How Much Does an Online Store Cost: A Realistic Budget
An online store costs a few hundred euros a year on Shopify or WooCommerce for a simple catalog, and 3,000 to 15,000 euros for custom development. Either way, the launch budget is only part of the real cost: hosting, extensions, payment methods and marketing keep adding up after going live.
The real problem: the listed price is never the total cost
Ecommerce platforms display attractive entry prices, starting at $29 a month for Shopify or free for the WooCommerce plugin. That figure represents only a fraction of the real budget needed to run a store that actually sells. On top of it come hosting (for WooCommerce), the domain name, a theme if the free one doesn't fit, extensions for missing features, transaction fees on every sale, and the time or service budget for initial setup.
The real budget planning work, then, isn't comparing platforms' entry prices, but estimating the total cost over a full year while accounting for all these items.
Cost items of a Shopify or WooCommerce store
On Shopify, the monthly subscription varies by plan, starting at $29 for basic needs. On top of it come paid apps for functions not included (upsell, customer reviews, marketing automation), generally $10 to $50 a month each, and transaction fees if you don't use Shopify Payments.
On WooCommerce, the plugin is free but ecommerce-suited hosting generally costs €10 to €50 a month depending on expected traffic, a premium theme can cost €50 to €100 to buy, and the necessary extensions (payment, shipping, security) add up, often €100 to €500 a year in total.
The cost of a custom ecommerce site
Custom development represents a larger upfront investment, generally between €3,000 and €15,000 depending on complexity: a simple catalog with standard payment at the low end, complex business logic (segment-based pricing, ERP integration, multi-warehouse management) at the high end. This amount doesn't repeat as a platform subscription, but an annual maintenance budget remains necessary for security updates and improvements.
Costs often forgotten at launch
Several items are frequently underestimated in an online store's projected budget:
- Product visuals: professional photography or editing, an item that can run from several hundred to several thousand euros depending on catalog size.
- Launch marketing: without traffic, a perfectly built store sells nothing. Advertising, SEO, social media all need a dedicated budget, often larger than the cost of the store itself in the first year.
- Customer support: time or a dedicated tool to answer pre-purchase questions and handle after-sales requests.
- Recurring transaction fees: generally between 1.5% and 2.9% plus a fixed amount per sale depending on the chosen payment provider.
The recurring budget after launch
The cost of an online store doesn't stop at going live. Typical recurring items include the platform subscription or hosting, transaction fees proportional to sales, technical maintenance (security updates, fixes), and ongoing marketing to sustain traffic. Over a store's lifetime, these recurring costs almost always exceed the initial launch cost.
Cost according to catalog size
The number of products to manage directly influences the budget, beyond the choice of platform. A catalog of a few dozen products requires relatively little time for data entry and visual management. A catalog of several hundred or thousand references involves structuring work (categories, filters, consistent product pages) that often represents several weeks of work, whether in personal time or paid service. This item is independent of the Shopify, WooCommerce or custom choice, and deserves to be budgeted separately from the start.
The cost of cart abandonment and its optimization
An item rarely included in projected budgets is the work of optimizing the purchase funnel to reduce cart abandonment, a phenomenon that affects a significant share of visitors who reach the payment step, regardless of the platform used. Simple adjustments (enough payment methods, shipping costs shown early, a simplified order form) require design or service time, but often have a more direct effect on revenue than heavier technical investments.
Budget comparison table by solution
| Solution | Launch cost | Typical recurring cost | Best suited for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Low (setup + theme) | $29/month and up + apps | Fast start, standard catalog |
| WooCommerce | Low to moderate (theme + extensions) | Hosting + extensions (€10-50/month) | Sites already on WordPress |
| Custom-built | €3,000 to €15,000 | Annual maintenance | Specific need, high volume |
How to estimate your own budget before launching
Rather than starting from the prices displayed by platforms, a realistic estimate starts from the business itself: how many products to list, what sales volume is targeted in the first year, what marketing budget can be mobilized, and how much personal time is available for day-to-day management. This estimate, even approximate, lets you objectively compare Shopify, WooCommerce and custom-built over a twelve to twenty-four month horizon rather than on launch cost alone, which often represents only a limited fraction of total spending over that period.
What to remember
- The listed price of an ecommerce platform represents only a fraction of the total budget needed.
- A simple catalog on Shopify or WooCommerce can start with a few hundred euros, excluding marketing.
- A custom site costs between €3,000 and €15,000 depending on complexity, with no recurring commission on sales.
- Product visuals and launch marketing are frequently underestimated items.
- Recurring costs (transactions, maintenance, marketing) almost always exceed the launch cost over time.
Frequently asked questions
What's the minimum budget to launch an online store? With Shopify or WooCommerce, a few hundred euros to start lets you launch a functional store, not counting setup time, product visuals and marketing.
Does an ecommerce platform's listed price include everything? No, it rarely covers the necessary extensions, a premium theme if needed, and transaction fees on every sale.
Why does a custom site cost more than a Shopify store? It requires specific development from the start, whereas Shopify spreads this cost across thousands of stores through the subscription.
Should a budget be planned after the store launches? Yes, maintenance, catalog management and above all marketing make up most of the budget over the store's lifetime.
In summary
The real budget of an online store plays out as much in recurring costs as in the launch cost. Before choosing a platform, it's best to estimate the total cost over a full year, marketing included. To precisely evaluate the budget suited to your project, a conversation about your site helps clarify the options based on your catalog and goals.
Frequently asked questions
›What's the minimum budget to launch an online store?
With Shopify or WooCommerce, a starting budget of a few hundred euros (subscription, theme, basic extensions) lets you launch a functional store. This amount covers neither the time spent configuring it yourself, nor product visuals, nor the marketing needed to attract your first customers.
›Does an ecommerce platform's listed price include everything?
No. The base subscription rarely covers the necessary extensions (split payments, customer reviews, email marketing), a premium theme if the free one doesn't fit, and transaction fees on every sale. The real budget often exceeds the price shown on the homepage.
›Why does a custom site cost more than a Shopify store?
A custom site requires specific development from the start, whereas Shopify spreads this cost across thousands of stores via the subscription. Custom-built becomes worthwhile when needs go beyond what a standard platform allows, or when sales volume makes commissions expensive.
›Should a budget be planned after the store launches?
Yes, systematically. Technical maintenance, updates, catalog management, marketing to generate traffic, and customer support are recurring items often underestimated at launch, even though they make up most of the budget over the store's lifetime.