Website Development Agency in Auckland

Next.js (React-based) is our recommendation for businesses where performance, scalability, and custom functionality matter. It delivers significantly faster page loads through server-side rendering and static generation, supports complex interactive features, and scales effortlessly from 100 to 10 million monthly visitors. The trade-off is higher development cost and the need for developer involvement for content changes (unless paired with a headless CMS like Sanity or Strapi). Best for: SaaS products, high-traffic corporate sites, custom web applications, and businesses prioritising SEO and speed. It costs more to build than WordPress because everything is written rather than configured, and the gap widens with the number of custom screens and integrations.

Shopify is purpose-built for e-commerce and handles product management, inventory, payments, and shipping out of the box. It is the fastest path to a functional online store, with thousands of apps for extending functionality. The limitation is customisation — you are working within Shopify's framework, and highly custom designs or features may require workarounds. For businesses selling physical products with standard e-commerce needs, Shopify is often the most cost-effective choice. Best for: product-based businesses, D2C brands, and retailers. Build cost sits between WordPress and Next.js and is driven mostly by how much of the theme gets rewritten and how many products need migrating; on top of the build you pay Shopify's own monthly subscription and transaction fees.

A standard build costs more because the design is drawn from scratch and the store starts talking to other systems: advanced filtering and search, inventory management integration, customer accounts with order tracking, and a link into accounting or ERP software. Each integration is a separate piece of work with its own testing, and that is usually what moves the quote more than the page count does. This tier is where most growing D2C brands and established retailers land — typically Shopify Plus or a custom WooCommerce build, depending on your integration requirements and growth trajectory.

Enterprise projects are the most expensive tier because nothing comes out of the box: a custom-built frontend (headless commerce using Next.js with Shopify or Medusa), complex product configuration tools, B2B pricing portals, marketplace features, or high-volume transaction handling. They carry a dedicated project manager, phased delivery over three to six months, and extensive testing — and the testing burden alone is a large share of the cost. We quote every project itemised by stage, after scoping, so you can see exactly what each part of the build is for.