How Much Does an Online Store Cost in 2026? Real Ranges
An online store can cost you €50 a month or six figures — the difference is what you actually sell and how. We break the cost down: hosted platforms, WooCommerce, and custom builds.
"How much does an online store cost" is like asking "how much does a car cost" — anywhere from a few thousand to a fortune. The good news: you can pin it down. This article gives real ranges and, more importantly, what actually drives the price.
Three routes to your own store
1. Hosted platform (Shopify, BigCommerce)
You pay a subscription and get a store out of the box. Fastest start, lowest entry. Limits: monthly fees and commissions, less control over design and logic, harder custom integrations.
- Cost: subscription from ~€30–300/mo + setup/design.
2. WooCommerce / WordPress
The most popular open-source option. Full control, a huge plugin ecosystem, no sales commission. Needs maintenance (updates, hosting, security) and can slow down under heavy traffic.
- Cost: build from a few thousand € + hosting and upkeep.
3. Custom store (e.g. Next.js)
Built for a specific business. Fastest, most scalable, fully under your control — justified at larger scale, with atypical processes, or for headless commerce.
- Cost: from tens of thousands € upward.
What actually drives the price
- Number and complexity of products — variants, configurators, digital goods.
- Integrations — payments, couriers, warehouse/accounting systems, ERP, invoicing.
- Design — template vs. custom, polished interface.
- Features — customer accounts, loyalty programs, subscriptions, multi-language.
- Scale — expected traffic and order volume.
Easy-to-forget costs
The build price isn't everything. Add: hosting and domain, payment commissions, maintenance and updates, product photography, and marketing — because the best store with no traffic sells nothing.
How not to overpay
Start from what you genuinely need at launch, not a wishlist. For validating an idea, a hosted platform is often ideal. As sales grow and the platform starts to limit you, migrate to a custom solution — best planned ahead.
FAQ
Shopify or WooCommerce?
Shopify if you want a fast start and no tech to manage. WooCommerce if you want control, no commissions, and have someone to maintain it. At large scale — a custom store.
How long does launch take?
On a hosted platform — days to weeks. A custom store — weeks to a few months, best delivered in stages.
Will I get an upfront quote?
Yes — after a short scoping workshop we give concrete ranges split into stages.
Summary
The cost of an online store depends on scale, integrations and personalization. Start from real needs, count running costs and marketing too, and grow the store with your sales.
At Kajpa Studio we build stores — from hosted-platform setups to custom, high-performance e-commerce. Get in touch and we'll quote for your catalog.