stage 01
Pre-revenue / first $50K.
Validate the product. Spend on inventory and ads, not the website.
→ Shopify Basic, paid theme, $3K-$8K build.
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§ · ecommerce website cost
Ecommerce website cost. Across every platform.
Real ranges by platform and stage. Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento, custom-built. What you'll pay, what's hidden, and the four levers that move the bill 5x.
§ 01 · the short answer
$3K to $300K. Pick the platform first.
An ecommerce website costs as little as $3,000 (paid Shopify theme, light setup) or as much as $300,000 (custom Hydrogen storefront with headless CMS and ERP integration). The platform choice is the biggest single cost lever. Shopify is the cheapest path to a polished storefront; Magento and custom builds are the highest because they require dedicated infrastructure, security work, and ongoing engineering. Match the platform to your stage, not your aspiration.
§ 02 · five platforms compared
Five platforms. Five real bills.
Build cost includes design, development, basic apps, and launch. Recurring cost is platform fees + apps + hosting only — does not include marketing, ads, or in-house staff.
| platform | build cost | recurring/mo | best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Basic / Grow | $3K-$15K | $130-$700 | Most DTC under $1M/yr |
| Shopify Advanced | $15K-$50K | $700-$2,000 | Growing DTC $1M-$5M/yr |
| Shopify Plus | $50K-$150K | $3K-$15K | $2M+ DTC, B2B, multi-region |
| WooCommerce (WordPress) | $5K-$40K | $200-$1,500 | Content-led brands, niche catalogs |
| BigCommerce | $8K-$60K | $400-$2,500 | Mid-market B2B, multi-storefront |
| Magento (Adobe Commerce) | $30K-$250K | $2K-$25K | Enterprise B2B, custom logic |
| Custom / Hydrogen / Next.js | $80K-$300K+ | $1K-$10K | Brand-first DTC, content + commerce |
Source: combined market data from Shopify pricing, BigCommerce pricing, Adobe Commerce, and our 2024-2026 scoped engagements.
§ 03 · pick by stage
Four stages. Four right answers.
stage 02
$250K-$1M annual revenue.
Brand differentiation drives conversion. Custom theme work pays back.
→ Shopify Grow + custom theme, $15K-$30K build.
stage 03
$2M-$10M annual revenue.
B2B opening, multi-region launch, checkout customization.
→ Shopify Plus rebuild, $60K-$120K build.
stage 04
$10M+ enterprise / B2B-heavy.
Headless storefront, ERP-integrated, content + commerce blend.
→ Custom Hydrogen / Next.js or Magento, $150K-$300K+ build.
§ 05 · questions
Six honest answers.
How much does it cost to build an ecommerce website from scratch?
A working ecommerce website costs $3,000-$15,000 on a hosted platform (Shopify, BigCommerce) for a small store, $20,000-$60,000 for a custom DTC build, and $80,000-$300,000+ for enterprise or headless builds. The cheapest path is Shopify with a paid theme; the most expensive is a custom Hydrogen or Next.js storefront with headless CMS and full integration. The right number depends on revenue stage, catalog complexity, and whether you need B2B features.
Which ecommerce platform is cheapest?
Shopify Basic is the cheapest entry point at $39/mo subscription plus a $3K-$8K build. WooCommerce has zero platform cost but compounds on hosting ($20-$500/mo), premium plugins ($50-$500/year each), and developer time for security + updates. Stores under $250K/yr usually run cheapest on WooCommerce; above $1M/yr Shopify usually wins on total cost once developer time is priced in. See our Shopify vs WordPress comparison for the full breakdown.
What does a custom ecommerce website cost?
A fully custom ecommerce website (built on Next.js, Hydrogen, or a custom framework) starts at $80,000 and routinely runs $150,000-$300,000 for brand-first DTC or content-heavy commerce sites. The cost includes a custom design system, headless CMS (Sanity, Contentful), commerce backend (Shopify Storefront API, BigCommerce GraphQL, or commercetools), custom integrations, and full ownership of the codebase. Custom builds make sense above $5M/yr revenue or when the brand experience is the moat.
How much does Magento cost to build and run?
Magento 2 (Open Source) build runs $30,000-$120,000; Adobe Commerce (Magento Cloud) builds run $80,000-$250,000. Magento hosting is significant: $500-$5,000/mo on dedicated infrastructure plus $10K-$50K/year for maintenance, security patches, and version upgrades. Magento makes sense for B2B with custom pricing logic, multi-store complexity, or specific Adobe ecosystem requirements. Most stores migrate Magento to Shopify Plus (60-80% cheaper to run) — see our Magento to Shopify migration page.
What are the recurring costs of running an ecommerce site?
A typical DTC store runs $400-$1,500/mo recurring: platform fees ($39-$399), apps ($200-$600), payment processing (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction with Stripe / Shopify Payments), email + SMS ($100-$400), analytics ($50-$300). A Shopify Plus store runs $5K-$25K/mo recurring once you add maintenance retainer, attribution tools, and additional infrastructure. Year-one total cost of ownership (build + 12 months recurring) is usually 1.3-1.5x the build quote.
Do I need a developer to maintain my ecommerce site?
Hosted platforms (Shopify, BigCommerce, Squarespace) require minimal developer time once launched — content updates, product changes, and most app installs are admin tasks. Self-hosted (WooCommerce, Magento, custom builds) require ongoing developer involvement for security patches, plugin compatibility, and version upgrades. Budget 0-4 hours/month of dev work for hosted; 8-30 hours/month for self-hosted. Our website maintenance service covers both shapes.
§ 06 · get a real number
Scoped quote. Inside 48 hours.
30-minute discovery call. Written platform recommendation, scope, and fixed-fee quote within two business days. We will tell you which platform fits your stage and which to skip.
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