Migrating an ecommerce store to Shopify or BigCommerce typically costs $2,000–$10,000 for a small store with under 500 products, $10,000–$40,000 for a mid-size store, and $40,000–$150,000+ for large or heavily customized catalogs. 1Digital Agency builds and migrates websites, and the figures below show what drives the price so you can budget accurately.
Ecommerce Migration Cost by Store Size
| Store size | Typical budget | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Small (under 500 products, standard theme) | $2,000–$10,000 | 3–6 weeks |
| Mid-size (500–10,000 products, custom design, several integrations) | $10,000–$40,000 | 6–14 weeks |
| Large (10,000+ products, custom features, ERP or multi-store) | $40,000–$150,000+ | 3–6+ months |
These are ranges, not quotes. Your final number depends on the factors below.
What Drives the Price
- Product and customer data volume. Moving 200 products is simple. Moving 20,000 products with variants, metafields, and years of order history takes mapping, testing, and cleanup.
- Design approach. A configured premium theme costs far less than a fully custom storefront. Custom design is often the largest single line item.
- Integrations. Payment gateways, shipping, accounting, inventory, email marketing, and reviews each need setup and testing.
- Custom functionality. Bundles, wholesale pricing, subscriptions, and product configurators add development hours.
- Data quality. Messy SKUs, duplicate customers, and inconsistent categories need cleaning before import.
- SEO and URL handling. Redirecting old URLs protects your rankings. Skipping it is the most expensive mistake you can make.
Shopify vs BigCommerce: Migration Cost Differences
The migration labor costs are similar on both platforms. The differences show up in platform fees and architecture.
- Monthly plans. Both charge tiered subscriptions, so budget for the plan that matches your sales volume and check each platform's current pricing page.
- Built-in features. BigCommerce includes more native B2B and multi-variant capability, which can reduce app spend. Shopify relies more on its app ecosystem, which adds monthly app fees.
- Theme and app ecosystem. Shopify has a larger marketplace, which makes quick launches cheaper. Custom needs may favor either platform depending on the feature.
- Checkout customization. Depth of checkout control varies by plan and platform, and it affects development scope.
- Transaction fees. Using a third-party payment gateway can add fees on some plans. Factor this into ongoing costs.
The Costs People Forget
The migration invoice is not the whole bill. Plan for these:
- Paid apps to replace features your old platform included, often $50–$500 per month combined.
- Overlap period. You may pay for both platforms for 1–2 months during testing and cutover.
- Content work. Product descriptions, images, and policy pages often need updating for the new templates.
- Staff training on the new admin so your team is productive on day one.
- Post-launch fixes. Reserve 10–15% of your budget for issues found after real customers use the site.
How 1Digital Agency Fits
1Digital Agency designs and builds websites, and that is where it fits a migration project: planning the new store structure, building the front end, and getting the site ready to launch. When you scope your project, ask any provider for a line-by-line estimate covering data migration, design, integrations, redirects, and testing. A single lump sum hides where your money goes.
How to Keep Your Migration Budget Under Control
- Audit your catalog first. Delete discontinued products and merge duplicates before moving anything.
- Start with a proven theme. Launch on a configured theme, then invest in custom design after you see real traffic data.
- List must-have integrations. Separate essentials from nice-to-haves and phase the second group.
- Export a redirect map. Record every current URL that earns traffic or links.
- Launch outside peak season. Avoid cutover in your busiest sales weeks.
Ecommerce Migration Cost FAQ
How much does it cost to migrate to Shopify?
Small stores generally cost $2,000–$10,000, mid-size stores $10,000–$40,000, and large custom builds $40,000 or more. Product count, design customization, and integrations decide where you land.
Is BigCommerce cheaper to migrate to than Shopify?
Not by a consistent margin. Migration labor is comparable on both. BigCommerce can lower ongoing app costs because more features are built in, while Shopify can lower launch costs thanks to its large theme and app marketplace.
How long does an ecommerce migration take?
Small stores take 3–6 weeks, mid-size stores 6–14 weeks, and large or custom stores 3–6 months or more. Data cleanup and integration testing are the most common causes of delay.