PRICING · UPDATED OCTOBER 2026
What does a Shopify store cost?
It depends on what you’re building.
The honest answer is a range of about $3,000 to $80,000 or more, and the right number depends on your revenue and what the store has to do. Here is what drives the price, typical market ranges, and how to tell when a custom build is worth it.
- Honest ranges
- Sources shown
- Free audit first
Paid theme, light edits
$ to $$Theme plus targeted design work
$$Sections designed and coded for you
$$$Plus film, SEO and automation
$$$$WHAT YOU ALREADY USE
Shopify
Google Sheets
Notion
Slack
01 / WHAT DRIVES THE COST
Five things
set the price.
Two stores that look similar can cost ten times apart. These are the reasons.
Template or custom design
A paid theme with light edits costs a fraction of sections designed and coded for your brand.
Catalogue and migration
More products, variants and data to move means more work, especially from another platform.
Photography and film
Imagery and video can cost more than the theme, and decide how premium the brand feels.
Integrations and automation
ERP, subscriptions, loyalty, email, SMS and WhatsApp journeys add scope.
SEO and analytics setup
Structure, schema, tracking and consent done properly take time that a quick build skips.
HOW TO DECIDE
A founder with a new D2C brand
A first-time founder with one product line and modest revenue asked whether to commission a fully custom store.
- Free audit: reviewed the product, the audience and the budget
- Recommended a paid theme with targeted design work for now
- Agreed to revisit a built-to-brand store once revenue justified it
A composite example with details changed. We do not name clients without their permission.
Shopify plans
Shopify’s core plans are Basic from about $29 a month billed annually ($39 monthly), Grow from about $79 ($105 monthly) and Advanced from about $299 ($399 monthly). Shopify Plus, for larger brands, starts around $2,300 a month on a multi-year term. Prices change, so check Shopify’s own pricing page before you decide.
Typical build costs in 2026
Published agency cost guides put freelancer builds at roughly $3,000 to $10,000, small-agency builds at $10,000 to $30,000 and mid-market agency builds at $30,000 to $80,000. A paid theme costs about $180 to $400 once, a customised theme about $1,000 to $8,000, and a fully custom theme $10,000 to $40,000 or more.
These are market ranges, not our prices. We don’t publish a price list, because the audit decides the scope.
When a custom build is not worth it
The same guides make a point worth taking seriously: for stores under about $1M a year, a paid theme with targeted customisation is often the better use of money, and a full custom build can be spend on vanity.
That is why our audit is free and honest. If a theme and a good week of work is the right call for where you are, we will tell you. We build for founders where the brand itself is the product and a generic look would cost them.
What to ask any agency for a quote
Ask what is included in design, development, photography, SEO and tracking; who owns the store and accounts; how many rounds of approval you get; what happens after launch; and what is billed separately, such as apps and your Shopify plan. A quote that cannot answer those is not a quote.
02 / HOW OUR PRICING WORKS
Audit first,
then a fixed quote.
You know what you are paying for before any work starts.
Free store auditFREE
We review your store or your plan and tell you honestly what to fix, what to leave and whether you need us.
A written scope
Pages, features, imagery, integrations and responsibilities, written down.
A fixed quote
One price for that scope. No hourly billing and no surprise invoices.
Design and build, with approvals
You approve each page before we build it.
Launch and support
A launch gate, handover and the option of ongoing support and growth work.
03 / SEPARATE FROM OUR QUOTE
The costs we
don’t control.
Be clear on these from day one, with anyone you hire.
Your Shopify plan
Billed by Shopify, monthly or annually.
Paid apps
Reviews, subscriptions, email and others. Always agreed with you first.
Ad spend
Paid media is separate from the build.
Domain and email
Registered in your name.
Product photography shoots
If you want real shoots rather than AI-assisted imagery.
Ongoing growth work
SEO, creative and automation, if you choose to continue.
04 / THE ROI LENS
Judge the cost
against the brand.
The question is not the cheapest store. It is what a weak store costs you every month.
Run your own numbers| Example | Today | With the system |
|---|---|---|
| Cheap template store | Low upfront | Often rebuilt within a year |
| Store converts below potential | Every visitor you paid for | A recurring leak |
| Brand reads as generic | Harder to charge a premium | A design cost you carry |
| A built-to-brand store | Higher upfront | One build, designed to scale |
Directional, not a client result.
05 / WHAT WE WON’T BUILD
Saying no is
part of the job.
Most automation fails because someone automated the wrong thing. These are the builds we turn down.
- Quote before understanding your brand
- Bill by the hour with no end in sight
- Hide app or plan costs
- Sell a custom build when a theme will do
- Promise sales
START HERE
Find out what yours
should cost.
Book the free store audit. You get honest advice first, and a written quote if you want to go further.
- Honest advice on whether you need a custom build
- A ranked list of what to fix first
- A written scope and fixed quote if you want one
You talk to the people who build it, not an account manager.info@chronexa.io
Rather write it down first?
How much does a custom Shopify store cost?
Published 2026 agency cost guides put a fully custom theme at $10,000 to $40,000 or more, and whole agency builds from about $10,000 to $80,000 depending on scope. Freelancer builds start around $3,000. Your price depends on design, catalogue, imagery, integrations and SEO.
How much does Shopify itself cost?
Core plans run from about $29 a month (billed annually) to about $299 a month, with Shopify Plus from about $2,300 a month. Check Shopify’s pricing page for current figures.
Is a custom build worth it?
For early stores under about $1M a year, often not: a paid theme with targeted customisation can be the better call. For brands where the identity, imagery and experience are the product, a built-to-brand store pays back.
What does Chronexa charge?
We don’t publish a price list. After the free audit you get a written scope and a fixed quote, and you know exactly what you are paying for before work starts.