Ecommerce Website Cost in Dubai 2026: Real AED Prices
A Dubai online store costs AED 2,999 to 3,999 for a starter build and AED 15,000 to 50,000+ custom in 2026, plus platform and card fees. Full AED breakdown.
- PUBLISHED
- 25 SEPT 2026
- READ TIME
- 08 MIN
- AUTHOR
- AQUARIUS · DUBAI
- UNIT
- REV 2026.09
Short answer: An ecommerce website in Dubai costs about AED 2,999–3,999 for a starter online store and AED 15,000–50,000+ for a custom store with its own checkout, payment or ERP integrations, based on the published price lists of Dubai agencies in September 2026. On top of the build you pay a platform subscription, card processing fees, hosting and a domain every year, and 5% VAT if your agency is VAT-registered.
That first number is the one most quotes lead with, and it is the least useful. A store that costs AED 3,999 to build can cost more than that again every year in subscriptions, transaction fees and plugin licences. This guide breaks down what Dubai online stores really cost in 2026: the build, the running costs, and the UAE-specific items (VAT invoices, PDPL consent, Arabic checkout) that cheap quotes leave out.
Key takeaways
- Published Dubai starter store packages are AED 2,999 and AED 3,999. Custom ecommerce platforms are listed at AED 15,000–50,000+ (checked live, September 2026).
- Shopify’s UAE plans run from USD 24 a month (Basic, billed yearly) to USD 299 a month (Advanced), with card rates from 2.9% + AED 1.00 down to 2.7% + AED 1.00.
- If you use a third-party payment gateway on Shopify, add a transaction fee of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced.
- Neither published agency price list we checked says whether 5% VAT is included. Get it in writing.
Ecommerce website cost in Dubai: the 2026 price bands
We checked the live pricing pages of Dubai agencies that publish their store packages. They are not named, because this is a price benchmark rather than a ranking. For how these bands compare with ordinary business websites, see our web development company cost guide.
| Store type | Published Dubai price (AED) | Typical fit |
|---|---|---|
| Starter store (products, cart, checkout) | 2,999 | Small catalogue, one payment gateway, standard theme |
| WooCommerce or Shopify store setup | from 3,999 | Products, checkout, payments and shipping configured on a hosted platform |
| Custom ecommerce platform | 15,000 – 50,000+ | Large catalogues, custom checkout, payment and ERP integration, bespoke design |
Neither agency page lists a product limit or which gateways are included at the starter price. Those two details decide whether a starter package fits your business, so ask for both before comparing quotes.
The running costs most quotes leave out
An online store is a subscription business for you as well as for your customers. Budget for these every year:
- Platform subscription. Shopify in the UAE lists Basic at USD 24 a month billed yearly (USD 32 monthly), Grow at USD 69 (USD 92 monthly), Advanced at USD 299 (USD 399 monthly), and Plus from USD 2,300 a month.
- Card processing. Shopify’s card rates start at 2.9% + AED 1.00 on Basic and fall to 2.5% + AED 1.00 on Plus. On AED 50,000 of monthly sales, the gap between Basic and Advanced is about AED 100 a month in card rates alone.
- Third-party gateway fees. Use a gateway other than Shopify’s own and Shopify adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus. Buy-now-pay-later and local UAE gateways charge their own merchant fees on top; our Tabby and Tamara integration guide covers those.
- Hosting and domain for self-hosted stores such as WooCommerce. One published Dubai guide puts hosting at roughly AED 200–800 a year for a small business site and a domain at AED 40–120 a year. A busy store needs more than the bottom of that range.
- Care plan. Updates, backups and fixes are often sold separately. One Dubai agency lists AED 299 a month.
| Shopify UAE plan | Monthly (billed yearly) | Card rate | Third-party gateway fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | USD 24 | from 2.9% + AED 1.00 | 2% |
| Grow | USD 69 | from 2.8% + AED 1.00 | 1% |
| Advanced | USD 299 | from 2.7% + AED 1.00 | 0.6% |
| Plus | from USD 2,300 | from 2.5% + AED 1.00 | 0.2% |
UAE requirements that change the price
A store that sells to UAE customers has to do a few things a generic template does not do out of the box. Each one is cheap to build in at the start and expensive to retrofit.
- VAT-correct pricing and invoices. UAE VAT is 5%, and a business must register once taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 in 12 months. Your checkout has to show VAT correctly and issue compliant tax invoices. Our VAT-compliant ecommerce invoicing guide explains the invoice rules and the e-invoicing timeline.
- PDPL consent and privacy. The UAE Personal Data Protection Law is Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021, in force since 2 January 2022. Checkout, account sign-up, marketing opt-ins and analytics tags all process personal data, so consent and a privacy notice are launch items. Use our PDPL compliance checklist.
- Arabic and right-to-left checkout. A translated product page is not enough. Cart, checkout, emails and invoices all need proper RTL layout if you sell to Arabic-speaking customers.
- Local payment methods. Customers expect cards, Apple Pay and often buy-now-pay-later. Each gateway is an integration with its own fees. Our Dubai payment gateway guide compares the options.
Shopify vs WooCommerce vs custom: which costs less?
| Option | Build cost | Yearly running cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Low (starter setups from about AED 3,999) | Subscription + card rates + gateway fee if not using Shopify’s own payments | Fast launch, small team, standard checkout |
| WooCommerce | Low to medium | Hosting + plugin licences + care plan | Content-heavy stores that want full control of hosting |
| Custom build | High (AED 15,000–50,000+ published) | Hosting + maintenance; no platform percentage | Large catalogues, ERP links, unusual checkout or pricing rules |
The cheapest option in month one is rarely the cheapest in year two. Shopify’s fees scale with your revenue. A custom build costs more upfront but takes no platform percentage. WooCommerce sits in between, but it shifts the security and update work onto you or your agency. If you are leaning towards Shopify, read our Shopify development cost guide for Dubai first.
How Aquarius prices an online store
We don’t sell a one-size ecommerce package, because the right answer depends on your catalogue and checkout. Our published pricing maps to stores like this:
- Business Site, from AED 2,500: up to 8 CMS-managed pages, EN/AR ready, with an AI chat assistant. This suits a product catalogue that takes orders by WhatsApp or enquiry rather than an online checkout.
- Custom App, from AED 10,000: auth, payments, dashboards and API integrations. This is where a real online store with checkout, gateway integration, VAT invoicing and stock sync sits.
Every quote is a fixed AED price with VAT shown separately, and you own the code, domain, hosting and payment accounts from day one. Our AI-native delivery process means a first working version in days, not months. See all our ecommerce and web development services.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an ecommerce website cost in Dubai in 2026?
Published Dubai starter store packages cost AED 2,999–3,999. Custom ecommerce platforms with bespoke checkout, payment or ERP integration are listed at AED 15,000–50,000+. Add yearly platform, card processing, hosting and domain costs.
Is Shopify cheaper than a custom online store in the UAE?
Shopify is cheaper to launch. Its UAE plans start at USD 24 a month billed yearly, with card rates from 2.9% + AED 1.00. As your sales grow, percentage fees add up, and a custom store with no platform percentage can become cheaper over several years.
Do I need to charge VAT on my Dubai online store?
You must register for UAE VAT once your taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 in 12 months. Once registered, you charge 5% VAT and issue tax invoices, so your store should handle VAT from launch.
Does an ecommerce website in the UAE need to comply with the PDPL?
Yes. Checkout, customer accounts, newsletters and analytics all process personal data. The PDPL (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021) requires a lawful basis such as consent and gives customers rights over their data, so privacy notices and consent handling belong in the first release.
How long does it take to build an online store in Dubai?
A starter store on a hosted platform can go live in a couple of weeks once products and content are ready. Custom stores with payment and ERP integration take longer. Ask for a dated timeline in your quote, not a range.
Get a fixed AED quote for your online store
Tell us what you sell and how many products you have, and we’ll send a fixed AED price with VAT shown separately, a full first-year running-cost estimate and a dated timeline. Start your Dubai ecommerce project or compare plans on our pricing page.