What It Costs to Run an Online Store: A Realistic Annual Budget
How much it costs to run an online store for a year can't be expressed as a single number. The platform is usually the smallest item. A smaller store on Shopify pays just under CZK 6,000 a year for its plan, but payment fees, apps, accounting, shipping and above all marketing cost more. Build your annual budget from fixed costs (plan, apps, accountant) and costs that grow with revenue (payments, shipping, advertising). Only then will you know how much you actually keep from each order.
In this article, we go through all the items, list current Shopify prices for the Czech Republic and show what an annual budget can look like for three model stores. Figures for third-party services are indicative. Always check your specific prices with the provider.
Key points
- Shopify costs from CZK 499 a month (Basic plan, billed annually). Hosting, SSL and security are included.
- When you use an external payment gateway, Shopify charges an extra 0.6–2% per order. Bank transfer and cash on delivery are exempt from this fee.
- The biggest item is usually marketing. Plan it as a share of revenue, not as a fixed amount.
- Budget a development reserve: a store nobody touches for a year stops selling.
Contents
- What online store costs consist of
- Shopify plan: what the platform costs
- Payment fees: where most money is lost
- Apps and theme
- Domain, email and legal documents
- Accounting and invoicing
- Shipping and packaging
- Marketing: the biggest and most variable item
- Development and maintenance
- Three model annual budgets
- Where you can save and where you can't
- Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What online store costs consist of
Online store running costs are divided into fixed, variable and one-off. You pay fixed costs regardless of how much you sell. Variable costs grow with each order. One-off costs come at launch or with a bigger change. The split matters for planning: fixed costs determine how much you need to sell to break even, and variable costs determine how much you keep from each additional order.
| Cost type | Examples | How to plan |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed | Platform plan, apps, domain, accountant, invoicing software | Fixed monthly amount |
| Variable | Payment fees, shipping, packaging, comparison site commissions, advertising | Percentage of revenue or amount per order |
| One-off | Store setup, premium theme, integrations, terms and conditions, photos | Investment spread over 2–3 years |
The purchase price of goods doesn't belong in the budget. That's what your margin covers. The running budget shows how much of the margin is eaten up by simply operating the store.
Shopify plan: what the platform costs
For the Czech Republic, Shopify offers three standard plans priced in Czech crowns and the Plus plan for large stores. Annual billing saves you roughly a quarter. The price includes hosting, an SSL certificate, security, platform updates and an unlimited number of products.
| Plan | Monthly, billed annually | Monthly, billed monthly | Per year (annual billing) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | CZK 499 | CZK 670 | CZK 5,988 |
| Grow | CZK 1,370 | CZK 1,830 | CZK 16,440 |
| Advanced | CZK 7,130 | CZK 9,510 | CZK 85,560 |
| Plus | from €2,100 a month, custom quote | from €25,200 | |
Prices are from Shopify's Czech price list as of September 2026. For most new and smaller Czech stores, Basic is enough. Moving to Grow or Advanced makes sense when the higher plan saves more on payment fees than it costs, or when you need its features (more staff accounts, advanced reports). A detailed comparison of plans can be found in the article Shopify plans and pricing.
For comparison: a hosted Czech platform costs about the same at similar tiers, while with a custom-built solution you pay separately for hosting, security and updates. The difference between platforms therefore usually doesn't show in the plan price, but in fees, apps and development.
Payment fees: where most money is lost
Payment fees are a variable cost that, on Shopify, depends on which gateway you use. This is where thousands of crowns a year are decided. With Shopify Payments, you pay the following for online card payments, depending on your plan:
| Plan | Shopify Payments (online card) | Shopify fee with an external gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 1.9% + CZK 6.50 | 2% |
| Grow | 1.8% + CZK 6.50 | 1% |
| Advanced | 1.6% + CZK 6.50 | 0.6% |
| Plus | 1.3% + CZK 6.50 | 0.2% |
If you use an external gateway (such as Comgate or GoPay) instead of Shopify Payments, you pay the gateway fee plus Shopify's transaction fee. On the Basic plan, that's 2% of every payment through an external gateway. On a turnover of one million crowns, that's CZK 20,000 a year for Shopify alone, plus the gateway fees. That's why it pays to compare the total cost, not just the gateway rate.
Bank transfer and cash on delivery are manual payment methods in Shopify, and Shopify's transaction fee doesn't apply to them. Bank transfer with a QR code is convenient for Czech customers and cheap for you. Cash on delivery, on the other hand, has its own carrier fee. A comparison of gateways for the Czech market can be found in the article Payment gateways on Shopify.
Example: a store on the Basic plan accepts 1,000 card payments of CZK 1,000 a year through Shopify Payments. It pays CZK 19,000 (1.9%) plus CZK 6,500 (CZK 6.50 per payment), CZK 25,500 in total. That's more than four times the price of the plan.
Apps and theme
Apps are the second most underestimated cost, because each one looks cheap on its own. Prices in the Shopify App Store start at a few dollars a month and go into hundreds of dollars for advanced tools. A typical Czech store needs apps for:
- carrier integration,
- XML feeds for comparison sites,
- invoicing,
- reviews,
- email marketing and automation,
- possibly a loyalty programme, upselling or advanced filters.
Five to eight apps at 10–30 dollars a month add up to roughly CZK 1,000–5,000 a month, i.e. CZK 12,000–60,000 a year. Apps are also often billed in dollars, so their price changes with the exchange rate. Once every six months, go through the list and uninstall what you don't use. How to choose apps is described in the article Shopify App Store: the best apps for Czech e-shops.
Theme: Shopify's free themes are high quality and enough to start with. A premium theme from the Theme Store costs a one-off of roughly 200–400 dollars, with updates included. It's not a monthly cost, but include it in your first-year budget.
Domain, email and legal documents
Domain and email are small items; legal documents are a one-off but necessary investment. Budget for these costs:
- .cz domain: a few hundred crowns a year depending on the registrar. If you also sell to Slovakia, add a .sk domain.
- Business email: Shopify doesn't provide mailboxes. Budget for Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or a mailbox from your registrar, typically a few hundred crowns a month depending on the number of users.
- Terms and conditions, complaints policy and privacy policy: a one-off cost ranging from a template for a few hundred crowns to thousands of crowns with a lawyer. Since June 2025, terms and conditions must also include accessibility information if the accessibility law applies to you. Details in the article E-commerce accessibility (EAA).
- Cookie banner with consent management: free up to tens of dollars a month depending on the tool.
Accounting and invoicing
Accounting is a fixed cost that grows with complexity, not revenue. It consists of two parts: invoicing or accounting software and the accountant's work.
- Invoicing software (Fakturoid, iDoklad, POHODA and others): from free on the simplest plans to hundreds of crowns a month. Connecting it to Shopify so documents are issued automatically is handled by an app or integration.
- Accountant or accounting firm: for a smaller store, usually a few thousand crowns a month; more with VAT registration, cross-border sales or a large number of documents.
Automatically connecting your store to accounting also saves money on the accountant's side, because they don't have to re-enter documents manually. The options are described in the article Accounting on Shopify. If you sell to consumers in other EU countries, also factor in the OSS VAT scheme and the fact that someone has to manage it.
Shipping and packaging
Shipping is a variable cost per order. The main decision is how much of it you pass on to the customer. The cost consists of the carrier's price, packaging material and packing time. If you offer free shipping above a certain cart value, you pay for it, and it has to fit into your margin.
- Pickup points (Packeta, Balíkovna and others) tend to be the cheapest, and Czech customers use them heavily. Setup is described in the article Packeta (Zásilkovna) on Shopify.
- Home delivery by courier is more expensive but necessary for some goods.
- A shipping management tool (such as Balíkobot) has its own monthly fee, but it saves time printing labels and lets you switch carriers quickly. See Balíkobot integration for Shopify.
- Returns: in fashion and footwear, significantly more goods are returned than in other segments. The costs of return shipping and restocking belong in the budget.
For your budget, calculate the average cost per shipped order (shipping you pay, packaging, labour) and multiply it by the planned number of orders.
Marketing: the biggest and most variable item
Marketing is usually an online store's biggest running cost, so plan it as a share of revenue, not as a fixed amount. In the Czech Republic, the metric used for this is PNO (cost of sales ratio, similar to ACoS): the percentage of revenue you spend on advertising. If your margin is 35% and your PNO is 25%, you have 10% left for operations and profit.
The main channels for a Czech store:
- Google Ads and Sklik: pay per click, budget managed daily.
- Comparison sites (Heureka, Zboží.cz, Google Shopping): pay per click or commission, require a working XML feed. Setup can be found in the article Heureka on Shopify.
- Social media: advertising on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
- Email marketing: the tool is priced by number of contacts. It's one of the cheapest channels with the highest return, because it reaches people who already know you.
- SEO and content: no cost per click, but it takes time or a specialist's work. The return comes more slowly and lasts longer.
Without working tracking, you won't know which channel makes money. Before increasing your ad budget, check your tracking according to the article GA4 and Google Tag Manager on Shopify.
Development and maintenance
A store isn't finished at launch. Budget for ongoing improvements, otherwise after a year it falls behind both the competition and platform changes. Development costs have two parts:
- One-off setup: from doing it yourself through a ready-made package to a custom solution. Our turnkey store for the Czech market costs CZK 59,900 including VAT and includes a theme, Czech localization, payments, shipping, basic SEO and tracking. Larger custom projects range from tens to hundreds of thousands of crowns.
- Ongoing development: new features, integrations, fixes after app updates, seasonal changes, speed improvements. For an active store, it's good to budget a few development hours a month. A practical option is to prepay hours and draw on them as needed.
If you need a feature long term, compare the price of an app over two to three years with one-off custom development. For features you use intensively, a custom solution often works out cheaper.
Three model annual budgets
The model budgets show orders of magnitude, not exact figures. Fixed costs are estimated for Shopify and common Czech services; variable costs are expressed as a share of revenue. The purchase price of goods is not included.
| Item (per year) | New store revenue CZK 0.5M |
Growing store revenue CZK 3M |
Established store revenue CZK 15M |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify plan | CZK 6,000 (Basic) | CZK 16,500 (Grow) | CZK 85,600 (Advanced) |
| Apps | CZK 10,000–20,000 | CZK 25,000–50,000 | CZK 50,000–120,000 |
| Domain, email, cookie banner | CZK 3,000–6,000 | CZK 6,000–15,000 | CZK 15,000–30,000 |
| Accounting and invoicing | CZK 15,000–30,000 | CZK 30,000–60,000 | CZK 60,000–150,000 |
| Development and maintenance | CZK 10,000–30,000 | CZK 40,000–100,000 | CZK 150,000–400,000 |
| Payment fees | approx. 1.5–2.5% of revenue | approx. 1.5–2.5% of revenue | approx. 1–2% of revenue |
| Shipping and packaging (your share) | depends on shipping policy | depends on shipping policy | depends on shipping policy |
| Marketing | depends on target ad spend ratio | depends on target ad spend ratio | depends on target ad spend ratio |
For a new store, fixed costs make up a large part of revenue, so in the first year it pays to keep the number of apps and development to a minimum. For an established store, fixed costs are small relative to revenue, and the result is decided by variable items: marketing, payments and shipping. That's where even a more expensive plan pays off if it reduces payment fees.
Where you can save and where you can't
Save on what the customer doesn't see and what doesn't bring revenue. Don't save on what the purchase depends on. Where you can save:
- Annual plan billing saves roughly a quarter of the price.
- App audit twice a year: unused apps, duplicate features, features Shopify already offers natively.
- Choosing a payment gateway based on total cost including Shopify's fee. A cheap bank transfer with a QR code as an alternative to cards.
- Automating invoicing and fulfilment: saves hours of work every month.
Where it doesn't pay to save:
- Checkout speed and functionality. Every lost order costs more than the savings on development.
- Tracking. Without it, you're spending on ads blindly.
- Legal documents. A fine from the Czech Trade Inspection Authority costs more than proper terms and conditions.
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Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How much does Shopify cost per month in the Czech Republic?
The Basic plan costs CZK 499 a month billed annually, or CZK 670 billed monthly. The Grow plan costs CZK 1,370 and Advanced CZK 7,130 a month billed annually. Shopify Plus starts at €2,100 a month. The price includes hosting, an SSL certificate, security and platform updates.
How much does it cost to run a small online store per year?
The fixed costs of a small Shopify store (plan, apps, domain, accounting, minor development) range roughly from CZK 45,000 to 90,000 a year. On top of that come payment fees of around 2% of revenue, shipping depending on your policy and marketing, which is usually the biggest item.
Does Shopify charge a fee on every order?
Shopify's transaction fee only applies to payments through an external payment gateway: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced. With Shopify Payments, you only pay the card fee. Bank transfer and cash on delivery are manual methods without a transaction fee.
Is a higher Shopify plan worth it for lower fees?
Yes, when the difference in payment fees exceeds the difference in plan price. On Basic you pay 1.9% for cards, on Grow 1.8%; with an external gateway it's 2% versus 1%. With an external gateway, upgrading from Basic to Grow pays for itself from roughly CZK 1.1 million a year, because the plans differ by about CZK 10,500 and the fee drops by 1%.
How much should I spend on marketing?
Plan marketing by your ad spend as a share of revenue. Your margin sets the upper limit: ad spend must be well below it to leave room for operations and profit. Start with a smaller budget, measure the return of individual channels and add where it pays back.
How much does it cost to set up a store on Shopify?
It depends on the scope. You can set up a simple store yourself for the price of a plan and a theme. Our ready-made package with Czech localization, payments and shipping costs CZK 59,900 including VAT. A large custom solution with integrations ranges from tens to hundreds of thousands of crowns.
Want to know what your store will cost?
We'll calculate your running costs with you, recommend a plan, payment gateway and app mix, and show you where you can save. Take a look at our Shopify store development or book a free consultation.
Sources
Author: Miroslav Volovec, CEO of 3NODE Software s.r.o. – specialists in e-shop and app development on the Shopify platform.
