Comprehensive breakdown of Shopify development costs in the UAE, from basic stores (AED 8,000) to enterprise Shopify Plus (AED 80,000+). Includes hosting, apps, payment gateways, and hidden costs.
Complete Pricing Breakdown
Planning to launch a Shopify store in the UAE? Understanding the real costs—beyond Shopify's monthly subscription—is critical for budgeting your eCommerce project. Based on 50+ Shopify stores we've built in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, here's our transparent breakdown.
Basic Shopify Store: AED 8,000 - 15,000 setup + AED 500-800/month. Professional Shopify Store: AED 20,000 - 40,000 setup + AED 1,200-2,000/month. Shopify Plus (Enterprise): AED 60,000 - 150,000 setup + AED 8,000+/month.
Shopify Subscription Plans
All Shopify stores start with a monthly subscription. Basic Plan (AED 109/month) is best for startups. Shopify Plan (AED 299/month) is most popular for UAE businesses. Advanced Plan (AED 1,099/month) for high-volume stores. Shopify Plus (AED 7,300+/month) for enterprise brands.
Most UAE businesses start with the Shopify Plan and upgrade to Advanced or Plus as they scale.
Development Costs in UAE
DIY Approach: AED 0-3,000 (40-80 hours of your time). Template Customization: AED 8,000-15,000 (2-3 weeks). Custom Shopify Development: AED 20,000-40,000 (4-6 weeks). Shopify Plus Development: AED 60,000-150,000 (8-12 weeks).
Custom development includes unique design matching your brand, UAE payment gateways (PayTabs, Telr), UAE shipping (Aramex, Fetchr), Arabic/English bilingual support, and 90+ PageSpeed optimization.
UAE-Specific Integrations
Payment Gateways: PayTabs, Telr, Network International (Setup: AED 2,000-5,000). Shipping: Aramex, Fetchr, Smsa Express (Setup: AED 1,500-4,000). VAT Compliance: 5% UAE VAT calculation and receipts (Setup: AED 1,000-2,000).
Tabby (Buy Now, Pay Later) integration increases average order value by 30-40% with 3-4% commission per transaction.
Monthly App Costs
Most Shopify stores need 5-15 apps. Essential apps include: Product Reviews (AED 60-220/month), Email Marketing via Klaviyo (AED 0-750/month), SEO Optimization (AED 75-180/month), COD Form for UAE (AED 40-110/month).
Typical monthly app costs: Basic Store AED 200-400, Professional Store AED 500-1,000, Advanced Store AED 1,000-2,500. Annual plans offer 20-30% discount.
Real-World Examples
Basic Fashion Store (Startup): AED 13,500 setup + AED 549/month = AED 20,088 first year. Professional Home Decor Store: AED 34,500 setup + AED 999/month = AED 46,488 first year. Enterprise Electronics Store (Shopify Plus): AED 160,000 setup + AED 9,100/month = AED 269,200 first year.
Average UAE Shopify store breaks even at month 8-10 with AED 5,000-15,000/month marketing budget.
