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How Much Does EKM Cost? EKM Pricing Explained
General Ecommerce Advice
EKM is one of the most well-known and used ecommerce platforms in the UK. And with all the essential features you need to build a complete ecommerce store in one tidy package, it's no surprise.
But how much does EKM cost? How do their different pricing plans work? And how can you decide which plan is best for you?
In this guide, we'll compare EKM's different plans to determine which one is right for you. We'll also look at the new transaction fees that came into effect on September 1st, 2022.
If you're considering different ecommerce platforms for your website, but are not sure which one to choose, you may also like to read our comparison review of Shopify, EKM and ShopWired.
Table of contents
What Does Each EKM Pricing Plan Include?
Which EKM Plan Is Best for My Business?
Help to Grow: Digital- Government Discount for EKM Users
EKM UK Pricing Explained
EKM's ecommerce platform has four main pricing plans: Lite, Basic, Standard and Advanced.
The Basic package contains all the essentials you need for building an ecommerce store from scratch, and it's good value at £34.99/ month. But it's important to note that the prices you see are excluding VAT at 20%, so you'll need to add this on. And when you factor in the new transaction fees that came into play on September 1st, 2022, the overall cost of using EKM begins to rise considerably.
Let's break down EKM's four main pricing plans to give you a better idea of what you'll pay for each.
EKM Lite Plan
EKM Subscription Fee: £19.99/ month (+ VAT at 20%)
Cheapest Payment Gateway Rate: 1.4% +20p
Additional Fees: Transaction fee of 2% (+ VAT)
EKM Basic Plan
EKM Subscription Fee: £34.99/ month (+ VAT)
Cheapest Payment Gateway Rate: 1.4% + 20p
Additional Fees: Transaction fee of 2% (+ VAT)
EKM Standard Plan
EKM Subscription Fee: £69.99/ month (+ VAT)
Cheapest Payment Gateway Rate: 1.4% + 20p
Additional Fees: Transaction fee of 1% (+ VAT)
EKM Advanced Plan
EKM Subscription Fee: £209.99/ month (+ VAT)
Cheapest Payment Gateway Rate: 1.4% + 20p
Additional Fees: Transaction fee of 0.5% (+ VAT)
EKM also offers a Pro package for businesses that want to outsource the building and maintenance of their ecommerce store to a team of EKM experts.
EKM Pro Plan
EKM Subscription Fee: £599.99/ month (+ VAT)
Cheapest Payment Gateway Rate: 1.4% + 20p
Additional Fees: Transaction fee of 0.5% (+ VAT)
What Does Each EKM Pricing Plan Include?
Let's take a closer look at the features and benefits of each EKM pricing plan:
EKM Lite Plan - £19.99/ month (+ VAT)
EKM's Lite plan is the cheapest on offer and provides all the essential tools you need to build an ecommerce store and start selling.
Alongside EKM's intuitive website building tools, you'll also get an SSL certificate, shop health reports and access to UK-based live chat support. That's a lot of features for a Lite package, especially compared to Shopify's equivalent Starter package which doesn't actually let you build a full ecommerce store.
The main drawbacks of EKM's Lite package are the £15k/ year turnover limit, lack of domain name and limited number of themes to choose from.
EKM Basic Plan - £34.99/ month (+ VAT)
EKM's Basic plan offers everything from the Lite plan but adds all of EKM's 70+ customisable themes, a 30-minute welcome call with an EKM Account Manager, customer support via phone, a blog creator and an increased turnover limit of £50k/ year.
You'll also get access to a basic version of EKM's 'Evolution' mode (we'll discuss this in more detail later on).
EKM Standard Plan - £69.99/ month (+ VAT)
The Standard plan includes everything from the Basic package but increases the turnover limit to £150k/ year, adds priority customer support, full website analytics, the ability to add five staff accounts and the full version of EKM's Evolution mode. You'll also get the help of a dedicated EKM Account Manager for six months, which is a significant improvement on the 30-minute call provided in the Basic package.
The Standard package costs double the Basic plan at £69.99, but it adds some key features to help build a successful ecommerce store.
EKM Advanced Plan - £209.99/ month (+ VAT)
EKM's Advanced plan includes all the features from the Standard plan but adds full-time access to a dedicated EKM Account Manager, trade discounts, 24/7 emergency support, a high-performance server and support for up to £1m/ year in sales. You can also add up to 15 staff accounts, which is ideal for larger enterprises.
At £209.99/ month (+ VAT), the Advanced plan is relatively expensive compared to the higher-end packages from other ecommerce platforms. For example, ShopWired's Premium package comes in at just £129.95/ month (+ VAT) and has better features.
Which EKM Plan Is Best for My Business?
Struggling to work out which plan is best for you?
Don't worry, we'll explore each package to help you weigh up the options.
Is the 'EKM Lite' plan for me?
EKM's Lite package provides excellent value at £19.99/ month (excluding VAT and fees). You'll get access to an all-in-one ecommerce store builder with support for an unlimited number of products, and that's without breaking the bank!
But with only £15k/ year in sales permitted and with a limited number of themes, the Lite package won't be enough for merchants with higher sales projections or for those who want to create a unique-looking store.
The Lite plan is great for merchants who:
- Want to get started in ecommerce with an affordable option.
- Want to build their own store from scratch.
- Make less than £15k/ year in sales.
- Aren't worried about their store looking the same as other merchants.
Is the 'EKM Basic' plan for me?
EKM's Basic package provides good value for money. For just £34.99/ month (+ VAT), you'll have access to the same all-in-one ecommerce builder, but you now get over 70 customisable themes to choose from and an increased turnover limit of £50k/ year.
The blog creator tool itself arguably provides enough extra value to justify the price of the Basic plan. With some exciting content and a sprinkle of SEO magic, your shiny new blog has the potential to drive traffic to your ecommerce store and increase sales.
You also get a basic version of EKM's 'Evolution Mode' with the Basic plan (we explain what this is in the next section).
The Basic plan is great for merchants who:
- Need a fast and reliable ecommerce store builder without breaking the bank.
- Are a smaller business with projected sales of less than £50k/ year.
- Want to make a blog to boost SEO and drive traffic.
- Want to dip their toes into ecommerce before upgrading to a more expensive package.
- Don't need access to website analytics and 24/7 support.
Is the 'EKM Standard' plan for me?
The Standard plan is aimed at merchants with higher sales figures or growth projections that go beyond £50k/ year in sales.
With this plan, you'll also receive priority support via phone and live chat, as well as full website analytics to track the ongoing performance of your store and make improvements. These features are crucial for merchants who are serious about running a successful ecommerce business.
The Standard plan also includes the full version of EKM's 'Evolution Mode.' This feature sees a team of EKM experts periodically scan your website to make key optimisations and updates. Broken links? Old banners and logos? Slow loading times? Out-of-stock inventory? Evolution Mode handles it for you. All you have to do is get in touch and request it. The Standard plan gives you one Evolution Mode request per year.
(In the Basic version of Evolution Mode, the team won't perform the fixes, but they'll notify you of their findings).
The Standard plan is great for merchants who:
- Are more established and need access to more in-depth features.
- Are projecting yearly sales of over £50k.
- Need analytics to gain deeper insights and a competitive edge over competitors.
- Need priority support options.
If you're unsure whether the Standard plan is for you, EKM offers a six-month money-back guarantee for all plans above Basic. You can find out more here.
Is the 'EKM Advanced' plan for me?
The Advanced plan is best for established merchants who make over £150k/ year in sales.
Merchants on EKM's Advanced plan receive all the features of the Standard package but now enjoy 24/7 support, trade accounts, API access and full-time access to an EKM Account Manager. Advanced plan users can also request an Evolution Mode check once every month.
Many of EKM's Advanced plan users are established businesses that have migrated from other ecommerce platforms.
The Advanced plan is great for merchants who:
- Are already established and expect to make over £150k/ year in sales.
- Need 24/7 emergency support options.
- Need a high-performance server.
- Require ongoing support from an expert Account Manager.
- Need to set up trade discounts for bulk buys and wholesalers.
What about the Pro plan?
The Pro plan is different to the other packages in that a team of EKM experts will set up and maintain your store for you. All you need to do is tell them what you want. The Pro plan gives you enterprise-level performance and security without the hassle of building and maintaining your store yourself.
The Pro package is much more expensive at £599.99/ month (+ VAT) but you're paying for a service that outsources all the hard work to EKM experts. You'll also cut costs in other ways as the money usually spent on hardware, hosting and maintenance can be invested back into the business. You'll also save bags of time from having your store built and maintained for you.
The Pro plan is great for merchants who:
- Are serious ecommerce merchants and have high turnover rates.
- Require an enterprise performance server.
- Need time to focus on other aspects of the business.
- Want access to Account Managers.
- Need ongoing store monitoring.
Other EKM Costs
Billing cycles
EKM's pricing plans are billed monthly. Unfortunately, there is no option to pay annually, meaning there are no discounts for committing to a longer contract. Many other ecommerce platforms offer improved pricing on yearly subscriptions or longer. For example, ShoWired offers a generous 20% off for merchants who choose an annual subscription.
EKM doesn't offer this.
Transaction fees
EKM used to pride itself on being an ecommerce platform with no hidden fees. But this has now changed with the introduction of additional EKM transaction fees on September 1st, 2022.
From now on, all payments made through EKM's payment gateways (apart from Clear Accept and PayPal) are subject to an additional transaction fee. The fees depend on the package you're on and are as follows:
Pro - 0.50% (+VAT)
Advanced - 0.50% (+VAT)
Standard - 1% (+VAT)
Basic - 2% (+VAT)
Lite- 2% (+VAT)
These transaction fees are added to your monthly invoice and billed each month. Over time, these fees are going to add up and increase the overall price of using the EKM platform, especially given that refunds and cancellations still qualify for transaction fees.
ShopWired doesn't have any additional transaction fees for users to worry about.
Additional services
EKM comes with a host of additional features, but these come at a cost. Let's take a quick look at what's on offer and how much each additional feature costs.
Custom design shop service
EKM's custom design shop service gives you access to a team of expert designers who will design a bespoke store specifically for your needs and branding. EKM asks that you get in touch for custom pricing. However, previous prices have been listed for the custom design shop service at £2400 (+ VAT), so bear this in mind.
Email marketing management service
This service grants you access to a dedicated email marketing team to assist you in setting up and deploying email marketing campaigns.
The cost for this service is a bit more complicated and is worked out in two ways. The first factor is your contact list size and ranges from 1000 to 15000. Simply adjust the slider to select the size of your list. Once you've selected the correct contact list size, you can choose from Basic, Advanced or Pro. Your final price will depend on the combination of options you choose. Below is an example of what you could expect to pay each month with a contact list of 5000 people.
Google Shopping management service
EKM's Google Shopping management service gives you a team of dedicated pay-per-click (PPC) experts who will monitor, analyse and optimise your Google Ads account. This feature is important for getting your products on Google's search engine results page to boost awareness and facilitate sales directly from the SERP.
EKM's Google Shopping management service comes in three different pricing plans:
Silver is £200/ month (+ VAT)
Gold is £500/ month (+ VAT)
Each plan also has a one-off setup fee that matches the monthly fee of your chosen package:
Silver setup fee is £200 (+ VAT)
Gold setup fee is £500 (+ VAT)
Facebook Ads management
This service grants you access to a team of Facebook advertising experts who will manage and run your Facebook ads. EKM doesn't advertise a specific price for this service, instead, they ask you to fill out a form to request a call back.
Digital brand and logo design
EKM's brand and logo design service grants you a team of designers who will design and create anything from a single logo to a full branding pack for use across your entire business.
This service is billed as a one-off payment and is perfect for new merchants in need of some professional-looking branding from day one. The prices are as follows:
A digital logo is £49.99 (+ VAT)
A digital + printable logo is £149.99 (+ VAT)
The full branding pack is £209.99 (+ VAT)
Each package promises delivery within ten working days.
Banner design
The banner design service gives you access to custom-made banners to improve your website's visuals. From home page banners to product descriptions, the team will design professional banners made to your specifications.
The banner design service from EKM costs £49.99 (+ VAT) with a turnaround time of up to three days.
ShopWired vs EKM
ShopWired and EKM are both respectable UK ecommerce platforms in their own right. But with 20% discounts for annual payments, cheaper packages, no hidden transaction fees and 4.9/ 5-star reviews, we certainly think ShopWired offers more bang for your buck.
Let's compare the features of EKM and ShopWired to see what each offers and which is the best ecommerce platform UK-based.
Performance
EKM's Lite, Basic and Standard packages come with what EKM calls their 'fast server.' But they do offer even faster server speeds for higher-paying customers. The Advanced plan at £209.99 (VAT) gets you a 'high-performance' server, whilst the Pro plan at £599.99 (+ VAT) gets you an 'enterprise level' server.
On ShopWired, all customers are hosted on Amazon's lightning-fast enterprise-level servers with a 99.9% uptime guarantee regardless of the pricing plan they're on.
Card processing fees
EKM's pricing page advertises its 'cheapest payment gateway rate' at 1.99% + 20p per transaction on its Basic Package and 1.49% + 20p on the more expensive packages. ShopWired integrates with over 40 UK payment gateways with processing charges as little as 1% +20p per transaction.
Additional transaction fees
ShopWired doesn't charge additional transaction fees, and up until recently, neither did EKM. But this has now changed with EKM's introduction of transaction fees from September 1st, 2022. Payments made through EKM's payment gateways (apart from Clear Accept and PayPal) will now be subject to an additional transaction fee. The fees depend on what package you are on and are as follows:
Pro - 0.50% (+VAT)
Advanced - 0.50% (+VAT)
Standard - 1% (+VAT)
Basic - 2% (+VAT)
Lite- 2% (+VAT)
Turnover limits
Both EKM and ShopWired have turnover limits for each of their packages. This is the amount you can make in sales before needing to upgrade to a higher package. EKM's Basic package has a turnover limit of £50k/ year compared to £75k/ year with ShopWired.
Feature restrictions
On EKM's Basic plan, you can't access their API, trade discounts, gift cards or even simple conversion tools like a delivery countdown timer. On ShopWired, you get all of these features and more on all price plans.
ShopWired also gives its premium customers access to all external apps free of charge. This seriously impressive offering isn't available on any of EKM's packages.
Trustpilot reviews
EKM has generally favourable reviews on Trustpilot with a current score of 4.6/ 5 stars out of 2,674 reviews. However, this score has decreased in recent months from 4.8 stars. EKM's latest negative reviews talk about worsening customer support and the new transaction fees. Here's an excerpt from a recent review:
'The implementation of the added transaction fees is the absolute last straw. I pay over £270 a month, plus extra for a Xero integration. Plus extra for a postcode search and now extra for a transaction fee! It's a joke.'- Pippa S
ShopWired reviews continue to be excellent on Trustpilot with an overall score of 4.9/ 5 stars.
You can check out our full EKM vs ShopWired post here.
Final Thoughts
EKM is a top platform worthy of its reputation as one of the best UK ecommerce platforms.
With multiple pricing plans, there's something for everyone. But while the cheaper plans do offer all the essential features you need to get started, the low turnover limits won't be enough for many merchants. You also don't get access to some of EKM's more impressive and key features such as Evolution mode, 70+ customisable themes, a blog creator and 24/7 priority support.
To experience all that EKM has to offer you'll have to upgrade to a higher plan or start paying for additional services. But these costs begin to add up, especially when you factor in the new transaction fees from September 1st, 2022. This means EKM isn't the cheapest ecommerce platform if you're looking for full features and functionality.
With that being said, we think there are better alternatives on the market that provide greater value with their cheaper packages. For example, ShopWired's cheapest package has a higher turnover limit, faster server speeds, trade discounts, API access, gift cards, cheaper payment gateway rates and more. All this is for just £31.46/ month. EKM users don't unlock many of these features until they subscribe to the Advance package at £209.99/ month (+ VAT). But even Advanced users still have to pay for each additional service they want to add on.
ShopWired's equivalent 'Premium' package is much cheaper at £116.96/ month (+ VAT), and you get access to all apps free of charge-- that's seriously impressive. You can also pay annually to save a tidy 20% on the overall cost. It's hard to look past ShopWired as the obvious enterprise ecommerce platform choice.
Overall, we think ShopWired comes out on top in terms of features and value, making it the best Shopify alternative UK-based platform. But be sure to check out some EKM reviews before you make up your own mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much does EKM actually cost?
It's tough to give a definitive answer for this as it depends what package you're on and what additional features you choose. EKM's new transaction fees will also increase your final bill. EKM users can pay less than £50/ month for the basics, but this can skyrocket to £500 +/ month for a better package with additional features.
2. Is EKM more expensive than other platforms?
Although EKM offers a feature-packed Lite package, it ranks as one of the more expensive ecommerce platforms if you want more features. For example, larger businesses who need increased support and higher turnover limits will need the Advanced plan as a minimum, and at £209.99/ month (+ VAT) this is much more expensive than other ecommerce providers like ShopWired who offer an equivalent at £116.96/ month (+ VAT).
3. Is EKM affordable for small businesses?
It depends on the status of your current business and projected growth. EKM's Lite and Basic packages do offer an affordable way into ecommerce, but you'll need to spend extra on additional features or upgrade to a better package to unlock all the features.
Remember, if you've set up and started selling with a cheaper ecommerce provider, you can always migrate to EKM at a later date when your budget allows.
4. Does EKM have any other fees I should know about?
EKM charges a small fee for using payment gateways and has now introduced additional transaction fees which vary slightly depending on your chosen package.
Unless you're subscribed to EKM's Pro plan, you'll also have to pay extra to unlock additional services like the custom design shop service, Facebook Ads management service, Google Shopping service and more. These are charged individually and can begin to add up considerably if you require more than one.
5. How can I save money on my EKM subscription?
Most ecommerce platforms let you choose a longer billing cycle to receive a discounted price. For example, ShopWired offers a generous 30% discount for customers that choose to pay for a few years upfront. Unfortunately, EKM doesn't offer this so you'll have to pay the rate you see (including VAT).
You can always save money by going for one of EKM's cheaper packages and then upgrading further down the line if you need additional features.
6. Are marketplaces like Etsy and eBay cheaper than EKM?
Whilst marketplaces like Etsy and eBay are cheaper in terms of upfront costs and setup fees, they take a hefty cut of your sales. Etsy, for example, takes a 5% cut of each sale, whilst eBay can take up to 15% depending on the product type you're selling. This becomes rather expensive in the long run so having your own ecommerce store with low transaction fees might be the better option.
7. Does EKM charge VAT on top of its advertised prices?
Yes. EKM's prices are advertised without VAT at 20%. You'll need to factor this in when deciding what package and additional services to go for.