Why Shopify is its own pricing category
Shopify projects span a 10× price range — from a Dawn theme tweak ($5K) to a full Plus + Hydrogen headless build ($150K+). The agencies winning are tiered cleanly so prospects self-select.
The 2026 Shopify benchmark
Theme Build — $1M-$5M ARR brand
- Fixed-fee: $12,000
- Shopify theme customization (Dawn or premium)
- Up to 10 product templates + collection layouts
- Mobile-first responsive design
- Basic app stack (Klaviyo, reviews, search)
- Launch checklist + Google Merchant feed
- 30-day post-launch support
- Timeline: 6-8 weeks
Custom Store — $5M-$25M ARR brand
- Fixed-fee: $35,000 + $4,500/mo retainer
- Min retainer: 6 months
- Custom theme from scratch (Liquid + Hydrogen optional)
- Advanced PDP + landing page builder integration
- Subscription / bundling app integrations
- Conversion optimization retainer (1-2 A/B tests/mo)
- Klaviyo email + flows setup
- Quarterly merchandising reviews
- Timeline: 10-14 weeks
Plus + Headless — $25M+ ARR brand
- Fixed-fee: $90,000 + $12,000/mo retainer
- Min retainer: 12 months
- Shopify Plus implementation
- Headless storefront (Hydrogen + Oxygen, or Next.js + Shopify Storefront API)
- B2B portal + wholesale catalog
- Multi-region / multi-currency setup
- Dedicated dev + designer retainer (32h/mo)
- Weekly performance + revenue reviews
- Timeline: 16-24 weeks
When to require Shopify Plus
Don't recommend Plus to brands under $5M ARR — they don't need it and the $2K/mo Plus license eats their margin.
Plus is right when:
- Doing $5M+ in Shopify GMV
- Need wholesale/B2B portal
- Need multi-store (region, brand, language)
- Need custom checkout (Shopify Plus exclusive)
- Need higher API rate limits (custom integrations)
The retainer math that matters
For Custom Store ($35K + $4.5K/mo):
- Year 1: $35K build + $54K retainer = $89K total
- Year 2: $54K retainer
- Year 3: $54K retainer
That's $197K over 3 years for one client. The retainer is where the LTV lives. Implementation-only Shopify projects are a margin trap.
Where to upcharge
- Klaviyo email setup ($5,000-$12,000) — flows + segmentation + templates
- Subscription + bundling apps ($3,000-$10,000) — Recharge, Bold, Loop
- B2B portal ($15,000-$40,000) — wholesale catalog, NET terms, multi-tier pricing
- Custom app development ($10,000-$50,000+) — proprietary functionality
- Performance audit ($3,000-$8,000) — store speed, app bloat audit, image optimization
What to avoid
- Theme builds for >$10M ARR brands. They need custom; theme work won't scale.
- Plus migration without retainer. Plus is a system, not a product — needs ongoing optimization.
- No DTC subscription scope. 80%+ of growing DTC has subscription — bake it in or you'll be replaced.
Free template
The Shopify build & growth retainer template — three tiers, fixed-fee + retainer, ready to customize.