I use a setup for static website deployment. In such a context, integration of 3rd party apps are the only way to go to implement specific dynamic features.

I must say this kind of combo works great (eg : static WP+Ecwid instead of dynamic WP+WooCommerce) and spares you a lot of hassle.

Maintenance is down to almost zero, hosting is cheaper (around 2 $ /month per site, using Google Cloud and Bunny CDN), security issues are gone (no need for security plugins anymore), backups are super easy to handle. And with 3rd party apps, you get 24/7 support from a dedicated team, just in case.

That is a far cry from the dedicated servers I used to manage, and according to my clients' needs, I have not yet had a reason to install WooCommerce for the last two years.

Overall performances are up without having to manage a sophisticated server setup (no more optimization, caching and security issues) :
- In terms of costs, speed and simplicity, nothing seems to beat a static site in the cloud coupled with a CDN.
- 3rd party apps are usually built upon an efficient infrastructure providing excellent performances as well. Most now provide a Gutenberg compliant WP plugin for almost instant integration and great flexibility in terms of design.

Of course there can be recurrent costs associated with such 3rd party services, but I find it to be less expensive in the end as - in my case at least, a one-man band agency managing north of a hundred business websites - it can save you hundreds of hours per year on update and maintenance chores, and many $ on premium native WP plugins. Bonus : you can actually make a dime with each integration thanks to 3rd part apps' affiliate programs.

No need to work with a - rather expensive - managed hosting provider - that kind of money goes into my pocket instead.

For those interested in the static part, I use HardyPress, which for +- 90$/month allows up to 75 one-click WP installs, each with their own staging environment, static deployment in the Google Cloud, a CDN, real-time backups, instant cloning, instant website import - if needed -, and more goodies such as built-in integration with zappier, and beyond, providing out of the box integration of some popular native plugins that otherwise would not work in a static environment, such as Contact Form 7.

It is not suited for every use case, but it is truly a great example of the integration paradigm, built from the start to manage 3rd party apps integrations.

(I am not linked in any way to this enterprise, I have been using their services for the last 2 years, and it simply works. There are more companies like this one, like Shifter, albeit more expensive as they do not seem to have the same business model).

Conclusion : In my case 3rd party apps are my best partners. I now rely on SaaS integration from A to Z, with great effect on the bottom line.