The verdict in three sentences
For a professional kitchen equipment manufacturer in Amsterdam opening online sales to its dealers, the 3-year TCO lands, as a 2026 order of magnitude, between 125,000 and 180,000 EUR on Shopify Plus B2B, between 100,000 and 225,000 EUR on Sylius and between 115,000 and 260,000 EUR for a custom build. The gaps come less from the starting price than from the subscription, third-party apps and ongoing maintenance. The right choice depends mostly on how complex your dealer rules are: contract pricing, configurator, spare parts and ERP integration.
What each option costs over 3 years
Figures below assume 2,500 SKUs, 250 active dealers, per-dealer price lists and ERP synchronisation. They are 2026 market estimates for agencies in the Netherlands, which sit in the same range as agencies in Lyon.
| Item (3 years) | Shopify Plus B2B | Sylius (open source) | Custom build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup and integration | 20,000 to 50,000 EUR | 40,000 to 90,000 EUR | 60,000 to 140,000 EUR |
| Platform subscription | from 2,300 USD per month, about 76,000 EUR | 0 (Plus edition on quote) | 0 |
| Hosting | included | 600 to 1,500 EUR per month, or 21,600 to 54,000 EUR | 300 to 800 EUR per month, or 10,800 to 28,800 EUR |
| Third-party apps | 300 to 800 EUR per month, or 10,800 to 28,800 EUR | one-off plugins, 2,000 to 8,000 EUR | 0 |
| Maintenance and changes | 500 to 700 EUR per month, or 18,000 to 25,200 EUR | 1,000 to 2,000 EUR per month, or 36,000 to 72,000 EUR | 1,200 to 2,500 EUR per month, or 43,200 to 90,000 EUR |
| Estimated 3-year TCO | 125,000 to 180,000 EUR | 100,000 to 225,000 EUR | 115,000 to 260,000 EUR |
Shopify Plus is billed in dollars with a term commitment, and the base fee rises with sales volume above a threshold. Sylius has no subscription, but serious Symfony hosting and maintenance are a must.
What each platform handles well, and poorly
| B2B need | Shopify Plus B2B | Sylius | Custom build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company accounts with several buyers | Native | Native with Sylius Plus or custom work | To be built |
| Per-dealer price lists | Native (price lists) | 1 to 3 weeks of development | To be built |
| Payment terms and credit | Native payment terms, limited credit control | To be built | To be built, no limits |
| Product configurator (sizes, options) | Third-party app or heavy custom work | Development | Native to the project |
| Spare parts catalogue by serial number | Hard | Possible | Native |
| Two-way ERP sync | Via connector or middleware | Via Symfony API | Unrestricted |
| Vendor lock-in | High | Low | None, code handed over |
Rule of thumb: if 80 % of your needs fit Shopify B2B's native features, choose Shopify. If you have a configurator or a spare parts catalogue tied to serial numbers, Sylius or custom become competitive again, because Shopify apps and workarounds add up fast. For a tighter budget, Kolonell builds a high-complexity application for 7,000,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA (10,670 to 22,870+ EUR), with maintenance at 120,000 FCFA per month (180 EUR), as a remote team.
Mini case study
Sanne, sales director at a professional kitchen equipment manufacturer near Amsterdam, targets 3,000,000 EUR of online revenue with 250 dealers by year three. Her key need: a catalogue of 1,200 spare parts filtered by machine serial number.
On Shopify Plus, that filter needs a paid app plus custom work: she estimates TCO at 165,000 EUR, or 5.5 % of cumulative online revenue over 3 years (assuming 1,000,000 EUR in year 1, 2,000,000 EUR in year 2 and 3,000,000 EUR in year 3). On Sylius, the same scope comes to 150,000 EUR, or 5 %, with code she controls. The 15,000 EUR gap and freedom over the configurator tip the decision towards Sylius.
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FAQ
Is Shopify Plus right for a manufacturer that sells only B2B?
Yes, now that native B2B features (company accounts, price lists, payment terms) are included in Plus. It becomes limiting once rules exceed a dozen special cases per dealer.
Is Sylius here to stay?
Sylius is a French open source framework built on Symfony, backed by a company and an active community. The risk lies more with the agency: pick one with at least 3 Sylius projects in production.
Why is custom not always the most expensive?
Because there is no subscription and no third-party apps. Over 3 years, an 80,000 EUR project with 1,200 EUR of monthly maintenance and 300 EUR of hosting comes to about 134,000 EUR, within the Shopify range.
How long to launch?
As an order of magnitude: 8 to 12 weeks on Shopify Plus, 12 to 16 weeks on Sylius and 14 to 20 weeks for custom, ERP connector included.
Can we migrate later?
Yes, but a migration often costs 30 to 50 % of the original project. It is better to price the 3-year TCO upfront than to switch platforms after 18 months.
Let's scope your project. Send us your dealer count, pricing rules and ERP, and we will compare Shopify, Sylius and a Kolonell e-commerce store or custom application against your own TCO. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
