7 reasons to choose Magento over bespoke for your eCommerce store

We’ve been building eCommerce websites for our clients over the last 10 years, and a common question we're asked during the discovery phase is which approach is right for their project - bespoke software or off-the-shelf solutions, like Magento.

• When considering an eCommerce platform, there are typically two scenarios: A fully custom-built solution from scratch, often using open-source technologies like Laravel, PHP and MySQL.
• A pre-existing bespoke platform, like Magento, Shopify, or alternative eCommerce CMS platforms. 

While the first option might seem like a viable approach when requirements are on the more complex side, the reality is that both approaches share the same fundamental benefits and drawbacks. with only minor differences in feature gaps and development effort.

Bespoke projects don’t do anything that Magento (or similar!) can’t do. However the reverse is not true - a bespoke project won’t have anything like the feature set and flexibility of a Magento project, and there are other downsides too.

Comparing bespoke CMS software with Magento

1. Why we often recommend Magento over bespoke

On occasion, we take on bespoke projects, ranging from £3k to well over £100k, depending on the scope and complexity. Like many web development agencies, we use Laravel as the framework, which, like Magento, is built on PHP. 

Because of this, the same developers who work on our Magento projects also handle bespoke development. A developer skilled in Magento can seamlessly transition to bespoke work. However, the reverse isn’t always true. Not all bespoke developers have the depth of experience required to work with Magento at a high standard.

2. The hidden value of Magento's flexibility

It's very rare that a business will decide that they don't need any level of flexibility or customisation to the software or platform. On a complex website build, that might be as high as 50-60% bespoke work or customisation, but that is extremely rare. Even a complex Magento project would have 5-10% of the final feature set as elements that are bespoke to the website, due to the countless 3rd party modules available. The vast bulk of the features will already exist in Magento.

To illustrate, Magento has a powerful promotions engine built into the system which allows nearly any sort of online offer to be created (eg. buy one get one free, free gift with purchase, 10% off your order when purchasing a specific product, etc).

To build a like-for-like engine into a bespoke platform, or indeed a less full-feature off-the-shelf system, would mean investing hundreds of hours of work and extremely complex testing, and a major burden of ongoing maintenance and improvements.

3. The long-term burden of bespoke

Bespoke platforms don’t reduce maintenance needs, they increase them. As core technologies evolve (PHP, for example), versions require frequent updates and ongoing adjustments. As industry standards shift, so should your backend technology. Take the new PCI 4.0 compliance, for example (which goes into effect in March 2025).

With a well-supported platform like Magento, these updates are handled through built-in updates and third-party modules, whereas a bespoke system requires custom development for every change, adding to both cost and complexity.

4. Considering the future of eCommerce

By nature, a bespoke platform lacks the flexibility and scalability of Magento because developers will typically focus only on immediate requirements, meaning features that aren’t essential at launch (but could become critical later) are often left out.

Take tax configurations as an example. Magento allows businesses to manage any tax rate directly within its admin panel. For complex tax scenarios (such as the US) where rates vary by state, shipping location, and product type, Magento provides built-in configuration options and third-party plugins that automate compliance.

A bespoke platform, on the other hand, is unlikely to have such a system in place without extensive custom development. But tax rates change, new markets open up, and business needs evolve—making Magento’s scalability and adaptability a far more future-proof choice. With Magento, businesses can adjust to new requirements and go to market faster.

5. Security isn't something to take lightly

A high-priority factor in choosing Magento over bespoke is security. We've gently touched on this subject earlier, but it certainly needs more emphasis on the importance of keeping your eCommerce website secure and safeguarded against online threats. Magento, along with its third-party modules, benefits from open-source transparency, meaning its code is continuously reviewed, tested, and improved by thousands of developers and dedicated security researchers worldwide.

In contrast, a bespoke platform's security is entirely dependent on the small team that built it. There’s no external auditing, no large-scale testing, and no guarantee that vulnerabilities have been properly identified and addressed. You’re essentially taking their word that it’s secure. Even if the developers are highly skilled, and if security were their true expertise, they’d likely be working in cybersecurity rather than building one-off eCommerce platforms.

With Magento, security is a shared responsibility across a vast global community. With bespoke, it’s a gamble.

6. Why speed isn't a platform issue on Magento

Site speed can be a concern. There's a baseline level of performance to meet, and a properly built Magento project will absolutely hit that. A project that doesn’t reach this threshold may not have been built to best practices.

When properly optimised, Magento’s server response time for a product page should be around 50ms, ensuring a fast backend response. The remaining factors that impact site speed are primarily related to frontend rendering, such as CSS, Javascript and browser-side optimisations. These elements influence how quickly content is displayed to users, but they are not platform-specific and apply equally to Magento, bespoke solutions and other eCommerce platforms.

Modern Magento themes such as Hyva [linky pls] make the project baseline very quick and more than likely faster off-the-shelf than most bespoke projects.

7. When modules collide (or not)

One last possible factor to take into consideration are Magento modules that may clash with each other. Firstly, that's very rare as each module is installed and used thousands of times, so the vendors quickly find and fix any conflicts. Secondly, if a clash did occur, it's still vastly less time to find and resolve the issue than it is to build it again from scratch!

Our final thoughts

When comparing the two approaches, it’s clear that using a well-supported platform like Magento reduces risk, lowers costs and speeds up development, making it the most efficient and reliable choice for most eCommerce businesses.

Ready to explore how Magento can transform your business? Book a discovery call with us today to discuss your unique needs and discover how Magento development can help you achieve your goals faster and more efficiently than ever before. Don't let hidden costs hold you back – embrace the power of bespoke solutions and unlock your business's true potential.