The query "cheap online store" in a search engine returns offers from 15 to 800 thousand rubles, and they all call themselves "cheap." The difference isn't the greed of the contractors, but what exactly is included in the price. In this article we break down what the cost of a store really consists of, where people usually cut corners, and why those savings come back with interest.
Where does such a price spread even come from
When a business owner first looks for a developer for an online store, they encounter prices that differ twentyfold for outwardly similar service descriptions.
A freelancer offers a "full-fledged turnkey store" for 40 thousand, a studio asks for 350, and the question arises: what's the difference for?
The answer is simple:they do different things, they just call them the same way.
For 40 thousand you'll get an installed theme on WordPress with WooCommerce, a configured catalog, and a "Buy" button. For 350 — a working business process:
These are not the same product; they're just both called an "online store".
The problem isn't that cheap is bad. The problem is that cheap comes in very different forms, and to choose correctly you need to understand exactly what you're paying for and what you're giving up.
How the cost of a cheap online store really works
The cost of any store is made up of several independent blocks, and each of them can be done cheaply or properly.
Platform.
This is the foundation, and it determines 30–50% of the final price before the first line of code is even written. The main options we work with:
- Tilda is the cheapest entry point. A few thousand rubles a month, zero development costs, a storefront ready in a week. It's a fit where you need a store "just to try" and where the owner understands that in a year they'll have to migrate.
- WordPress + WooCommerce — the next level. A clear ecosystem, thousands of plugins, you can hire any developer. A good choice for a quick launch with a clear support horizon.
- 1C-Bitrix — when you need integrations with corporate accounting systems. More expensive in development and licensing, but the only one that natively talks to 1C.
- Next.js + Payload CMS/Strapi — when the store is built to last for years and the team doesn't want to depend on any single vendor. Full control over the frontend, a flexible content model, smooth handover to another team.
Payment integration and fiscalization.
This is the part that most often gets dropped from cheap offers or is implemented only halfway.
Connecting YuKassa so that the "Pay" button works takes a few hours.
Connecting it correctly — with automatic receipt generation, transmission to the fiscal data operator and delivery to the customer at the moment of payment — is a separate block of work involving configuration, testing and verification against the requirements of Federal Law 54-FZ.
The difference between the two options is not visible at the start. It becomes visible a few months later, when buyers start asking where their receipt is, or when the tax authorities request explanations.
For different tasks we connect different gateways:
- PayAnyWay — when you need non-standard payment methods,
- CloudPayments — for accepting payments from abroad with conversion,
- T-Bank — for businesses within their ecosystem.
- And other internet acquiring services...
Each of these integrations requires its own configuration and its own testing.
SEO and analytics from the start.
Most cheap stores launch technically functional but invisible to search engines. There's no proper URL structure, no microdata, no Yandex.Metrica set up with goals for the cart and checkout. The store is live, there are no sales, and it's unclear why, because there's no data. This isn't a disaster, it's just lost months.
Hosting and security.
WordPress on cheap shared hosting with a pirated theme is the most common scenario forof hacking. We have seen projects where a client saved on hosting and the theme, and then paid more for recovery than proper development from the very start would have cost. On a proper project we use Yandex Cloud, Selectel, Timeweb, Reg.ru, configure Nginx, SSL, backups and monitoring.
Where "cheap" usually breaks down
Clients who come to us after launching on their own or after working with very cheap contractors usually bring a similar list of problems.
Unconfigured fiscalization.
Payments work, money comes in, everything looks fine. But receipts aren't generated or are generated incorrectly: they don't reach the fiscal data operator and don't reach the customer. This works for a while without visible consequences, and then creates problems on several levels at once.
A store on a pirated theme with no support.
Popular WooCommerce themes have long been a target for automated attacks, especially if the theme isn't updated and the hosting isn't protected. Recovery after a hack is expensive, slow and stressful.
Launching without understanding traffic.
The store technically works, but there are no orders. The owner doesn't understand whether there's any organic traffic at all, where people leave the funnel, or whether the cart works on mobile. There's no data, because analytics weren't set up. This isn't a technical failure, but a managerial one. You can't improve what you don't measure.
Accumulated debt after a DIY build.
A separate category is the clients who spent several weeks trying to do everything themselves, accumulated a list of twenty problems and come with it. The work starts with analyzing what has already been done, and that adds time and money to the final figure.
What you get | Up to 80 thousand. | 200–300 thousand | 300+ |
|---|---|---|---|
Catalog and cart | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Payment processing (basic) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Fiscalization and OFD | — | partially | ✓ |
SEO structure from the start | — | partially | ✓ |
Analytics with goals | — | — | ✓ |
Secure hosting | — | — | ✓ |
Custom design | — | partially | ✓ |
Post-launch support | — | — | ✓ |
Most of our online store projects fit within a budget of up to 300 thousand rubles. This isn't «cheap» in the sense of «the lowest price on the market», it's a working ceiling for most DTC tasks without complex integration with 1C. Above this amount, custom logistics integrations, B2B portals, multi-currency, and other tasks that require a separate architecture begin.
What to choose: guidelines for making a decision
There's no universal answer here, but there are questions that help find it.
Project horizon.
If you need a store for a few months to test a hypothesis, choosing Tilda or WordPress with a minimal configuration is a reasonable choice. If you're counting on three to five years of operation and don't want to redo everything from scratch in a year, then it's worth budgeting properly from the start.
Integrations.
If a business already runs on 1C, the choice of platform narrows sharply, because the only systems that can work properly with 1C are 1C-Bitrix and custom solutions with direct integration via API. WordPress with plugins gives unstable synchronization that falls apart with updates.
Who will maintain it.
If the company has no in-house developer and no money for ongoing maintenance, this needs to be factored into the platform choice. WordPress gives access to a large market of freelancers of any level. Next.js with Payload CMS requires a developer who understands React and headless architectures — there are fewer of them and they cost more.
Можно ли сделать нормальный магазин за 100 тысяч рублей?
Yes, as long as you clearly understand what's included and what isn't. For this money you can realistically get a working store on WordPress with WooCommerce, basic YooKassa integration, and minimal setup. Fiscalization, an SEO structure, and analytics usually don't fit into this amount. It's an honest starting point for testing a niche, nothing more.
Почему фискализация — это отдельная статья, а не часть подключения платёжки?
Because these are different tasks. A payment gateway accepts money. Fiscalization is a separate configuration that generates a cash receipt at the moment of payment, transmits it to the fiscal data operator and sends it to the customer. This requires an online cash register or its cloud equivalent, correct VAT rate setup and testing of every payment and refund scenario.
Tilda — это серьёзно или игрушка?
Seriously, for its own tasks. Tilda works well when you need a store with a small catalog, a quick start and an understandable tool for managing content yourself. It works poorly when you need complex filters, integrations with 1C, a custom funnel or scaling the catalog up to thousands of items.
Что если мы уже запустились сами и что-то не работает?
Come with whatever you've got. We analyze the situation, look at the architecture, figure out what is actually broken and what is simply not configured. Sometimes it's a matter of refinement, sometimes it's easier and cheaper to start over. It depends on the state the project is in.
Сколько времени занимает запуск нормального магазина?
From six to twelve weeks for a standard project without non-standard integrations. This includes design planning, design, development, setting up the payment system with fiscalization, the SEO structure and testing. It can be done faster, but at the expense of scope or quality.
