Shopify store cost in India depends on five things: the Shopify plan you choose, whether you use a ready-made theme or a custom one, the apps and integrations you add, how much content and setup work is needed, and the ongoing costs after launch. There is no honest single number, because a ten-product store on a ready-made theme and a brand with a custom theme and integrations are different projects. This guide explains what moves the cost, so you can judge a quote and avoid paying for things you do not need.
We are not listing rupee figures on purpose. Prices change, and a number in a blog post is out of date quickly. For Shopify's own plan fees, check the Shopify pricing page, which is the only reliable source.
The main cost drivers
1. Shopify plan and platform fees
Shopify charges a subscription, and there are also payment gateway charges and possible transaction fees depending on how you take payments. Plans, billing cycles and rates change, so check the Shopify pricing page and your payment provider's page before you budget. Ask your developer to explain which plan suits your store and why, rather than assuming the most expensive plan is needed.
2. Theme: ready-made or custom
This is usually the biggest decision.
- Ready-made theme, lightly customised: you buy or use an existing theme and adjust colours, fonts, sections and layout. It is faster to launch and fits many stores. The theme may carry features you never use, and you work within its design limits.
- Heavily customised theme: a ready-made base with custom sections, product page changes and integrations. It sits in the middle on cost and effort.
- Fully custom theme: built from scratch for your brand and products. It takes longer and costs more, but gives full control over layout, behaviour and performance. It makes sense for brands where the look and product experience are part of what they sell.
For example, we built a custom Shopify 2.0 theme for Apex Gum, a premium consumer brand, with custom sections and animated product pages, written to stay light. A stock theme would have limited that design. Not every store needs this. See the Apex Gum case study for what that kind of project involves.
3. Apps and integrations
Apps can add monthly costs, and integrations add development time. Common examples are reviews, subscriptions, bundles, loyalty, email marketing, WhatsApp updates, courier and shipping tools, accounting and CRM connections. Each one needs choosing, setting up and testing. Some apps are free to start but charge as you grow, so look at the vendor's current pricing page before committing.
The cheapest app is the one you do not install. Every app adds code that can slow the store.
4. Content and setup
Product uploads, collections, photography, descriptions, policy pages, tax and shipping settings, and migration from another platform all take time. If you arrive with product data in a clean spreadsheet and ready images, the quote is lower than if the developer has to build everything. Migrations from other platforms add effort for products, customers and redirects.
5. Design and branding
A store built to an existing brand guide is simpler than one where the design is still being decided. If you need a designer for layouts, expect that as a separate line item or a separate person.
Ongoing costs people forget
- Shopify subscription and payment gateway charges.
- Monthly fees for apps.
- Domain renewal.
- Email or marketing tools.
- Developer time for changes, fixes and new features.
- Product photography and content as the catalogue grows.
- Advertising or marketing spend to bring visitors, which is separate from the store itself.
Ask the developer to list the recurring costs separately from the one-time build cost. A quote that hides these gives you a wrong picture.
How project-based quotes work
At Medkon, pricing is project-based. We do not publish a rate card because two Shopify stores can need very different work. The process is simple:
- You send a short brief or book a call.
- We hold a free 30-minute discovery call to understand products, audience, tools and deadline.
- We send a fixed quote that lists what is included, what is not, and the timeline.
- Extra requests outside the scope are quoted separately before work begins.
A fixed quote is only as good as the scope behind it. When comparing quotes, line them up point by point: number of pages and templates, custom sections, integrations, number of products migrated, testing, post-launch support, and who owns the files. A lower quote with fewer inclusions is not actually lower.
Be wary of quotes that arrive before anyone has asked about your store, and of very vague quotes with no scope. Both tend to produce disputes later.
How to save money without hurting results
- Start with the smallest version that can sell. Launch with core pages and your best products, then add features based on real orders.
- Use a ready-made theme if your needs are standard. Spend the saved budget on product photos, which affect conversion more than most design details.
- Cut apps. Before adding one, ask if Shopify already does it or if a small theme change would do.
- Prepare your content. Clean product spreadsheets, finished images and written policies reduce build time.
- Decide before the build starts. Changes midway cost more than choices made up front.
- Name one decision-maker. Many rounds of feedback from several people stretch timelines.
- Phase the integrations. Launch first, then connect the CRM, WhatsApp or accounting tools in a second phase if they are not blocking sales.
What not to cut: speed, mobile testing, clear product pages, working checkout and a sensible way to get support after launch. These are what turn visitors into orders.
When a custom build is worth it
A custom build tends to pay off when your brand depends on a distinctive product experience, when a stock theme forces compromises on key pages, or when you need front-end and back-end systems working together. We built a semi-headless setup for Lasabia Madrid, a perfume brand, with Webflow as the storefront and Shopify as the commerce engine, plus GA4 tracking, Klaviyo flows and multi-currency. That is a higher level of effort than a standard store, and it was chosen for specific reasons. The Lasabia Madrid case study explains why.
If you are a new brand testing a product, a lightly customised theme is usually the sensible start.
What we would do
If we were launching a first store, we would write down our product count, countries, must-have features and tools. We would choose a ready-made theme, limit apps to what directly helps sales, prepare product content in a spreadsheet, and ask for a fixed quote with a written scope. We would plan for a few months of small fixes and improvements after launch, because the first version always teaches you something. Our Shopify development page shows what we handle.
Bottom line
The cost of a Shopify store in India is the sum of platform fees, theme choice, apps, content work and the ongoing costs after launch. Ask for a scope-based quote, keep the first version focused, and check Shopify's pricing page for current plan fees.
If you want a quote for your own store, get in touch and book a free 30-minute discovery call. We reply within 24 hours, and the fixed quote follows the call.