The short answer
A freelancer in Kenya charges about Sh 60,000 to Sh 150,000 to build an online store with M-Pesa, going by rates published in 2026. At Anza Studios in Nairobi an online store starts at Sh 165,000 and is live in 3 weeks, with the price fixed in writing before work starts. After launch you pay Safaricom's merchant charge on M-Pesa sales, which is free up to Sh 500 and then 0.55% capped at Sh 200, plus hosting and upkeep.
The cost of building the store
| Route | Build cost | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | Sh 60,000 to Sh 150,000 1 | Published rate for an e-commerce site with M-Pesa integration |
| Anza Studios | From Sh 165,000 | Live in 3 weeks. The quote you get is the number you pay |
| Shopify | No build fee if you set it up yourself | A monthly plan and a fee on each M-Pesa sale instead. See Shopify or a custom store |
What the Anza Studios price includes
- Unlimited products, with variants such as sizes and colours
- M-Pesa checkout: the customer gets a payment prompt on their phone and enters their PIN
- Card checkout with Visa and Mastercard
- Stock that updates automatically when something sells
- An orders dashboard where you see every order and mark it fulfilled
- An automatic WhatsApp message and an email receipt to the customer
- Three rounds of design revisions and 30 days of free small edits after launch
It does not include delivery or courier logistics, a mobile app, or loyalty and discount systems. The full list is under online stores in Kenya.
What you keep paying after launch
| Cost | How much | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| M-Pesa merchant charge, Buy Goods Till | Free up to Sh 500 a sale. Above that, 0.55% of the sale, capped at Sh 200 2 | Safaricom |
| Hosting and upkeep | Care plan from Sh 12,500 a month for online stores, hosting included | Anza Studios, optional |
| Domain name ending .co.ke | About Sh 1,200 a year 3 | Your registrar |
On a sale of Sh 2,000 the M-Pesa charge is Sh 11. On a sale of Sh 40,000 it is the Sh 200 cap.
What pushes the price of a store up
- How many products need loading. Fifty products with photos and descriptions is real work. Have them ready by day three and the timeline holds.
- Anything beyond selling products. Bookings, subscriptions, loyalty points and discount engines are custom software, quoted separately from Sh 250,000.
- Design. A store drawn for your brand costs more than a bought theme with your logo on it.
Sources
- McTaba Labs, "Freelance developer rates in Kenya", updated 20 July 2026. mctaba.com
- The Standard, "Safaricom halves M-Pesa merchant fees in CBK-led move", 2 August 2026. Charges in effect from 7 August 2026. standardmedia.co.ke
- Hostiko, "How much does a website cost in Kenya in 2026", 16 April 2026. hostiko.co.ke
Third-party figures were read on 11 October 2026 and are those publishers' own numbers. Safaricom's full tariff is on its website. Anza Studios prices are our current starting prices.