You want to sell online, and the first question is: how much will it cost? The answer depends on which route you take. You have five realistic options, from a web agency to a ready-made template. Each has different costs, different risks, and a different outcome. This article compares them head-on, with real numbers.
Web agency: quality at a premium price
An agency will build you a custom e-shop. You'll go through analysis, design, development, and testing. The result is usually professional, but the price matches: 150,000 to 500,000 CZK ($6,000–$20,000) depending on scope. Larger projects can run into the millions of CZK ($40,000+).
On top of that, expect 3 to 6 months of development during which you're not selling. And after launch, ongoing costs begin: hosting, maintenance, security updates, and every change billed at an hourly rate of 1,500–2,500 CZK ($60–$100). Want to add a new payment method or change the product page layout? Submit a request, wait for a quote, approve the budget, wait for delivery. Even a minor tweak can cost thousands and take weeks.
An agency makes sense for large companies with unique requirements and a budget for long-term collaboration. For a new e-shop, it's an unnecessary luxury.
Freelancer: cheaper, but less reliable
Finding a skilled freelancer means paying 50,000 to 150,000 CZK ($2,000–$6,000) for a working e-shop. That's significantly less than an agency. The problem lies elsewhere — in quality and reliability.
You have no guarantees. A freelancer might be juggling five projects at once, fall ill, or simply stop responding. The project stretches from a planned two months to half a year. And after completion? When the freelancer disappears (and it happens), you're left with code nobody understands and no support.
If you're lucky enough to find a reliable developer, it can work. But you're building on one person's reliability, not on a system.
Shoptet, Shopify & hosted platforms: convenient, but expensive long-term
Platforms like Shoptet and Upgates (popular in Central Europe) or international equivalents like Shopify and Wix offer a ready-made e-shop for a monthly fee. You typically start at 1,500 to 3,500 CZK ($60–$140) per month — or $29–$79/month for Shopify. At first glance, a comfortable amount — no big investment, it works right away.
But monthly payments add up. Over three years, you'll pay 54,000 to 126,000 CZK ($2,200–$5,000). Over five years, that's 90,000 to 210,000 CZK ($3,600–$8,400). And the e-shop will never be yours — stop paying, it stops existing. On top of that, design customization is limited, every add-on costs extra, and technologically these platforms are often years behind current standards.
A hosted platform makes sense if you need to start immediately and don't want to deal with technical details. But from a long-term perspective, it's the most expensive option of all.
WooCommerce: "free" with an asterisk
WordPress with the WooCommerce plugin is technically free. Open source, no license fees. But "free" in practice means paid hosting ($20–$80/month for an e-shop that needs to load fast), premium plugins (payment gateway, shipping integrations, invoicing — each $40–$120 per year), and maintenance that you either do yourself or pay someone for.
Realistic annual costs for a WooCommerce e-shop run around 15,000 to 40,000 CZK ($600–$1,600). Add to that the time spent on updates, resolving incompatible plugins, and security patches. WordPress is the most attacked CMS in the world, and an e-shop with customers' payment details is an attractive target.
WooCommerce works for people who know WordPress well and don't mind regular maintenance. For everyone else, it's a hidden time and money trap.
Ready-made template: one-time investment, your own e-shop
The last option is to buy a ready-made e-shop template built on modern technologies. You pay once, typically 5,000 to 15,000 CZK ($200–$600), and get the complete source code to deploy on your own hosting.
At StartEshop.cz, here's what that looks like: for 8,990 CZK ($349), you get an e-shop built on Next.js and React, with an admin panel, Stripe payments, shipping integration, invoicing, and everything else you need to sell. Hosting on Vercel and a database on Neon are free in their starter tiers, which is sufficient for most e-shops. Monthly operating costs are practically zero — you only pay Stripe's commission on each transaction (1.4% + $0.25 for European cards, or 2.9% + $0.30 in the US).
You make changes using an AI assistant. Tell it "change the button color" or "add a reviews section" and it's done within minutes. No coding, no waiting for an agency. The e-shop is yours, runs on your hosting, and you have full control over every detail.
The downside? You handle deployment yourself following the documentation (takes 1–2 hours) and there's no phone support — you handle things via email and AI.
Cost comparison
| Solution | Upfront cost | Monthly cost | Total over 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web agency | $6,000–$20,000 | $80–$200 | $8,900–$27,200 |
| Freelancer | $2,000–$6,000 | $0–$80 | $2,000–$8,900 |
| Shoptet / Shopify / hosted | $0 | $60–$140 | $2,200–$5,000 |
| WooCommerce | $0–$200 | $50–$140 | $1,800–$5,200 |
| Ready-made template | $349 | ~$0 | ~$349 |
* Template costs do not include payment gateway commissions (you pay those with any solution) or a domain (~$10–$15/year).
Which path should you choose?
If you're just starting out and want to start selling as soon as possible without a big investment, a ready-made template or a hosted platform are the fastest routes. But a hosted platform will cost you more with every passing month. A template is a one-time purchase with minimal operating costs.
If you have specific requirements that no off-the-shelf solution covers — a custom product configurator, integration with warehouse management software, a non-standard checkout — then an agency or experienced freelancer makes sense. But make sure you actually have those requirements, and you're not just imagining them "just in case."
Most e-shops sell standard products in a standard way. You don't need a $20,000 custom build for that. You need a reliable e-shop that looks professional, loads fast, and lets you start selling today.