Two agencies can quote the same Shopify migration at $5,000 and $75,000. Both can be correct. They’re not quoting the same scope — they’re interpreting the same migration brief at different levels of completeness. Understanding what drives migration cost is the only way to evaluate quotes accurately and avoid the change-order trap.
Key Takeaways
- A “data move” (CSV export/import) costs $500–$3,000. A full migration (data + redirects + theme + integrations + QA) costs $5,000–$100,000+.
- The six cost drivers: catalog complexity, theme scope, integrations, SEO redirect volume, data cleanup, and custom functionality rebuild.
- Low quotes get padded with change orders. A $5,000 quote that requires $30,000 in change orders costs more than a $25,000 upfront quote that covers the actual scope.
- Assess your complexity tier before getting quotes — it changes your negotiating position entirely.
The Scope Interpretation Problem: Why Quotes Vary 10–20x
The same project — “migrate our WooCommerce store to Shopify, 800 products” — can generate quotes from $4,000 to $80,000. The quotes aren’t wrong. They’re describing different things.
”Data Move” vs. Full Migration: What’s the Difference
A data move is: export products from the old platform, import into Shopify, done. The store exists. It functions. Nothing else was done.
A full migration is: data move + URL mapping and 301 redirect setup + SEO metadata migration + Shopify theme setup or custom build + integration rewiring (email, analytics, payment, 3PL) + QA testing + post-launch support.
The data move is a weekend project. The full migration is a business infrastructure project. Agencies that quote low are quoting the data move. The rest becomes change orders.
What the $5,000 Quote Includes vs. the $75,000 Quote
A $5,000 Shopify migration quote typically covers:
- Product CSV export and import
- Basic theme activation (stock theme, minimal configuration)
- Payment gateway setup
- Basic shipping configuration
It does not cover: 301 redirect mapping, SEO metadata migration, custom theme development, integration configuration (Klaviyo, GA4, Meta Pixel, 3PL), data cleanup, custom functionality rebuild, post-launch support, or QA beyond basic checkout testing.
A $75,000 Shopify migration quote covers all of those things, for a complex catalog from a platform like Magento with multiple integrations and a custom theme build.
The Change Order Trap: Low Quotes, Expensive Afterthoughts
Low quotes get padded with change orders after signing. The mechanism:
- Agency quotes $8,000 for “Shopify migration”
- Client signs assuming this includes redirects, theme, and integrations
- Development starts, scope gaps become apparent
- Agency presents change orders: $3,500 for redirect mapping, $4,000 for theme configuration, $2,500 for Klaviyo integration
- Total project cost: $18,000
The client would have paid $14,000–$18,000 with an honest upfront quote. Instead, they’re surprised at $18,000 and feel the agency misled them — because the agency did.
The protection: demand a detailed scope document before signing. Any competent agency can produce a line-item scope. If they can’t or won’t, their quote is a placeholder, not a commitment.
The 6 Primary Cost Drivers for Any Shopify Migration
Cost Driver 1 — Catalog Complexity: Product Count, Variants, Custom Fields
More products = more migration work. But product count is not the only complexity factor.
Variant complexity: Products with many variants (approaching or exceeding Shopify’s 100-variant limit) require app-based solutions or custom logic. Each product with over 100 variants is a scope item.
Custom fields: Products with extensive custom attributes (technical specifications, certifications, configurable options) require metafield mapping in Shopify. This adds time to the data migration phase.
Data quality: 20–40% of product catalogs have data quality issues that require manual cleanup before import — blank required fields, inconsistent formatting, duplicate records. Data cleanup is billable work most agencies don’t include in initial quotes.
Impact on cost: low-complexity catalog (under 500 clean products, standard variants) adds $2,000–$5,000 to migration cost. High-complexity catalog (1,000+ products, custom fields, variant issues) adds $8,000–$20,000.
Cost Driver 2 — Theme and Design: Pre-Built vs. Custom Rebuild
Your old store’s theme does not migrate to Shopify. You’re starting fresh with either:
- Shopify’s free Dawn theme (fastest, lowest cost, functional but not brand-distinctive)
- A premium Shopify theme ($150–$350, more design variety, still template-based)
- Custom Shopify theme development (unique layouts, brand-specific sections, $5,000–$25,000)
The design scope is often the largest cost variable in a migration budget. A “migration” that becomes a complete rebrand and store redesign is a different project than a “migration” that maintains the existing design logic in a new Shopify theme.
Cost Driver 3 — Integrations: ERP, 3PL, PIM, Subscription Platforms
Each third-party system integration is a separate development task:
- Email marketing (Klaviyo, Omnisend): 2–4 hours if native integration, more if custom configuration
- Analytics (GA4, Meta Pixel, Google Ads): 2–4 hours
- 3PL with API integration: 8–20 hours
- ERP (NetSuite, SAP): 20–80 hours depending on data sync requirements
- Subscription platform (Recharge, Skio): 4–12 hours
- PIM system: 20–60 hours depending on bidirectionality requirements
A migration with 3–4 integrations adds $3,000–$10,000 to the project. A migration with ERP integration adds $8,000–$30,000.
Cost Driver 4 — SEO Preservation: Redirect Volume and Complexity
301 redirect setup is mandatory for any store with organic traffic. The cost depends on:
- URL count: 200 redirects vs. 2,000 redirects is 10x the mapping time
- Source platform URL structure: WooCommerce URLs are simpler to map than Magento’s category-prefixed,
.html-suffixed URLs - SEO audit scope: pre-migration audit of top-performing pages adds cost but prevents traffic loss
Budget $1,500–$5,000 for redirect work depending on catalog and indexed page count.
Cost Driver 5 — Data Cleanup: % of Bad Data That Needs Manual Work
20–40% of e-commerce catalogs have data quality issues that prevent clean import. Issues include:
- HTML formatting errors in product descriptions (Shopify renders these literally)
- Missing required fields (SKU, weight, dimensions for shipping calculations)
- Duplicate products or product records
- Image URLs that are broken or hosted on a deprecated domain
- Inconsistent category assignments
Data cleanup is unglamorous, time-consuming work. Budget $500–$3,000 for a typical catalog, more for large or historically messy databases.
Cost Driver 6 — Custom Functionality: What Was Built on the Old Platform That Needs Rebuilding
The most expensive and most underestimated cost driver. Custom functionality built in WooCommerce plugins or Magento extensions doesn’t migrate — it needs to be rebuilt in Shopify’s architecture.
Examples:
- Custom B2B pricing logic: variable pricing by customer group — requires Shopify Functions (Shopify Plus) or a B2B app
- Complex shipping calculator: carrier rate API integration — requires a shipping app or custom middleware
- Product configurator: custom options with price modification — requires Infinite Options or custom development
- Wholesale portal: requires Shopify’s B2B features (Plus) or a third-party wholesale app
- Custom loyalty program: deep purchase history integration — may require custom app development
Identify every custom function before scoping. Each one is a separate line item.
A pet supply brand migrating from Magento had 14 custom extensions identified during our discovery phase. Five were replaceable with Shopify apps (total app cost: $180/month). Four were replaceable with native Shopify features (no cost). Three required custom development (total: $12,000). Two were determined to be vestigial — they were originally built for a promotional campaign in 2021 and hadn’t been used since. That extension audit alone saved the client $8,000 in unnecessary rebuild work and three weeks of development time.
Shopify Migration Cost Tiers
Simple Migration: $2,500–$8,000
Profile:
- Small catalog: under 500 products, standard variants
- Source platform: Wix, Squarespace, or WooCommerce with limited customization
- No ERP or complex integrations
- Pre-built Shopify theme (Dawn or premium theme, no custom design)
- Clean data requiring minimal cleanup
- SEO: under 1,000 redirects
What’s included: Data migration, basic theme configuration, payment setup, shipping setup, 301 redirect mapping, SEO metadata migration, basic app configuration (email, analytics), QA, post-launch support window.
Our small migration package is $2,500 for stores under 500 products.
Mid-Market Migration: $8,000–$30,000
Profile:
- Medium catalog: 500–5,000 products
- Source platform: WooCommerce with custom plugins, or Shopify-to-Shopify (account/theme change)
- 2–4 integrations (email, analytics, basic 3PL)
- Some custom design requirements
- Data cleanup needed
- SEO: 1,000–5,000 redirects
What’s included: Everything in simple migration + custom theme sections, integration configuration, data cleanup, more extensive QA.
Our complex migration package is $5,000 for stores up to 2,000 products.
Complex Migration: $25,000–$250,000+
Profile:
- Large or complex catalog: 2,000+ products, high-variant products
- Source platform: Magento, custom/proprietary platform, or heavily customized WooCommerce
- Multiple integrations including ERP and/or 3PL
- Full custom theme build
- Significant data cleanup
- B2B functionality, multi-language/currency, or custom app requirements
What’s included: Full pre-migration audit, custom theme build, data migration with cleanup, all integration rebuilds, complete redirect mapping and SEO audit, extensive QA, post-launch monitoring.
Cost by Source Platform
Platform complexity affects migration cost:
| Source Platform | Typical Cost Range |
|---|---|
| Wix or Squarespace to Shopify | $2,500–$15,000 |
| WooCommerce to Shopify | $5,000–$30,000 |
| BigCommerce to Shopify | $5,000–$25,000 |
| Magento Open Source to Shopify | $25,000–$100,000 |
| Adobe Commerce Cloud to Shopify | $40,000–$250,000+ |
| Custom/Proprietary platform | $25,000–$150,000 |
The higher cost for WooCommerce versus Wix is primarily driven by more complex plugin functionality requiring replacement, more extensive PHP-based custom code to audit, and typically larger catalogs with more complex data structures.
The Hidden Costs Most Quotes Miss
Even in accurate, comprehensive quotes, these items are frequently underestimated:
- Data cleanup labor: quoted at 10 hours, takes 25 hours. A line item that should be scoped after a data quality audit.
- Post-launch bug fixing: 78% of stores need at least one critical fix within 7 days. Budget $500–$2,000 for the first 30 days.
- SEO recovery monitoring: ongoing Search Console monitoring costs 2–4 hours/month for the first 6 weeks post-launch.
- Staff retraining: your team switching from WooCommerce or Magento to Shopify admin requires training time. Budget 4–8 hours for a small team.
- App stack configuration: setting up Klaviyo, GA4, Meta Pixel, and other tools to work correctly in Shopify takes time beyond basic installation.
How to Get an Accurate Quote
The Self-Assessment: Rate Your Migration Complexity Before Calling Agencies
Before contacting any agency, document:
- Your product count and variant structure (any products near or over 100 variants per product?)
- Your current integrations list (what tools is your store connected to?)
- Your custom functionality (what does your store do that can’t be done with standard Shopify?)
- Your SEO importance (how much organic traffic do you have? How many indexed pages?)
- Your design requirements (maintain current look, or full redesign?)
This document gives agencies a basis for accurate scoping instead of best-guess quoting.
What to Include in Your RFP
A complete migration brief includes:
- Current platform and version
- Product count and complexity summary
- Full integrations list
- Custom functionality description with screenshots or links
- Design direction (maintain, refresh, or full rebrand)
- Launch target date
- Post-launch support requirements
- Budget range (ranges help agencies scope appropriately rather than shooting high)
Red Flags in a Quote
- No line items — a lump sum with no breakdown
- No mention of 301 redirects as a separate deliverable
- No mention of SEO metadata migration
- No defined post-launch support scope
- Delivered within 24 hours of inquiry without any discovery conversation
- Below-market pricing for your stated scope (more than 30% below comparable quotes)
Want transparent migration pricing? Our Shopify migration packages publish exact pricing by complexity tier. Our Shopify agency scopes accurately before quoting. For the WooCommerce to Shopify migration specifically, our full migration guide covers what the process looks like end-to-end.
Conclusion
Migration cost varies because migration scope varies — and most agencies let the scope ambiguity work in their favor, not yours.
The merchants who get accurate quotes and avoid change-order surprises do two things:
- Document their complexity tier thoroughly before contacting agencies
- Demand line-item scope documents before signing
A $25,000 quote with a complete scope is better than a $10,000 quote that becomes $25,000 in change orders. The final cost is the same. The process is dramatically different. Once you have an accurate quote and are ready to proceed, use our Shopify migration checklist to ensure every phase is executed in the correct sequence.
Ready to get an accurate Shopify migration quote? See our migration packages with transparent pricing →
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the average cost to migrate to Shopify?
Average cost depends heavily on complexity tier. Simple migrations (Wix/Squarespace, under 500 products, basic theme): $2,500–$8,000. Mid-market migrations (WooCommerce, 500–2,000 products, some integrations): $8,000–$30,000. Complex migrations (Magento, ERP, custom functionality): $25,000–$250,000+. Our published prices: $2,500 (small) and $5,000 (complex) for migrations we scope as fitting those tiers.
Does migration cost include the Shopify build?
Depends on the scope agreement. A migration that includes only data transfer, redirects, and a pre-built theme configuration includes minimal design work. A migration that includes a custom Shopify theme build is a migration + build, and the build cost is additive. Clarify this explicitly in any scope document.
Can I migrate to Shopify cheaply and upgrade later?
You can do a minimal data migration cheaply ($500–$2,000 with tools like LitExtension), but this leaves you with a non-optimized store — missing redirects, default theme, no integration configuration, no SEO metadata. The savings upfront are typically spent later on fixes, plus you absorb the traffic loss from missed redirects. A properly done migration costs more upfront and performs significantly better.
How do I know if a migration quote is reasonable?
Compare against complexity tier benchmarks. Get 3 quotes. Any quote more than 30% below other quotes warrants a scope review — ask specifically what’s not included. Request line-item scope documents from all agencies. The agency that can produce the most detailed scope document is typically the one that has done the most migrations.
What’s included in a $10,000 Shopify migration?
At $10,000, a professional migration should include: complete data migration (products, customers, orders), 301 redirect mapping for all indexed URLs, SEO metadata migration, Shopify theme configuration (pre-built or heavily customized premium theme), payment and shipping setup, 3–4 standard integration configurations (email, analytics, Meta Pixel), QA testing, and a 2–4 week post-launch support window.