How much does an ecommerce website cost in the UAE?

A basic store costs AED 15,000 to 25,000, a semi-custom bilingual store with local payments AED 25,000 to 90,000, and a fully custom platform AED 90,000 or more. Add gateway setup, a trade licence, hosting, maintenance, and 5% VAT.

Why does an ecommerce site cost more than a normal website?

Because it has payments, stock management, a secure checkout, courier integration, and customer accounts, none of which a brochure site needs. In the UAE, supporting BNPL, COD, and multiple gateways adds further integration and testing work.

How much does payment gateway integration cost in the UAE?

Buy-now-pay-later providers like Tabby and Tamara cost roughly AED 1,500 to 3,000 each to integrate, and card gateways require separate setup and testing. Each gateway is its own piece of work, which is why supporting several adds to the build cost.

Do I need a trade licence to sell online in the UAE?

Yes. Selling online requires an appropriate ecommerce trade licence, typically AED 5,500 to 15,000 depending on the emirate and activity. It is a business cost separate from the website build but part of your launch budget.

What are the ongoing costs of a UAE online store?

Maintenance (about 10 to 15 percent of build cost per year), hosting, payment gateway transaction fees on each sale, and any app or plugin licences. A Shopify store also has a monthly platform fee and possible per-sale fees.

What's a realistic first-year budget for a UAE online store?

For a semi-custom bilingual store, plan for roughly AED 55,000 to 70,000 in year one once you include the build, trade licence, two gateways, hosting, product content, maintenance, and VAT. A basic store can come in at well under half that. The build fee alone is never the full commitment.

Is Shopify or WooCommerce cheaper for a UAE store?

Shopify has a lower upfront build (around AED 10,000 to 25,000) but adds a monthly platform fee and possible per-sale charges, so it costs more over time at higher volume. WooCommerce has no platform fee, but you pay for hosting and maintenance. The cheaper option depends on your sales volume, not just the build price.

What ongoing fees do UAE payment gateways charge?

Beyond the one-off integration, most gateways charge a monthly fee plus a percentage of each transaction, and BNPL providers like Tabby and Tamara take a merchant fee per sale. These are per-sale running costs, separate from the build, and worth modelling against your expected order value before you pick providers.

Ecommerce Website Cost in the UAE 2026

An ecommerce website in the UAE costs roughly AED 15,000 to 25,000 for a basic store, AED 25,000 to 90,000 for a semi-custom bilingual store with local payment integration, and AED 90,000 or more for a fully custom platform with Arabic and ERP integration. On top of the build you should budget for payment gateway setup (around AED 1,500 to 3,000 per buy-now-pay-later provider), an ecommerce trade licence (AED 5,500 to 15,000 depending on emirate and activity), hosting, and maintenance of about 10 to 15 percent of build cost per year. Add 5% VAT. This guide breaks the price down by platform and store type, and covers the UAE-specific costs generic guides leave out.

For the full build process and platform choice, see ecommerce website development in Dubai. This post focuses on what it costs.

Short Answer

An ecommerce website in the UAE typically costs AED 15,000 to 25,000 for a basic store, AED 25,000 to 90,000 for a semi-custom bilingual store with local payments, and AED 90,000 or more for a fully custom platform. Beyond the build, budget for gateway setup (AED 1,500 to 3,000 per buy-now-pay-later provider), an ecommerce trade licence (AED 5,500 to 15,000), hosting, and maintenance of about 10 to 15 percent of build cost per year. Add 5% VAT to any UAE quote.

Cost by store type

| Store type | Typical cost (AED) | What you get | |---|---|---| | Basic store | 15,000 – 25,000 | Small catalogue, one gateway, standard theme | | Semi-custom store | 25,000 – 90,000 | Bilingual, multiple gateways, courier integration, custom design | | Fully custom platform | 90,000 – 350,000+ | Large catalogue, Arabic, ERP/CRM integration, custom logic |

Cost by platform

Shopify store: build around AED 10,000 to 25,000, plus a monthly Shopify fee and possible per-sale fees. Fast to launch.
WooCommerce store: build around AED 15,000 to 40,000, no platform fee but you pay hosting and maintenance.
Custom store: AED 45,000 to 120,000+, highest control and speed, no platform fees.

For which platform fits you, see Shopify vs WooCommerce for the UAE.

UAE-specific costs to budget for

This is where a UAE ecommerce budget differs from a generic one.

Payment gateways

Buy-now-pay-later (Tabby, Tamara): roughly AED 1,500 to 3,000 per provider to integrate.
Card gateways (PayTabs, Telr, Stripe, Network International): separate setup and testing.
Cash on delivery: needs handling in checkout and courier flow.

Supporting the payments UAE shoppers expect is part of why an ecommerce quote sits above a brochure site. See ecommerce website features for UAE businesses.

Ecommerce trade licence

To sell online in the UAE you need an appropriate trade licence, typically AED 5,500 to 15,000 depending on the emirate and your business activity. This is a business cost, not a web cost, but it belongs in your launch budget.

Bilingual Arabic

A full Arabic store with proper right-to-left layout adds meaningfully to the development scope, but it widens your market. Plan for it from the start rather than retrofitting.

Ongoing costs

Maintenance: about 10 to 15 percent of build cost per year, to keep the store secure, updated, and fast. See website maintenance cost in Dubai.
Hosting: modest for Shopify (included) or WooCommerce (you pay).
Gateway transaction fees: a percentage of each sale, charged by the gateway.
Apps/plugins: some features carry monthly or annual licence costs.

What changes the price

Catalogue size — more products mean more content and setup.

Custom design vs theme — bespoke design costs more, looks unique.

Integrations — ERP, CRM, accounting, and warehouse links add cost.

Bilingual — Arabic plus English raises scope.

Number of gateways — each one is integration and testing work.

How to budget sensibly

Start with the store you need now, not the one you might need in three years. A basic store at AED 15,000 to 25,000 that handles BNPL, COD, and one card gateway is a solid, sellable launch for most UAE small retailers. You can add features and integrations as the store grows. For full pricing context, see website design cost in Dubai and our pricing and ecommerce solutions pages.

Why two ecommerce quotes can differ so much

It is common to get one quote for AED 12,000 and another for AED 40,000 for what sounds like the same store. The gap is almost always in what is included, not in one agency overcharging. A low quote often assumes a stock theme with little customisation, one payment method, no Arabic, no courier integration, and content you load yourself. A higher quote includes custom design, several gateways, COD handling, bilingual setup, courier integration, and product content done for you. Neither is wrong, but they are different products. The way to compare fairly is to insist each quote itemises: number of products loaded, which gateways, COD yes or no, Arabic yes or no, courier integration, and who writes the product descriptions.

Where it is worth spending more

Mobile speed and checkout — most UAE sales are mobile, so a fast, frictionless checkout pays back directly in conversions.
Payment options — BNPL and COD measurably reduce abandonment in the UAE; skimping here costs sales.
Good hosting (for WooCommerce) — a slow store loses buyers no matter how nice it looks.

And where you can start lean and add later: advanced personalisation, loyalty programs, and ERP integration are worth deferring until volume justifies them. Building the essential store first and expanding it is almost always cheaper than an oversized first build. Starting lean also gives you real sales data to guide the next investment, so each addition is justified by what customers actually do, not by a feature list. That discipline keeps your total spend tied to results rather than guesses.

A realistic first-year budget

The build fee is only part of what you spend to get a store live and running for a year. Here is a worked example for a typical semi-custom bilingual store, so you can size the full commitment rather than just the build line.

Item	One-off (AED)	Year 1 (AED)
Semi-custom store build	35,000	—
Ecommerce trade licence	—	8,000
Two gateways (one card, one BNPL)	3,500	—
VPS hosting	—	1,500
Maintenance (~12% of build)	—	4,200
Product photography and content	4,000	—
5% VAT on applicable items	—	~2,300
Approximate year-one total	~AED 58,000

The numbers move with your choices. A Shopify build lowers the upfront and hosting lines but adds a monthly platform fee and per-sale charges, while a basic store can bring the total to well under half this. The point is to plan for the whole picture, not just the quote. For where this sits against non-store builds, see how much a website costs in Dubai.

Costs that catch UAE store owners out

Product content — photography, descriptions, and specs for a large catalogue take real time or money. A cheap quote usually assumes you supply all of it.
Gateway monthly and per-transaction fees — beyond setup, most UAE gateways charge a monthly fee plus a percentage of each sale. Read the payment gateways for UAE online stores breakdown before you commit.
Courier and logistics integration — connecting to a courier for label printing, tracking, and COD reconciliation is often a separate integration, not a checkbox.
SMS and OTP costs — order updates and login OTPs are usually billed per message.
VAT-inclusive pricing display — UAE stores must show VAT-inclusive prices correctly, which is a configuration and testing task, not an afterthought.

None of these is large on its own, but together they explain why a store that "just needs a checkout" ends up costing more than expected. Budget for them upfront and there are no surprises later.