8 min read
How much does a Shopify store cost in Pakistan? A full breakdown
What a Shopify store really costs in Pakistan: the monthly plan in USD, themes, apps, domain, payment fees, and what drives design and development cost.
Isha ImranWeb Developer & UI/UX Designer
Quick answer
A Shopify store in Pakistan has two kinds of cost. The monthly Shopify plan is billed in US dollars (Basic is $25 a month, or $19 a month billed yearly, on Shopify's pricing page in October 2026). The one-time cost of design and development depends on how custom your store needs to be.
- Budget for the plan in dollars: the rupee amount changes with the exchange rate.
- Cash on delivery is built into Shopify. You don't need a paid app just to offer it.
- Apps are the cost that quietly grows every month, so start with as few as possible.
- Most of the setup cost comes from design, custom sections and product content, not from Shopify itself.
In this article
"How much will a Shopify store cost?" is the first question almost every business owner asks me, and it's the hardest one to answer in one line. Not because the answer is a secret, but because a Shopify store is really two different bills: one you pay Shopify every month, and one you pay once to get the store designed and built.
This guide breaks both down, line by line, the way I explain it to clients before we start a project. The Shopify prices below come straight from Shopify's own pricing page, so you can check them yourself.
The two kinds of cost
Think of it like renting a shop in a market:
- The rent is your monthly Shopify plan, plus any apps that charge monthly. It keeps the store open.
- The fit-out is the one-time work: design, theme setup, custom sections, product photos and descriptions, and SEO. It decides whether people actually buy once they walk in.
Most surprises come from mixing the two up. A quote that looks cheap often has a small one-time price and a long list of monthly apps. A quote that looks expensive might save you money every month after launch.
Shopify plan prices
These are Shopify's published plan prices, as shown on Shopify's pricing page in October 2026:
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $25 / month | $19 / month | Most new and small stores |
| Grow | $65 / month | $49 / month | Growing stores that need more staff accounts and reports |
| Advanced | $399 / month | $299 / month | Larger stores with high order volume |
| Plus | From $2,300 / month | Not listed | Enterprise brands |
At the time of writing, Shopify also offers a short free trial followed by a discounted first few months. Offers change often, so check the pricing page on the day you sign up.
Two things matter for Pakistani store owners:
- You pay in dollars. You'll need a debit or credit card enabled for international online payments, and your rupee cost moves with the exchange rate.
- Basic is enough to start. Upgrade when you have a clear reason, such as needing more staff accounts or reports, not on day one.
Theme: free or paid
The theme is the starting design of your store. Shopify's Theme Store has free themes and paid themes with a one-time price.
My rule of thumb: if your products are simple and you're testing an idea, a free theme is fine. If you're building a brand people should remember, budget for either a premium theme or custom design work on top of a free one.
Apps: the cost that grows every month
Apps are where Shopify bills quietly climb. Each one is usually a small monthly fee, and five or six of them can add up to more than your plan. Many also load extra code on every page, which slows the store down on mobile.
Before installing an app, I ask three questions:
- Can Shopify already do this? (Often it can.)
- Can a small custom section do it instead, with no monthly fee?
- Will customers actually notice if it's missing?
Domain and email
A domain (like yourbrand.com or yourbrand.pk) is a small yearly cost, and it's worth it: a store on its own domain looks far more trustworthy than a default Shopify address. You can buy one through Shopify or any domain registrar and connect it.
For email, a professional address on your domain (orders@yourbrand.com) builds trust when customers contact you, but many small stores in Pakistan rely on WhatsApp support, which is what Savroon offers its customers.
Payment fees
Shopify Payments isn't available in Pakistan, so stores here use cash on delivery, bank transfer or a third-party payment gateway. That affects cost in two ways:
- Cash on delivery and bank transfer are manual methods with no Shopify transaction fee, though courier companies usually charge for collecting cash.
- A third-party card gateway charges its own fee per transaction, and Shopify adds a third-party transaction fee that depends on your plan, as explained on Shopify's third-party providers page.
I've written a separate guide on Shopify payment gateways in Pakistan that covers the options and setup in detail.
Design and development: what actually drives the price
This is the biggest and most variable part of the cost, so here's what moves it up or down:
| What you need | What it involves | Effect on cost |
|---|---|---|
| Theme setup | Install a theme, add your logo, colours, pages and policies | Lowest |
| Product setup | Adding products, variants, collections, descriptions and images | Grows with the number of products |
| Custom sections | Liquid sections built for your brand, editable in the theme editor | Medium |
| Custom design | A Figma design for your store before it's built | Medium to high |
| On-page SEO and speed | Titles, descriptions, headings, alt text, image optimization, Search Console | Small if done during the build, more if fixed later |
| Fully custom store | A custom build, for example in Next.js with its own backend | Highest, only when Shopify can't do the job |
Product content is the part people underestimate most. If you have 200 products with no descriptions and uneven photos, that work has to happen before launch, whoever does it.
How to keep the cost under control
From the stores I've built, these make the biggest difference:
- Launch with fewer products. Your best 20 to 40 products, done properly, beat 300 half-finished ones.
- Write your policies first. Delivery charges, cash on delivery, exchanges and returns. Customers in Pakistan look for these before they order, and having them ready saves a round of changes.
- Get your photos consistent. Same background, same angles. It's cheaper than redesigning the store later.
- Ask for SEO during the build. Adding titles, descriptions and alt text while products are created costs a fraction of fixing them afterwards.
- Choose apps last. Build the store, then add only the apps that solve a problem you can see.
Red flags in a quote
- No breakdown. You should see what's one-time and what's monthly.
- "Unlimited revisions" with no scope. It usually means the scope isn't clear.
- A long list of paid apps. Ask what each one does and whether a custom section could replace it.
- No mention of who owns the store. The store, domain and theme should be in your name and on your account.
- No handover. You should be able to edit products, text and images yourself after launch.
If you're comparing quotes, my guide on how to hire a Shopify developer in Pakistan lists the questions worth asking.
Getting a clear quote
The fastest way to get an accurate number is to know three things before you ask: how many products you'll launch with, whether you have product photos, and which payment methods you want. With those answers, any good developer can give you a written scope with a timeline and price.
If you'd like that scope from me, tell me about your store on the contact form. I design and build Shopify stores in Lahore and across Pakistan, and I'm happy to tell you honestly if a free theme and a weekend of setup is all you need.
Frequently asked questions
Is Shopify available in Pakistan?
Yes. You can open and run a Shopify store from Pakistan. Shopify Payments, Shopify's own card processing, is not available in Pakistan, so stores use cash on delivery, bank transfer or a third-party payment gateway instead.
Do I pay Shopify in Pakistani rupees?
No. Shopify's plans are priced in US dollars, so you need a card that works for international online payments, and the rupee amount on your statement moves with the exchange rate.
Do I need a paid app for cash on delivery?
No. Cash on delivery is one of Shopify's built-in manual payment methods under Settings > Payments, and Shopify says manual payments don't incur third-party transaction fees. Apps are only needed for extras such as COD fees or area rules.
What is the cheapest way to start a Shopify store in Pakistan?
Start on the Basic plan, use a free theme from the Shopify Theme Store, offer cash on delivery, and install only the apps you can't do without. Add custom design once you know what your customers need.
Sources
Written by
Isha Imran
Shopify developer and UI/UX designer in Lahore. I design and build Shopify stores and custom Next.js websites for brands like Savroon and The Pastel Jade.
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