Shopify vs Shopee and Lazada: own store or marketplace?

“Should we be on Shopee and Lazada, or build our own Shopify store?” is usually the wrong question. The useful questions are what each channel costs per order, who owns the customer, and how you run both without doubling the admin work. This guide answers those for Malaysian brands.

Fees were checked on 18 October 2026. Marketplaces change rates often and by category, so check your own Seller Centre before modelling.

What is the difference between Shopify and Shopee or Lazada?

Shopify is software for running your own store on your own domain. Shopee and Lazada are marketplaces where your products sit alongside competitors' products in someone else's store.

On a marketplace, the platform brings shoppers, runs checkout and controls the rules. On Shopify, you bring the shoppers, design the checkout experience within Shopify's limits and set your own rules.

How do the fees compare?

Marketplaces charge per order. Shopify charges a monthly plan plus payment fees.

Shopee Malaysia

Shopee's Terms of Service list these seller fees:

Fee	How it is charged
Transaction fee	3.5% of the buyer's payment, before Shopee-sponsored discounts, plus SST
Commission fee	A percentage of the settlement price that varies by product category
Platform support fee	A fixed amount per successful transaction
Service fee	For optional programmes, such as Shopee's Cashback Programme

Shopee states that the transaction fee, commission fee and platform support fee are subject to SST. Category commission rates are published in Shopee's Seller Education Hub.

Lazada Malaysia

Lazada charges a commission and a transaction fee per order. Lazada adjusted commission rates for local Marketplace and LazMall sellers from 14 August 2026, as reported by Zetpy. Commission varies by category and is calculated on the item price after seller-funded discounts, with 8% SST on the commission. New Marketplace sellers are exempt from commission for their first 120 days. Sellers see their category rate in Seller Center under Seller Settings, Commission.

Shopify

Cost	How it is charged
Plan	US$19, US$49 or US$299 a month on yearly billing (Basic, Grow, Advanced)
Shopify third-party fee	2%, 1% or 0.6% of sales, because Shopify Payments is not available in Malaysia
Gateway fee	Set by your payment gateway, per method
Apps and theme	Monthly app subscriptions and a theme licence or build

Our guide to Shopify payment gateways in Malaysia compares gateway rates, and what Shopify really costs covers the full budget.

The cost structures behave differently as you grow. Marketplace fees rise in step with sales. Shopify's plan fee is fixed, so its share of each order falls as volume rises. But your own store has a cost marketplaces do not: you pay to bring every visitor.

Who owns the customer data?

On Shopify, you do. Customer records, order history and marketing consent sit in your Shopify admin, and you can email, segment and export them under Malaysia's personal data protection rules.

On a marketplace, the buyer is the platform's customer first. Shopee's Terms of Service require sellers to comply with personal data protection laws for any buyer data they hold, and prohibit harvesting information about other account holders. In practice you reach marketplace buyers through the platform's own tools and campaigns.

This is the strongest long-term argument for your own store. A repeat customer who buys from your Shopify store costs only payment fees. The same customer buying again on a marketplace pays the marketplace's fees again.

What about branding and the shopping experience?

On Shopify, the whole page is yours: layout, photography, content, bundles, loyalty and after-sales communication. You can build landing pages for campaigns and tell the story behind a product.

On a marketplace, your listing follows the platform's template, sits next to competitors and is often compared on price first. Shoppers remember they bought it on Shopee or Lazada more than they remember your brand.

Where does the traffic come from?

Marketplaces win on traffic. Shoppers open Shopee or Lazada already intending to buy, and the platforms run large sales campaigns that drive volume.

A Shopify store starts with no traffic. You build it through search, social media, paid ads, email and your retail outlets. That costs time and money, and it should be budgeted as part of the decision. The trade-off is that traffic you build belongs to you.

Can you run Shopify and marketplaces together?

Yes, and most growing brands do. A connector app links Shopee and Lazada to Shopify so products, stock and orders are managed in one place. Apps on the Shopify App Store include:

App	Developer	What the listing says it does
MICES SyncGo	MICES Technology Sdn Bhd	Lists products to Shopee Malaysia, Lazada Malaysia, TikTok Malaysia and Youbeli, manages marketplace orders in Shopify and deducts Shopify stock. From US$9.90/month
EMMA	EMMA (Singapore)	Real-time stock sync with Shopee, Lazada and TikTok, including bundles. Malaysian marketplace coverage not stated on the listing
OMNA Shopee & Lazada Sync	OMNA Pte. Ltd.	Inventory sync to Shopee and Lazada and order import into Shopify. Malaysian marketplace coverage not stated on the listing

Prices are from the listings, checked 18 October 2026. Before choosing, confirm the app supports your marketplace country, which direction stock syncs, and how it handles bundles, variants and cancellations. Test with a handful of products before connecting the whole catalogue.

For higher volumes, or when an ERP or warehouse system also holds stock, a connector app may not be enough. Then the marketplaces, Shopify and the back office need a designed integration with one system as the source of truth for stock.

Which should you choose?

Your situation	Lean towards
New brand testing demand with little marketing budget	Marketplaces first, Shopify when repeat buyers appear
Established brand with repeat customers and a story to tell	Shopify as the main channel, marketplaces for reach
Price-competitive commodity products	Marketplaces, where price-comparing buyers already are
Retail outlets as well as online	Shopify, so POS and online share stock and customers
Wholesale, bundles or custom products	Shopify, where you control the catalogue and checkout
Selling on several channels at once	Shopify as the back office, with marketplaces connected

If you decide on your own store, we design and build Shopify stores and connect marketplaces and back-office systems to them.

Frequently asked questions

Is Shopify cheaper than Shopee?

It depends on volume and how you get traffic. Shopee charges per order, including a 3.5% transaction fee plus SST, category commission and a platform support fee. Shopify charges a fixed plan plus payment fees, but you pay separately to attract visitors.

Can I sell on Shopee and Lazada from my Shopify store?

Yes, using a connector app from the Shopify App Store such as MICES SyncGo, which lists Shopee Malaysia and Lazada Malaysia. Check country support and sync direction before installing.

Do I get my customers' data on Shopee or Lazada?

Not in the way you do on Shopify. Marketplace buyers are the platform's customers, and Shopee's terms restrict how sellers use buyer information. On Shopify, customer records and marketing consent are in your own admin.

Should a new brand start on Shopify or a marketplace?

Many start on marketplaces to test demand, then build a Shopify store once they have repeat buyers and a marketing budget. Brands with retail outlets or a strong story often start with Shopify.

Can you help us run both?

Yes. Talk to us about a Shopify build, or about connecting marketplaces and your back office to it.