I’ve been working around Magento stores for a while, and something I keep noticing is this: most store owners start with extensions for everything… which makes sense. It’s faster and cheaper in the beginning. But after a while, things get messy.
Too many plugins, checkout slows down, conflicts after updates, random bugs that are hard to trace. I’ve seen stores where 25+ extensions were installed just to handle pricing rules and integrations.
In one recent project (UAE-based business), VAT logic, Arabic support, and local payment gateways needed deeper changes. Extensions were available, but they didn’t fully match the workflow. That’s where custom development actually made more sense long term. So I’m curious — for those managing bigger Magento stores:
Do you try to stretch extensions as far as possible?
Or do you prefer investing in custom modules once the business starts scaling?
Would honestly like to hear how others are handling this, especially around performance and upgrades.
