DorrisPublished estimates for a simple custom Shopify app built by an agency run from about $8,000 to $20,000, plus $200 to $500 a month for hosting and upkeep (Blackbelt Commerce, May 2026). Freelancers charge about $50 to $125 an hour. Dorris builds one for your store from $1,650, paid once, because AI writes most of the code. Rule of thumb: get every job written down before you ask for a price.
What sets the price?
Three things.
- How many jobs it does. "A support inbox" is one job. "A support inbox, purchase orders, invoices and reports" is four. Price follows the number of jobs more than anything else.
- What it connects to. Reading your Shopify orders is simple. Writing back to your store, or connecting accounting, shipping or a retailer's order feed, adds work. One European guide prices each integration separately, at €500 to €3,000.
- Who looks after it afterwards. Some quotes include support. Many don't.
What do agencies, freelancers and AI-built apps charge?
| What | Build | Hourly | After launch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agency | $8,000 to $20,000 for a simple app, $20,000 to $50,000 for a mid-complexity one (Blackbelt Commerce, May 2026) | $125 to $200 for boutique agencies | $200 to $500 a month for hosting and upkeep (Blackbelt) |
| Freelancer | Depends on the scope you write down | $50 to $125 (Blackbelt); other guides give $25 to $160 | Often billed hourly |
| Built for you with AI (Dorris) | One tool $1,650, two $2,750, three $3,850, each extra $1,100 | Not billed by the hour | No monthly fee from us. You pay your own hosting and AI plan |
A custom app, a freelancer and a bought app compared goes through the trade-offs.
Small tools sit lower: one agency lists a simple custom app at $3,000 to $8,000 and two to four weeks of work (Cartcoders, March 12, 2026). Sources disagree, so ask for the scope behind any figure.
These figures come from agency and vendor blogs, which sell what they describe. Use them as a range to check a quote against, and not as a price list.
Why can AI build it for less?
AI writes most of the code. The work that's left is knowing what your store needs, connecting it to your store and data, and checking that it works. That's why a build takes about a month and costs a fraction of an agency's figure. It doesn't mean the app is smaller or less careful. It means less of the cost is typing.
What costs do people forget?
- Hosting. One agency puts hosting for a simple app at $20 to $50 a month, and a production-grade one at $100 to $500. Mine runs on hosting from about $13 a month for the smallest setup. Current numbers are on what you need.
- Your AI plan, if the app uses AI or you maintain it with an AI assistant. It starts at $20 a month.
- Upkeep. Shopify changes how its data is read from time to time. Who fixes a custom app when it breaks says what can break and who deals with it.
- The second job. The first tool carries the setup, so it costs the most. Each extra tool costs less to add, and still costs something.
How do I get a fair quote?
Write the jobs down first, one line each: "show the customer's order beside their email", "log a warranty claim and chase the supplier". Send the same list to everyone you ask. Then compare:
- What's included: the build, the hosting setup, training, changes after you've seen it.
- Who owns the code and the data at the end.
- What happens when something breaks in month three.
- What it costs to add job number five.
A quote you can't compare line by line isn't a quote.
What does Dorris cost?
One tool is $1,650, two are $2,750, three are $3,850, and each extra tool is $1,100. It's paid once, by invoice, after a free 30-minute demo, and only if you go ahead. There's no monthly fee from us. You pay for your own hosting and AI plan. The demo gives you a price for your jobs, because it depends on how many tools you need. The pricing page has the details.
When isn't it worth it?
When your apps cost under about $100 a month. At that spend, $1,650 takes about sixteen months to pay back, before hosting and your AI plan. If your apps cost $200 or more a month, it pays back within about nine months (our estimates). If a hard job is the reason you pay, like payments, sales tax or shipping labels, keep the app.
Questions
How much does a custom Shopify app cost?
Agencies publish about $8,000 to $20,000 for a simple app, plus $200 to $500 a month for hosting and upkeep (Blackbelt Commerce, May 2026). Dorris builds one for your store from the price on our pricing page, paid once.
How much do Shopify developers charge per hour?
Freelancers charge about $50 to $125 an hour and boutique agencies $125 to $200, according to Blackbelt Commerce (May 2026). Other guides give wider ranges.
Is there a monthly fee after the build?
Not from us. You pay your own hosting and AI plan.
When is a custom app not worth it?
When your apps cost under about $100 a month, or when the job is payments, sales tax or shipping labels. Keep those as apps.
Sources
- Blackbelt Commerce, "Shopify Custom Development Cost: 2026 Real Pricing Guide" (May 20, 2026): $8,000 to $20,000 for a simple app, $20,000 to $50,000 for mid-complexity, $200 to $500 a month hosting and maintenance, $50 to $125 an hour freelancers, $125 to $200 boutique agencies, hosting $20 to $50 a month (simple) and $100 to $500 (production-grade). Checked October 12, 2026.
- Cartcoders, "Custom Shopify app development cost" (March 12, 2026): $3,000 to $8,000 for a simple app, two to four weeks. Checked October 13, 2026.
- Other 2026 vendor guides found by search give wider freelancer rates of about $25 to $160 an hour, and one European guide prices integrations at €500 to €3,000 each. Checked October 12, 2026. These are vendor blogs, so treat them as published estimates.
- Our own prices: from our pricing page, as of the date this page was last updated.
Want it built for you? Book a demo.