How Much Does Shopify Development Cost for Agencies? A UK Pricing Guide

Why Shopify Pricing Varies So Much

Shopify is often assumed to be the “cheaper” or “simpler” ecommerce platform compared with a custom build, and for a standard store that’s often true. But the range in what a Shopify project actually costs is wide, because so much depends on theme customisation, app integrations, and whether the client is on standard Shopify or Shopify Plus.

Agencies quoting Shopify work without a clear sense of that range risk underquoting complex projects or overquoting simple ones, either of which costs you the client relationship.

Standard Shopify Storefronts

A Shopify store built on a customised existing theme, with standard product catalogue setup, payment gateway configuration, and basic app integrations, typically costs between £2,500 and £5,000 at white label rates. This assumes a supplied brand identity and a product range that doesn’t require unusual variant logic.

Custom Shopify Theme Builds

Where a client needs a fully custom theme built from a Figma design rather than a customised existing theme, pricing typically moves to £4,000 to £9,000. This covers custom Liquid development, bespoke collection and product page layouts, and browser and device testing across the theme.

Shopify Plus Builds

Shopify Plus projects involve more complexity: custom checkout logic, multi-currency or multi-store setups, and often deeper API work. These typically range from £8,000 to £20,000+ depending on scope, and are rarely quoted as a flat rate upfront without a discovery phase first.

App and Third-Party Integrations

Connecting a Shopify store to external systems, whether that’s an ERP, a CRM, an inventory system, or a custom internal tool, adds cost on top of the base build. Simple app-based integrations (using an existing Shopify App Store connector) might add £300 to £800. Custom API integrations with no existing connector typically start around £1,500 and scale with the complexity of the data being synced.

Migrations Onto Shopify

Moving a client from WooCommerce, Magento, or another platform onto Shopify involves product data migration, redirect mapping to protect existing SEO, and often recreating custom functionality that doesn’t have a direct Shopify equivalent. Migrations typically cost £2,000 to £6,000 depending on catalogue size and how much custom functionality needs to be rebuilt.

What Drives the Price Beyond the Build Itself

Number of SKUs and variants. Large or highly variant-heavy catalogues increase build and testing time regardless of theme complexity.

Subscription and membership logic. Anything beyond standard one-off purchases usually requires app configuration or custom development work.

Checkout customisation. Standard Shopify checkout is straightforward to price. Shopify Plus checkout customisation is a specialist skill and priced accordingly.

Post-launch support expectations. A client expecting ongoing tweaks and monitoring after launch is better served by a support retainer than a one-off project fee.

Working With Zestcode on Shopify Projects

Zestcode builds Shopify storefronts and Shopify Plus projects as a white label development partner for UK agencies, from theme customisation through to complex app and API integrations. We provide a fixed quote and specification before development starts, so there are no surprises once the build is underway.

If you’ve got a Shopify brief that needs scoping, get in touch for a quote, usually within 24 hours.