What influences the price of an online shop?
Every business is unique. This means the price for building an online store can't be standard. Here are the most important factors that affect the final cost:
Shop type
Custom features
Integration with external platforms
Custom design & experience
Scalability & maintenance
Platform Cost Comparison
Costs differ significantly between SaaS (subscription-based) and self-hosted (infrastructure and development costs) platforms. Here’s a clear comparison of initial, monthly, and long-term costs for each discussed platform:
WordPress (self-hosted)
Initial Cost Free (or up to a few hundred € for premium themes)
Monthly Cost: €5-10/month (shared hosting) up to €20+/month (VPS)
Long Term Cost: Very flexible, no sales commission. Optional maintenance (~€20/month).
Magento (self-hosted)
Initial Cost Thousands of € for full development
Monthly Cost: €20 (small) - €100+ (medium/large)
Long Term Cost: Optional support contracts. Controlled costs, no sales fees.
Shopify (SaaS)
Initial Cost Low (~$50-150 for premium template)
Monthly Cost: $29-$299/month + 2% transaction fees if not using Shopify Payments
Long Term Cost: Grows as your business grows – can get very expensive in 5-10 years.
Wix (SaaS)
Initial Cost Zero (can start for free, then pay for domain and plan)
Monthly Cost: $4.5-$35/month
Long Term Cost: Flat cost, but rises if you need upgrades. Migration is difficult.
Webflow (SaaS)
Initial Cost Low (~$50-100 for premium template)
Monthly Cost: $15-$45/month (Business $45, Ecommerce $29+)
Long Term Cost: Expensive for multiple sites, but no sales fees.
Framer (SaaS)
Initial Cost Zero (free to start, optional premium templates)
Monthly Cost: $5-$30/month
Long Term Cost: Ideal for simple sites, no hidden fees.
Gomag (SaaS)
Initial Cost Free (during trial period)
Monthly Cost: €7-97/month
Long Term Cost: Fixed and predictable, no sales fees.
MerchantPro (SaaS)
Initial Cost Zero (free plan available)
Monthly Cost: €0 (basic), ~€30-119/month
Long Term Cost: No contractual obligations. Reasonable long-term cost.
Online shop types & estimated budgets
These are just rough guidelines. The real price is set by your requirements and workload. Note: The amounts shown are indicative estimates based on my market research and do NOT represent MarWeb’s offer or pricing.
| Shop Type | Key Features | Estimated Price |
|---|---|---|
| One Product Store | Focus on one product, high conversion, short pages. | from €1000 |
| Standard Shop | 15-100 products, categories, filters, cart & accounts. | between €1500 - €2500 |
| Advanced Shop | +200 products, automations, CRM, complex processing. | €2500 - €4000+ |
| Marketplace | Multiple vendors, commissions, control panels. | €4000 - €6000+ |
| B2B Shop with ERP | Complex integrations, dynamic pricing, custom accounts. | from €5000 |