How Much Does an Online Store Cost for a Small Business: Real Prices

Short answer: an online store for a small business costs $200–500 for a simple catalog with an order form, $600–1500 for a store with a cart and online payment, and $1500+ for custom logic (delivery, stock sync, CRM). On top of that, budget for a domain, hosting, payment-provider fees, and the time it takes to fill the catalog — these are the items that most often "appear" after launch.

What drives the price

• Number of products and categories. Ten items versus several hundred means a different structure, filters, and search.
• Checkout and payment. A "leave a request" form costs far less than a cart with online payment.
• Integrations. Delivery services, stock tracking, CRM, Telegram notifications — each adds scope.
• Design. An adapted template or a custom design built around your brand.
• Who builds it. Freelancer, independent studio, or agency — the price for the same result can differ many times over.

Realistic price ranges

• Catalog with an order form (no cart, no online payment) — $200–500.
• Store with a cart and online payment — $600–1500.
• Store with integrations (delivery, stock, CRM) — $1500+.

Costs people often forget

• Domain and hosting — usually $15–40 per year together, paid separately from development.
• Payment-provider fees. A percentage is taken from every online payment — factor it into your margin.
• Filling the catalog. Photos, descriptions, and specs take hours, and for a hundred items they can cost more than the website itself.
• Maintenance. Updates, backups, and small fixes — from $20 per month.

Website builder or custom build

A builder is cheaper to start with, but it comes with a monthly fee and limits: unusual logic or an integration for your specific process is hard to add. A custom build costs more upfront but doesn't tie you to a platform's pricing tiers and grows with the business. For a small catalog without complex processes, a builder is perfectly reasonable — just count the cost over a year, not only the first month.

For where to start and when a store is actually needed, see online stores for small business.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the simplest online store cost?

A simple catalog with an order form (no cart or online payment) costs $200–500 — enough to start taking orders online.

Are payment fees included in the price of the store?

No. The payment provider takes a percentage of each payment separately from the development cost, so build it into your product pricing.

Is a website builder cheaper than a custom build?

At the start, yes — but the monthly fee and platform limits can close the gap within a year or two, so compare total costs rather than just the first month.