Shopify is currently rated as one of the most popular platforms for e-commerce due to its simplicity, flexibility, and strong tools suitable for companies of all scales. This brand of e-commerce development is perfect for startups as well as established stores because their services can be customized to meet the needs of any business while assuring security.
By choosing Shopify website development, enterprises can concentrate on the growth of the company and its customers. When it comes to development, the role of budgets comes into play which vary widely based on the design intricacy and added features, applications, and integrations, additional options like self-designing or paying for a web developer’s services or hiring an agency.
Here’s a complete guide to help you understand the costs and considerations involved in budgeting for a Shopify website:
Before diving into development costs, it's important to understand the basic expenses associated with a Shopify store, such as the monthly subscription fees:
Shopify Plans:
- Basic Shopify: $29/month
- Shopify: $79/month
- Advanced Shopify: $299/month
- Transaction Fees: If you don’t have Shopify payments for your business, you pay transaction fees starting from 2% up to 0.5% of the sale depending on the plan you are subscribed to.
Many of these subscription costs give the ability to access the platform and basic e-commerce functions. As Average and Shopify Plus plans are beyond the foundational stage it may cost several dollars per month however it is based on your business size, most of the first Shopify stores are opened with Basic Shopify plan.
The primary difference between freelance developer, full-time developer, and an agency is how much it will cost.
Freelance Developer: It costs between $500 to $5,000 for general software development and $1,000 to $10,000 for software development from experienced developers depending on your needs.
Agency: A dedicated e-commerce agency does it all, design to SEO, perfect for larger stores with complex requirements.
Estimated Cost: The costs would range from $5,000, or a little less for a small Shopify website development agency that can handle a limited range of services, to $50,000 or more if the agency offers a full array of services and your store is very elaborate.
Shopify has both free and paid themes. If you're opting for a custom design, factor in additional costs:
Free Themes: While Shopify’s free themes are not fancy, they are business appropriate, mobile-friendly and adequate for a variety of basic commerce requirements.
Paid Themes: Cost between $100 to $350 commonly contain more elaborate layout and design processes.
Customization Costs: For customization of a brand appeal, there are extra costs for theme graphics, cascading style sheets, and layout.
Estimated Cost for Custom Design: $500 to $5,000
Features such as shopping cart, product pages as well as check out are already built-in in Shopify. However, specialized features may incur extra costs:
Product Variants and Filters: Adding product options, color or further size comes with extra cost when one customizes the filters to accommodate such parameters.
Custom Forms and Product Pages: If there is a need to have full design for individual products or to create forms for customers’ data – it may take additional cost again.
Additional Features: Features that may add to the costs include such functionalities as customer wish lists, product combination offers, different check out processes, and the customer loyalty programs.
Estimated Cost for Additional Features from Shopify web development agency: $500 to $2,000 according to the degree of difficulty.
The extra features can be acquired through applications downloaded from the Shopify App store, which are not created individually. The most used apps are for marketing, search engine optimization, social networks integration and inventory.
App Costs: Most applications can be downloaded and used without any charge but the paid application may charge a monthly fee or even a one-off fee. Generally, most of the premium apps are priced between $5 and $ 50 per month.
Integrations: Third-party applications like the CRM or ERP API can enhance business management but can be done by a developer.
Estimated Cost for Apps: $10 to $500 monthly based on the number of applications.
Custom Integration Costs: $500 to $5,000
Brand-consistent content of the website include product descriptions, about us pages, and policies. That said, it is possible to write content on your own but professional copywriting makes the difference as far as SEO conversions, and visitors are concerned.
Copywriting Cost: Ranging from $50 to $200 for every single page the price depends on the writer’s level and the required amount of the content.
Product Photography: Quality is important, especially if the business is an e-commerce store where images are what sell the product. Despite this, doing it yourself (DIY) can be effective when it comes to photography though professionalism pays off big time.
Estimated Cost for Photography: This will cost anywhere between $200 and $2,000 based on the number of products in the design and the general design difficulty.
SEO and marketing attracts natural traffic to the site. While Shopify provides basic SEO features, optimizing your store for search engines requires professional assistance:
SEO Services: Search engine optimization services could be as simple as keyword research, on-site optimization, link acquisition, and site analysis.
Estimated SEO Cost: Anywhere from $500 to $5,000 depending on what type of store you have and how much customer service you wish to offer.
Social Media and Email Marketing: Other marketing expenses could include but not limited to social media presence, email marketing, and influencer marketing.
Estimated Marketing Costs: $50 to $1,000 monthly depending on all the strategies employed and searched for on the different online platforms.
When done, you’re going to need to constantly apply updates, fix bugs, and enhance the site or application. Most of the firmware update may be done through the default Shopify applications, but advanced features need the help of a developer.
Monthly Maintenance Costs: Ranges from $100 to $500; this depends on the store’s size, and specifically the type of services that will be offered. Choose a Shopify website development services provider having expertise from development to maintenance, and support.
Here’s a rough estimate for budgeting your Shopify website development based on different levels of complexity:
Basic Store (DIY):
- Shopify Plan (Basic): $29/month
- Paid Theme: $100 to $350 (one-time)
- Apps: $0 to $50/month
- Total Initial Cost: Around $200 to $500
Intermediate Store (Freelance Developer):
- Shopify Plan: $39/month
- Paid Theme or Custom Design: $500 to $3,000
- Apps and Integrations: $20 to $100/month
- SEO and Marketing: $500 to $1,500
- Total Initial Cost: $1,000 to $5,000
Advanced Store (Agency):
- Shopify Plan: $105 to $399/month
- Custom Design: $3,000 to $10,000
- Apps and Integrations: $50 to $500/month
- Custom Features: $1,000 to $5,000
- SEO and Marketing: $2,000+
- Total Initial Cost: $5,000 to $50,000+
In the Shopify store, businesses can choose to have more than one language and currency to sell products in other countries. It also has the ability to connect with international payment gateways and local shipping details, as well as assist the corporate world in reaching new markets while incurring little setup cost.
Therefore, while developing on Shopify, many developers, designers, and experts are available along with many tutorials, forums, and blogs. Shopify websites can be cheap or expensive depending on strategy used, size of store and goals and objectives.If you’re looking for a reliable Shopify website development company, reach out to Web Panel Solutions.
In 2025, Shopify website development costs can range from $500 for a basic setup to $10,000 or more for a fully customized, feature-rich online store. The exact price depends on the complexity of your project, features, design, and the developers you hire. To know the development cost, contact our team.
Yes, besides the initial development, there are recurring costs for maintaining a Shopify store, including shopify subscription, apps & plugins, hosting & domain, maintenance & updates etc.
While Shopify is user-friendly and offers plenty of templates, building a fully customized and professional store may require hiring a developer, especially if you need advanced features or unique branding.
A basic Shopify setup involves using standard templates with limited customizations, typically suited for small businesses or startups. It’s a cost-effective solution with minimal development time. A custom Shopify store, on the other hand, involves designing unique features, integrating third-party tools, and creating a tailored user experience. This option is ideal for brands with specific needs and a larger budget.
The time to develop a Shopify website varies, but it typically takes anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks depending on the complexity of the project. A simple store could be set up in a few days, while a custom-built site with unique features and advanced functionality may take longer.
To reduce the cost, you can:
