Cost guide
How much does an e-commerce website cost in Malaysia?
By Pali (Wan Muhamad Fadzli), product builder, Penang.
Last updated
A custom e-commerce website from Pali starts from RM 3,450 in Malaysia, including a CMS website, custom-store scope and online payment. Product count, shipping rules, account areas, bilingual content, data migration and integrations change the total. Use the calculator for your range, then confirm the scope and fixed quote through a Discovery Sprint.
What does an e-commerce website cost in Malaysia?
Pali’s published starting point for a custom e-commerce website is RM 3,450. It combines a website with CMS, the custom-store scope and online payment. The calculator adjusts that starting point for your catalogue, content, design, languages, migration and connections.
| Store option | Best when | Price approach | Starting timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom e-commerce website | Your store needs tailored catalogue, checkout or business rules | Starts from RM 3,450 | 5 weeks |
| Shopify store | Standard commerce features and Shopify’s platform fit the operation | Priced by scope | Shown by the calculator |
| Custom web app with commerce | Selling depends on logins, approvals or workflows beyond a normal store | Starts from RM 4,500, plus relevant connections | 5 weeks, plus added scope |
What changes the cost of an online store?
- Catalogue. More products, variants, categories and filters add content structure, migration and testing.
- Checkout and shipping. Delivery areas, collection, shipping rules and payment flows change the work behind each order.
- Customer accounts. Saved addresses, order history, approvals and different user roles add application logic.
- Connections. WhatsApp adds RM 300; LHDN e-invoice adds RM 750; other systems are priced by scope.
- Languages. English and Bahasa Malaysia together add 15%.
- Design and timeline. Custom design adds 20%, while delivery faster than the normal plan adds 25%.
Should I use Shopify or build a custom e-commerce website?
Choose Shopify when its catalogue, checkout, promotions and fulfilment model already match how you sell. It can be the smaller route because the commerce platform is already built, although platform and app fees continue after launch.
Choose a custom store when the buying flow is specific to your operation, for example:
- products need unusual configuration or pricing rules;
- orders require approval before payment or fulfilment;
- customer roles see different catalogues or account areas;
- orders must connect to internal records, invoicing or reporting.
If the store mainly presents products and takes payment, read the website cost guide. If it needs substantial logins, data and workflows, compare it with the app development cost guide.
What costs continue after an e-commerce website launches?
Plan for costs outside the build:
- hosting, domains and platform subscriptions;
- payment gateway and transaction fees;
- paid plugins or third-party services;
- messaging, shipping and other connected services;
- monitoring, security updates, fixes and new features.
These costs stay on accounts you own and are paid by you at cost where possible. The build includes a free 30-day launch warranty for bugs in the delivered scope. Stores generally need Maintain at RM 450 a month rather than Site Care because checkout and integrations have more moving parts.
How long does an e-commerce website take to build?
The custom-store starting scope takes about 5 weeks. A large catalogue, product migration, bilingual content, custom account areas and several integrations add time. A working demo at each milestone lets you test the catalogue and buying flow before launch.
How do I get an accurate e-commerce website quote?
- Open the website cost calculator, choose an online store and add the real pages, content and connections.
- Book the one-week Discovery Sprint (RM 300) to map the catalogue, checkout, shipping, accounts and integrations.
- Build in milestones after the scope and fixed quote are agreed.
See how fixed-scope website and app development works before you start.