How much does a Shopify store cost UK

One of the first questions every UK merchant asks: how much will this actually cost? The honest answer is it depends — but you deserve real numbers, not vague promises. Here is a transparent breakdown of what Shopify costs in the UK in 2026, from platform fees to agency builds and ongoing spend.

Shopify platform fees

Shopify’s UK prices, checked on 3 November 2026: Basic is £25 a month, or £19 a month billed yearly. Grow is £65 a month, or £49 a month billed yearly. Advanced is £344 a month, or £259 a month billed yearly. Shopify Plus starts at £1,800 a month on a three-year term, or £1,950 a month on a one-year term. The year-one picture, including the project on top of the licence, is in Shopify Plus pricing in the UK.

If you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify adds a fee: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus. Most UK merchants use Shopify Payments, where the online card rate depends on the plan and that third-party fee does not apply. The pricing page does not label these figures as including or excluding VAT, so this article does not state a VAT treatment.

Agency build costs

At On The Road, theme customisation is £6,000–£12,000 and custom design and build is £10,000–£40,000. Migrations and complex builds, including a move onto Shopify Plus, are £15k–£50k+. Upgrading an existing Shopify store to Plus starts from £10k.

Most projects sit in the £10k–£50k+ range, with a fixed quote after discovery. Ongoing support retainers start from £2,500 a month. You should know the ballpark before you commit to a discovery call.

Apps and third-party costs

Budget £50–£500/month for apps depending on your needs. Common categories: email marketing (Klaviyo from ~£30/month), reviews (Yotpo, Judge.me), subscriptions (Recharge), search (Searchanise, Algolia), and B2B (SparkLayer, wholesale apps).

Avoid app bloat — every installed app adds JavaScript weight and potential conflicts. We audit your app stack during builds and recommend lean alternatives where possible.

Hidden costs to plan for

Photography and content creation, domain and email hosting, paid media budgets, compliance (GDPR, cookie consent), and post-launch optimisation (CRO, A/B testing) are often underestimated. Migration projects may also need temporary dual-platform hosting.

The cheapest option is rarely the best value. A £3,000 theme install that does not convert will cost more in lost revenue than a £25,000 custom build that performs from day one.

Getting an accurate quote

The fastest way to a realistic number: share your current platform, approximate SKU count, must-have integrations and timeline. We scope projects in a free consultation and provide fixed-price proposals — no surprises later.

See our pricing page for budget bands, or contact us with your project brief.