How much does it cost to create an online store?

Dreaming of starting your own online store but unsure what it costs? The good news is that it doesn't have to break the budget! The price of creating an online store can vary greatly – from almost nothing to many thousands of dollars. It primarily depends on how much you want to do yourself and what features you need.

Here we dive into the different costs so you can make the best choice for your new business.

The main costs to consider

When evaluating the price of your online store, there are several elements you should include in your considerations.

1. The online store system (Platform)

This is the "engine" of your online store – the program that handles products, orders, design, and much more. Most user-friendly systems work as subscription services where you pay a fixed monthly amount. The price often depends on features, number of products, or revenue.

Advantage: You don't need to think about technical maintenance, updates, or server space (hosting).
Disadvantage: Ongoing monthly expense.

2. Payment solution

For your customers to pay, you need a payment solution. This can be a separate subscription with a payment gateway (e.g., Stripe or Quickpay) plus an agreement with an acquirer (e.g., Nets or Clearhaus).

Advantage: Typically supports many payment methods (card, mobile payments).
Disadvantage: Can be complex to set up and often involves fixed fees plus transaction fees. However, some online store systems have a built-in "all-in-one" payment solution that makes it much easier and more transparent.

3. Domain name

Your domain name is the online store's address on the web (e.g., mystore.com). It's typically purchased for one year at a time.

Advantage: Cheap and essential for customers to find you.
Disadvantage: Must be renewed annually.

4. Design and setup

Should your online store look professional? It absolutely can, even if you design it yourself.

Do-it-yourself: Most modern online store systems come with user-friendly design tools and beautiful templates, so you can set up and customize your store yourself without knowing how to code.
Get help: If you hire an agency or freelancer to design and set up your online store, it can quickly become a large expense – often from $2,000 and up.

How you can create an online store – and what it costs

Let's look at the different paths you can take when creating an online store.

Do-it-yourself solutions (Easiest and cheapest)

This is the absolute most popular and affordable solution for beginners and small businesses. You use a user-friendly online store system where you can build your shop yourself without technical knowledge. The price is typically a fixed monthly subscription that often includes most of what you need.

Example: With a system like GoShup.com, you pay a fixed, transparent price that covers both the online store, built-in payment solution (GoShupPay), hosting, support, and all updates. You avoid hidden fees and complicated setup, and you can be live in a few hours.
Price: Typically from $9-49 per month plus a small transaction fee for payments.
Advantage: Easy, fast, transparent, no technical knowledge necessary.
Disadvantage: Less flexibility for very specific and advanced features (which are rarely necessary for beginners).

Open source solutions (Requires technical skills)

Open source systems like WordPress with WooCommerce are "free" to download and use, but require a lot of technical knowledge to set up and maintain. You need to find and pay for hosting, domain name, security, payment solution, and all extensions (plugins) yourself.

Price: May seem cheap initially, but the combined ongoing costs for hosting, plugins, and possibly help from a developer can quickly add up.
Advantage: Great flexibility and customization possibilities if you have technical skills or budget for a developer.
Disadvantage: Requires technical knowledge, time-consuming, potentially many hidden costs, responsibility for security and maintenance lies with you.

Have a web agency build it (Most expensive and complex)

If you have a large budget and want a very customized solution, you can hire a web agency. They typically build the online store from scratch or customize an existing system.

Price: From $2,000 to often over $15,000 for setup, plus ongoing costs for maintenance, hosting, and subscriptions.
Advantage: Customized solution, minimal work for you.
Disadvantage: Very expensive, long startup time, you're dependent on the agency for changes and updates.

Price comparison: Online store for beginners

Solution	Typical price	Complexity	Best for
Do-it-yourself (e.g., GoShup.com)	$9-49/mo. + small transaction fees	Very low	Beginners, small businesses, artisans
Open Source (e.g., WooCommerce)	Varies; hosting from $7/mo., + plugins + possibly developer	High	Technically skilled, large projects with unique requirements
Web agency (custom)	$2,000-15,000+ (one-time) + ongoing costs	Low for you, high for agency	Large companies, unique and very complex needs

Choose the right solution for you

As you can see, there are many ways to start an online store, and prices vary significantly. For most who want to get started quickly and easily selling online without technical hassle or large investments, a user-friendly do-it-yourself solution is absolutely the best path.

Choose a platform that offers transparent prices, good support, and everything you need in one place. That way you avoid unpleasant surprises and can focus on what matters most: Selling your products.

How much does it cost to create an online store?