Websites & Ecommerce
Bespoke website vs WordPress, Shopify and Squarespace
The short answer
Squarespace suits simple brochure sites, Shopify is usually the best default for standard ecommerce, WordPress remains flexible when it is well maintained, and bespoke is strongest when the website must integrate deeply, serve unusual journeys or become part of an operational system. Do not commission bespoke merely to avoid a platform subscription.
Indicative price ranges
Squarespace / configured template
£1,000–£6,000
Simple content site with limited bespoke behaviour.
WordPress or Shopify build
£5,000–£25,000
Custom design and configuration on an established content or commerce platform.
Bespoke platform
£15,000–£60,000+
Custom journeys, data models, feeds, portals and business-system integration.
These are indicative UK ranges based on projects we have actually delivered. Scope drives the number, not the sales conversation — we quote a fixed price after a scoping session, and we will tell you if an off-the-shelf tool is the cheaper answer.
Typical timescales
- 3–10 weeks
Configured platform
Fastest when requirements follow the platform's model.
- 6–14 weeks
Custom platform theme
Custom design, migration and integrations.
- 8–24+ weeks
Bespoke build
Discovery, architecture, custom functions and controlled rollout.
Who this suits
- Choose Squarespace for a simple, low-maintenance brochure need.
- Choose Shopify for conventional product ecommerce.
- Choose WordPress where editorial flexibility and an experienced maintenance owner matter.
- Choose bespoke when the website is inseparable from a unique business process.
Who it does not suit
- Do not go bespoke for status.
- Do not stretch a page builder into an operational system.
- Do not choose a platform without pricing its apps, maintenance and internal administration over three years.
What actually drives the cost
Process fit
Standard publishing or commerce is cheaper on a mature platform.
Integrations
Bespoke becomes stronger as the website connects to more proprietary workflows.
Ownership
Clarify code, data export and account control before signing.
Maintenance
Plugins, themes and apps have an ongoing operational cost even when the entry price is low.
Start with the job, not the technology
If the requirement is standard, use the standard platform. Shopify gives retailers a mature checkout and ecosystem. Squarespace gives small brochure sites a manageable editing experience. WordPress gives editorial teams broad flexibility, provided somebody owns updates and plugin risk.
Bespoke earns its cost when platform constraints create ongoing workarounds. RM English required a live estate-agent Hub feed, editable geographic architecture and AI enquiry handling. LOQI is a good example of an established commerce platform being the right foundation, with custom engineering for B2B, B2C, language and market requirements.
The honest question is not "which is best?" It is "which option solves the current job with the least three-year cost and operational risk?"
Proof
Where we have done this
How we worked these numbers out
The price bands and timescales on this page are first-party figures taken from projects The Digital Hub has quoted and delivered for UK clients since 2020, not from third-party survey data. Ranges are rounded and exclude VAT. They are reviewed at least every six months and updated when our own delivered costs move. Where a figure depends on a third-party licence or hosting cost, that cost is named in the text so you can check it yourself.
Written by
Tom Beachell
Technical Director, The Digital Hub
Tom leads scoping and delivery at The Digital Hub, quoting and shipping bespoke websites, CRM platforms and private AI systems for UK businesses. The price bands and timescales on this page come from projects he has personally scoped.
Published 01/08/2026 · Last reviewed 01/08/2026 · About The Digital Hub
Common questions
Is bespoke always faster?
No. It can be faster at runtime, but it takes longer to design and build than configuring a standard platform.
Is Shopify only for small stores?
No. It can support substantial international and B2B operations when the commerce model fits.
Can we migrate later?
Yes, if you retain clean exports, domain control, content ownership and a documented URL structure.
Next step
Get a fixed price for your own version of this
A 30-minute scoping call, then a written fixed price and delivery date. If an off-the-shelf tool is the cheaper answer for you, we will say so on the call.
- 1You tell us the process and the tools you pay for today.
- 2We map the scope and flag anything that will move the number.
- 3You get a fixed price, a schedule and an honest recommendation in writing.
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