Ecommerce Website Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Guide

At $50K/month revenue, Shopify transaction fees run $3,000–$12,000/year on top of platform costs. Calculating 3-year total cost of ownership before choosing a platform is the most important decision most ecommerce operators delay until it is too late.

Published Jan 10, 2026By Moydus

Ecommerce website cost breakdown by platform, custom development scope, and revenue level

Ecommerce Cost Overview: What to Budget in 2026

Ecommerce website costs in 2026 vary by approach and revenue scale. DIY solutions (Shopify Basic, WooCommerce) cost $30–$200/month with no upfront build. Small business stores built by an agency run $2,000–$10,000. Growing brands with custom design and features range $10,000–$50,000. Enterprise and B2B platforms start at $50,000 and scale with catalog size, integrations, and compliance requirements.

The right budget is less about company size and more about transaction volume. Below $30,000/month in revenue, platform fees are manageable and platforms are the right choice. Above $30,000/month, transaction fees become material. Above $100,000/month, the economics almost always favor custom development.

Approach	Monthly Cost	Build Cost	Best For
DIY (Shopify, WooCommerce)	$30–$200/mo	$0	Under $30K/mo revenue, standard DTC
Agency-built store	$30–$200/mo	$2K–$10K	Small business, template-based
Custom design + features	$100–$500/mo	$10K–$50K	Growing brands, custom checkout
Custom ecommerce build	$200–$1K/mo	$50K–$250K+	B2B, marketplace, high GMV

The Hidden Cost Most Stores Ignore: Transaction Fees

Shopify charges 0.5–2% transaction fees on every sale when not using Shopify Payments. At $50,000/month revenue, that's $3,000–$12,000/year in fees on top of the $39–$399/month platform subscription. Apps and plugins add another $100–$500/month on average — stores with more than 10 apps are spending $500–$1,200/month in tooling before counting platform fees.

The 3-year total cost of ownership (TCO) calculation almost always changes the decision. Platform fees compound. A store doing $100,000/month that pays 1.5% in platform transaction fees pays $18,000/year — $54,000 over three years — for the privilege of not owning its own checkout. A custom build with Stripe direct costs $40,000–$80,000 once. Use the ROI calculator to run the math for your revenue level.

The 3-year TCO calculation almost always changes the decision. A store at $100K/month paying 1.5% in transaction fees spends $54,000 over three years in platform fees alone. A custom build with Stripe direct costs $40K–$80K once.
— Moydus Engineering Team

Platform vs. Custom: When Each Option Makes Sense

Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce are the right choice for testing demand, standard DTC product catalogs, and stores under $30,000/month in revenue. They are fast to launch, well-documented, and have large plugin ecosystems for standard needs.

Custom ecommerce development is the right choice for B2B wholesale pricing (account tiers, negotiated prices), multi-vendor marketplaces, subscription + one-time combo carts, complex checkout flows with conditional logic, and stores where platform fees have become a material business cost. These are requirements that no platform's app ecosystem handles cleanly.

What Drives Ecommerce Development Cost

The primary cost variables for a custom ecommerce build: catalog size and complexity (10 SKUs vs 10,000 SKUs), payment and checkout logic (B2B pricing tiers, subscriptions, bundles), integrations with ERP/WMS/CRM systems, design customization depth, data migration from an existing platform (with SEO URL preservation), and compliance requirements (PCI DSS, GDPR).

A straightforward DTC storefront with Stripe, a standard product catalog, and clean design typically runs $40,000–$80,000. A multi-vendor marketplace with per-vendor payouts, a custom admin, and B2B account management starts at $100,000 and scales with scope.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an ecommerce website cost?

Ecommerce website costs vary widely: DIY solutions (Shopify, WooCommerce) cost $30–$200/month with no build cost. Small business stores cost $2,000–$10,000 to build. Mid-market stores with custom design range $10,000–$50,000. Enterprise stores and B2B platforms cost $50,000–$500,000+. The right budget depends on transaction volume, catalog complexity, and whether platform fees are becoming a material cost.

What is the cheapest way to build an ecommerce website?

The cheapest option is a DIY platform: Shopify Basic ($39/month), WooCommerce (free plugin + $10–$30/month hosting), or BigCommerce Starter ($39/month). These require no upfront build cost and handle standard product catalogs well. For professional results or custom requirements, expect $2,000–$5,000 minimum for a small store.

What ongoing costs should I expect for an ecommerce website?

Ongoing costs include: platform/hosting ($30–$500/month depending on platform), payment processing fees (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for Stripe or similar), apps/plugins ($0–$500/month for a typical Shopify store), maintenance and updates ($100–$1,000/month for a custom build), and transaction fees (0.5–2% on platforms that charge them).

When does custom ecommerce development make financial sense?

Custom ecommerce development typically breaks even vs Shopify at $30,000–$50,000/month in revenue, where transaction fees become a significant annual cost. It is the only viable option for B2B wholesale pricing, multi-vendor marketplaces, and complex checkout logic that platform apps cannot implement cleanly. Calculate 3-year TCO before choosing.

Resources

Ecommerce development →Shopify vs custom development →Website cost calculator →