How much does an online store cost in Romania in 2026 (and why it ranges from 10,000 to 25,000 RON)
A pricing guide for an online store: what you actually pay, when to choose WooCommerce vs Shopify vs headless Next.js, and what “fully integrated” means — payments, invoicing, couriers and ERP import, not just a pretty catalog.
An online store costs more than a business site — and that’s normal. A business website is a storefront window; a store is a machine: catalog, cart, payments, invoices, couriers, stock, returns. Each of those is code that has to work correctly the moment a customer hands over money.
With us, an online store starts at 10,000 RON and goes up to ~25,000 RON, one time, depending on how many products you have, which integrations you need, and which platform we build on.
Why the price varies so much
| What moves the budget | Impact |
|---|---|
| Number of products and variants | 20 simple products ≠ 2,000 with sizes/colors/stock |
| Payment integrations | Netopia, Stripe, EuPlătesc — each is real work |
| Automatic invoicing | SmartBill / Oblio — the invoice goes out on order |
| Couriers | AWB generated automatically, tracking for the customer |
| ERP / accounting sync | product, stock and price imports |
| Migration from an old store | moving products, customers and existing SEO |
The gap between 10,000 and 25,000 isn’t “more expensive” — it’s how much machinery sits behind it. A simple catalog with payment is at one end; a store with thousands of products, ERP-synced and auto-invoiced, is at the other.
WooCommerce vs Shopify vs headless Next.js — which to pick
This is the decision that matters most long term. We build on all three and recommend based on you, not on what’s convenient for us:
- WooCommerce — full control, no per-transaction fees, a huge plugin ecosystem. Good when you want flexibility and a predictable maintenance budget. The cost is that it must be maintained properly (that’s why maintenance matters).
- Shopify — you start fast, hosting and payments already solved, but you pay a monthly subscription plus fees and you’re limited to what the platform allows. Good for those who want simple and fast, with no technical headaches.
- Headless Next.js — the fastest and most flexible, a fully custom storefront over a commerce backend. Good when performance and experience matter (brands, large catalogs, SEO traffic). It’s the “fully custom” end of the range.
Our rule: we don’t force a platform. We tell you honestly which one fits your volume, budget and growth plans.
“Fully integrated” — the part that makes money, not the catalog
A pretty store that isn’t wired up correctly is a store that loses orders. With us, the standard is fully integrated:
- Payments — the processor connected, tested, with correct confirmations. We wrote in detail how we do this safely, with card data never touching our servers, in the Netopia case study. See also online payment integrations.
- Automatic invoicing — the invoice is issued on order (SmartBill/Oblio), no manual typing.
- Couriers — AWB generated automatically, the customer gets tracking.
- SEO + AEO from day one — product structured data, sitemap, hreflang if you’re bilingual, plus optimization for AI search. A store that isn’t found doesn’t sell.
These aren’t “premium extras” — they’re what turns a catalog into a store that actually works.
How long it takes
Unlike a business site (which we deliver in seven days or less), a store is a bigger project — realistically weeks, not days, depending on catalog and integrations. But the process is just as structured: objectives → catalog and structure → integrations → performance and launch. No “live, but still working on payments” — the store ships when it can actually take money.
See what it looks like in practice: Kulttur, with a showroom and an online product store, and Personal HoReCa Events.
“I already have a store” — is it worth migrating?
If you have an old, slow or hard-to-maintain store, the question is the same as with sites: rebuild or patch? A store losing sales to speed or a poor checkout often pays for its rebuild in the first month. The key is that the migration preserves SEO — URLs, redirects, structured data — so you don’t lose the rankings you already earned. That’s part of the scope, not something solved “on the fly”.
What’s NOT included
To keep the price honest: monthly maintenance (from 800 RON/month), ongoing SEO as a subscription (if you want active growth), ad campaigns, and product content (descriptions, photos) if you want us to handle them. Those are operating costs, separate from the build.
In short
A serious online store in Romania costs 10,000–25,000 RON, depending on catalog, integrations and platform. The number comes from how much machinery you put behind it, not from a generic price. And what truly matters is that it’s fully integrated — payments, invoicing, couriers, SEO — from launch, not patched afterwards. Tell us what you sell and how you work, and we’ll give you a clear scope with a figure you can rely on.