Shopify vs your own store in Pakistan: the real 3-year cost

Every week someone asks us: “Shopify is only $25 a month, why should I pay for my own store?” It is a fair question, so here are the numbers.

What Shopify actually costs from Pakistan

• Basic plan: US$25/month, or US$19/month if you pay a year upfront — about Rs 5,300–7,000 a month. (The “$1/month for 3 months” offer is an intro deal; the full price starts in month four.)
• Transaction fee: 2% on every order when you are not using Shopify Payments. Shopify Payments is not available in Pakistan, so every store here pays it.
• Theme: free themes exist; paid themes on the Shopify Theme Store are $100–420 one-time.
• Apps: WhatsApp button ($5–15/mo), reviews with photos ($15–30/mo), wishlist ($5–20/mo), loyalty ($20–50/mo), returns portal ($10–30/mo). Most stores end up at $30–80 a month.

Three years of plan, apps and theme lands between Rs 5 and 12 lakh (US$19–25 × 36 months + a $100–420 theme + $30–80/month of apps, at Rs 278/USD) — before the 2% fee on every order. And the day the card stops working, the store goes offline.

What a one-time build costs

Our Online Store is built once — Rs 10,000 — and uploaded to your own hosting. After the build you pay only for hosting and the domain — about Rs 6,000–10,000 a year. Three years: the build plus Rs 20–30k. Every feature above is included, so there are no apps to buy.

Where Shopify is still the right answer

If you are shipping internationally at scale, need a specific app that only exists on Shopify, or want someone else to handle servers entirely — Shopify is a good product. Our store is for small-to-medium Pakistani businesses who want to own what they pay for.

Shopify is a trademark of Shopify Inc. 1pagesolution is not affiliated with or endorsed by Shopify. Figures from shopify.com/pk/pricing, Sept 2026, at ~Rs 278/USD — verify current pricing at shopify.com.