How Much Does a Shopify Store Cost? Prices, Packages & Hidden Costs [2026]

The honest answer that no agency gives you — because almost none show their prices. We do.

If you Google "How much does a Shopify store cost," you'll find two types of answers: Articles explaining Shopify license costs (36 EUR/month, Basic plan, you probably already know that), or agency pages that write "custom quote on request." Neither helps you.

This article gives you the real numbers. Not because we want to be particularly transparent (although: yes, that too), but because you should be able to make an informed decision before you even book an initial call.

The Three Cost Blocks of a Shopify Store

Before we talk specific numbers: A Shopify store has three separate cost blocks. Most articles mix them up, which is why the figures are usually misleading.

Block 1: Shopify License — what you pay monthly to Shopify itself. Block 2: Development — the one-time costs for setup, theme, configuration, custom logic. Block 3: Ongoing Costs — apps, maintenance, continued development, SEO after launch.

The license is fixed. Development is the biggest item. And the ongoing costs are what most people underestimate.

Block 1: Shopify License Costs (2026)

Shopify offers four plans. Here are the current prices:

Most stores we support at smplx. start with the Shopify plan (105 EUR/month) and switch to Advanced when they sell internationally or have more than 5 employees accessing the store.

Important: The Basic plan is technically sufficient for almost everything. The difference lies in transaction fees (which are higher on Basic), the number of staff accounts, and reporting features. If you're making less than 50k EUR annual revenue, Basic is enough.

Block 2: Development Costs — The Honest Breakdown

This is where it gets interesting. And where almost nobody shows prices.

Option A: Buy a Theme and Set Up Yourself

Cost: 0-400 EUR one-time

You buy a theme from the Shopify Theme Store (Dawn is free, premium themes cost 180-400 EUR), set up the store yourself, upload products, configure shipping and payment. This works if you have fewer than 20 products, don't need a custom design, and are technically savvy enough for the Shopify admin.

For an MVP or a test — absolutely valid.

Option B: Freelancer or Small Agency

Cost: 2k-6k EUR

You hire a Shopify freelancer who customizes a theme, handles the basic configuration, and delivers a launch-ready store. Quality varies enormously. The good ones are fully booked, and the cheap ones deliver theme customizations that break with the next Shopify version.

The problem: No architecture concept. No documentation. When you want to change something in 12 months, nobody understands what the freelancer built back then — sometimes not even the freelancer themselves.

Option C: Technical Shopify Partner (that's what we do)

smplx. Foundation: from 6k EUR

This is our entry package. You get:

• Theme setup on a solid foundation (OS 2.0, clean structure)
• Metaobjects base structure for products and collections
• Navigation structure and internal linking
• Basic SEO (meta tags, alt text, H1 structure)
• Checkout configuration and payment providers
• Handover with complete documentation
• Timeline: 4-6 weeks

smplx. Architecture+: from 10k EUR

For stores that need more than a configured theme:

• Everything from Foundation, plus:
• Technical discovery phase (architecture concept, scope definition)
• Custom metaobject structure
• Custom storefront logic (Liquid, JavaScript, Shopify Functions)
• Advanced pagespeed optimization
• International base structure (Markets, Hreflang)
• Schema.org and structured data
• Technical documentation
• Timeline: 8-12 weeks

Why we show prices: Because you should know if we fit your budget before the first call. Not after three calls and a "custom quote." That saves both of us time.

Option D: Full-Service Agency

Cost: 20,000-100k EUR+

The large Shopify agencies (tante-e, Latori, Kosmonaut) primarily work with Shopify Plus, have 20-40 employees, and charge accordingly. If you're an enterprise brand and need an all-in-one package (design, development, marketing, account management), this is the right path.

If you're a growing DTC brand that primarily needs technical depth — not 28 employees — then a technical partner like smplx. is the more efficient choice.

Block 3: Ongoing Costs After Launch

This is the block most people forget. And the most expensive one.

Apps

Most Shopify stores use 5-15 apps. Each app costs 0-99 EUR/month. A typical app setup:

Realistic app budget: 50-200 EUR/month

smplx. approach: As few apps as possible. Every app is a dependency — it can fail, slow down, raise its prices, or become incompatible with the next Shopify version. We build features natively into the theme where possible (example: For Bekateq, we natively implemented 8 features that would otherwise have required 8 separate apps — with 0 app dependencies).

Ongoing Development

A store is never "done." You need new sections, seasonal adjustments, performance optimization, SEO updates.

smplx. Scale: from 1.5k EUR/month

This is not a classic support retainer. It's an ongoing technical partnership:

• New features, sections, logic updates
• Performance monitoring
• Prioritized ticket system
• Monthly strategy call
• Cancelable monthly

Shopify SEO

smplx. SEO: from 1.35k EUR/month

This includes: Keyword strategy, technical SEO, content optimization, monthly reporting. SEO is not a one-time fix — it's an ongoing investment that delivers measurable results after 6-12 months.

The Hidden Costs Nobody Mentions

This is where it gets uncomfortable. But honest.

1. Technical Debt

If the initial store setup was messy — undocumented custom code, theme customizations that break with updates, app dependencies that block each other — you pay for it 18 months later. Then the rebuild costs more than the original build.

We see this in almost every project that comes to us: "The last developer did something, nobody understands the code, and we're afraid to change anything."

Antidote: Clean architecture from the start. Documentation. Maintainable code. That costs more initially — but saves the rebuild in 18 months.

2. Theme Updates That Break

Shopify updates regularly. If your theme has been heavily customized (which is almost always the case), updates can break things. Who tests that? Who fixes it? If nobody: you. Or you ignore updates — until something really breaks.

3. App Price Increases

Apps regularly increase their prices. If your store depends on 10 apps and 3 of them double their prices, you have a problem. Fewer apps = less dependency = less risk.

4. Opportunity Cost

The most subtle type of cost: What are you missing because your store isn't performing optimally? If your PageSpeed is poor, you lose rankings. If your checkout is clunky, you lose customers. If your data structure is chaotic, you can't scale cleanly.

You don't see this on the invoice — but it costs you revenue every day.

What Does It REALLY Cost? The Total Calculation

Here's a realistic total calculation for the first year:

Scenario A: Starter Store (DIY + Theme)

Scenario B: Professional Store (smplx. Foundation)

Scenario C: Scalable Architecture (smplx. Architecture+)

How to Tell If a Quote Is Fair

5 questions you should ask every Shopify service provider:

1. "What exactly is in scope — and what isn't?" If the answer is vague, you'll pay extra for every additional request. At smplx., the proposal states exactly what's included and what isn't.

2. "Will I get technical documentation?" If not: you're dependent. Forever. At smplx., documentation is part of every package.

3. "How many apps will I need?" More apps = more ongoing costs + more dependencies. Ask about native alternatives.

4. "What happens when I want to change something in 12 months?" Is the code maintainable? Does someone else understand the architecture? Or are you locked in?

5. "Can you show me a project similar to mine?" Case studies with real numbers > portfolio screenshots. Ask for measurable results, not just pretty designs.

Conclusion: What You Should Do Now

You now know what a Shopify store realistically costs — from DIY to enterprise. The right investment level depends on your business stage:

• Just starting, under 50K revenue: DIY with the free Dawn theme. Invest in product and marketing, not development.
• Growing, 50-500K revenue: smplx. Foundation. A clean foundation that scales with you.
• Established, over 500K revenue: smplx. Architecture+. Technical architecture that works long-term.
• Enterprise, over 2M revenue: Shopify Plus + Architecture+ or a full-service agency.

No agency shows you these numbers. We do — because we believe that informed customers are the best customers.

Claudio Gerlich is founder and Shopify developer at smplx. — a technical Shopify partner based in Muensterland, NRW. smplx. builds Shopify architectures that scale: Metaobjects, custom logic, clean structures. Since 2020.