...
Scroll
Scroll

Phone Contact Us +1 (833) 442 2711

Creating a robust and user-friendly e-commerce website is crucial for any online business. Shopify is an increasingly popular platform that offers an all-in-one solution for online stores, providing everything from customizable templates to secure payment processing. However, one of the most significant considerations is the cost to build a Shopify website.

The expenses can vary depending on your requirements, such as the design complexity, product range, and third-party integrations. In this blog, we’ll take a detailed look at how much it costs to build a Shopify website, what factors can affect the cost, and whether you can build a website on your own or hire someone to build a Shopify store for you. So, let’s dive in and get a comprehensive guide on the cost of building a Shopify website.

What Affects the Total Shopify Store Cost?

As we previously stated, a variety of factors can affect how much it costs to build a Shopify Website. If you’re serious about creating an online business that generates income, set aside money for the following expenses:

  • Shopify Subscription Plan
  • Theme/Template (Free, Paid, or Custom)
  • Shopify Apps
  • Professional Shopify development services
  • Transaction Fees
  • Stock

Let’s go over each cost to build Shopify Website, in detail.

Shopify Subscription Plans

Shopify Pricing Plans

There are currently five Shopify subscription plans available for you to choose from:

  • Starter — $5 per month
  • Basic — $39 per month
  • Shopify — $105 per month
  • Advanced — $399 per month
  • Shopify Plus — negotiable, but usually around $2,000 per month

Starter

One of the least expensive ways to sell goods online is by subscribing to the “Shopify Starter” plan which costs around $5 a month. However, you should be aware that it does not provide you access to a standalone web store that is completely functional. As an alternative, it enables you to sell an infinite number of items on an already-existing website, on Facebook and other sales channels, and via various messaging applications. 

The ‘Buy Button’ feature, which enables you to embed your products on other websites, is a crucial component of the ‘Shopify Starter’ plan. When you upload a small piece of Shopify code to your website, your product’s details (picture, price, description, etc.), along with an option to purchase it, will appear on your website in a manner comparable to but more sophisticated than PayPal.

Basic

The ‘Shopify Basic’ plan, which costs $39 per month, is the ideal option for new online retailers. The Basic plan entitles you to a fully working online store so that you may start selling your products right away.

You won’t be able to use some of the high-end features offered on the other plans, though, so keep that in mind when subscribing to this specific plan. The basic plan also doesn’t give you the option to adjust your prices country-wise, in case you wanted to market to a global audience. Users of the Basic plan pay a relatively higher credit card fee with Shopify payments (2.9% + 30) compared to other Shopify Plans.

But what you do get with Shopify Basic is a fully functional website version of your store (rather than just a “buy button”), the ability to sell an unlimited number of products, the ability to sell in physical locations, via point-of-sale features, unlimited bandwidth, 24/7 Shopify support, manual order creation (this lets you create new orders and enter card payments in Shopify for sales you’ve made offline—by phone, in person, or elsewhere), discount code creation, and Shopify’s basic payment processing

Shopify

The ideal option for established eCommerce brands that wish to further develop their online and offline operations would be the “Shopify plan,” which is currently priced at $105 per month. The Shopify plan offers features like better reporting, shipping insurance (for US users only), the option to use USPS Priority Mail Cubic pricing (for US users only), the option to use international domains for selling internationally, lower transaction and credit card fees, the ability to automate crucial ecommerce tasks, and much more. 

Advanced

The Advanced Plan is designed for ever bigger, expanding stores. Its standout feature is the ability to apply customs and import taxes during the checkout process, as well as advanced report building and real-time carrier shipment quotes from outside sources. In comparison to other Shopify plans, you can obtain credit card rates that are much, much lower. The ability to fine-tune prices per country or region makes this plan the greatest choice for businesses looking to dominate global markets. If you opt to pay monthly rather than yearly, the Advanced plan membership charge starts at $399.

Shopify Plus

The ‘Shopify Plus’ package is the last plan offered by Shopify. This plan is specifically targeted towards large-scale business owners as opposed to the previous Shopify pricing tiers that were previously addressed. Shopify Plus is in a league of its own.

‘Shopify Plus’ is an enterprise-grade solution that essentially includes all the capabilities of the ‘additional Shopify’ plan in addition to additional features regarding security, automation, multi-currency selling, checkout customization, APIs, and fulfillment. For brands that require several stores for distinct product lines, Shopify Plus gives you the flexibility to manage up to 10 stores from a single account. 

With Shopify Plus, there are two pricing options available:

  • Standard pricing: $2,000 USD per month (for ‘standard’ setups and integrations)
  • Variable fee: a negotiable percentage of monthly sales (this percentage will depend on your requirements and the complexity of your ecommerce setup).

Given the high expenses, “white glove” account management (dedicated onboarding, account management, and support) is included with Shopify Plus.

Read Shopify vs Shopify Plus to learn all the intricacies that help differentiate Shopify from Shopify Plus.

Theme/Template (Free, Paid, or Custom)

Themes are the next factor to take into account when calculating the cost to build a Shopify Website.

Your Shopify theme is the look and feel of your business; you choose one as the foundation for your online store and personalize it by adding your own text and graphics.

You have two options here:

  • use a free theme
  • buy a premium one

Free themes have more limitations in terms of functionality and design. The layout won’t change, but you can alter parts of the colors, fonts, and photos. The outcome? thousands of establishments with comparable aesthetics that have no opportunity to stick in shoppers’ minds.

Paid themes, on the other hand, offer more design possibilities and are significantly more customizable. This gives you more leeway to match the design to your brand. Additionally, premium themes ship with a ton of cutting-edge features (such thorough product filtering). You won’t need to download any additional apps as a result. A benefit of this is that your shop will run more slowly as you incorporate more apps.

You may choose from a variety of themes and templates, both free and paid, for your Shopify store on the official Shopify Theme Marketplace. If free themes don’t end up meeting your needs, you can choose premium themes for a one-time cost of anywhere between $180 and $350. Having said that, even though a premium theme is a superior option, you will eventually reach its capacity when trying to expand your business. You must employ a qualified Shopify designer and developer if you want to create a theme that is genuinely distinctive and adaptable.

Shopify Apps

You can view all of the approximately 8,000 Shopify apps in the Shopify app store. By integrating it with well-known services like MailChimp, Xero, Amazon, and others, the apps enable online retailers to manage their inventory, shipping, payments, and other processes in their Shopify sites.

Klaviyo is a fantastic solution that automates customized SMS and email marketing campaigns, assisting businesses in attracting and keeping clients. Everyone can easily put it up and utilize it. While extremely useful, Shopify apps and integrations can be fairly expensive. This is due to the fact that the majority of them—or at least the useful ones—usually charge a recurring monthly fee or provide subscription-based services.

Therefore, conduct some research and compile a list of all the apps that can truly benefit your company before you begin constructing your Shopify store. Then total up all the costs associated with utilizing the apps you have chosen. Here is a link to the Shopify app store.

Shopify Development Services

Despite the fact that Shopify was created with non-developers in mind and can certainly be utilized as a code-free, “DIY” store builder, there are still some scenarios or situations where hiring a developer will make sense and make your life much easier.

Maybe you are looking to add custom functionality to your store, or you maybe dislike the idea of creating an online store all on your own, both of which can be achieved with the help of a developer.

A thorough understanding of Liquid, Shopify’s default templating language, is necessary for many customization jobs. A single incorrect line of code can bring down your entire website, costing you loads of money and losing out of potential revenue and users.

The better course of action is to ask for expert guidance. That way, you can concentrate on your business without having to worry about the technological side of things. The cost of hiring a Shopify developer primarily depends on two factors:

  • Their experience
  • The scope and complexity of your project

Here is how these factors can shape the total price.

The Developer’s Experience

The cost to build a Shopify website can vary depending on the developer’s experience, just like it would in any other field. The bigger the developer’s fee is, the longer the developer has been using the platform. Makes perfect sense right?

The hourly costs for Shopify (web) developers range from roughly $81 to $100. The highest end of the spectrum is represented by this price.

Prices on some other freelance websites begin at $30 per hour. We strongly advise against employing developers with such low rates because they almost invariably result in subpar or low quality work.

We advise taking into account rates between $45 and $55 per hour. When it happens, you may anticipate a reasonable quality at a fair price. Our charges for developing Shopify themes are $50 per hour, and we always produce thoroughly tested themes created in accordance with the highest industry standards.

The Project Size and Complexity

Complexity is a significant consideration in Shopify development costs. Naturally, a large Shopify store with a lot of pages and cutting-edge features will increase the overall cost to build a Shopify website much more compared to a simple website.

According to the size and complexity of the job, you might have to budget the following expenses.

  • A Small Online Store with a Customized Theme

This is a similar kind of store. It only includes a few pages and some simple features. A Shopify developer will modify the theme’s code to meet your specifications and add some necessary functionality to improve the user experience. You can expect to pay between $1,500 and $2,000 in developer fees on average.

  • A Medium-Sized Online Store

The cost to build a Shopify website if you want a medium-sized online store. The cost is determined by the number of pages, features, interactive choices, and distinctive design components you require for your website. You should expect to pay anywhere between $2,500 and $5,000 on average.

  • A Custom Shopify Online Store Tailored to a Specific Brand

Although it is by far the most expensive choice to build a Shopify website, many Shopify business owners favor it because it offers the best return on investment.

An extensive bespoke Shopify store is a multi-page website with a distinct brand style, top-notch aesthetic components, and a carefully considered structure and navigation. To construct and test it correctly, a significant amount of time and resources are required. Its cost is consequently substantially higher than that of the other two categories of websites. Be prepared to spend anywhere between $7,000 to an upwards of $35,000.

Or

You can just get in touch with us at Trango Tech, the leading Shopify Development Company to develop a high quality but low cost solution.

Transaction fees

In order to accept payments on your Shopify site, you’ll need to make use of a payment gateway (a piece of software that processes credit cards).

You can either:

  • use Shopify’s built-in payment gateway, Shopify Payments
  • use a third-party payment gateway.

Using Shopify Payments will benefit you by completely negating transaction costs. But if you utilize a third-party payment processor or gateway, Shopify will charge you transaction fees in addition to your recurring monthly fee. Depending on the plan you’re on, you should expect to pay fees ranging from 2.4% to 2.9% of each transaction in the US (they differ from nation to nation).

Therefore, Shopify Payments will be a no-brainer for many retailers. However, using a third-party payment gateway may have benefits for you depending on what you’re selling (there are limitations on the kind of things you can sell via Shopify Payments, for example) and how you want to sell it.

You should be aware that if you choose to use a third-party payment gateway, you will have to pay both Shopify’s transaction costs as well as the third-party payment provider’s fees.

In regards to payment processing, it’s important to keep in mind that Shopify Payments is only offered in 23 countries; therefore, if you don’t reside in one of those countries, you will need to use a third-party payment gateway.

Stock

Without examining stock, no examination of the expenses related to a Shopify store would be complete. Naturally, opening a Shopify store is useless if you don’t have any goods to sell.

You have three main options here:

  • manufacture products yourself
  • buy stock from another supplier and store it yourself
  • dropshipping.

It goes without saying that making or purchasing stock will require a potentially significant expenditure.

As a result, dropshipping, a method of selling things online where you don’t produce or buy any stock, attracts a lot of merchants. Instead, you offer products from other vendors on your website, mark them up, and then just submit the information of each order to that source for fulfillment.

This can significantly lower your initial expenditures, but you’ll still need to find a way to pay for advertising campaigns and Shopify store SEO.

Use a dropshipping app from the Shopify app store if you wish to dropship using Shopify.

These come in a wide variety; typically, they let you choose the products you want to offer in your store and send the order information to the appropriate provider for fulfillment each time a transaction is made.

A reputable dropshipping app should cost at least $19.99 per month.

FAQs

Q: What is Shopify, and why should I choose it for my website?

A: Shopify is a cloud-based e-commerce platform that allows you to create and manage your online store without the need for technical knowledge or web development skills. It offers a range of customizable templates, as well as various tools and features to help you optimize your website’s functionality and increase your sales. Shopify also provides secure payment processing, inventory management, and shipping integration, making it an all-in-one solution for e-commerce businesses.

Q: How much does it cost to build a Shopify website?

A: The Shopify website cost can vary greatly, depending on your needs and requirements. At a minimum, you will need to pay for a Shopify subscription, which starts at $29/month for the Basic Shopify plan. Additionally, you may need to purchase a custom domain name, which can cost anywhere from $10 to $50 per year. If you choose to use a pre-built Shopify theme, you can expect to pay anywhere from $0 to $180, depending on the theme’s complexity and features. If you need custom design or development work, you should expect to pay anywhere from $500 to $10,000, depending on the scope of the project.

Q: What factors affect the cost of building a Shopify website?

A: Several factors can affect the Shopify website development cost, including the complexity of the design, the number of products and product categories, the need for custom functionality or integration with third-party apps, and the amount of content creation required. Additionally, if you plan to hire a professional web designer or developer to create your website, the cost can vary depending on their experience level and geographic location.

Q: Can I build a Shopify website on my own, or do I need to hire a professional?

A: While it is possible to build a Shopify website on your own, it can be a time-consuming and challenging process, especially if you have no prior experience with web design or development. If you have a limited budget and a relatively simple website, using a pre-built Shopify theme and following the platform’s guidelines can be a viable option. However, if you need a more complex website or require custom functionality, hiring a professional web designer or developer can help ensure that your website is built to meet your specific needs and that it looks and performs optimally.

The Key Takeaway On Shopify Costs

The key takeaway in all this is that the costs involved in creating a store are not just limited to Shopify monthly fees: you have to factor in Shopify template costs, credit card processing fees, apps, stock, developers and potentially Point-of-Sale too.

And that’s just to set the store up! There are obviously going to be costs associated with marketing your products. To get your products in front of people you’re going to have to invest in SEO, Google ads, Facebook ads and so on.

(You might also need to pay for things like branding and logo design.)

But as ecommerce platforms go, Shopify is a really good one — so if you do have the right budget and a well-thought through business plan in place, you are starting from a very good place by using the platform.

About The Author

blog author
admin

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Let’s level up your Brand, together

    Driving Change
    Through Technology

    Contact Us
    CTA Logo