As an indicative market range, having an online shop built in 2026 costs roughly between € 1.000 and € 15.000. With Shopify, platform and transaction fees come on top of the build cost; a WooCommerce shop at Studio 053 starts at around € 1.950. The price mainly depends on products, integrations and the available copy and photography.
An online shop costs more than a standard website, and with good reason: there is more involved. Payments, shipping, stock and a checkout process that works flawlessly on every phone. Below, you can read what it costs to have an online shop built in 2026, what each platform choice means for your budget and which costs are easy to overlook.
Your choice of platform determines your cost structure
Shopify
With Shopify, you rent the platform: hosting, security and the payment basics are included in a subscription. On 19 July 2026, the official Shopify pricing page lists Basic at US$ 29 per month when billed annually or US$ 39 when billed monthly. Currency, VAT, card rates, third-party transaction fees and apps may be added depending on your situation. Indicative build costs for professionally setting up a compact shop start at around € 1.000.
The advantage is convenience: there is little technical work for you to manage. The disadvantage is that you are renting — you are tied to their pricing and rules, and switching later takes work. For those who want to start quickly and expect many orders, that convenience is often worth the investment.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce runs on WordPress, giving you full ownership of your shop and data. No monthly platform fees, but you will need your own hosting. An online shop built with WooCommerce starts at € 1.950 excluding VAT at Studio 053.
You have more freedom here — useful if you want to combine content and sales or have specific requirements — but you are responsible for updates and backups. That is perfectly manageable, but it is not ‘set and forget’.
Bespoke
For a large or unusual shop, a fully bespoke platform may be the best choice. Expect to pay € 5.000 and more. This only makes sense if your volume or requirements genuinely fall outside the standard route; WooCommerce or Shopify is more than sufficient for most business owners.
What determines the price
- Number of products. Entering ten products is an afternoon's work; five hundred is a project — especially if each product has variants, sizes or colours.
- Integrations. Do you need an integration with your accounting software, inventory system or shipping provider? Every piece of technology takes work.
- Copy and product photography. This is the major hidden cost of an online shop. Poor product photos cost you orders; good photos and copy take time or money to produce. If you have them ready, the process will be faster and less expensive.
- Design. A bespoke shop versus an off-the-shelf theme presents the same trade-off as with a website: uniqueness and speed versus a lower price.
The costs you overlook
Many people only budget for the build, but an online shop has ongoing costs:
- Transaction fees: payment providers charge a small amount plus a percentage per order. This adds up when you have many small orders.
- Platform or hosting costs: monthly (Shopify) or annually (your own hosting with WooCommerce).
- Maintenance and security: an online shop processes payments, so updates and security are essential. With WooCommerce, you arrange these separately; with Shopify, they are included in the subscription.
- Marketing: the best-looking shop sells nothing without visitors. Allow for a budget for visibility or advertising.
When an online shop pays for itself
An online shop pays for itself if you have enough margin and volume to cover the build and ongoing costs. If you sell a handful of products a month at a small margin, an expensive shop may not be the smartest first step — sometimes selling through a marketplace or a simple order page is a more sensible place to start. I will tell you that plainly.
If you do have the volume, cutting costs on your shop is a false economy: every second of loading time and every unclear product page costs you orders you never see.
How to find out what it will cost you
As with a website, the exact figure comes from one conversation: what do you sell, to how many people, and which integrations do you need? That determines the price.
Want to know where your current shop is losing revenue first? Request the free video scan. I review your shop and send you a video with three specific improvements within two working days — or, if you do not have a shop yet, three things to consider before you begin.
Method and current relevance
The build costs in this article are indicative market ranges and Studio 053's published starting prices as at 19 July 2026. The Shopify prices were checked against the official pricing page on that date. Platform, payment and transaction costs may change and vary by country, turnover and selected features. Always check the supplier's current prices before deciding. This is a decision guide, not independent market research or a promise of returns.
Source checked: Shopify — subscriptions and transaction fees, accessed 19 July 2026.
Update log: 19 July 2026 — official Shopify source, methodology, checkout scope and currency warning added.