How Much Does a Shopify Store Cost? Real Prices, Monthly Fees and Hidden Costs

“What does a Shopify shop cost?” can't be answered with a single figure, but it can with an honest breakdown. The costs split into running fees (to Shopify) and a one-off setup (design, products, configuration).

1. The Shopify subscription

Shopify itself costs a monthly base fee, tiered by the range of features. For most small businesses the entry-level or mid plan is enough. Pay annually and you get two months free. Shopify states the exact plans directly, since they change.

2. Payment fees

A payment fee applies per order (credit card, PayPal, Klarna and so on). If you use Shopify Payments, Shopify's additional transaction fee is waived. That's usually the cheapest option, so factor this fee into your margin from the start.

3. Apps and extensions

The App Store covers features Shopify doesn't bring out of the box: volume discounts, reviews, advanced shipping rules. Many apps are free or cheap, but they add up. Our advice: only install what demonstrably brings in revenue, and clean house regularly.

4. Theme and design

Shopify comes with free themes that are enough to get started. A custom design that fits your brand and is optimised for sales is a one-off investment, not a recurring item.

5. The setup

The biggest one-off item is a clean setup: store design, creating products, categories, shipping profiles, payment methods, legal texts. That's exactly what we handle, at a fixed price from €1,500, with no hourly billing and no surprises.

• Running (to Shopify): subscription + payment fees + apps where applicable.
• One-off (setup): design, products, shipping, legal texts.
• Optional: a custom theme and ongoing support, but only if you want them.

The most expensive option is a half-finished shop that doesn't sell. A clean setup pays off from the very first order.

6. You don't have to pay it all at once

The most common reason a shop never launches: the setup looks like one big lump sum. It doesn't have to be. You choose how you pay, and either way, the shop gets built in full:

• Interest-free in monthly instalments: spread the cost over Stripe into up to 24 instalments, in any country, with no interest and no surcharge. You put nothing down up front, we get building straight away, and at the end of the term the design is yours.
• PayPal or Klarna, where available: pay in instalments through PayPal or Klarna, anywhere from 3 to 24 payments depending on your country. You'll see the exact terms right at checkout.
• All at once: with a 5% cash discount. At the entry price of €1,500 that's €1,425.

All prices are net, plus VAT. We'll settle which option suits you best in a quick email, then we simply get building.

So who actually gets which money?

This is the point where most people lose the thread, because it looks like money is going out in every direction. In reality there are three clearly separate items, and two of them don't come to us at all:

And our own tools (volume discounts, bundles, loyalty programme) are free for six months for you as our customer. After that, it's your call whether you keep them. If you don't, your shop keeps running anyway; only the advanced rules pause. Nothing is lost.

Build now, sell over Christmas

For most shops, the fourth quarter is where the year's revenue happens. If you want to sell in December, you want to be online in September. That gives Google time to index the shop, and gives you time to test in peace. Starting now means being ready before it counts.

Want a concrete figure for your project? Drop us a quick line about what you sell. We'll give you a clear fixed price, and you tell us how you'd like to pay.