What drives the price
Two stores can differ by an order of magnitude. The biggest levers are how the design is built (template vs. custom), how many products and variants you have, and how many outside systems the store has to talk to — payments, shipping, tax, accounting, ERP.
Readiness matters too. If clean product data, photos, and copy already exist, the build moves faster. If they have to be created, that's real work and real cost.
- Design approach: pre-built theme, customized theme, or fully custom design
- Catalog size and complexity: number of products, variants, and how they're organized
- Integrations: payments, shipping, tax, accounting, CRM, ERP — each adds scope
- Content readiness: whether product data, photos, and copy exist or must be produced
- Migration: moving existing products, customers, and orders adds work
Recurring costs people forget
The build is one number; running the store is another. Plan for ongoing platform and app subscriptions, and payment processing that's typically a percentage of each sale plus a fixed fee. These are real monthly costs regardless of who builds the site.
Naming these up front is the difference between a budget that holds and a surprise on your first invoice.
- Platform subscription (monthly or annual) if you use a hosted platform
- Payment processing: a percentage plus a flat fee on every transaction
- Third-party apps for reviews, subscriptions, shipping, or tax
- Hosting, SSL, and maintenance if you self-host, as with WooCommerce
- Ongoing design, content, and support after launch
How we price it
We quote store builds per project, based on a scoped list of what you actually need — not a padded package or a random 'starting at' number. On a free consultation we map your catalog, integrations, and design goals, then give you a real figure and a timeline before any work starts.
We also separate the one-time build cost from the ongoing monthly running cost, so you can see both clearly and decide where spending more pays off.
- Project-based quote tied to a written scope, not an open-ended hourly guess
- One-time build cost and ongoing monthly running cost shown separately
- You see the trade-offs — where extra budget converts, where it doesn't
- No fabricated price tag — the number reflects your actual requirements
More on online stores & e-commerce
Frequently asked questions
Can you just give me a ballpark?
Honestly, a ballpark without knowing your catalog and integrations would be misleading. A five-product store and a five-thousand-SKU store with ERP sync are different projects. A short consultation gets you an accurate range instead of a random figure you'd have to distrust anyway.
What's the cheapest way to launch?
Start with a hosted platform and a quality pre-built theme, populate it with clean product data, and add only the apps you truly need. It's the fastest path to revenue, and you can invest in custom design once sales justify it.
Are there ongoing costs after launch?
Yes — expect a platform subscription, payment processing fees on each sale, and any app subscriptions. We lay these out during scoping so there are no surprises on your first bill.