The verdict in three sentences
Wix and Shopify are perfect for testing an idea: online in days, no technician. But at scale, the subscription (30 to 300 EUR/month) plus transaction fees (0.5 to 2%) and the poor support for local payments (Wave, Orange Money) eat into the margin. A custom build becomes profitable beyond roughly 5 to 10 million FCFA in annual revenue.
Recurring SaaS cost vs custom build
The fair comparison is total cost of ownership (TCO) over 3 years, not the starting price.
| Item | Wix/Shopify | Custom build |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | 0 - 200,000 FCFA | 1,500,000 - 4,000,000 FCFA |
| Monthly subscription | 20,000 - 200,000 FCFA | 0 (open-source) |
| Hosting | included | 15,000 - 40,000 FCFA/month |
| Transaction fees | 0.5 - 2% of revenue | local gateway only |
| Paid apps | 10,000 - 80,000 FCFA/month | built into the code |
| Customization | limited | total |
On Shopify, extra transaction fees apply if you do not use Shopify Payments (unavailable in Senegal), making every sale more expensive.
The quantified switch threshold
Here is the compared annual cost by revenue, transaction fees included (estimated 1.5% average on SaaS).
| Annual revenue (FCFA) | Annual SaaS cost | Annual custom cost (3-yr amortized) | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,000,000 | ~420,000 | ~900,000 | Stay on SaaS |
| 5,000,000 | ~675,000 | ~900,000 | Break-even |
| 10,000,000 | ~1,050,000 | ~950,000 | Switch |
| 25,000,000 | ~1,875,000 | ~1,050,000 | Switch clearly |
| 50,000,000 | ~3,150,000 | ~1,200,000 | Custom obvious |
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The tipping point sits around 8 to 10 million FCFA revenue/year: beyond that, transaction fees and subscriptions exceed the amortization of a custom site, which also removes platform commissions.
Mini case study
Ibrahima sells electronics online in Abidjan via Shopify: revenue of 28,000,000 FCFA/year. He pays 75,000 FCFA/month in subscription + apps, plus 1.8% transaction fees (no Shopify Payments) i.e. 504,000 FCFA/year, total about 1,404,000 FCFA/year. A custom site costs him 3,200,000 FCFA, amortized over 3 years = 1,067,000 FCFA/year hosting included, with native Wave and Orange Money at no per-transaction surcharge. Saving: ~340,000 FCFA/year from the first full year, far more afterwards, plus total freedom over features.
FAQ
Will I lose my products and customers when migrating? No: catalog, customers and order history export (CSV/API) and re-import. Product pages and their URLs are kept with 301 redirects for SEO.
Do Wave and Orange Money work poorly on Shopify? They are not natively supported: you need workarounds or third-party gateways that add fees and friction. With a custom build, the integration is direct.
Is a custom build harder to manage day to day? No: a good back office offers the same simplicity as Shopify to add a product or track an order, without the paid-app limits.
When does it become profitable? As soon as your revenue exceeds 8 to 10 million FCFA/year, or sooner if transaction fees and paid apps weigh heavily on your margin.
Let's talk about your project. We calculate your current Shopify/Wix TCO and compare it to a custom site with native Wave/Orange Money. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
