"Our revenue is over CZK 200 million, so it's high time to move from Shoptet to Shopify, right?" We hear this question at first meetings all the time. Our answer usually surprises clients: no. When choosing a platform, an e-shop's revenue matters far less than people think.
We have hands-on experience building e-shops on both platforms and we are a Gold Shoptet Partner. We have no need to praise one platform blindly and criticise the other. We look at them pragmatically.
The revenue myth: complexity matters, not money
Imagine two e-shops with the same annual revenue:
- The first sells standard electronics only in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It has one warehouse and clearly defined processes.
- The second sells designer furniture to five European countries, works with several warehouses, needs a robust connection to its accounting system (ERP), handles B2B wholesale price lists and specific operational exceptions.
Although their revenue is the same, their technology needs are completely different. A large e-shop with revenue in the hundreds of millions can run perfectly reliably on Shoptet (often on the Premium plan). Shopify starts to make sense not when your revenue grows, but when the number of markets, integrations, custom features and technical obstacles grows.
A look at our practice
We recently faced exactly this dilemma with two clients.
Client A (revenue approx. CZK 150 million): a strong local player that wants to stay dominant in the Czech and Slovak market. The main priority was stability and a seamless connection to Zásilkovna, PPL and local payment gateways without unnecessary coding. Result: Shoptet Premium. The client already knew the admin, the system was deployed quickly and without extra integration costs for Czech carriers.
Client B (revenue approx. CZK 40 million): a smaller but aggressively growing brand. Goal: expand to Germany, Hungary and Romania within two years. They needed specific exchange rates for different markets, a complex product configurator and a connection to foreign fulfilment. Result: Shopify. The modular Shopify Markets system and a large number of API connections for international expansion played the key role.
Where Shoptet is stronger
Shoptet is at home on the Czech market and it shows at every step. It wins mainly here:
- The Czech ecosystem out of the box: carriers (Zásilkovna, PPL, Balíkovna), local payments and Czech accounting software are naturally built in.
- Simpler day-to-day management: for a standard Czech e-shop, the admin is very intuitive. You can train a temp worker or a new marketer quickly.
- Launch speed and price: a lower entry threshold. You can build a standard shop very quickly without extensive custom development.
- Legal requirements and cookies: consent collection tools and legal essentials are well prepared for the Czech market.
Where Shopify flexes its muscles
Shopify is a global platform built to be extended and customised. Its strength shows where standard templates are not enough.
- Custom features and integrations: plenty of room for custom apps, APIs and data structures. Thanks to the larger developer ecosystem, it will likely work better with a specific warehouse system.
- International expansion: multiple languages, currencies and regional content. Shopify Markets lets you manage all markets from one admin.
- Modular content management: a developer prepares custom design blocks that you then assemble and reuse on different pages without touching code.
- Long-term flexibility: the advantage grows once you have a non-standard ordering process or a B2B zone.
Final verdict
Shoptet is often the better ready-made solution. Shopify is more often the better base for further custom development.
Don't take this as set in stone, though. Shopify of course supports Zásilkovna (via apps) and Shoptet can sell abroad. There is no bad platform, only a platform badly chosen for a specific business plan. Next time you decide, don't ask "What's our revenue?" but "How many markets, integrations, custom features and operational exceptions do we have?"
Not sure which way to go? Get in touch. We'll look at your processes and tell you honestly which platform will really move your e-shop forward.
Back to the blog
