It depends on the platform, your product range and the systems the store needs to connect to. Answer a few questions and you'll get an estimate you can check, not a figure from a pricing model.
Built for clients including Tata Steel, M&G Investments, Digistore24, Toppers in Concert, Bar-le-Duc and Loogman
Cost check
Work out what your online store costs
A few questions, then a request for an estimate you can check. No obligation.
Step 1 of 8Takes about two minutes
What drives the price
What drives the cost of an online store
Two online stores that look the same can be far apart in price. These are the six things that make the difference.
Platform and front end
Shopify with a theme, Shopify Plus, a headless front end or custom. The choice depends on how you sell, and makes a difference to build, subscription and maintenance.
Product range and product data
A straightforward range is quick to set up. Many variants, configurable products or product information from several sources take work on the structure, the filters and the import.
Integrations with stock and accounts
Stock, prices and orders have to match between store, ERP and accounts. What is the source of truth, and what happens when a system is briefly unavailable? That determines a large part of the work.
Markets and languages
Every extra market means translations, but also prices, VAT rules, shipping costs and payment methods per country. There is more work in that than in the language itself.
B2B features
Prices per customer, ordering on account and several logins per company need different logic from a consumer store. Sometimes the platform can do it, sometimes custom work is needed.
Maintenance after go-live
An online store runs on a subscription, apps and integrations that get updates. Speed, conversion and further development belong in the budget, not as a surprise afterwards.
From question to quote
How we arrive at a price
1
Your answers
The cost check tells us what you want built, who it is for and which parts it needs.
2
A short call
We call you back, ask what it needs to achieve and what is already in place, and tell you if an off-the-shelf package would suit you better.
3
A quote you can check
Scope, timeline and price on paper before anything is built. If the budget doesn't fit, we show you what to build first.
What an online store costs, and what it depends on
The questions we hear most often before someone has an online store built, with the answers we also give in a first conversation.
1
How much does it cost to build an online store?
The honest answer: it depends on how you sell. A Shopify store with a straightforward range and a good theme is a different project from a store that pulls stock and prices from your ERP, sells in several countries and gives business customers their own prices. And that is different again from a headless store with its own front end.
That is why we don't quote a figure on this page. A price from a pricing model is almost never right for an online store with integrations, and a wrong number sends you in the wrong direction. With your answers from the cost check we give you an estimate you can check, and in the quote we fix scope, timeline and price before anything is built.
2
Shopify, Shopify Plus, headless or custom
If your sales process fits what Shopify does out of the box, you'll be live sooner, it's cheaper to maintain and easier to hand over. That's what we recommend, even when it's the smaller job. Shopify Plus is a more expensive subscription that only pays off with several markets or brands, a B2B side with its own pricing agreements or your own checkout.
Headless means Shopify keeps handling payments, orders and stock, while the store itself gets its own front end. You gain speed and freedom in how it looks, but structural changes then need a developer. Fully custom only makes sense if your sales process really doesn't fit anywhere.
3
Why quotes for an online store vary so much
The difference is rarely in the hourly rate but in what is and isn't included. Is it a customised theme or a bespoke design? Are the integrations with stock and accounts included, with error handling? Is the product data migrated, and who checks it?
Ask which apps are needed, and what they cost per month
Ask whether speed is an agreed target at handover
Ask who owns the theme, the code and the customer data
4
Start small without throwing work away
An online store doesn't have to do everything on day one. Start with the range and the market where demand is highest, then add markets, B2B features or integrations. That way you're already selling while you keep building.
What has to be right from the start is the foundation: the product structure, the source of truth for stock and prices, and the integration with your accounts. Changing those later costs more than getting them right first time.
5
What does an online store cost after go-live?
Besides the build there are fixed costs: the platform subscription, apps you pay for monthly, payment provider transaction fees and hosting if you have your own front end. Add maintenance: updates, integrations that need to keep up and keeping the store fast.
How much that is depends on your platform and how much you want to keep developing. We set it out in advance, so you know where you stand.
6
How to keep costs under control
With an online store, costs often climb because of what gets added later: apps that each cost a monthly fee and slow the store down, and stock or orders kept up to date by hand. Be deliberate about what goes into the store.
Stay on standard Shopify as long as it fits
Be sparing with third-party apps and scripts
Connect stock and accounts instead of keeping them up to date by hand
Amsterdam
Who you'll talk to
You talk to the founders
No salespeople. We read your answers and call you back. Then you build with a permanent team from our office in Amsterdam.
Frequently asked questions about online store development
How much does it cost to build an online store?
It depends on the platform, your product range, the integrations with stock and accounts, the number of markets and whether you also sell to businesses. The cost check on this page lets you share that in a few minutes, and you get an estimate you can check. In the quote we fix scope, timeline and price before anything is built.
Why isn't there a price on this page?
Because a price from a pricing model is almost always wrong for an online store with integrations. We would rather give you an estimate based on your answers, from people who have read them, than a figure that sends you in the wrong direction.
How much does a Shopify store cost?
A Shopify store costs the build, the Shopify subscription, the apps you use and the transaction fees on payments. What the build costs depends on the theme, the product range and the integrations. If your store fits what Shopify does out of the box, that is the fastest and most cost-effective route.
When is Shopify Plus worth the extra cost?
When you sell in several countries or with several brands, have a B2B side with its own pricing agreements, need your own checkout or are hitting the limits of the regular integrations. If you're not there yet, Plus is mainly a bigger bill, and we'll tell you so.
How much does an online store cost per month?
Fixed elements are the platform subscription, apps, transaction fees and hosting if you have your own front end. Add maintenance: updates, keeping integrations up to date and further development. We set it out in advance.
How long does it take to build an online store?
That depends on the platform, the integrations and the product data that needs migrating. We work in short cycles, so you see early on what is being built. The timeline is in the quote.
Who owns the online store once it's finished?
You do. The platform account is in your name, the code for the theme or front end lives in your own repository, and customer and order data stay yours. There is documentation, so another team can also take it on.
What does it cost to move to a different platform?
That depends mostly on the data: products, customers, orders and the old page addresses, which need redirecting so you don't lose your visibility in Google. Add the integrations that need rebuilding. Mention in the cost check that you want to switch, and we'll include it in the estimate.
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