Ecommerce Website Builder Fees: Transaction, App and Plan Costs

Ecommerce website builder fees are the charges you pay to run an online shop beyond the headline plan: payment processing on each sale, any extra transaction fee the platform adds, paid apps and themes, and the domain. Payment providers also deduct costs such as currency conversion and disputes, so the true cost is the yearly total, not the monthly price.

• Stripe's documentation lists more than 50 balance transaction types, with separate entries for Stripe fees, currency conversion fees and tax on fees (Stripe Docs).
• The PCI Security Standards Council published self assessment questionnaires for PCI DSS v4.0.1 on 15 October 2024, naming 4 types for merchants (PCI Security Standards Council).
• UK online sellers must show the total price and delivery cost before an order, and buyers can cancel within 14 days of delivery (GOV.UK).
• On AI Web Maker, building and previewing costs nothing, going live is $119 a year of hosting and Store Manager sales carry no platform fee; the domain is extra and AI edits cost about $0.65 a credit.

What fees do ecommerce website builders charge?

Ecommerce website builders charge a plan fee, and many add costs for transactions, apps, themes and extra features. Payment providers charge separately on every sale.

The table below sets out the usual fee types, who charges them and when they appear. Exact rates change often and differ by country, plan and payment method, so check each provider's current pricing page and documentation rather than relying on figures quoted elsewhere. What matters is knowing which lines to look for.

Fee type	Who charges it	When it appears
Plan or subscription	The builder	Every month or year, often higher for more features
Payment processing	The payment provider	On every successful payment
Platform transaction fee	Some builders	On each sale, often only with an outside payment provider
Currency conversion	The payment provider	When the buyer pays in a different currency
Disputes and chargebacks	The payment provider	When a buyer disputes a charge with their bank
Apps and add-ons	App makers or the builder	Monthly, or per use, for each extra feature
Premium themes	Theme makers	Usually once, sometimes with yearly renewals
Domain and email	Registrar or email provider	Every year for the domain; monthly or yearly for email

Reading the table as a checklist is the simplest way to avoid surprises. For each platform you are considering, write down whether each line applies and how it is charged. A plan that looks cheap can become expensive once transaction fees and two or three apps are added.

How do transaction fees differ from payment processing fees?

Payment processing fees go to the company that moves the money; platform transaction fees go to the builder on top of that. Some shops pay both on the same sale.

Every card or wallet payment costs something to process, because the payment provider, card networks and banks all take a share. That fee is usually a percentage of the sale, sometimes plus a fixed amount per transaction, and it applies whichever builder you use. It is the one fee you cannot avoid if you take card payments online.

A platform transaction fee is different. Some builders charge their own fee on each sale, often when you choose an outside payment provider instead of the builder's preferred one. Before you choose a plan, check the help pages for wording such as "third party transaction fee" and find out whether a higher plan removes or reduces it.

The two fees together decide how much of each sale you keep. On a shop with many low priced orders, a small fee per transaction can matter more than the plan price, so work out the total on a realistic month of orders rather than a single sale. A simple spreadsheet with one row per fee type is enough.

Which other payment costs reduce what you receive?

Currency conversion, disputes, refunds, tax on fees and payout timing can all reduce or delay the money that reaches your bank. They are easy to miss because they do not appear on the builder's pricing page.

Stripe's documentation on balance transactions shows how many separate movements sit behind a payment. A new payment first appears as a pending balance less any Stripe fees, and becomes available later depending on your market and payment method. Separate entries exist for currency conversion fees, for taxes charged on Stripe's own fees and for fees on extra services.

Disputes are the cost owners notice last. When a buyer disputes a charge, Stripe deducts the disputed amount from your balance, and returns it only if you win. Clear product descriptions, honest delivery times and a visible returns policy reduce the number of disputes far more than any setting in the builder.

Refunds and reserves also affect cash flow. A refund moves money back to the buyer, and a provider may hold part of your balance in reserve to manage risk. Ask each provider how refunds, reserves and payout schedules work before you launch, so a quiet week does not surprise you.

What do apps, themes and add-ons add to the bill?

Apps, premium themes and add-ons can add a monthly charge for each extra feature. Features such as reviews, subscriptions, advanced delivery rules or abandoned basket emails are often sold this way.

Builders with app stores give you flexibility, but each app usually has its own price and its own billing cycle. A shop that installs five or six small apps can find that they cost more together than the plan itself. List the features you need on day one, then check which are included in the plan and which need an app.

Themes follow a similar pattern. Many builders offer a range of included designs and sell premium themes from outside designers. A premium theme can be worth it, but check whether it needs paid updates and whether it works with the apps you plan to install.

Which costs sit outside the builder's plan?

The domain, business email, payment security duties and any professional help usually sit outside the plan. Add them to your yearly total from the start.

A domain is renewed every year with a registrar, so check whether a plan includes one and for how long. Business email on your own domain is often a separate subscription per mailbox. Both are small compared with the cost of a broken checkout, but they recur every year and are easy to forget.

Card security also carries duties. Merchants that take card payments fall under the PCI Data Security Standard, and the Council publishes several self assessment questionnaires depending on how payments are taken. Using a hosted checkout or payment page from an established provider keeps card details off your own website, which usually makes those duties lighter.

Legal pages, accounting software and any help you pay for with setup or photos complete the picture. None of them are builder fees, but they are part of what it costs to run the shop. Count them once, at the start, so your margins reflect reality.

How do you compare the full yearly cost?

Compare platforms on a full year of realistic trading, not on the monthly plan price. Use the same order volume, order value and features for each one.

Start with the number of orders you expect in a typical month and the average value of each order. Apply each platform's processing and transaction fees to that month, then add the plan, the apps you need, the theme, the domain and email. Multiply by twelve and compare the totals side by side.

Then compare what each total buys you. A higher plan that removes a transaction fee and includes the features you would otherwise buy as apps may cost less overall. A cheaper option can still be the right choice if its limits do not affect how you sell.

Fees are only one part of choosing the best ai website builder for ecommerce, alongside the size of your catalogue, how buyers pay and how much stock you track. Weigh all four together. A platform that fits the way you sell usually ends up costing less than one you have to work around.

What does AI Web Maker charge?

Building and previewing a site on AI Web Maker costs nothing, going live is $119 a year of hosting, and the domain is paid separately. AI edits use credits at about $0.65 each, and there is no platform fee on sales.

AI Web Maker builds the website, with pages, sections, text and photos that you then edit, and its Store Manager adds products, a cart, checkout and orders. Buyers can check out as guests or with an account. Payments go through the shop's own Stripe or PayPal account, set up by pasting in its keys, so the costs on each sale are that provider's own fees.

That arrangement suits businesses that sell mainly through their own website and want the pages and the shop in one place. A business that must keep stock in step across marketplaces and a shop till, or apply complex tax rules in many countries, may be better served by a dedicated store engine, with its plan, transaction and app fees counted as described above. You can build and preview a site before deciding whether it fits.

Questions business owners ask about builder fees

Do all ecommerce website builders charge transaction fees?

No, not all of them do. Every card payment carries a processing fee from the payment provider, but only some builders add their own transaction fee on top, often depending on the plan or payment provider you choose.

Why is my payout lower than my sales total?

Your payout is your sales minus processing fees, any refunds, disputes and other deductions. Payment providers such as Stripe also hold new payments as pending for a period before they become available.

Are app fees charged monthly?

Many are, though some apps charge per use or once. Check each app's billing terms before installing it, and remove apps you no longer use so their charges stop.

Does AI Web Maker take a share of each sale?

No, AI Web Maker takes no platform fee on sales made through Store Manager. Payments go to the shop's own Stripe or PayPal account, which charges its own fees, and going live is $119 a year of hosting with the domain paid separately.

Should I pay yearly or monthly for a builder plan?

Pay monthly while you test whether a platform suits you, then consider a yearly plan once you are sure. Check the cancellation and refund terms before committing to a full year.

Reading the pricing page with care

The plan price is the first line of the bill, not the total.

Before you choose a platform, list every fee type in the table above, mark which ones apply and estimate a full year of realistic trading. Include payment processing, any platform transaction fee, apps, themes, the domain and email. Compare the totals, not the headline prices.

Then read the documentation, not only the marketing page. Payment providers explain fees, disputes and payouts in their help pages, and builders explain their transaction fees and plan limits in the same way. A few minutes spent there protects your margin on every sale you make.