Do you want to build a multilingual Shopify website but still need clarification about the total cost? Expanding into global markets through a multilingual Shopify website can feel like a daunting financial challenge. However, for businesses targeting international audiences, delivering a localized shopping experience is no longer optional—it’s essential. But how much does it really cost to create such a website?
Navigating these costs can be overwhelming. Without a clear breakdown, businesses risk overspending or compromising on quality. This article provides a detailed look into the various costs of building a multilingual Shopify website, offers cost estimates based on business sizes, and shares practical tips to manage your costs!
Types of cost to create multilingual Shopify website
Building a multilingual Shopify eCommerce website requires careful budgeting to cover various essential costs. Below is a detailed explanation of the primary costs involved.
Hosting & domain
Shopify provides unlimited web hosting for all plans, ensuring fast load times and exceptional reliability with unlimited bandwidth and storage. This hosting feature eliminates concerns about scalability as your store grows or traffic increases.
Shopify also offers the option to use a custom domain, which you can purchase directly through Shopify or use an existing domain from another provider. Alternatively, a free subdomain under .myshopify.com is available for those not ready to buy a custom domain.
However, it’s a good idea to use a personal domain, such as youbrand.com, to create a professional image and increase customer trust as opposed to a default domain like yourstore.myshopify.com. This will also relate to subdomains based on the region or language you choose, such as fr.yourbrand.com for France or it.yourbrand.com for Italy.
According to the pricing on the Hostinger site, you can buy a TLD domain such as .com starting from $4.99/year to start buying your custom domain.
Shopify plan cost
Shopify offers various plans tailored to businesses of different sizes and requirements.
For a multilingual website, you’ll likely choose a plan that supports advanced features like localized global selling. The Basic Shopify plan costs $25 per month and offers essential features for solo entrepreneurs, including localized global selling for up to three markets and support for 10 inventory locations.
For small teams, the Shopify plan at $65 per month adds advanced features like additional staff accounts and better transaction rates. Scaling businesses may require the Advanced Shopify plan, priced at $399 per month, which includes custom reports, support for up to 15 staff accounts, and the ability to add more markets at $59 per month per market. For larger enterprises, the Shopify Plus plan starts at $2,300 per month on a 3-year term, providing tools for managing 50 markets, advanced checkout customizations, and unlimited staff accounts.
While the Basic plan may suffice for small-scale multilingual operations, businesses targeting multiple markets should budget for the Advanced or Plus plans. It’s worth noting that yearly subscriptions offer discounts of up to 25%, potentially saving hundreds of dollars annually.
Theme & design customization
All Shopify plans include access to a variety of templates and themes designed to make creating an online store easy. Shopify offers some free themes that can be used right away, but for more premium results, you can opt for Shopify’s paid themes, which typically cost between $150 and $350. Premium themes often come with more advanced customization features, better performance, and support for multilingual functionality.
Additionally, you can purchase themes from third-party providers such as Themeforest.com, where theme prices vary from $19 to $48, depending on the complexity of the design and features offered. Using a theme from outside Shopify allows you to find a more customized design, including options that support multilingual features or global marketplaces.
Using a theme from outside Shopify allows you to find a more customized design, including options that support multilingual features or global marketplaces.
Translation & localization cost
There are several ways to translate your Shopify store, including hiring professional translators, using machine translation like Google Translate, and automatic translation through plugins. Automatic translation is highly recommended for a Shopify-scale website as it is faster and more automated. It is ideal for businesses aiming to go international quickly without spending too much time on manual processes.
If you’re on a Shopify plan, virtually all of their plans already come with Language Translation and Localized Selling with Custom Marketplace features included, so the cost is already included. These built-in features include:
- Two free automated translations to get started.
- Flexible integration with third-party translation services if you need more.
- Localized selling tools allow you to manage cross-border sales from a single store while providing an optimized shopping experience for each region.
However, Shopify’s built-in features have limitations, such as support for a limited number of languages and less advanced customization options. If you want to try a third-party plugin for more advanced features, one option is Linguise automatic translation. Compared to Shopify’s native translation, Linguise offers several advantages, including:
- Custom language switcher that is easy to set up for a more personalized user experience.
- Front-end live editor to view and edit translations directly.
- Dynamic content translation is used to adjust dynamic elements like product filters or forms.
- Shopify international SEO support, including a multilingual sitemap, hreflang tag, canonical, etc., helps boost your site’s visibility in different international markets.
You can start with solutions Linguise front $15 /month with unlimited adding languages and start 200.000 words.
Breakdown of estimated cost (small, medium, large businesses)
After knowing each type of cost, here we will make each breakdown table for 3 types of business sizes ranging from small, medium, and large with the above cost types.
Types of Cost | Small | Medium | Large |
Hosting & domain | $4.99 /year (.com) | $4.99 /year (.com) | $4.99 /year (.com) |
Shopify plan cost | Basic plan $25 | Shopify plan $65 | Advanced plan $399 |
Theme (buy from external) | $19 (depending on the web theme required) | $19 (depending on the web theme required) | $19 (depending on the web theme required) |
Translation (using third-party plugin Linguise) | $15 /month | $25 /month | $45 /month |
Total cost | $63,99 | $113,99 | $467,99 |
Notes: The following is an example of using the Shopify plan cost so that no external hosting is required, just a domain. The total price above is the minimum price you should prepare before building Shopify. This does not include additional costs such as advertising costs, maintenance costs, etc.
Tips for reducing costs without compromising Shopify's multilingual quality
If you can still save money on the estimated price above, you can use these tips to reduce costs without sacrificing the quality of your multilingual Shopify.
Using Shopify's built-in domain
Using the .myshopify.com subdomain can be a cost-effective solution for entrepreneurs who are just starting an online business. While not professionally recommended, this option allows you to save on annual domain registration fees that range from $5 to $15.
However, it’s important to note that using a default subdomain may reduce customer trust and appear less professional. Therefore, it’s advisable to switch to a personal domain as soon as your business finances allow you to build a more credible and convincing brand image.
Using Shopify's built-in themes
Shopify’s free themes offer an economical and functional design solution for businesses that want to build an online store on a budget. Entrepreneurs can choose from a wide selection of free themes that suit the visual and functional needs of their business.
While they have fewer customization features than paid themes, Shopify’s free themes provide a strong foundation for starting an e-commerce business. As your business grows and your budget increases, you can always upgrade to more advanced premium themes.
Choosing an affordable translation service with full features
Selecting an automatic translation service is a critical step in developing an international Shopify website. Many business owners get stuck at the extremes – either too expensive or too cheap but low-quality. The ideal solution is to find an app that offers the perfect balance between cost and features, such as Linguise.
Linguise stands out as a comprehensive yet affordable multilingual platform. Prices start at $15 per month, and there is a one-month free trial with a translation limit of 600k words! Top features include unlimited automatic translation, a custom language switcher, a live editor, dynamic content translation, and multilingual SEO support, making it a great choice for businesses looking to get affordable prices with premium quality.
With these cost-effective strategies—using a temporary domain, utilizing free themes, and choosing the right multilingual solution—you can build a professional, multilingual Shopify website without straining your business finances.
Conclusion
Building a multilingual Shopify website doesn’t have to be a costly endeavour. With a smart strategy and the right technology selection, you can develop an international e-commerce platform without incurring huge costs. The key is to understand your business’s specific needs, choose the right features, and utilize the cost-effective solutions available.
For those who want to start building a multilingual Shopify web immediately, Linguise is a highly recommended multilingual Shopify translation solution. With affordable pricing and comprehensive features, Linguise lets you deliver a high-quality multilingual shopping experience without breaking your budget. Feel free to try Linguise’s free one-month trial first and then subscribe to experience the ease of automatic translation!
