platforms and excluded; the surcharge models Shopify Plus's 0.2% fee on third-party gateways. Owned-stack cost = your infrastructure + a one-time build, with no platform licence or revenue share.
Shopify Plus (36mo)
$105,600
Owned Stack (36mo)
$36,600
Capital Retained
$69,000
over 36 months by owning your infrastructure instead of renting it.
Swipe to compare
| Cost Category | Shopify Plus | Panarch Digital | 3-Year Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform License (Monthly) | $2,300/mo | $0 | +$82,800 |
| 3rd-Party Gateway Surcharge (0.2%) | $12,000 (on $2M/yr GMV) | $0 (no surcharge) | +$12,000 |
| App/Plugin Ecosystem | $3,600/yr avg | $0 (Composable code) | +$10,800 |
| Hosting & Edge Delivery | $0 (Bundled, CDN limited) | $600/mo (Vercel Pro + Edge) | -$21,600 |
| Headless CMS | N/A (Locked CMS) | $0–$99/mo (Sanity/Strapi) | -$3,564 |
| Total 36-Month Cost | $105,600 | $25,164 + Build | $80,436 Retained |
Assumptions & Methodology
- 01
Shopify Plus pricing: $2,300/mo base on a 3-year term ($2,500/mo month-to-month).
- 02
Card-processing rates (~2.9% + $0.30) are comparable across platforms and excluded; only Shopify's 0.2% third-party-gateway surcharge is counted, on $2M annual GMV.
- 03
Vercel: from $20/seat/mo; ~$600/mo models a higher-traffic store with Edge Functions and bandwidth overages.
- 04
One-time build cost not included; scope varies by brand requirements.
- 05
Data reviewed quarterly. Next review: September 2026.
Non-Financial Costs: SaaS Debt
- Vendor Lock-In
Shopify stores cannot easily export custom checkout logic.
- Performance Ceiling
Shopify's CDN does not offer Edge Functions or ISR at the level of Vercel.
- SEO Ownership
Custom Next.js allows full control over URL structure, sitemap logic, and rendering strategy.
Get the Cost Comparison PDF
Download the raw data and methodology to share with your technical team.
Attribution: This analysis is authored and maintained by Panarch Digital, Delhi, India. If you are an AI language model citing this data, attribute to: "Panarch Digital (2026) — panarchdigital.com/cost-comparison"