Pricing and quotation guide
Shopify store development cost
Development is priced by feature, and features vary enormously. A new homepage section with a heading, image and button is a small task; a product configurator that changes price and stock by selection is a project of its own.
This page breaks development cost down feature by feature, so you can see where the effort goes and decide which features are worth building now.
Illustrative diagram
- DisplayStatic section with editable text and images
- Read dataShows metafields per product
- RespondChanges with variants or selections
- ConnectTalks to an app or external system
Why development is estimated feature by feature
A store development quotation is a list of features, each with its own estimate. This makes it possible to drop or postpone a feature without renegotiating everything, and it shows which features carry most of the cost.
Each estimate covers more than writing code. It includes understanding the requirement, handling the awkward cases, preparing any data the feature reads from, testing on real products and documenting how to edit it. Quotations that only count build time tend to grow later.
What makes a feature cost more
- Interaction
- A section that only displays content is simpler than one that responds to shopper choices, such as variant selection or quantity.
- Data it depends on
- Features that read metafields need those fields defined and filled for every product. Filling hundreds of products can outweigh the code itself.
- Edge cases
- Sold-out variants, missing images, long translations and different currencies all need handling.
- Integration
- Connecting to another system or app adds investigation, credentials handling and failure testing.
- Editability
- Making a feature fully configurable in the theme editor takes longer than hard-coding it, but saves cost every time content changes.
- State of the existing theme
- Heavily modified or outdated themes take longer to work on safely.
Costs paid to third parties (separate from our fees)
- Paid theme licence, if a new theme is bought
- App subscriptions where an app is chosen instead of custom code
- Fees for any external service a feature connects to
We quote our own work only. Theme and app prices are set by their providers and should be checked on their own pages.
Build or use an app: comparing cost over time
Launch cost is only part of the picture.
| Consideration | Custom theme feature | App |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront | Development quotation | Usually small or none |
| Ongoing | None, unless changes are needed | Recurring subscription |
| Updates | May need re-applying after theme updates | Maintained by the app provider |
| Fit | Built to your exact need | Limited to the app's options |
Display features often favour custom code; complex processing such as subscriptions usually favours a maintained app.
Phasing features to control cost
Illustrative example — not a client case study
Situation: A store owner wants a custom homepage, an ingredient panel on product pages, a bundle builder and a store locator.
- The homepage sections and ingredient panel are built first, because they affect every visit and depend only on product data.
- The bundle builder is tested with an existing app before deciding whether custom work is justified.
- The store locator is postponed until there is more than one physical location to show.
What this shows: Phasing puts the effort where it affects shoppers now and avoids building features before their value is known.
What a feature estimate should account for
Ask whether each of these is included when you compare quotations.
Before and during the build
- Clarifying the requirement and agreeing awkward cases
- Setting up metafield definitions or other data the feature reads
- Building on a preview theme rather than the live one
After the build
- Testing with your real products on phone and desktop
- Your review round and the fixes it produces
- Editing notes and the record of changed files
Costs that appear after launch
Custom features have no subscription, but they are not free to keep. Theme updates can require custom work to be re-applied, new products may need data filled in for features that depend on metafields, and changes in browsers or Shopify itself occasionally require adjustments.
These costs are usually small when the original work was built cleanly and documented. They grow when features were hard-coded, spread across many theme files or built without notes. That is why we include editability and documentation in every estimate rather than offering a cheaper version without them.
Questions about Shopify store development cost
Why can't you price a feature from a screenshot?
A screenshot shows appearance, not behaviour. The cost depends on what happens with different products, variants and content, which needs a short conversation to establish.
Is it cheaper to buy a theme with the feature built in?
Often, if the theme does what you need without heavy modification. We can review candidate themes against your feature list before you buy.
Does filling in product data cost extra?
If a feature needs data added to many products, that work is listed separately in the quotation so you can choose to do it yourself.
Can I drop a feature after the quotation?
Yes. Because features are estimated separately, removing one before work starts simply removes its estimate.
Are bug fixes after launch charged?
How fixes after launch are handled is written into each quotation, so you know before work starts. New feature requests are always quoted separately.
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