E-commerce Pricing Guide

How Much Does an E-commerce Website Cost in South Africa?

Online store quotes in South Africa range from R5,000 to R100,000+. Here's what actually drives the price — and what you'll keep paying every month after launch.

Published July 2026 • 8 min read

The Quick Answer

DIY platform (Shopify, Wix Stores)

R500 – R1,400/month

You build it yourself on a monthly subscription. Fast to start, fees forever, limited customization.

Starter custom store (up to ~30 products)

R12,000 – R20,000

Custom design, product catalogue, payment gateway, order notifications. You own everything.

Full custom store

R20,000 – R50,000

Larger catalogue, shipping integration, customer accounts, inventory management.

Large / complex store

R50,000+

Multi-warehouse, ERP integrations, custom checkout flows, high-volume infrastructure.

What Actually Drives E-commerce Cost

Two online stores can look identical on the surface and differ by R30,000 in build cost. These are the variables that matter:

Number of products

30 products with simple options is a starter store. 500 products with sizes, colours, and bundles needs catalogue management tooling — and that's where cost climbs.

Payment gateway integration

Connecting PayFast, Yoco, Ozow, or Paystack to a custom site typically adds R3,000 – R7,000. The gateway itself then charges per-transaction fees on every sale.

Shipping & fulfilment

Flat-rate shipping is simple. Live courier rates (The Courier Guy, Pargo lockers, Aramex) and automated waybills add integration work.

Customer accounts

Guest checkout keeps things simple. Login, order history, and saved details add R4,000 – R10,000 of build work.

Inventory management

If stock levels must sync with a point-of-sale or supplier feed, that's custom integration — budget accordingly.

Platform vs Custom: The 3-Year Maths

A Shopify-style platform looks cheaper because there's no big upfront invoice. Run the numbers over three years and the picture changes:

Platform store:

R700/month subscription × 36 months = R25,200 — plus apps, themes, and platform transaction fees on top of your payment gateway's fees.

And you don't own the store. Leave the platform, and you start from scratch.

Custom store:

R18,000 build + R80/month hosting × 36 months = R20,880 — and you own the code, the design, and the customer data.

Only your payment gateway takes a per-transaction fee. No platform tax.

Platforms still make sense if you're testing an idea or need to launch this week. For a store you'll run for years, ownership usually wins.

The Ongoing Costs Nobody Mentions

Payment gateway fees Typically around 2.5% – 3.5% per card transaction, depending on the gateway and your volume. Instant EFT is often cheaper.
Hosting R80 – R500/month depending on traffic and infrastructure. Static-first custom stores sit at the low end.
Domain renewal R100 – R200/year for a .co.za domain.
Maintenance & updates Price changes and new products should be quick. Budget for occasional feature work as the store grows.

Thinking About Selling Online?

We build custom e-commerce stores for South African businesses — starter stores from R12,000 with payment integration, mobile-first design, and full ownership of your code and customer data.

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