What an online store costs to build
What an online store really costs, what belongs in the price, what you pay every month, and where the hidden costs hide.
Building an online store runs between €1,000 and €13,000 depending on platform and scope. The spread comes down to three things: how many products you have, how non-standard the store needs to be, and who handles the courier and accounting integrations.
What each platform costs
Shopify: €1,500 to €6,000 to build, plus €30 to €250 a month. Fastest start, least maintenance, least freedom for non-standard requirements.
WooCommerce: €1,300 to €7,500, plus hosting and maintenance. Cheaper start, more freedom, and more things that can break. It needs someone to look after it.
Custom: from €7,500 up. Only worth it for non-standard logic, a very large catalogue, or ERP integration. For most stores it is over-investment.
Under 200 products and a standard order flow, Shopify almost always works out cheaper over three years, even if the subscription looks high at the start.
What should be in the price
- Catalogue design and structure, not just a bought theme.
- Courier and payment integration.
- Product import with correct copy and images.
- SEO foundation from day one: indexing, structured data, clean URLs, sitemap.
- Tracking: GA4 with ecommerce events, so you know where orders come from.
- Training so you can add products yourself.
The last three are the ones most often missing. A store without tracking is a store where, six months in, you will not know which channel works. And an SEO foundation retrofitted later costs more than one built in from the start. What a build includes with me
The hidden costs
- Product photography. If you do not have it, that is a separate budget and it is usually underestimated.
- Descriptions. 200 products at 15 minutes each is about 50 hours of work.
- Paid apps on Shopify, which accumulate month after month.
- Migrating old URLs if you already have a site. Without correct 301s you lose rankings.
How long it takes
A standard Shopify store with up to 100 products: 3 to 6 weeks. WooCommerce with integrations: 6 to 10 weeks. Custom: months. The delay is rarely development - it is usually the content that has to come from you.
Frequently asked questions
- What does an online store cost?
- Between €1,000 and €13,000 depending on platform and scope. A standard Shopify store usually lands at €1,500 to €6,000 plus a monthly subscription.
- Shopify or WooCommerce?
- Shopify for a standard flow and low maintenance. WooCommerce when you need freedom and have someone to maintain it.
- How long does a build take?
- 3 to 6 weeks for a standard Shopify store, 6 to 10 for WooCommerce with integrations. Delays usually come from content, not development.
- Are there monthly costs?
- Yes. Subscription or hosting, the domain, sometimes paid apps, and maintenance. Budget for them from the start.
