What Does a Shopify Store Actually Cost in 2026?

One of the most common questions I get from founders and entrepreneurs: "What will it actually cost me to get a Shopify store up and running?" The honest answer is that it depends — but I can give you a clear breakdown of every cost category so there are no surprises.

Shopify subscription: €36–€384/month

Shopify offers several plans. For most new stores, the Basic plan at €36/month (billed annually) is the right starting point. It includes everything you need: online store, unlimited products, discount codes, SSL certificate, and manual order creation.

The Shopify plan at €105/month adds professional reports, better shipping rates, and more staff accounts. The Advanced plan at €384/month is worth it once you're doing serious volume and need custom reports or calculated shipping rates.

Shopify also takes a transaction fee on every sale unless you use Shopify Payments. On Basic, that's 2% on top of the payment processor fee. On Shopify plan, it's 1%. On Advanced, 0.6%.

Domain: €10–€15/year

You can buy a domain through Shopify or through any registrar like Cloudflare, Namecheap, or Google Domains. A .com domain costs around €10–15/year. I recommend Cloudflare Registrar — they sell domains at cost with no markup.

Theme: €0–€380 (one-time)

Shopify's free themes — Dawn, Crave, Sense — are genuinely good in 2026. Dawn in particular is fast, customizable, and well-coded. For most stores, a free theme with custom modifications is the best approach.

If you want a premium theme, the Shopify Theme Store has options from €180–€380. Popular choices include Prestige for fashion brands and Impulse for high-volume stores. Be cautious with themes from outside the official store — quality varies wildly.

Apps: €0–€200/month

This is where costs can quietly spiral. Most merchants end up spending €50–200/month on apps. Here's what you actually need versus what's optional:

Essential (most stores need):

• Email marketing — Klaviyo (free up to 250 contacts, then €20+/month) or Shopify Email (free for 10K emails/month)
• Reviews — Judge.me (free tier available) or Loox (from €10/month for photo reviews)
• SEO — The built-in SEO features are decent. Only add an app if you need bulk redirect management or structured data automation.

Situational:

• Subscription/recurring orders — Recharge or Seal Subscriptions (€50+/month)
• Upsells — Bold Upsell or ReConvert (€5–30/month)
• Loyalty programs — Smile.io or Yotpo (free tier, then €50+/month)
• Multi-language — Shopify Markets (built-in) or Weglot (€15+/month)

What you probably don't need: SEO apps that promise rankings, page builder apps (the theme editor is enough), most "speed booster" apps (they often make things worse), and any app that does what Shopify already does natively.

Development: €0–€2,500+ (one-time)

Here's where the biggest cost variance happens. Your options:

DIY (€0): Shopify's editor is genuinely user-friendly. If you're comfortable with tech and your needs are straightforward, you can set up a professional-looking store yourself in a weekend.

Freelance developer (€400–€2,500): This is my world. A freelance Shopify developer can set up a custom, optimized store with professional design, proper Meta Pixel setup, email capture flows, and speed optimization. My Shopify Store Setup starts at €750, and most projects land between €750–€1,500.

Agency (€5,000–€25,000+): For enterprise brands with complex requirements — custom integrations, ERP connections, multi-market setups, or completely bespoke themes. Most small-to-medium businesses don't need this.

Photography and content: €0–€1,000+

Good product photography is non-negotiable. You don't need a professional studio — a smartphone with good lighting and a clean background works. But if you're selling fashion, food, or anything visual, invest in proper photos. Budget €200–500 for a basic product photography session, or €500–1,000 for lifestyle shoots.

Marketing setup: €0–€500

Meta Pixel, Google Analytics 4, Conversions API, search console verification, basic SEO setup — this should be included in your development cost. If you're doing it yourself, it's free but time-intensive. Don't skip this. Tracking from day one means your ad campaigns have data to optimize on.

Realistic total for a new store

Bare minimum (DIY): €36/month subscription + €10 domain = under €50 to launch.

Professional setup (freelancer + essentials): €750 development + €36/month + €10 domain + €20–50/month apps = around €800–€1,000 to launch, then €60–90/month ongoing.

Premium setup (custom design + content): €1,500–2,500 development + theme + photography + apps = €2,000–€3,500 to launch, then €100–200/month ongoing.

The key takeaway: Shopify is affordable to start, but ongoing costs add up through apps and subscriptions. Be intentional about what you add. Every app should earn its monthly fee through measurable impact on revenue.

Want a quote for your store? Get in touch — I'll give you an honest assessment within 24 hours.