How often you change things
A store with weekly campaigns, drops, and landing pages needs committed time. A store that changes seasonally does not.
Pricing / Ongoing
Shopify Maintenance & Support Cost
Every store we build includes six months of technical support at no extra cost. This page covers what happens after that, and when a retainer is honestly not worth buying.
STRAIGHT ANSWER
Maintenance is where agencies make recurring revenue, so treat any maintenance page — including this one — with appropriate scepticism. Here is our position: the six months included with every build covers the period when problems actually surface. After that, plenty of stores are fine with ad-hoc support and no monthly commitment. A retainer earns its cost when you have a continuous roadmap, not when you have a working store.
The ranges
These are the numbers we quote, not illustrative examples. They are the starting ranges by scope — the estimator further down this page takes the same figures and adjusts them for design level, features, and timeline.
| Scope | Cost | Timeline | What that covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Included with every build | free · 6 months | from launch | Bug fixes, theme issue resolution, minor content and layout adjustments, app configuration help, and performance monitoring. Not a trial — it is scope. |
| Ad-hoc support | quoted per request | as needed | For stores that need occasional work with no monthly commitment. Honestly the right answer for most stores after the included window. |
| Ongoing retainer | from $2,500 / month | rolling | A committed block of development time each month for stores with a continuous roadmap — new features, seasonal campaigns, ongoing conversion work. |
| New feature builds | quoted per project | varies | Anything genuinely new is scoped and quoted as its own project rather than absorbed into a retainer. |
On the floor: The retainer floor is the same $2,500. Below that you are buying an hour or two a month, which is not enough time to do anything meaningful and mostly buys you the feeling of being covered.
What moves the price
Where a project lands inside those ranges is decided by a handful of things. These are them, in roughly the order they matter.
Integration surface
Every system your store talks to is something that can break when either side updates. More integrations, more maintenance.
Custom code depth
Heavily customised themes need attention when Shopify ships platform changes. This is a real trade-off of custom work and we would rather name it.
Whether you have in-house capability
If someone on your team can use the theme editor confidently, you need far less from us. We train for exactly this reason.
Response time expectations
Next-business-day and same-day are different commitments with different costs. Most stores need the former and ask for the latter.
What is in, what is not
Included
- Bug fixes and theme issue resolution
- Minor content and layout adjustments
- App configuration assistance
- Performance monitoring and routine optimisation
- SEO health monitoring during the post-launch window
- Email and WhatsApp support with reasonable turnaround
Not included
- New feature builds and major redesigns
- Custom app development
- Additional third-party integrations
- Your Shopify plan and app subscription fees
- Paid media management
The part most pricing pages leave out
If your store works, your team can edit content, and you have no roadmap for the next quarter — do not buy a retainer. Use ad-hoc support and keep the money. We would rather you came back with a real project than paid us monthly for a store that needed nothing. The stores that genuinely benefit from a retainer are the ones already shipping changes every month; they know who they are.
Price your own project
Two minutes, no sign-up. Starts from the ranges above and adjusts for design level, features, and timeline.
Want it quoted properly? Tell us the scope on the start a project form, or get a free store audit first.
Frequently Asked
Questions
The questions we get asked on every pricing call.
What does the free six months actually cover?
Bug fixes, theme issues, minor layout and content adjustments, app configuration help, and performance monitoring. Not new features — those are scoped as projects, on your build and on everyone else's.
Do I need a maintenance retainer?
Only if you have a continuous roadmap. A stable store with an in-house content editor is usually better served by ad-hoc support.
What if something breaks after the six months?
We fix it and quote the work. There is no support contract required to get help with a store we built.
Who handles Shopify platform updates?
Shopify handles the platform itself. What can need attention is heavily customised theme code when Shopify changes something underneath it — that is one of the things monitoring is for.
Current store performance