Let's talk about money
If you've made it here, you're probably considering setting up a shop on Shopify and want to know what it really costs. Not "starting from," not "contact us for a quote," but real numbers.
I am an independent Shopify developer, and in the quotes I send to clients, I always include a breakdown of the annual costs beyond the development itself. Because I think a business owner should know what they are signing up for in advance. So here is everything, no BS.
The monthly Shopify subscription
Shopify works on a subscription model. There is no way around it. Here are the main plans:
Basic — $39/month (approx. 150 NIS). Sufficient for most starting shops. Includes everything you need to sell: unlimited products, checkout, basic reports, and support.
Grow (formerly called "Shopify") — $105/month (approx. 400 NIS). More advanced reports, lower transaction fees, and additional options for teams.
Advanced — $399/month (approx. 1,500 NIS). Advanced reports, automatic customs calculations, and the lowest transaction fees.
Tip: If you pay annually in advance, you get a 25% discount on all plans. And when you sign up for the first time, Shopify offers a 3-day free trial, followed by 3 months at just $1/month.
Most clients I work with start on Basic and upgrade only when there is a real reason. Don't pay for a more expensive plan just because it sounds better. If you don't know why you need the extra features, you probably don't need them.
Theme
Shopify has free themes that are really not bad at all. Dawn, Refresh, Horizon — modern, fast, and mobile-responsive themes. You can start with one of them and customize it to your brand without paying a shekel.
Paid themes usually cost between 150 and 1,500 NIS (a one-time payment). They are not necessarily better. Sometimes they offer specific features that a free theme doesn't include, but often the difference is purely cosmetic.
My tip: Start with a free theme. If you feel you are missing something specific after a few months, then think about upgrading.
Israeli payment processing
This is where many people get confused. Shopify offers Shopify Payments, their internal payment provider. However, in Israel, Shopify Payments is not available.
This means you will need an Israeli payment provider. The common options: companies like Meshulam, Cardcom, iCount, or Allpay. Each has a different pricing model, different fees, and different terms.
Typical payment processing costs in Israel: monthly usage fees of 50-150 NIS, and a transaction fee of approximately 1.5-3.5% (depending on the provider, the card type, and your sales volume).
Important to know: When you don't use Shopify Payments, Shopify charges an additional transaction fee of 0.6-2% (depending on the plan — 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced). This is money that many shop owners don't calculate in advance and then get surprised by.
Apps
This is where costs can explode if you aren't careful.
Shopify works with an app ecosystem. Need product reviews? App. Need subscriptions? App. Need landing pages? App. Every app costs between 0 and 200 NIS per month, and suddenly you have 5-6 apps costing a total of 300-600 NIS per month.
A typical shop I set up uses about 3-5 apps. Some free, some paid. It is realistic to plan for 100-400 NIS per month on apps.
The most common mistake: installing an app for every problem. Often, things can be solved with simple code or Shopify's built-in capabilities without adding another app that slows down the site and costs money. It's worth checking the Shopify App Store to see what is really necessary and what is superfluous.
Domain
The cheapest thing on the list. A co.il domain costs about 100-150 NIS per year. A com domain costs about 50-80 NIS per year. You can buy it directly through Shopify or through providers like Cloudflare or Namecheap.
It is better to buy the domain separately and not through Shopify. That way, if you want to switch platforms in the future, your domain is yours and doesn't depend on anything.
Developer cost
And this is the part everyone wants to know.
The hourly rate for a Shopify developer or software agency in Israel starts at 350 NIS per hour, excluding VAT. This is the market average; there are cheaper and more expensive ones.
Basic shop — setting up a Shopify shop when the content is ready (images, product descriptions, logo), including connecting the domain, setting up Google Analytics and social media, uploading products, shop settings, and design adjustments — will cost about 5,000-10,000 NIS excluding VAT.
Why is the range broad? Because "basic shop" is a relative term. A shop with 20 products is not the same as a shop with 200. A shop that needs minimal design adjustments is not the same as a shop that wants a completely unique look.
Complex shop — with integrations, custom logic, design from scratch, or special needs — can reach 15,000-30,000 NIS and more.
And pay attention: a cheaper developer doesn't necessarily save you money. I have seen clients who went for a cheap quote, received a half-finished shop, and ended up paying more to fix and complete it.
So how much is it in total per year
Let's do a realistic calculation for a basic shop in the first year:
Setting up the shop (one-time): 5,000-10,000 NIS
Shopify Basic subscription (annual): ~1,800 NIS
Apps (annual): 1,200-4,800 NIS
Israeli payment processing — usage fees (annual): 600-1,800 NIS
Processing — transaction fees: Depends on sales volume
Domain (annual): 100-150 NIS
Theme: 0 NIS (free)
Total first year (before VAT and transaction fees): approximately 9,000-18,000 NIS.
From the second year onwards, without the setup cost: approximately 3,700-8,500 NIS per year.
This is a range. Your reality will be somewhere within it, depending on how many apps you need and which payment provider you choose.
What people forget to calculate
There are some costs that aren't on price lists but exist in practice:
Content: Professional images, writing product descriptions, logo design, and visual identity. If you don't have ready-made content, you need to invest in this before setting up.
Marketing: A shop without traffic is a shop without sales. Google, Facebook, Instagram — you need a budget for this. If there is traffic but no sales, the problem is probably elsewhere.
Ongoing maintenance: Updating products, troubleshooting, improvements. Some you will do yourself, some will require a developer. It's realistic to plan for a few hours of work per month.
The bottom line
A Shopify shop in Israel isn't the cheapest thing in the world, but it also isn't as expensive as people think. The secret is knowing in advance what you are spending on and why.
If you know what you need and what you don't, you can set up a good shop on a reasonable budget. If you are not sure, it's better to sit down with someone who understands before you start paying — and not after.
Want to know how much it will cost in your case? I'm happy to have a short call, understand what you need, and give you a realistic picture. No strings attached, no surprises.
