Key takeaways
- In addition to the subscription, transaction fees, apps, themes and plug-ins often cost the most.
- With some platforms, costs increase as you grow.
- Always calculate your total monthly costs, not just the entry price.
- Microcart charges 0% transaction fees of its own, with built-in features included in your plan. Your payment provider's fees and any external service costs are additional.
You compare webshop platforms and choose based on the monthly price: €29 here, €19 there. Logical — but that monthly price is rarely what you really pay. The cheapest on paper can be the most expensive in practice, because the real costs are hidden in transaction fees, mandatory apps and payment rates. And the nasty thing is: those costs grow along with your turnover, especially when things are going well.
This guide exposes the hidden costs, shows with a calculation example how hard they are, and how you can avoid them.
Visible versus hidden costs
Visible
Hidden
Monthly subscription
Transaction costs per sale
Mandatory or useful apps/plugins
Premium theme or template
Payment provider costs (sometimes double)
Additional costs per additional store or language
The monthly price is large on the pricing page. You only discover the rest when you start selling.
1. Transaction costs per sale
This is the biggest and baddest. Some platforms charge a percentage on each sale — on top of what your payment provider already charges. With little turnover you hardly feel it; with growth it increases rapidly.
| Monthly turnover | Transaction fee 2% | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| € 2.000 | € 40 | € 480 |
| € 5.000 | € 100 | € 1.200 |
| € 10.000 | € 200 | € 2.400 |
A “cheap” subscription of €20 with 2% transaction costs is therefore €120 for a turnover of €5,000 per month — more expensive than a platform of €29 without fees. You can read how iDEAL and payment providers work separately in payment methods compared.
2. App and plugin fees
Many platforms deliberately keep the basics bare and let you purchase additional functions via apps: reviews, a good search function, gift vouchers, email, a better checkout. Each app costs a few euros to tens of euros per month. Three or four “indispensable” apps and your monthly payment has doubled. An all-in-one platform with these functions built-in prevents that.
3. Theme or template costs
A free theme often looks generic. A premium theme is usually a one-time purchase, but factor it into your start-up costs — and see if you can customize it without an additional plugin.
4. Payment costs, sometimes double
You always pay your payment provider (for iDEAL, credit card). Be aware of platforms that charge an additional percentage if you do not use their own payment solution. That “fine” on an external provider is a hidden cost that is easy to overlook.
5. Additional costs for growth
If you want a second store, an additional language or more products, some platforms suddenly offer you a more expensive package. Before you choose, check what scaling costs, not just what starting costs.
How do you avoid hidden costs?
- Choose a platform with a fixed, predictable price and no transaction costs per sale.
- Add the price of the apps you need to the subscription — compare the total price, not the entry price.
- Check whether payment, reviews, gift vouchers and multilingualism are built-in.
- Calculate what you pay based on your expected turnover over a year, not just the first month. Do this with what a webshop costs.
Frequently asked questions
What are transaction costs for an online store?
A percentage that some platforms charge on each sale, on top of your payment provider. As your turnover grows, this can become your biggest hidden cost item.
How do I know if a platform has hidden fees?
Read the pricing page beyond the monthly price: look for transaction costs, mandatory apps, payment surcharges and what scaling costs. Calculate the total based on your expected turnover.
Is a more expensive subscription without fees cheaper?
Often yes. A higher monthly amount without transaction costs is usually cheaper for serious sales than a low subscription with a percentage per sale.
Do I really need all those apps?
Not if they are already built in. An all-in-one platform with reviews, payments and gift vouchers on board saves you a pile of separate subscriptions.
Do I pay payment costs twice?
This is possible if a platform charges its own percentage on top of your external payment provider. Check this explicitly before you choose.
Get started
Take the platforms you are considering and calculate the total monthly costs for each of your expected turnover: subscription + transaction costs + required apps + payment surcharges. The cheapest on paper is rarely the cheapest in practice. If you are still starting from scratch, first read what a webshop costs and the step-by-step plan to start a webshop.
