An ecommerce store costs $4,000 to $12,000 for a custom Shopify theme build and $12,000 to $35,000 for a headless storefront. Beyond the build, expect $500 to $3,000 per month in recurring platform fees, apps and transaction costs — which usually exceeds the build cost within the first two years.
Ecommerce quotes focus on the build. The recurring stack is the number that actually determines your margin, and it is rarely in the proposal.
Build range
Monthly recurring
Typical transaction fee
The hidden line item
$39–$399/month for standard Shopify tiers; Plus starts around $2,300/month. Choose on features, not aspiration.
Roughly 2.4–2.9% plus 30¢ per order, more for international cards. On $50k monthly revenue that is $1,200–$1,500.
The line nobody budgets. Reviews, subscriptions, email, upsells and search commonly total $200–$800/month.
$0–$400 for a purchased theme, $4,000–$12,000 for a custom one, $12,000–$35,000 headless.
$50–$200 per product for decent shots. On a 200-product catalogue this can exceed the build.
$1,200–$2,500/month if you want campaign pages, tests and performance work continuing after launch.
| Approach | Build cost | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purchased theme, configured | $500 – $2,500 | 1–2 weeks | Testing a product |
| Customised theme | $2,500 – $6,000 | 2–4 weeks | Under $30k/month revenue |
| Custom theme | $4,000 – $12,000 | 3–6 weeks | Most established brands |
| Headless storefront | $12,000 – $35,000 | 8–14 weeks | Site is the differentiator |
| Custom platform | $40,000+ | 16+ weeks | Requirements no platform meets |
| Revenue/month | Platform | Apps | Transactions | Monthly total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | $39 | $150 | $320 | ~$510 |
| $50,000 | $105 | $400 | $1,550 | ~$2,055 |
| $150,000 | $399 | $700 | $4,500 | ~$5,600 |
| $500,000 | $2,300 | $1,200 | $14,000 | ~$17,500 |
Two things follow. First, transaction fees dominate as you grow, which is why negotiating rates matters more than app pruning at scale. Second, at $10k a month a $30,000 headless build takes years to justify.
The most common expensive mistake is buying stage-three infrastructure at stage one. The second most common is staying on a bloated theme long after speed is measurably costing conversions.
Shopify is far cheaper upfront and carries ongoing fees. A custom platform has no platform fee but costs $40,000+ to build and requires you to maintain payments, security and compliance. For almost every store under eight figures, Shopify plus a custom front end is the better economics.
Typically $200–$800 a month for an established store. They also cost page speed, which costs conversion. We audit each app for both, so the trade-off is a number rather than an opinion.
$3,000 to $15,000 depending on catalogue size and how much data moves. The critical line item is URL mapping and redirects — skipping it is what causes the traffic loss stores blame on the migration.
Yes, and it usually returns more than an equivalent spend on the site. Excellent photography on an average theme outperforms average photography on a beautiful custom build.
Indicative ranges in USD. Every engagement is quoted to a written scope before work starts, so the number you approve is the number you pay.
$4,000 – $9,000
3–6 weeks
Best for: Existing stores needing speed and design
$4,000 – $12,000
3–6 weeks
Best for: Most established brands
$12,000 – $35,000
8–14 weeks
Best for: Brands where the storefront differentiates
How we think about this work, in more depth.
Cost guide
A 30-minute call, then a written proposal with scope, price and timeline within two to three working days. No retainer required to get a real number, and no obligation if the answer is that we are not the right fit.