A Shopify website costs money to build and to run. Design, product data and integrations determine the development work. After launch, the chosen plan, any apps and payment processing contribute to the bill. Compare quotes over the same period and for the same features.
This is the Shopify detail behind our guide to website development costs. If you’re still comparing platforms, read WordPress, Webflow, Wix and Shopify and our custom website guide.
What determines Shopify development costs?
Configuring an existing theme differs from building a bespoke design with unusual product logic. Start with the deliverables. Who enters products, writes copy and checks the ordering journey? A cheap development quote may leave much of that work with you.
| Route | Work to budget for | Question for the quote |
|---|---|---|
| Configure a theme yourself | Your time, content and configuration | Can you resolve ordering errors too? |
| Have a theme configured | Configuration, content and tests | Which pages and product types are included? |
| Commission a design | Design, theme development and screen testing | Which departures from standard behaviour are needed? |
| Build a shop with custom integrations | Data mapping, error handling and maintenance | Who investigates an order missing from the warehouse system? |
Have existing product data reviewed early. Missing variants, duplicate item numbers or unusable photos can require more preparation than expected. Ask for that check before fixing the schedule, so you can separate development tasks from work you still need to do.
What do Shopify subscriptions cost in 2026?
The Dutch Shopify pricing page lists these regular euro rates, checked on 2026-09-24. Introductory offers are excluded; other countries can have different prices.
| Plan | Monthly payment | Monthly equivalent with annual payment |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | €36 | €27 |
| Grow | €105 | €79 |
| Advanced | €384 | €289 |
Plus has a separate offering. Confirm current rates, payment terms and applicable taxes when requesting your quote.
Assess features and costs together. Identify any required feature that moves you to another plan. Check whether a monthly figure assumes annual payment or a monthly contract. That affects cash flow even when the equivalent monthly price looks lower.
Which costs continue after launch?
Separate the subscription, apps and maintenance in the budget. Payment processing sits alongside them because it depends on sales and payment methods. A domain or external email service may be another line item.
| Cost | What do you need to establish? |
|---|---|
| Subscription | Regular rate, currency, taxes and contract term |
| Theme | Licence and later modification costs |
| Apps | Each app’s rate, included usage and cancellation terms |
| Payment processing | Percentage, fixed charge and any additional fee |
| Maintenance | Included work and charges for extra work |
An app can replace development work but introduces a dependency. Ask what happens if it’s withdrawn or becomes more expensive. A simpler process may suit a rarely used function. For a function handling every order, recovery from problems matters too.
What are Shopify’s transaction fees?
Distinguish payment processing from any extra charge for an external payment provider. Shopify’s transaction-fee documentation explains when that additional fee applies. Payments processed through Shopify Payments avoid that fee, but payment processing can still cost money. For stores created from 12 May 2025, amounts paid with store credit or gift cards can still attract the additional fee. Separate Plus terms apply.
Don’t apply one percentage to all revenue without checking. Payment methods and exceptions can produce different calculations. Ask how refunds, manual payments and store credit are handled in your setup.
As a purely illustrative calculation, a 2% fee applied to €10,000 of payments would cost €200. That percentage is an assumption, not a confirmed current tariff. Use the rates for your plan and payment methods in the actual budget.
How do you compare costs over two years?
Include one-off work and recurring charges. The figures below are chosen assumptions to demonstrate the method. They aren’t market averages, vendor prices or a TopDevs quote. All example amounts exclude VAT. Recurring budgets stay unchanged in year two as a modelling assumption, not a price guarantee. Use your own billing currency when budgeting.
| Illustrative item | Year 1 | Year 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Development and setup | €10,000 | €0 |
| Assumed platform budget | €1,200 | €1,200 |
| Assumed app budget | €1,200 | €1,200 |
| Assumed maintenance budget | €1,800 | €1,800 |
| Subtotal before payment processing | €14,200 | €4,200 |
The example totals €18,400 over two years, plus payment processing and items outside this scope. Replace every line with your own quote. Add planned changes: introducing business sales next year creates a different budget from leaving the shop unchanged.
Also model fewer and more orders. Which costs stay fixed and which grow? That shows whether the budget depends on an optimistic sales forecast. Record the assumptions so you can later understand why actual spending differs.
Is Shopify or custom development cheaper?
It depends on the features and maintenance. Shopify may fit when its standard behaviour matches your sales process. Custom software may fit when that process needs substantial bespoke logic. A warehouse integration alone doesn’t prove that you need an entirely custom shop.
Compare the same requirements over the same period. Include hosting, maintenance and future development for custom software too. Commissioning a build doesn’t remove monthly costs. Assess the whole system and the people supporting it. Our WordPress, custom and headless comparison covers the wider platform decision.
Ask what you can take with you if you switch, including product data, images and custom code. Rights to a theme or app differ from ownership of code written specifically for you. Read website ownership and lock-in for that distinction.
What should you check in a cheap quote?
Ask exactly what will be tested. An attractive homepage says little about variants, shipping rules or failed payments. Have the supplier demonstrate a complete order and show how it reaches the systems behind the shop.
Check handover too. Can you edit a product, is someone assigned to receive alerts, and do you know where to get help during an outage? A low price can suit a small scope if you understand that scope. Our article on hidden costs of cheap websites explains how missing work affects a quote.
How do you actually get started?
Describe what the shop needs to do and gather your product data. Have the main ordering journey assessed, then ask for separate figures for development, subscriptions, apps, payments and maintenance. Compare quotes using the same period and assumptions.
For help with webshop development, book a call. We can discuss which route fits your sales process and what information is needed for a useful budget.
