In 2026 an ecommerce website costs $0 to $2,000 to start on Shopify, Wix or Square plus $30 to $500 a month in plans and apps, $3,000 to $15,000 from a freelancer, $10,000 to $40,000 for a custom store from a studio, and $50,000 or more from an agency. Running costs decide the real price.
| Who builds it | Typical cost | Typical timeline | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| You, on Shopify, Wix or Square | $0 to $2,000, plus $30 to $500 a month | Days to weeks | Testing a product |
| Freelancer on a platform | $1,500 to $8,000, plus the monthly plan | 2 to 6 weeks | A themed store with some custom work |
| Freelancer, custom build | $3,000 to $15,000 | 1 to 3 months | A simple owned store |
| Design studio, custom store | $10,000 to $40,000 | 4 to 10 weeks | A brand where the store is the business |
| Agency | $50,000 to $250,000+ | 3 to 9 months | Large catalogues, many integrations |
A rented store looks cheap because its cost is spread out. Add the plan, every app and any extra transaction fees over five years, then compare that with a one-time build plus hosting. For a store doing steady sales, the owned store is often cheaper by year two or three.
Catalogue size and variants, how many offers and pricing rules you run, integrations with stock, shipping, accounting or a POS, payment methods like cash on delivery, and whether you need an editorial design or a clean standard one. Migration from an existing store adds a little.
At 4080 Studio a store comes with the storefront, checkout, customer accounts and an admin panel for orders, products, stock, promotions and content. Reviews, loyalty points, gift cards, abandoned cart emails and SEO are built in, not added as apps. You own the code. We quote per store.
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A full online store and admin panel the brand owns outright, with no monthly platform fee
Starting on a platform like Shopify costs little up front but $30 to $500 a month in plans and apps. A custom store from a design studio typically costs $10,000 to $40,000 once, then only hosting and payment fees. Freelancers sit in between, agencies above.
A Shopify store in India costs ₹1,499 to ₹22,680 a month on yearly billing, plus apps and a 0.6% to 2% fee on Razorpay orders. A custom store from an Indian studio typically costs ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh once, with no platform fee after that.
Hosting, your payment gateway's fee per order, and email or SMS sending if you use them. There is no platform plan and no app bills. Many owners also keep a support plan for changes and new features.
