Two shops I work on, two different decisions: SachaSport stayed on Shoptet, MiQueen moved to a custom Next.js shop. At SachaSport the obstacle was in the data: new Dynafit products were missing once the "In stock" filter was on, and I deployed the fix on 23 October 2026. A custom shop makes sense only for a documented requirement that a ready-made solution cannot meet. My packages deliver in 5-8 weeks (MVP), 8-14 weeks (Pro) and 16-30 weeks (Enterprise). A custom e-shop starts from €5,600.
Three Options, Not Two
The question "Shoptet or a custom e-shop?" usually skips the middle option. In practice you choose between three:
Three paths to an e-shop
- Shoptet without template changes better settings, product data, categories, content and add-ons
- A customised Shoptet template your own presentation and behaviour, the commerce core stays on Shoptet
- A custom e-shop a React and Next.js web application, operated under your responsibility
I work on all three. For SachaSport, I improve the existing Shoptet store; for MiQueen, I built a custom shop following the move from Shoptet. This guide is based on what I actually dealt with on both projects. It is not a points-based test with an automatic winner, but a process for reaching a decision you can defend.
MiQueen and SachaSport: Two Briefs, Two Decisions
Both shops started on Shoptet. The difference was not size but what had stopped working.
| MiQueen (winery) | SachaSport (sports equipment) | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A Shoptet store at shop.miqueen.cz. | A Shoptet store whose homepage worked mainly as a product grid. |
| The problem | According to the brief: high monthly fees, limits on the required design and on further automation. | Visitors lacked orientation in a wide range. Size filters did not fit every category. |
| What the shop needed | One foundation for brand and purchase: wines, tastings, gift vouchers, vineyard adoption and a corporate offer. | Guide visitors from a sport to a category and the right size. |
| Decision | A custom e-shop in Next.js with its own cart and checkout. | Stay on Shoptet. Redesign, category hubs, mobile navigation and filter fixes. |
| What follows | Its own shopping interface and room to grow on the winery's priorities. Also its own maintenance responsibility. | The commerce core worked, so migrating the whole shop would have solved a problem the shop did not have. |
Two practical details shaped the decisions:
- At SachaSport the obstacle was in the data, not the platform. A universal size attribute did not fit every category: skis and ski-touring sets use length, ski boots use Mondo sizing and running shoes EU sizing. New Dynafit products therefore disappeared from results once the "In stock" filter was on. I deployed the fix on 23 October 2026 and verified it on the live site straight away. A custom e-shop would not have solved this; it would only have moved it elsewhere.
- A feature outside the shop does not have to mean migration. For SachaSport's service and rental, I developed a separate internal application outside Shoptet: service orders with a fault description and photos, equipment booking in a calendar and an admin area for staff. The shop stayed on Shoptet and the new feature sits next to it.
At MiQueen, by contrast, the issue was more than the look of a product grid. The wine offer had to connect with the winery's other experiences and services, and the client wanted to decide how the shop develops. I do not present accounting, inventory or invoicing integrations as finished yet; they belong to the planned development.
The Real Limits of All Three Options
Shoptet without template changes
Enough when the problem lies in data, settings or content. Typically category attributes, variants, stock levels, category copy or badly configured filters.
Limit: presentation and behaviour are set by your template and by what your plan and add-ons allow. What cannot be configured or added will not be fixed by better content.
A customised Shoptet template
Enough when the commerce core (orders, checkout, shipping, payments, admin) suits you, but you want different presentation: category hubs, custom components, product page changes, mobile navigation or content blocks.
Limit: you work on top of a template that Shoptet maintains and updates. Customisations need checking after template changes, and the commerce core remains Shoptet's. Integrations run through available add-ons and APIs, not arbitrary changes to the platform.
A custom e-shop
Makes sense when you have a demonstrated requirement a ready-made solution cannot meet: your own purchase flow, several kinds of offer under one brand, a specific integration or full control over the code and its development.
Limit: a custom e-shop is neither free to run nor unlimited in capacity. You are responsible for hosting, payment services, security, backups, updates and fixes. Features Shoptet provides out of the box have to be designed, built and maintained.
Five Signs You're Outgrowing the Platform
- Design limits your brand. List the actual differences: product card, configurator, filters and checkout. Check available customisations, add-ons and higher plans first.
- Internal system integration is missing. For ERP, WMS or CRM, check both APIs, limits, frequency and failure handling. A custom application offers more control but cannot overcome missing access or contractual restrictions in the target system.
- Performance can't handle your load. Product count alone does not determine speed. Measure search, cart and integration responses under expected load. Neither Next.js nor ISR guarantees millisecond loading.
- You need custom B2B features. Compare individual pricing, approvals and quotes against current plan and add-on capabilities first. Consider custom development for a demonstrated gap, not the name of a feature.
- Add-ons cost more than the platform itself. Add up plan, add-ons, integrations and manual work over the same period. A high total alone does not prove a custom shop will be cheaper.
Decision Questions
| Decision question | Check first | Implication |
|---|---|---|
| Is presentation or navigation the main issue? | A specific redesign proposal and feasibility on the current plan. | Price a redesign and template customisation first. |
| Is a critical function or integration missing? | A sample task, available add-ons, APIs and restrictions on both systems. | Compare an add-on, a separate application and a custom shop at the same scope. |
| Are products missing from filter results? | Category attributes, variants, stock and filter combinations on specific items. | Rule out data and configuration errors first. |
| Are operating costs too high? | Plan, add-ons, integrations, manual work, support and maintenance over the same period. | Compare total costs, not a monthly subscription with a development quote. |
| Do you need full control over the system? | Code rights, access, documentation, maintenance ownership and handover options. | Assess custom development together with its operating plan. |
Cost Items
I give amounts only where they match my price list. Other items depend on the brief, plan and suppliers, so fill them in from current quotes.
| Item | Shoptet and template customisation | Custom e-shop |
|---|---|---|
| My work | Changes to an existing Shoptet store from €60/h, a new Shoptet e-shop from €3,200 | Custom e-shop development from €5,600 |
| Platform | Shoptet monthly plan per the current price list | No platform licence, but hosting and infrastructure |
| Add-ons and services | Paid add-ons, payment gateway, carriers | Payment gateway, carriers, component and external service licences |
| Data and migration | Importing and cleaning products, attributes and variants | The same plus customers, orders and a URL map |
| Operation | Checking customisations after template changes | Maintenance, updates, security, backups and incident handling |
| Manual work | Recorded staff hours × internal cost | The same; automation has to be built first |
I offer custom e-shops in three entry packages. Times are indicative and confirmed against the brief.
| Variant | Price | Time |
|---|---|---|
| MVP (basic e-shop) | from €5,600 | 5–8 weeks |
| Pro (growing e-shop) | from €11,200 | 8–14 weeks |
| Enterprise (multiple markets, B2B, ERP) | from €22,000 | 16–30 weeks |
Worked example: Add-ons: paying for a function or a workaround?
ORIGINAL EXAMPLE · FICTIONAL DATA
| Item | Annual record | Task coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Shipping | 12 × agreed charge | Create label |
| Invoicing | 12 × agreed charge | Issue document |
| Inventory | Licence + integration care | Check stock reservation |
| Manual work | Recorded hours × internal cost | Fix missing status transfers |
Compare the same period, functions and maintenance responsibility.
A One-Page Decision Brief
Before recommending a platform change, I want a specific customer or operator task: choosing the right size, reserving inventory or transferring an order. "We need a more modern shop" does not define the improvement.
One-page decision brief
- Current obstacle where it occurs, how often and what evidence supports it
- Required outcome the task to complete and its acceptance check
- Options settings, template customisation, an add-on or separate application, a custom shop
- Comparable costs preparation, data, development, licensing, operation, maintenance and manual work
- Ownership responsibility for code, content, access, backups and incidents
- Decision and reason the selected option and the compromise accepted
Three years can be a comparison period for the costs, not a prediction of system lifespan.
Migration Checklist
If a custom e-shop comes out as the better fit, I recommend this process. It is a checklist for a future migration, not a retrospective claim that I hold archived evidence for every item from MiQueen.
Before switching
- Export every indexed and visited URL: products, categories, articles, filters, images and downloads.
- Map each old address to one closest new address. A blanket redirect to the homepage is not appropriate.
- Transfer products, variants, attributes, prices and stock, and verify them on representative items.
- Test shipping, payments, order confirmation, emails and measurement.
- Know the failure behaviour of every integration.
- Prepare a way back in case a critical issue appears at launch.
At and after the switch
- Deploy redirects and verify that every old address returns a single hop to a target page with status 200, with no chains or loops.
- Update the sitemap, canonical URLs, internal links and campaign links.
- Submit the new sitemap in Google Search Console and monitor crawl and indexing errors.
- Compare results using the same metric definition, accounting for seasonality, advertising, stock availability and pricing.
A 301 redirect example
URL map (the addresses are made up for illustration):
| Old address | New address |
|---|---|
| /cervena-vina | /vina/cervena |
| /ryzlink-rynsky-2023 | /vina/ryzlink-rynsky-2023 |
| /darkovy-poukaz | /poukazy |
The same map in a Next.js configuration:
// next.config.js
module.exports = {
async redirects() {
return [
{ source: "/cervena-vina", destination: "/vina/cervena", statusCode: 301 },
{ source: "/ryzlink-rynsky-2023", destination: "/vina/ryzlink-rynsky-2023", statusCode: 301 },
{ source: "/darkovy-poukaz", destination: "/poukazy", statusCode: 301 },
];
},
};
In Next.js, permanent: true returns status 308, which is also a permanent redirect. You set 301 with the statusCode property. If the domain or subdomain changes too, the old address must also return the redirect, so its DNS and server need to stay under your control. See the SEO migration guide for the full process.
When I Don't Recommend Custom Development
- The obstacle is in data or settings. Like SachaSport's filters: fixing attributes solves the problem faster and cheaper than a new shop.
- Presentation is the main issue. I first price a template customisation or custom design on Shoptet.
- One feature outside purchasing is missing. Booking, service or internal records can run as a separate application next to the shop.
- There is no operating budget. A custom shop needs ongoing maintenance, security, backups and incident handling.
- The deadline is fixed and the brief unclear. Establish scope and data readiness first. No platform alone guarantees a launch date.
- Turnover or product count is the only argument. Neither is a universal migration threshold.
How to Tell Whether the Decision Helped
Choose a measure that matches the problem before making changes. For a filter, that may be successfully finding the right product in a test run; for a commercial outcome, completed orders, conversion rate or qualified inquiries. Traffic growth alone does not demonstrate migration ROI.
Summary
If the commerce core suits you, start with settings and template customisation; I help with that through Shoptet support and changes. If you have a demonstrated requirement a ready-made solution cannot meet, I will scope a custom e-shop. To compare platforms, see Shoptet, Shopify and custom e-shop development; for a full price overview, read How Much Does an E-shop Cost.