A WooCommerce store starts at R35,000 with us and a Shopify store at R45,000. But over three years the payment gateway usually costs more than the build did, because it takes a percentage of every sale forever. Work that number out before you choose anything.
What a store costs to build
| Build | From | Why |
|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce store | R35,000 | A maintained plugin exists for most requirements |
| Shopify store | R45,000 | Closed system, so anything unusual becomes code or a paid app |
| Custom storefront | Quoted on scope | Nothing ships that you did not ask for, and nothing is free |
Shopify costing more than WooCommerce catches people out, since Shopify is the simpler product. That is precisely why: simple is cheap until you want something it does not do. We have written about the full comparison including the South African payments problem.
What actually drives the price of a shop?
Not the number of products. This is the single most common misconception and it costs people money, because they optimise the wrong variable.
Two hundred simple products, each with a name, a price and an image, is largely an import job. Five products with size and colour variants, bundle pricing, a subscription option and a made-to-order lead time is a build. The second is the more expensive project by a distance.
- Product complexity. Variants, bundles, subscriptions, made-to-order, minimum quantities. Rules cost money. Rows do not.
- Shipping logic. Flat rate is free. Weight-banded, zone-based, per-courier rates with free-shipping thresholds is a project of its own.
- Payment methods. Cards are the easy part. Instant EFT, buy-now-pay-later and in-store collection each add setup and testing.
- Stock. Whether the shop is the source of truth, or has to stay in step with a POS or accounting system. Two-way sync is the expensive answer.
- Who the customer is. Retail is one price list. Wholesale with customer-specific pricing and credit terms is a different build entirely.
The costs that outlast the build
Here is the arithmetic almost nobody does before committing, and it is the one that actually determines whether the shop makes money.
| Ongoing | Shape of the cost |
|---|---|
| Payment gateway | A percentage of every sale, forever |
| Shopify third-party gateway fee | An extra 0.2% to 2% per order, on top of the gateway |
| Platform subscription | Monthly, if you are on Shopify |
| Hosting | Monthly, and a shop needs better hosting than a brochure site |
| Maintenance | From R3,000 a month for a store. A brochure site that breaks is embarrassing; a shop that breaks is closed |
Run it properly. A store turning over R200,000 a month, paying somewhere around 3% to its gateway, hands over roughly R72,000 a year in transaction fees. The build was R35,000. The gateway costs more than the website did, every year, quietly, without ever sending an invoice that makes you look at it.
This is not an argument against selling online. It is an argument for choosing the platform with the running costs in front of you rather than the build price, because the build happens once and the percentage happens every single day.
What can you launch without?
Plenty, and launching lighter is usually the right call. A shop that exists and sells beats a shop that is six weeks from perfect.
Wish lists, loyalty points, product reviews, multi-currency, abandoned-cart automation, advanced filtering. All useful eventually. None of them are the reason nobody bought anything in month one.
What you cannot launch without is a checkout that works on a phone, shipping that calculates correctly, a payment method your customers actually use, and product photography that does not look apologetic. Everything else can wait for revenue to justify it.
What should you budget?
For a first store with straightforward products: R35,000 to R50,000 for the build, plus hosting, maintenance and gateway fees from day one.
For a store replacing something that already turns over real money: budget for the migration carefully, because getting URLs and redirects wrong is how a rebuild costs you rankings that took years to accumulate. That risk is worth paying to avoid.
For wholesale, subscriptions or anything with unusual rules, get it scoped before anyone quotes. See our published prices for the rest of the range.
Common questions
How much does an online store cost in South Africa?
From R35,000 for WooCommerce and R45,000 for Shopify with us. Add hosting, maintenance and payment gateway fees as ongoing costs, and work the gateway percentage out against your expected turnover before deciding.
Does the number of products change the price?
Far less than people expect. Two hundred simple products is largely an import. Five products with variants, bundles and subscription options is a build. Complexity costs money, quantity mostly does not.
Why is Shopify more expensive to build than WooCommerce?
Shopify is a closed system, so anything outside what the theme already does becomes a Liquid coding job or a paid app. The same requirement on WooCommerce is usually an existing, well-maintained plugin.
What are the ongoing costs of an online store?
Hosting, maintenance, payment gateway fees, and a platform subscription if you are on Shopify. Gateway fees are the one that grows with you, since they are a percentage of every sale rather than a fixed amount.
Can I start small and add features later?
Yes, and you generally should. Launch with a working checkout, correct shipping, a payment method your customers use and decent photography. Add loyalty, reviews and automation once there is revenue to justify them.
Thinking about selling online?
Tell us what you sell and roughly what you expect to turn over. We will work the running costs out with you before anyone talks about a build, because that is the order in which these decisions actually make sense.