Why building an online store is expensive in 2026
You want to sell online. A physical product, a digital download, a subscription box, or a curated collection. The demand exists. Your audience is ready.
But getting a store online means choosing between expensive options:
- Hiring a developer for a custom store costs €8,000 to €25,000 for an MVP
- Shopify charges $39 to $399/month plus 0.5% to 2% transaction fees on every sale
- WooCommerce requires hosting, plugins, maintenance, and a developer to customize
- Template platforms lock you into their design system with limited flexibility
- Payment integration and order flows require technical knowledge
For founders who want a unique brand experience, templates are a compromise. But custom development is out of reach for most early-stage businesses.
How RunMyStartup builds your e-commerce store
Describe the store you want in plain words. Your AI team of 8 specialized agents handles the rest:
- Your CEO agent creates a product roadmap with the right features and priorities
- Your Developer agent builds the storefront page by page: product listings, cart, checkout, and account pages with Next.js, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS
- Your DevOps agent deploys your store with your subdomain, SSL, and production-ready hosting
- Your Accountant agent configures Stripe: product prices, one-time or recurring payments, and checkout sessions
- Your Emailing agent sets up order confirmations, shipping notifications, and promotional campaigns
- Your Growth agent optimizes product pages for search engines
- Your Marketing agent creates social media content to drive traffic
Nothing ships without your approval. You review each feature and validate before anything goes live.
What your custom store includes from day one
Every store built with RunMyStartup comes ready to use:
- A live storefront deployed on a real server with a subdomain
- Product catalog with images, descriptions, pricing, and categories
- Shopping cart and Stripe-powered checkout
- User accounts with sign-up, login, and order history
- Order confirmation emails sent automatically
- Built-in analytics dashboard to track visitors and conversions
- A dedicated PostgreSQL database for your products and orders
- Custom domain name (from the Founder plan at €39/month)
- Full source code access via GitHub (from the Studio plan at €99/month)
From idea to live store in 3 steps
Step 1: Describe your store. What do you sell? How should customers browse and buy? Use your own words.
Step 2: Your AI team builds the store. You watch the progress, request changes, and approve each milestone before it goes live.
Step 3: Your store is online. Customers browse, add to cart, pay with Stripe, and receive order confirmations. You focus on growing your business.
Zero coding required. You make product decisions, not technical ones.
When Shopify is better and when RunMyStartup is better
Shopify is the better choice when you manage hundreds of products with advanced inventory and need fulfillment logistics. Its app ecosystem covers every retail feature imaginable.
RunMyStartup is the better choice when you want a store that works exactly the way you envision it, with custom features like a product configurator, a recommendation quiz, or a unique checkout flow. It is also better when you want to own your source code.
- Shopify fees: 0.5% to 2% per sale. RunMyStartup: flat 3% commission
- Shopify starts at $39/month. RunMyStartup starts free
- Shopify locks you in. RunMyStartup gives you full source code from the Studio plan
- Shopify has thousands of themes. RunMyStartup builds a custom design for your brand
- Shopify handles shipping natively. RunMyStartup focuses on the digital product experience
High-volume physical retail with warehouse integrations? Shopify. A custom product experience you own and control? RunMyStartup.
Who builds an online store with RunMyStartup
- Direct-to-consumer brands launching their first store with a unique identity
- Artisans and makers who want a storefront that reflects their craft
- Digital product sellers (courses, ebooks, downloads) who need a custom purchase flow
- Subscription box creators who need recurring billing with specific rules
- Food and beverage producers selling directly to customers
- Service providers adding a product component to their business
If your product deserves more than a template and your budget does not include a €15,000 development project, RunMyStartup bridges the gap.
Pricing for your online store
Start free with the Discovery plan: 1 project, 4 AI agents, 15 credits. No credit card required.
Founder at €39/month: Stripe payments, custom domain, 3 projects, 6 agents, 250 credits, 1,000 emails. This is where most store owners start selling.
Studio at €99/month: full source code via GitHub, 8 agents, 10 projects, 600 credits, 5,000 emails. You own your code.
Scale at €249/month: unlimited projects, 1,500 credits, 20,000 emails, all 8 agents.
RunMyStartup takes a 3% commission on revenue through your store's Stripe payments. You keep 97%.