Data ownership, long-term cost and extensibility — three lenses for choosing the right model.
Data ownership
On SaaS, orders and members live with the platform; self-hosted keeps everything on your server, with backups and migration under your control.
Long-term cost
SaaS often charges a cut of revenue or a monthly fee that grows with you; a self-hosted license is predictable, with add-ons as needed.
Extensibility
Self-hosting lets you add sub-stores, onboard suppliers and open APIs — turning a store into a platform.
Verdict
Testing the waters? SaaS is easy to start. Building for the long term and caring about data? Self-hosted wins.