How much does it cost to build a Shopify website?

Shopify is a great eCommerce platform that allows you to sell your products online very easily. Whether you're new to the game, or an established e-commerce brand, Shopify can be a great solution for you.

However, there are costs involved in building a Shopify website that most people don't know about. In this article, we'll go over how much it costs to build a Shopify website from scratch, whether you are doing it yourself or planning to get a Shopify development agency to execute a grand migration of an existing global store from another platform.

Estimated costs of building a Shopify website

If you want to DIY, the costs are going to be pretty low. You can find premium (or even free!) Shopify themes that are ready to go for around $99-$300, and then just customise them with your own images and text. If you want more features, than what comes with a ready-made theme, a particular design or just don’t want to do it yourself then this will cost more money (and time).

• Build it Yourself: $0-$500

Do it yourself option - for those willing to put in some hours, whilst saving money.

You can use a free basic theme from the Shopify theme store and customise it yourself. No developer knowledge is required here, but you will have to spend some time fine-tuning it to make your website look good.

Alternatively, buy a ready-made premium theme for a more polished look and better functionality, and then invest some time in adding quality photography and content to it. Again, no developer knowledge is required; just general computer literacy, some free time and an eye for design will be helpful.

• A simple build with a ready-made theme: $500 - $10k

You hire professionals to tweak and set up a ready-made theme for you.

If you've tried premium themes and they are mostly fine but lack some functionality or some design elements require tweaking, you will want to get Shopify developers involved to do the required tweaks.

This option is also suitable for those who are happy with ready-made themes, but don't have resources or desire to set them up themselves.

• Custom theme build: $10k - $30k

Professionally designed online shop.

Your website is designed for you by professional Shopify designers and developers. Your product pages are built specifically for your products and offerings, the website matches your branding precisely and you have ultimate flexibility on how things look like! Do you want your homepage to be upside down? Consider it done.

• Custom theme build with integrations/ custom functionality - $30k+

Professionally designed online shop with unusual functionality that is not provided by Shopify by default.

You get bespoke design and bespoke functionality. Your website will communicate with your third-party systems, CRMs, and shipping providers. You gain flexibility in what your website can do. A little video game for your customers, a unique tracking system that integrates with your sales software, a live video stream that activates every time a dog enters your shop? Everything is possible!

What does affect the cost of building a Shopify website?

Now that we have a rough idea of the prices, let’s dive into details and see what will be affecting the cost of your new website, whether you do it yourself or hire a Shopify agency. These are only some of the main factors that can affect the cost of building a Shopify website.

Developers' Tip: Don't be afraid to get quotes for professional jobs. When hiring professional developers, you are paying for their time and some tasks may be smaller and cheaper than you think!

Shopify design & development costs

The design and development of the website is one of the most significant factors affecting the cost. The more complex and customised the design is, the more time and effort will be required to create it, which will increase the cost. Here are some ways in which the design stage can affect the cost:

• Number of custom pages and templates: the more pages and templates you need to design, the higher the cost will be. A basic Shopify website design job consists of designing a homepage, product page, product category page and generic content page. Content-heavy websites may require more pages and templates than a simple e-commerce website. For example, a “find a stockist” or “history timeline” page will require additional design work, coding, and testing, which will add to the overall cost.

• Number of Iterations: the number of design iterations required to get the website design approved can also affect the cost. If additional design revisions are required, the design stage will take longer, and the cost will increase.

• Design Direction: if the design team is working within existing brand guidelines, they will have more direction and clarity, making the design process more efficient and potentially reducing the cost. On the other hand, starting from scratch will require more design work and may take longer, resulting in a higher cost.

• Unique design: The extent of customisation required in the design stage can also affect the cost. A highly customized design that requires a lot of bespoke graphics, animations, photography or unique layouts will require more time and effort, increasing the cost. Website and its functionality costs Non-standard online shop functionality can significantly affect the build costs. Here are some examples:

• Advanced search or filtering functionality: advanced search functionality that allows customers to search for products using complex filters, such as price range, colour, or size, can add to the cost of the website build. Advanced search functionality often requires additional coding, and third-party apps or plugins may need to be installed.

• Custom Product Builders or Bundles: If you need a custom product builder that allows customers to configure their products, such as selecting colours, sizes, or materials, it can add to the cost of the website build. Whilst there are apps that provide this functionality, they do not always suit the needs of the business.

• Subscription-Based Products: If you sell subscription-based products, such as monthly boxes, you will need additional functionality to manage subscriptions and recurring payments. That usually requires a certain level of customisation.

Content Creation and Product / Categories Set-up Costs

Creating high-quality content such as product descriptions, images, and videos will add to the costs. Usually, shop owners are asked to provide a spreadsheet with product names, descriptions, prices and so on.

You can do it yourself or trust professionals with content creation. Depending on the size of the product catalogue, this process may require some time (or money).

The size of your catalogue, products and product categories will also affect the build cost because every page needs at least some level of work done before launch, such as naming them and uploading images.

Shopify integrations and API costs

Integrating with other systems such as inventory management or accounting software is another point to consider. Some integrations can be done via ready-made apps, some integrations will require custom connectors to be built. There may also be some recurring fees involved in using integrations and APIs.

It is almost impossible to provide an estimated cost figure for integrations, as each and every project will be different. Get in touch with our Shopify Development team to get an idea of what your project may cost.

Shopify website migration costs

If you have an existing website with customer data, product information, and other content, you'll need to migrate this data to Shopify. Depending on the complexity and structure of your data and the size of your website, data migration can sometimes add to the costs too.

Small(er) recurring costs involved in a Shopify website build

Technically the costs listed below are costs related to running a Shopify store, rather than building it. However, it is important to take those into account as well, when estimating the project costs.

• Shopify subscription. The basic plan costs $29 per month and goes up to $299 a month. With Shopify Plus, a subscription may cost you several thousand a month,

• Payment gateway integration costs and transaction fees are important to consider. On average they range from 0.5% to 3% per transaction. Read more about Shopify Payment Providers.

• Domain name registration ranges from around $10 to $40 dollars a year.

• Apps and subscriptions – they provide you with some additional functionality, however, as with everything, good things don’t come for free. App prices range on average from $10/month to $200/month, but a good app should pay for itself.

• Maintenance and support – whilst generally speaking your shop should not require any ongoing maintenance, you may be willing to change things around once in a while and update/ refresh your shop fully once every 3-6 years.

It's important to keep in mind that Shopify development costs can vary greatly depending on the complexity of your project. There are many factors that affect how much it will cost to build a Shopify website, including the size of your store and number of products; the type of theme you choose; how many pages need to be created; customizations like adding apps or plugins; And more!