Quick summary
In Saudi Arabia in 2026 there are three routes with very different economics: a ready platform (Salla or Zid) at an effective cost from SAR 3,000 a year including light customization, a full custom store at SAR 25,000 to 90,000, and a multi-vendor marketplace from SAR 90,000 upward. The three biggest cost drivers are not product count but external integrations, unusual selling logic, and content readiness. Our standing rule: a custom store on an inadequate budget is worse than a well-executed ready platform.
The real numbers
What frustrates most founders is that every quote differs with no visible reason. The reason is that vendors price different things under the same name. Here is what we actually see in the Saudi market:
| Route | Price range | Timeline | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ready platform + light customization | SAR 3,000 – 12,000 | Days to two weeks | Standard products, low-risk start |
| Ready platform + custom theme | SAR 8,000 – 25,000 | 2 – 4 weeks | Brands that need to look distinct |
| Full custom store | SAR 25,000 – 90,000 | 4 – 10 weeks | Unusual pricing, shipping or selling logic |
| Multi-vendor marketplace | SAR 90,000+ | 3 – 6 months | A market joining many sellers |
What actually drives the price
Product count is not a major factor — loading a thousand products takes roughly the same development as a hundred. The real drivers are integrations with accounting or shipping systems, non-standard selling logic such as quantity pricing or configurable products or subscriptions, and content readiness. Product photos and descriptions delay launches far more often than code does.
The monthly costs everyone forgets
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Hosting and database | SAR 150 – 800 per month |
| Payment gateway fees | A percentage per transaction plus a fixed fee |
| Maintenance and updates | Optional annual agreement |
| Marketing | The largest line — a store nobody knows about does not sell |
When a ready platform is smarter
The practical rule: if a ready platform covers 80% of your need, subscribe and adapt for the remaining 20%. Move to custom when you hit a real limit rather than an imagined one. The clearest signal is paying monthly for four or five plugins to cover gaps — that is the switching point.
We work on both routes: custom store development for those who genuinely need it, and Salla and Zid store development for those better served by extending the platform they already have.
