How Much Does It Cost to Set Up a Shopify Store in 2026?
Quick answer
Having a Shopify store set up professionally costs $199 to $799 one-time at Blogrator: $199 for a ready-to-sell store with up to 20 products on a free theme, $399 for a custom-styled store with up to 100 products and the apps that matter, and $799 for up to 300 products or a migration with abandoned-cart emails and ad tracking. On top of that you pay Shopify directly for your plan (Shopify's published Basic plan is $39 a month, or $29 a month billed yearly) plus a domain. A typical small store therefore costs about $560 in its first year before optional paid themes or apps.
Shopify setup packages at a glance
These are our published, fixed, one-time prices. You know the total before we start, and there is no retainer afterwards.
| Package | Price | Products | Theme | Delivery | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Store Setup | $199 | Up to 20 | Free theme styled in your brand | 5 days, 2 revisions | Payments, shipping and tax settings; policy, contact and about pages; domain connected; mobile check |
| Custom Store | $399 | Up to 100, with collections | Custom-styled or premium theme setup | 10 days, 3 revisions | Search filters and navigation; reviews, email capture and upsell apps; speed and SEO basics; training video |
| Growth Store | $799 | Up to 300, or a CSV migration | Custom-built theme sections | 14 days, 4 revisions | Abandoned-cart and welcome emails; GA4 and Meta pixel; store SEO for collections and products; 30 days of post-launch support |
What you pay Shopify, and what you do not have to
The setup fee is only part of the cost of a store. The rest goes to Shopify and, if you choose them, to theme and app vendors.
- Shopify plan. At the time of writing, Shopify's published Basic plan is $39 a month, or $29 a month billed yearly; the Grow and Advanced plans cost more and most small stores do not need them at launch. Shopify changes its plans from time to time, so check the current price on shopify.com before you subscribe.
- Card processing. Shopify Payments charges a percentage plus a small fixed amount per online card transaction, with the rate depending on your plan and country. It is a cost of sales rather than a fixed cost, and it is the same whoever builds your store.
- Domain. Roughly $15 a year from a registrar, or bought through Shopify.
- Theme. $0 on a free theme. Paid themes on the Shopify Theme Store are a one-time purchase, typically in the low hundreds of dollars. Store Setup uses a free theme; Custom Store can use either.
- Apps. Reviews, email capture and upsell apps all have free tiers that are enough for a new store. We install only the apps that help sales and we say no to the rest, because app subscriptions are the most common way a "cheap" store ends up costing $100 a month.
First-year cost, worked example
| Small store (Store Setup) | Established brand (Growth Store) | |
|---|---|---|
| Build (one-time) | $199 | $799 |
| Shopify Basic, billed yearly (12 × $29) | $348 | $348 |
| Domain | ≈ $15 | ≈ $15 |
| Theme | $0 (free theme) | $0 to a few hundred (your choice) |
| Apps | $0 (free tiers) | $0 to a few paid apps |
| First-year total before sales fees | ≈ $560 | ≈ $1,160 plus any paid theme or apps |
From year two, the small store costs about $363 a year to keep open: the Shopify plan and the domain. There is nothing to pay us unless you want changes or marketing.
What makes a Shopify store cost more
- Product count and variants. Uploading, categorising and checking 300 products with sizes and colours is most of the labour in a store build, which is why the packages are tiered by product count.
- Migration. Moving products, customers and orders from WooCommerce, Wix or Etsy adds mapping and testing time, and is included in Growth Store.
- Custom sections. A lookbook, a bundle builder or a size guide that a theme does not have out of the box means custom theme sections.
- Email flows and tracking. Abandoned-cart and welcome sequences, GA4 and the Meta pixel are what turn a store into something you can advertise profitably; they are set up in Growth Store.
- Photography and copy. We edit and optimise the photos you supply, but we do not shoot them. Poor photos are the most common reason a well-built store does not sell.
DIY vs freelancer vs fixed-price setup
| Do it yourself | Hourly freelancer | Blogrator fixed price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cash cost | Free | Depends on hours; the total is known at the end | $199 to $799, known before we start |
| Your time | Many evenings; payments, shipping and tax are easy to get wrong | Some | Sending products and brand files |
| Payments, shipping and tax | Your responsibility | Varies | Configured and tested with a real order |
| Apps | Trial and error | Varies | Only the ones that help sales |
| Afterwards | You run it | You run it | Training so you run it yourself; 30 days support on Growth |
Shopify is deliberately easy to start with, and if you have five products and a free weekend, DIY is a reasonable choice. The build is worth paying for when you have more than a couple of dozen products, when you are moving from another platform, or when the store has to look like your brand rather than like every other store on the same theme.
What is included, and what is not
Included in every package: a theme set up and styled in your brand, products and collections uploaded, payments, shipping and taxes configured and tested, the domain connected, a mobile check before launch, and training so you can run the store yourself.
Not included: your Shopify subscription, paid themes or paid apps, product photography, and ongoing marketing. If you want traffic after launch, our ads management and social media plans are priced separately and month to month.
Get a Shopify store built for a fixed price, from $199
Ready to sell in 5 to 14 days, payments and shipping tested with a real order, and training so you run it yourself. Pay by card; your Shopify plan is paid to Shopify.
Store Setup — $199 Custom Store — $399 Growth Store — $799
Read the full Shopify development service page, compare packages on the Shopify gig, or book a free call.
Frequently asked questions
Blogrator builds Shopify stores for a fixed one-time price: $199 for a ready-to-sell store with up to 20 products on a free theme, $399 for a custom-styled store with up to 100 products and key apps, and $799 for up to 300 products or a migration with email flows and ad tracking. Your Shopify subscription is separate and paid to Shopify.
No. You subscribe directly with Shopify. At the time of writing Shopify’s published Basic plan is $39 a month, or $29 a month when billed yearly. Paid themes and paid apps, if you choose any, are also paid to their vendors; we recommend free options wherever they do the job.
For a small store on the $199 Store Setup and Shopify Basic billed yearly, the first year is about $560: $199 build, $348 Shopify, and roughly $15 for a domain. Add a paid theme or apps and it rises from there; card processing fees are a percentage of sales rather than a fixed cost.
Yes. The $799 Growth Store includes a CSV migration of up to 300 products. Customer and order history can be moved with a migration app, which we set up with you.
Five days for Store Setup, 10 days for Custom Store and 14 days for Growth Store, counted from when we have your products, photos and brand files.
Usually not. Shopify’s free themes are fast and well maintained, and styled in your brand they look nothing like the default. A paid theme is worth it when you need a specific layout or feature, and it is a one-time purchase from the Shopify Theme Store.
Yes. We connect Shopify’s Facebook and Instagram channel so your products can be tagged and sold there, and on Growth Store the Meta pixel is set up so you can run ads and see what sells.