Shopify vs custom ecommerce for a Canadian online store

01What Shopify does well

Shopify is a mature hosted commerce platform. Checkout, order management, inventory and shipping settings work out of the box, a large app store adds features, and many Canadian agencies and freelancers know it well. For a store selling standard products at volume, it is hard to argue against, and Redenn will say so before quoting if that is what you need.

02Ownership and lock-in

On Shopify you own your products, your customer data exports and your domain. The store itself, its theme and its app integrations run only on the platform, and the subscription plus app fees continue for as long as you sell. Redenn builds custom stores, not Shopify stores. With Redenn, your domain is registered in your name from the start, at Cloudflare Registrar. Once the project is paid, the code and content we create are yours: at handover you get the code and every login, or we keep managing the accounts for you on a paid plan. Payment processing runs through Stripe checkout or payment links, and processor fees are separate on any platform.

03Total cost over three years

Shopify's cost depends on plan, apps and processing volume, so it is shown as varies. The Redenn column uses the published Ecommerce starting price and Dynamic hosting; larger stores with custom rules are quoted.

Prices are in Canadian dollars and exclude taxes. Any tax that applies is shown separately on your invoice. Payment processing fees are billed by the payment processor to your own account. Usage (AI, call minutes, SMS, email) is billed by each provider directly to your own account; none is included in our prices. Ask about a trial period to see your real usage first.

04Canadian sales tax on either platform

Both options must charge the right tax. Federal GST is 5%; HST applies in Ontario (13%), New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island (15%) and Nova Scotia (14% since April 1, 2025); Quebec adds QST at 9.975%; British Columbia charges PST at 7%, Manitoba RST at 7% and Saskatchewan PST at 6%; Alberta and the territories have no provincial sales tax. Rates change and must be verified with the Canada Revenue Agency and your accountant before launch.

05When to choose Shopify

Choose Shopify when:

• You sell many standard products and expect high order volume.
• You want point-of-sale, marketplace channels or specific apps the ecosystem already provides.
• Your team already knows the Shopify admin.
• Speed to launch matters more than owning the storefront code.

06When to choose custom ecommerce (Redenn)

Choose a Redenn build when:

• Products are configured, quoted or priced per customer, as in B2B or made-to-order work.
• The store must integrate with your inventory, accounting or dispatch systems.
• You want the storefront to be part of a larger Next.js site with content, CRM and automation.
• You would rather pay once, from CA$1,499, and host for CA$49/month plus provider usage and payment processing fees than pay platform and app subscriptions.