How much does a Shopify store cost? Plans, custom builds and apps

At BORING, a store based on a theme starts at €5,000. A custom project can start at €10,000; for a more extensive brief, the starting point is closer to €20,000 or more. Quite a difference. Let me explain where it comes from.

Which costs should you separate?

We look at three parts. That makes it clear what you are paying for:

Our process: discovery, concept, design and build. We explore what your store needs to achieve, develop the concept, translate your brand into the design and build the shop. The scope of that process determines the initial investment.

Hosting and platform: the Shopify subscription your store runs on. Hosting is included. The right plan depends on the features your store needs.

Extra tools: apps and other software that add something to your store. We assess what each project needs and what it costs. You do not have to assemble a whole collection of apps yourself before we start.

How much is a Shopify subscription?

The Shopify pricing page for the Netherlands lists the plans and terms. When we checked on 28 October 2026, Shopify showed these prices for annual billing:

• Basic: €27 per month, billed annually.
• Grow: €79 per month, billed annually.
• Advanced: €289 per month, billed annually.
• Shopify Plus: from €2,100 per month, with its own contract terms.

With annual billing, the displayed price is the monthly equivalent. You pay for the subscription annually. If you prefer monthly billing, check that option on the pricing page; rates can differ. Hosting is included, while apps and payment processing may add to the cost. Check current prices and applicable taxes before choosing. These are Dutch market prices; pricing in other countries may differ.

Look closely at your own situation. How big is your team, which countries do you sell in and which features will you actually use? Order volume can matter too. We discuss this with you and recommend a suitable plan. More expensive is not automatically better.

When is a theme a good choice?

An existing Shopify theme can be a solid starting point if its structure fits your products and the way customers buy. You then avoid designing and building many standard elements from scratch.

But setting up a theme takes more than changing a logo and some colours. Product information, categories, navigation and imagery need to work together. A theme will not sort out a confusing product range for you.

Our starting price of €5,000 applies to a defined scope. We agree in advance which setup work and adjustments are included.

When is a custom build worth the investment?

A custom build becomes interesting when the standard structure gets in your way. Perhaps your products need more explanation, customers need to compare them in a particular way or ordering involves specific choices.

Or you simply want a recognisable brand experience. I think that is a good reason to consider a custom design too. Your branding runs through the whole experience: how you show products, how pages are structured and how everything feels. A design of your own lets us work that out much more deliberately.

Sometimes the requirement is behind the scenes, such as inventory management, fulfilment or a business ordering process. That does not necessarily call for an entirely custom theme. A focused addition to an existing foundation may be enough.

That is why a custom project with us can start at €10,000, while €20,000 or more makes more sense for a broader design with extra features and integrations. We make the work involved clear, so you can see what accounts for the difference.

Which parts are often underestimated?

Product data, for a start. Are titles, variants, attributes, photos and descriptions properly maintained? Or is everything scattered across a few spreadsheets? It needs to be organised before you can fill a store properly.

If you are moving platforms, you also need to decide what comes with you. Moving products is a different job from moving customer data, old URLs or historical orders. We assess what is needed for each part and how to check that it worked.

And test the order itself. Payments, shipping, inventory, confirmations and returns arrangements need to fit together. A beautiful product page is great, but the customer also needs to receive their order properly.

How many apps do you actually need?

We will advise you on that. During discovery, we discuss your case and the whole project. We want to understand what your customers need, how you work and what the store needs to do to succeed.

From there, we look at what Shopify already offers and where an app adds value. We discuss its features, costs and how it works with the rest of the store. Every addition should have a reason.

If there is no suitable app, we build a custom solution. We explain what that means for the project and investment beforehand. A missing app does not have to get in the way of your idea.

Start with the store you need

Choosing between a theme and a custom build gets much easier once you know what your brand, product range and team need from the store.

Want to look at that together? Discuss your Shopify project with BORING. We will look at where an existing solution works well and where a design or feature of your own adds something useful.