In Hungary, the cost of building an online store typically ranges from 170,000 to 3 million forints, and the process takes 3–8 weeks. The price depends on three factors: how many custom page templates need to be designed and developed (homepage, category page, product page, landing pages), how many products need to be organized and uploaded, and how many external systems—payment, shipping, invoicing, inventory management—it needs to integrate with.
In this article, I’ll walk you through what’s actually involved in setting up an online store, how much it costs, which platform to choose, what your legal obligations will be—and where most new online stores fall short.
What's involved in building an online store—and what isn't?
This is the source of most misunderstandings. Before accepting any offer, ask for a detailed breakdown of which of the following items are included in the price.
What's Included in Building a Complete Online Store
- Category Structure and Filters: It's not a design issue; rather, it determines whether customers can find the product and what Google indexes.
- Design and purchasing process: Designed for mobile devices, because two-thirds of our traffic comes from there.
- Development and Speed Optimization: platform, theme, plugins, cache, image management.
- Integrations: Credit card payments, courier services, and pickup locations; invoicing software with NAV Online Invoice data reporting.
- Technical Aspects of Legal Compliance: Display of the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, required checkboxes, cookie settings, and blocking of tracking codes until consent is given.
- Measurement: Analytics, conversion tracking, ad pixels—all set up before launch and verified through test purchases.
Things You Usually Need to Plan Separately
- Product Photography – Without this, even the best online store looks cheap.
- Writing Product Descriptions – Copying the manufacturer's text is of no value from an SEO perspective.
- Drafting Legal Documents – That's the lawyer's job; the developer „just” implements them.
- Advertising Budget and Marketing – A finished online store, on its own, attracts zero visitors.
- Operations – Updates, backups, security, and bug fixes after delivery.
If an offer is conspicuously cheap, they typically don't work any faster—it simply includes fewer items from the list above.
How much does it cost to build an online store?
The cost of creating an online store in Hungary is typically 170,000 and 3 million forints ranges depending on whether it is a template-based or custom solution, how many products need to be uploaded, and which external systems it needs to connect to. The table below lists approximate prices for informational purposes only.
| Type of Online Store | Suggested Price | Lead time | Who is it recommended for? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template-based (WooCommerce, premium theme) | 170–400 e Ft | 3–6 weeks | Startup, 10–200 products |
| Web Store with a Unique Look and Feel | 400,000 – 1.5 million Ft | 6-10 weeks | An established brand with its own identity |
| Custom Features + Integrations (ERP, Inventory, B2B Pricing) | 1.5–3 million Ft+ | 2–4 months | Large number of products, multiple channels |
| Rental System (ShopRenter, Unas) | 100–400 e Ft setup fee + monthly fee | 2–4 weeks | Anyone who would like to start with a fixed monthly fee and minimal development |
In addition to the development fee, you'll need to account for operating costs as well as: domain (approx. 3–6 e Ft/year), web hosting (15,000–120,000 Ft/year), licenses for premium plugins (30,000–100,000 Ft/year), and the payment service provider’s transaction fee (typically 1–2% of the purchase amount). Without these, no online store can operate in the long term.
Note: As a sole proprietor exempt from VAT, the invoices I issue do not include the 27% VAT, which results in a significant difference in the final amount for the same amount of work. And I'll pay for the premium add-ons.
How long does it take to set up an online store?
Creating an Average Online Store 3–8 weeks takes time. In practice, it’s rarely the development work that causes delays—it’s much more often the content: gathering product photos, product descriptions, and prices. If you provide these in a spreadsheet at the start of the project, you can speed up the process.
Which platform should you choose?
Choosing a platform is a long-term decision: later on, switching will only be possible through migration, which carries the risk of data loss. There are four realistic options on the Hungarian market.
| Platform | Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|---|
| WooCommerce (WordPress) | Full ownership, no monthly fees, unlimited scalability, robust SEO and content management | Requires maintenance (updates, security) |
| ShopRenter | Hungarian SaaS system, ready-made Hungarian integrations (invoicing, courier services) | Monthly fee, limited custom development |
| Unas | Quick start, Hungarian support, many ready-made modules | A formulaic look, less freedom |
| Shopify | Stable and strong for international sales | Monthly fee + transaction fee; customization for Hungarian legal and billing requirements is more difficult |
For Hungarian small and medium-sized enterprises, in most cases the WooCommerce The best value for money: there’s no monthly fee, the online store and its associated content (blog, landing pages) can be managed within a single system, and it can be integrated with virtually any Hungarian payment provider, courier service, and invoicing software.
Steps for Creating an Online Store
1. Needs Assessment and Proposal
Product range, expected number of products, target audience, shipping and payment requirements, and necessary integrations. This information is used to prepare a detailed, itemized quote and a schedule.
2. Structure and Wireframe
Category structure, menu, filters, product page layout. These factors determine how many clicks it takes for a customer to reach the shopping cart—and also how well Google understands your online store.
3. Design
A mobile-optimized, fast, conversion-focused design. More than two-thirds of Hungarian e-commerce traffic comes from mobile devices, so the mobile view is not a secondary consideration—it’s a primary one.
4. Development and Uploading
Platform installation, theme customization, plugins, importing product data (from a CSV file for large numbers of products), performance optimization.
5. Setting Up Payment and Shipping
Credit card payments (SimplePay, Barion, Stripe), cash on delivery, advance bank transfer. Courier services, package pickup points, and self-service kiosks. Integration with invoicing software so that invoices are generated automatically after an order is placed, with data reporting to NAV Online Invoice.
6. Legal Documents
Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy and Cookie Management, Sample Withdrawal Statement, Legal Notice. The absence or incompleteness of these documents may result in a consumer protection fine.
7. Testing and Deployment
We conducted a full test purchase using all payment methods, on both mobile and desktop devices, and across multiple browsers. We set up analytics, conversion tracking, and ad pixels before launch.
What are your legal obligations when operating a Hungarian online store?
An online store operated in Hungary must meet at least the following requirements:
- Legal Notice: the service provider's name, registered office, tax identification number, contact information, and registration number.
- Terms and Conditions: the contract process, prices, shipping, payment, warranty, and complaint handling.
- 14-day right of withdrawal: In the case of a consumer, without providing a reason, using a sample withdrawal notice.
- GDPR: Privacy Notice, Legal Bases, List of Data Processors, Consent Management.
- Cookie Policy: Prior, explicit consent for cookies that are not strictly necessary (tracking codes can only run after this).
- Billing: Issuing electronic invoices and submitting invoice data via NAV Online.
- Conciliation Board: Specifying the competent body in the General Terms and Conditions.
Drafting legal texts is the lawyer’s job, but the technical implementation—including layout, required checkboxes, cookie management settings, and blocking tracking codes until consent is given—is part of the development process—and that’s what you’ll get from me.
The online store is ready—what's next?
This is the most common misconception: a completed online store doesn't attract customers on its own. Traffic can come from three sources, and you'll typically need all three.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Copywriting for category and product pages, blog content, and technical SEO. It takes time to build, but the results are long-lasting.
- Paid advertisement: Meta (Facebook, Instagram) and Google Ads. It drives traffic immediately, but it requires ongoing spending.
- My list: Newsletter and marketing automation. It’s the channel that generates repeat purchases at the lowest cost, yet most online stores neglect it.
With realistic planning, it’s a good idea to budget for advertising costs alongside development costs—not after the fact, using whatever’s left over.
5 Common Mistakes When Building an Online Store
- Copy of the manufacturer's product description. If the same text appears in 40 online stores, Google won't rank any of them higher.
- Slow loading. Unoptimized product photos that are several megabytes in size are the most common conversion killers.
- The ordering process takes too long. Mandatory registration, unnecessary fields, hidden shipping costs—all of these lead to abandoned carts.
- Missing trust elements. Contact information, accurate company details, customer reviews, and clear delivery times.
- No measurement. Without conversion tracking, your ad spending is a shot in the dark.
Frequently asked questions
Request a quote for your online store
If you’d like a specific, itemized quote for your own online store, please briefly describe what kind of products you’d like to sell, approximately how many products you’d need to upload, and when you’d like to launch. I’ll respond within 24 hours, and we’ll discuss the starter package that will allow you to get started with the least risk.
