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E-commerce

Online Store Rental vs. Ownership: What’s Really Worth It?

The internet contains articles comparing e-shop development and rental, but most are inaccurate. They typically compare the creation of a unique e-shop from scratch to renting an e-shop.

That’s rarely how it’s done — clients who need custom programming, designs, and specific business solutions never consider renting, because rental platforms only offer standardized solutions that won’t meet their needs anyway.

Renting an e-shop makes sense if you want to test your product, explore a new niche, or try e-commerce. E-shop rental services often emphasize a simple, fast setup and launch, but they don’t solve specific problems. They provide template-based solutions used by multiple clients simultaneously.

You can just as easily set up a template-based solution on your server. The only recurring cost would be the hosting service. You follow the same process: choose a design and layout, and a developer prepares, configures, and tests the system for you.

You won’t be tied to a rental provider, paying subscription fees, or relying on their goodwill. If your business grows, you’ll be free to move to a standalone solution — ultimately, you’ll have complete control.

Common drawbacks of renting an e-shop:

1. Lack of functionality. You’re limited by the provider’s list of modules and features. With a template on your own server, you or your developer can install any paid or free modules available on the market anytime.
2. Content migration restrictions. Several clients have “outgrown” their rental platform and wanted to move to a standalone solution. However, they often had to pay extra for content export and were not given access to any code or features. All their work from months or years was lost, and they had to start over.
3. Subscription fees. Essentially, renting an e-shop means paying a fixed monthly payment, often including additional costs for consultations or changes. With your solution on your own server, you can choose a developer who charges based on actual work.
4. Unattractive templates and designs. Rental providers usually offer a few basic and broadly applicable templates. However, you can choose from thousands of templates on design marketplaces instead of being limited by the provider’s selection.

As you’ve gathered, you’re essentially getting the same solution without the subscription or extra fees. Additional benefits include:

1. No need to change or adapt your design as you grow, if it already meets your needs.
2. No changes to how the system is managed, so no new learning curve.
3. More opportunities to optimize SEO and track sales and other analytics.
4. No limits on product counts, visitors, categories, etc.
5. If the rental service shuts down or goes bankrupt one day, you won’t lose your entire system and work.