DIY minimum: ~350 $/year (Basic plan + free theme). Professional setup: 800–2,500 € one-time. Custom design & build: from 2,500 €. Ongoing: 29 $/month subscription + optional apps. The platform is rarely the expensive part — the difference between a store that sells and one that doesn't is how well it's built.
1. The Shopify Subscription
This is the only truly mandatory cost. Shopify has three main plans, billed monthly or annually (annual billing saves ~25%):
| Plan | Annual billing | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 29 $/mo | New stores and small businesses — enough for 90% of merchants |
| Grow | 79 $/mo | Growing teams that need better reports and more staff accounts |
| Advanced | 299 $/mo | High-volume stores with international selling needs |
Start with Basic. You can upgrade anytime — paying for Advanced features you don't use yet is the most common beginner mistake.
2. The Theme
Free themes (like Dawn) are genuinely good — fast, clean, and maintained by Shopify. Premium themes from the official store cost 180–400 $ one-time and add advanced features: mega-menus, advanced filtering, richer product layouts.
The third option is theme customization: starting from a solid base theme and tailoring it to your brand — usually the best value-for-money for stores that want a distinctive look without full custom development costs.
3. Apps
Shopify includes the essentials by default. Apps add functionality like reviews, email marketing, bundles, or subscriptions. Most successful stores run 3–8 apps totalling 0–100 $/month.
A common trap: installing too many apps. Each one adds monthly cost and can slow your store down. Here are the apps we actually recommend after building dozens of stores.
4. Development — DIY vs Professional
This is where budgets differ the most, and where honesty matters:
- DIY (0 €): Shopify is built for this. If you have time, a simple catalog, and a free theme fits your brand — do it yourself and invest the savings in marketing.
- Professional setup (800–2,500 €): an expert configures everything — theme setup, payments, shipping, taxes, product structure, SEO basics — and you avoid the configuration mistakes that silently cost sales.
- Custom design & build (from 2,500 €): unique design, custom sections, tailored buying experience. Worth it when your brand is your differentiator or your catalog has special needs.
- Migration from another platform (from 1,200 €): moving from WooCommerce, PrestaShop, or OpenCart with products, customers, orders, and SEO preserved. See how migration works →
5. Hidden Costs Nobody Mentions
- Payment processing: every provider charges ~1.9–2.9% + fixed fee per transaction. This isn't a Shopify cost — it exists on every platform.
- Product photography: often the difference between 1% and 3% conversion. Budget for it.
- Domain: ~10–15 €/year.
- Maintenance: optional, but stores that get monthly attention (updates, CRO, fixes) consistently outperform abandoned ones. See maintenance plans →
Realistic Total Budgets
| Scenario | First year | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Bootstrap DIY | ~400 € | Basic plan, free theme, self-configured |
| Professional launch | 1.200–3.000 € | Expert setup, premium/customized theme, SEO basics done right |
| Custom brand store | 3.000–8.000 € | Unique design, custom functionality, conversion-focused build |
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Frequently Asked Questions
A functional Shopify store starts at ~350 $/year (Basic plan with a free theme, self-configured). With a premium theme and professional setup, typical budgets are 800–2,500 €. A custom-designed store built by an expert starts from 2,500 €.
The Basic plan costs 29 $/month billed annually (39 $ billed monthly), plus optional apps (0–100 $/month for most stores) and payment processing fees.
Yes — Shopify is built exactly for that, and with a free theme you can be live in days. An expert pays off when you want custom design, a migration from another platform, special integrations, or simply to save time and avoid configuration mistakes that cost sales.
For most new stores, the free Dawn theme is enough at the start. A premium theme is worth it when you need specific functionality (advanced filtering, mega-menus, special layouts) — otherwise the money is better invested in product photography and marketing.