Two bills: the build and the running cost
An online store has a one-off build cost and a running cost that grows with your sales. Most quotes only show the first. Below, both, from published sources checked on 13 October 2026. Shopify bills UAE merchants in US dollars; we convert at the 3.6725 peg.
Build cost
| Store type | Published range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| E-commerce site (agency guides) | AED 8,000–110,000 | WebStackRank, Pulse Narrative |
| Custom platform | AED 50,000–275,000+ | WebStackRank |
| Shopify paid theme | USD 100–400 one-time (AED 367–1,469) | BIGBANG ITS, citing Shopify's theme store |
| WooCommerce multi-vendor build (one host's offer) | USD 700 one-time | BIGBANG ITS |
| Payment gateway integration labour | AED 1,500–5,000 | Innovatrix |
| Custom Shopify theme with Arabic RTL (one agency's example) | AED 95,000 | Innovatrix |
Our general website cost guide covers non-store sites.
Running cost: platform
| Shopify plan (UAE page) | Billed yearly | Billed monthly | Fee if not using Shopify Payments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | USD 24 (AED 88) | USD 32 (AED 118) | 2% |
| Grow | USD 69 (AED 253) | USD 92 (AED 338) | 1% |
| Advanced | USD 299 (AED 1,098) | USD 399 (AED 1,465) | 0.6% |
| Plus | from USD 2,300 (AED 8,447) | — | 0.2% |
Source: Shopify UAE pricing. WooCommerce itself is free with 0% revenue share; you pay hosting (Woo's published range USD 25–350 a month) and paid extensions (USD 29–299 a year each).
Running cost: payments
| Gateway | Monthly fee | Per transaction | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Payments, Basic | — | 2.9% + AED 1.00; Amex/international 3.9% + AED 1.00 | Shopify |
| Telr, medium tier | AED 0 | 2.25% + AED 0.50 | BIGBANG ITS, from Telr's rate card |
| Telr, small tier | AED 99 | 2.35% + AED 0.50 | same |
| Telr, entry tier | AED 199 | 2.45% + AED 1.00 | same |
| Stripe UAE | AED 0 | 2.9% + AED 1.00 (+1% international) | same |
| PayTabs, Checkout.com, Network International | — | not published | same |
Worked example: first year at AED 50,000 a month
Assumptions: AED 600,000 annual sales, 2,400 orders (AED 250 average), domestic cards, Shopify Basic billed yearly, Telr small tier for WooCommerce, hosting at USD 21 a month. Build cost excluded so the platforms compare like for like.
| Shopify + Shopify Payments | Shopify + Telr | WooCommerce + Telr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | 12 × USD 24 = AED 1,058 | AED 1,058 | Hosting 12 × USD 21 = AED 925 |
| Gateway monthly fee | — | — (medium tier) | 12 × AED 99 = AED 1,188 |
| Card percentage | 2.9% = AED 17,400 | 2.25% = AED 13,500 | 2.35% = AED 14,100 |
| Fixed per order | 2,400 × AED 1 = AED 2,400 | 2,400 × AED 0.50 = AED 1,200 | AED 1,200 |
| Shopify third-party fee | — | 2% = AED 12,000 | — |
| Year total | AED 20,858 | AED 27,758 | AED 17,413 |
Note: Telr's AED 0 medium tier is gated by sales volume, so a smaller store may land on the AED 99 or AED 199 tier instead. The pattern holds at any volume: the most expensive combination is Shopify plus a local gateway, because you pay two percentages. BIGBANG ITS, which sells WooCommerce hosting and says so, reaches the same conclusion with its own assumptions. Moving from Basic to Grow halves the third-party fee and, by its arithmetic, pays for itself above roughly AED 16,500 a month in gateway-processed sales.
What nobody tells you
Nobody agrees whether Shopify Payments works in the UAE. Shopify's UAE page publishes UAE card rates. BIGBANG ITS found the UAE on Shopify's supported-countries list. NKM says it is limited to Advanced and Plus, Studio Future calls it early access, and Innovatrix wrote in May 2026 that it was not available. The difference is worth AED 7,000 a year in our example. Check the Payments settings in your own admin before choosing a plan.
Two Shopify price lists. BIGBANG ITS noticed that Shopify's global page showed Basic at USD 27 and Grow at USD 72 a month, while the UAE page shows USD 32 and USD 92. NKM quotes USD 39 and USD 105. Make sure your quote uses the UAE page.
Plans are billed in dollars, ex-VAT. NKM notes that Shopify bills UAE merchants in USD and your card may add an FX fee.
BNPL is a third-party gateway. Tabby and Tamara connect as external providers, so on Shopify the plan's third-party fee applies on top of their rate, as Studio Future explains. Neither publishes a fixed merchant rate.
Cash on delivery still matters. NKM points out that COD remains important for first-time UAE buyers and needs rules on order value and verification, or returns eat the margin.
Apps become the second subscription. One agency's large-store example budgets AED 3,500 a month for apps. Small stores need far less, but list every app before launch.
Which to choose
| Situation | Choose |
|---|---|
| Testing a product, nobody technical | Shopify Basic, with Shopify Payments if your admin offers it |
| Sales above ~AED 16,500 a month through a local gateway | Shopify Grow, or WooCommerce |
| WordPress site already, or margin-sensitive at volume | WooCommerce with a local gateway |
| Multi-country, B2B, custom checkout | Shopify Plus or custom build |
| Under 20 products sold through Instagram and WhatsApp | A simple site with payment links may be enough |
What Savage Media charges
| Savage Media | Special offer | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Website | from AED 3,200 | Business site with our own photo and video; stores quoted on catalogue |
| One-off product shoot | from AED 950 | Product photos from 24 hours |
Estimate your build with our website and app cost calculator. Budget the product photos too: see product photography cost in Dubai. If you also plan an app, read app development cost in the UAE.
