Quick answer: a small online store in the US costs less to run than most people fear and more than the plan price suggests. Shopify Basic is $29 a month on a yearly plan, WooCommerce itself is free, and both charge about 2.9% + 30¢ per card payment. On a store selling $3,000 a month, the card fees are bigger than the platform. Apps, a theme, product photos and setup are where budgets actually break.
Below is what an online store costs in 2026, line by line, how Shopify and WooCommerce compare on a real month of sales, the sales tax point US sellers miss, and when a small business should not build a store at all.
How much does an online store cost for a small business?
Ask five sources and you get five answers. LaunchMyStore puts a first launch at $100 to $2,000 for the first few months, while Branvas says a realistic brand with stock and marketing needs $2,000 to $10,000. Both are right, because they are counting different things.
It helps to split the money into three buckets. The store itself (platform, theme, apps, domain). Getting paid (card fees on every order). Selling (stock, photos, shipping, ads). This article covers the first two in detail, because those are the costs a store owner signs up for on day one and keeps paying every month.
The plan price is the smallest number on this desk.
What does each line actually cost?
These are published prices for US stores as of October 2026. Card fees are the standard online rate for US cards. Check the pricing pages before you commit, because platforms change them.
| Cost line | Shopify (Basic plan) | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | $29 a month paid yearly, $39 paid monthly | Free plugin |
| Hosting and SSL | Included | You pay a host separately |
| Card fees (US cards) | 2.9% + 30¢ with Shopify Payments | 2.9% + $0.30 with WooPayments |
| Extra fee if you use another payment provider | 2% on every sale | None from WooCommerce |
| Theme | Free themes, premium around $180 to $350 | Free themes, premium around $20 to $100 a year |
| Apps or extensions | Reported average of $120 to $250 a month | Many free, paid ones add up the same way |
| Sales tax calculation | Built in | Plugin or service |
Two lines in that table decide most of your bill. The first is apps. LaunchMyStore, quoting WebsiteBuilderExpert, reports that the average Shopify store spends $120 to $250 a month on apps, which is four to eight times the Basic plan. The second is the 2% Shopify adds when you take payments through someone other than Shopify Payments on the Basic plan. On $3,000 of sales that is $60 a month for nothing.
What does a real month look like?
Take a small store selling $3,000 a month with an average order of $60. That is 50 orders. Here is the month on each platform before apps, stock and shipping.
| Line | Shopify Basic (yearly) | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | $29 | $0 |
| Hosting | Included | Your host’s monthly price |
| Card fees: 2.9% of $3,000 | $87 | $87 |
| Card fees: 30¢ x 50 orders | $15 | $15 |
| Total before apps | $131 | $102 plus hosting |
Look at where the money goes. $102 of that month is card fees, and they are the same on both platforms. Switching platforms will not make them smaller. So when you compare, compare the total at the sales you actually expect, not the plan price on the banner.
Card fees are charged per order, so they grow with every sale.
Shopify or WooCommerce for a small business?
Comparison articles tend to declare a winner. In practice the right answer depends on how you sell and who looks after the store. Metorik puts a typical all in Shopify bill at $50 to $75 a month and WooCommerce at $20 to $50, but warns that paid plugins and developer time can make WooCommerce the more expensive one for a non technical owner.
- Choose Shopify if you also sell in person. WooCommerce discontinued its own point of sale in February 2026, according to Ecommerce CEO, while Shopify’s stays built in. A shop with a counter and a website is simpler on one system.
- Choose Shopify if nobody will maintain the site. Hosting, security and updates are included, so there is less to break.
- Choose WooCommerce if you already have a WordPress site. The store sits inside the site you have, with no extra platform to learn.
- Choose WooCommerce if you want full ownership. The files, the data and the hosting are yours, and there is no extra fee for picking your own payment provider.
Our honest view: if you also sell at a counter, or nobody on your team wants to touch updates, Shopify is the easier life. If you already run WordPress and someone looks after it, WooCommerce saves you the monthly plan. Either way, decide on the full monthly cost, not the plan price.
Do you have to collect sales tax on online orders in the US?
Often, yes, and not only in your home state. Since the Supreme Court’s Wayfair decision in 2018, states can require online sellers to collect sales tax once they cross an “economic nexus” threshold in that state, even without an office there.
The most common threshold is $100,000 in sales into a state. Some states are higher, New York for example uses $500,000 and 100 transactions, and several states dropped their old 200 transaction rule in 2025 and 2026. Five states have no statewide sales tax at all: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon, although Alaska lets local areas collect.
For most new stores this means two practical things. You collect tax in your own state from the first sale if you sell taxable products, and you watch your sales into each other state so you know when you cross a line. Shopify includes automatic sales tax calculation on every plan, and WooCommerce needs a plugin or service for it. This is general information, not tax advice, so check your own situation with an accountant.
Where your orders ship decides where you may owe sales tax.
When a small business does not need an online store
A store is the right tool when people buy a product at a fixed price without talking to you first. Plenty of small businesses are not like that, and a store only adds cost for them.
- You sell a service. A plumber, a clinic or an auto repair shop needs a site that gets calls and enquiries, not a cart. For US auto repair shops we build exactly that as a five page website for a one time $497, and you see a free preview before you pay.
- Every order is custom. If the price depends on size, design or a site visit, a quote form converts better than a checkout.
- You have fewer than five products. A simple site with a payment link or a buy button can do the job for much less.
We wrote about this choice in more detail in landing page or website, what to build first, and about which pages matter in the 5 pages a small business website actually needs.
Where small stores lose money
Comparing plan prices. A $29 plan with $200 of apps costs more than a $79 plan with none. Price the whole month.
Installing an app for every idea. Each one is a monthly bill and another thing that can slow the store. Add one when a real problem needs it.
Ignoring the 2% fee. On Shopify Basic, using a different payment provider adds 2% to every sale. Know it before you choose.
Launching with bad photos. Shoppers cannot pick the product up. Clear photos and honest descriptions do more for sales than any app you can install.
Your checklist before you build an online store
- You know what you sell, at what price, and roughly how many orders a month you expect
- You have priced the full month at that volume, card fees included
- You know whether you also sell in person
- You know who will update products, prices and stock
- You have product photos that show the real thing
- You know your shipping prices and your return policy
- You know where you have to collect sales tax
- You know which apps you need on day one, and which can wait
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to start an online store?
The platform can be $0 to $39 a month. A realistic first budget, with a theme, a few apps, photos and setup, runs from a few hundred to a couple of thousand dollars before stock and ads.
What are the monthly costs of an online store?
The plan or hosting, apps, and card fees of about 2.9% + 30¢ per order. At small volumes the card fees and apps usually cost more than the plan.
Is WooCommerce cheaper than Shopify?
Often on paper, because the plugin is free. It can end up more expensive if you pay for plugins and developer time to keep it running.
Can I sell online without a full store?
Yes. With a handful of products, a simple website with payment links or a buy button is often enough to start.
Do I need to charge sales tax on online orders?
Usually in your home state if your products are taxable, and in other states once you pass their threshold, most commonly $100,000 in sales. Check with an accountant for your case.
How long does it take to build a small online store?
It depends less on the build than on the content. Gathering product photos, descriptions, prices and shipping rules is usually the slow part, so have those ready before anyone starts.
Where to start
Write down what you sell, your prices, your shipping rules and how many orders you expect in a normal month. Then price one full month on each platform with your own numbers, using the tables above.
If you would rather have it built, our websites and online stores page shows how we set up stores on Shopify or WooCommerce, with up to 50 products, payments and shipping configured. Prices are public on the pricing page: €107 a month, or €2,200 once if you prefer to own it outright from day one and handle hosting and later changes yourself. If you are not sure a store is the right step yet, send us a message and tell us what you sell. You can also read how much a small business website costs if a simple site may be enough.
Sources: Shopify, pricing; WooCommerce, WooPayments fees; LaunchMyStore, cost to start an online store in 2026; Branvas, real cost to start an online store; Metorik, Shopify vs WooCommerce 2026; Ecommerce CEO, WooCommerce vs Shopify; TaxCloud, sales tax nexus by state; Numeral, economic nexus handbook.
