How Much Does an Ecommerce Website Cost in 2026?

An ecommerce website usually costs $1,300 to $5,000 to build for a small or growing store, and $15,000 or more for a large custom store. On top of the build, plan for $40 to $500 a month in platform, hosting and app fees, plus payment processing of about 3% of each sale. The biggest price drivers are the number of products, custom design and the systems your store must connect to.

Quick answer: a professional Shopify or WooCommerce store with up to 150 products and a custom design typically costs $2,500 to $5,000 to build, then $100 to $300 a month to run, before payment fees.

Ecommerce website cost by store size

Store type	Typical build cost	Monthly running cost	Typical timeline
Starter store (up to 50 products, theme-based)	$1,300 to $2,500	$40 to $150	2 to 3 weeks
Growth store (up to 150 products, custom design)	$2,500 to $5,000	$100 to $300	4 to 6 weeks
Custom store (subscriptions, B2B, integrations)	$4,500 to $15,000+	$300 to $1,000+	6 to 10 weeks

Our own fixed prices show where real projects land:

• Shopify development: Small Store $499, Growing Store $899, Custom Store from $1,790. See Shopify development.
• WooCommerce development: Small Store $549, Growing Store $990, Custom Store from $1,890. See WooCommerce development.

Monthly costs of running an online store

The build is a one-time cost. These costs repeat every month or year.

Platform or hosting fees

Shopify charges a monthly plan fee. In 2026 its main plans cost $25, $65 and $399 a month on monthly billing, or $19, $49 and $299 a month when paid yearly (Shopify pricing). WooCommerce is free to install, but you pay for hosting. Good managed hosting for a store usually costs $25 to $100 a month.

Payment processing

Every card payment has a fee. On Shopify’s Basic plan, online card payments cost 2.9% plus 30 cents each, dropping to 2.5% plus 30 cents on Advanced (WebsiteBuilderExpert). WooCommerce stores pay similar rates through Stripe, PayPal or WooPayments. On $20,000 of monthly sales, that is roughly $600 a month, so it often costs more than the platform itself.

Apps, extensions and themes

Most stores add apps for reviews, email marketing, subscriptions, shipping or search. Budget $20 to $200 a month. A premium theme costs about $200 to $400 once, but a custom design replaces it.

Maintenance and support

Stores need updates, backups and small fixes. WooCommerce stores need more hands-on care because you manage the software and hosting. Our WordPress care plans cover WooCommerce from $49 a month.

Shopify vs WooCommerce: which costs less?

Cost	Shopify	WooCommerce
Software	$19 to $399 a month plan	Free plugin
Hosting	Included	$25 to $100 a month
Payment fees	2.5% to 2.9% + 30 cents (Shopify Payments)	Similar rates through Stripe or PayPal
Apps or extensions	Usually monthly	Often yearly licences
Maintenance	Lower, Shopify runs the platform	Higher, you own updates and hosting
Ownership and control	Hosted, less code access	Full ownership of code and data

Shopify is usually cheaper to run if you want low maintenance and standard features. WooCommerce can cost less over time for stores that need custom rules, content-heavy pages or full control, as long as someone looks after it. Our full Shopify vs WooCommerce comparison covers the trade-offs in detail.

What makes an ecommerce website cost more?

1. Product count and variants. Adding 1,000 products with sizes and colours takes far longer than 50 simple products. Bulk imports help but need clean data.
2. Custom design. A unique home, collection and product page design costs more than a theme, but often sells better.
3. Integrations. Syncing stock, orders or customers with an ERP, CRM or warehouse system can add $1,500 to $5,000 or more.
4. Special selling models. Subscriptions, wholesale pricing, bundles and product builders need extra setup and testing.
5. Migration. Moving products, customers, orders and URLs from another platform adds work. Redirects protect your Google rankings.

Hidden ecommerce costs to plan for

• Product photography and copywriting.
• Shipping and tax setup for each country you sell to.
• Email marketing software as your list grows.
• Paid ads to drive traffic in the first months.
• Accessibility and legal pages, such as privacy, returns and terms.

How to budget for your online store

1. Count your products and variants, and check if your product data is ready to import.
2. List the payment methods, shipping options and countries you need.
3. Note every system the store must connect to.
4. Decide between a theme and a custom design.
5. Add 12 months of running costs to the build price to see the true first-year cost.

If you want help turning this into a fixed quote, our ecommerce development services team can scope your store in one call.

From our projects: Store budgets vary with catalogue and features. A wellness product store needed clear product education, while a multi-brand tool store needed a custom system for several brands.

What the research says: Across 50 studies, the average cart abandonment rate is 70.22%, and 40% of shoppers who abandon checkout say extra costs like shipping or tax were too high. Showing full costs early is worth budgeting for. (Source: Baymard Institute.)

Choosing between the two most common hosted store builders? Our Shopify vs Wix guide compares their US plans, fees and three-year costs.

Get a fixed price for your store

Every store is different, but the budget should never be a mystery. Tell us about your store and we will send a fixed written quote within one business day.