Creating a marketplace in 2026 has nothing to do with creating a classic e-commerce site.
A marketplace is acomplex software product, combinant :
e-commerce,
vendor management,
multi-party payments,
KYC & compliance,
sales dashboard,
moderation,
automations,
matching or advanced search logic.
That's why marketplace prices in Belgium start at around40 000€ and can exceed150 000€ depending on the scale of the project.
This guide covers actual rates, cost factors, features, best practices and framing advice.
Quick summary: price of a marketplace in Belgium in 2026
Marketplace type | Min. price | Max. price |
|---|---|---|
Simple Marketplace (basic multi-vendor) | 40 000€ | 75 000€ |
Advanced Marketplace (split payments, pro dashboards) | 75 000€ | 120 000€ |
Marketplace sur-mesure (matching, IA, multi-pays) | 120 000€ | 200 000€+ |
The most common range for an ambitious SME :50 000€ - 120 000€
What is a marketplace (and why is it more expensive than e-commerce)
A marketplace is a platform where several sellers interact with several buyers.
It therefore requires three distinct interfaces:
a buyer interface,
a vendor interface,
un back-office administrateur.
Unlike traditional e-commerce, it must manage :
several catalogs,
several vendor accounts,
several financial flows,
strict governance,
a higher level of safety.
We're getting closer to asaaS productnot a "website".
Simple Marketplace - €40,000 to €75,000
Suitable for early-stage projects or commercial MVPs.
Usually includes :
vendor registration,
simple upload of products/services,
order management,
minimal vendor dashboard,
single payment (no split yet),
simple buyer interface with filters,
back-office administrateur.
Ideal for :
tester un concept marketplace,
proof of traction,
top sellers,
acquisition initiale.
Limitations :
no advanced automations,
simplified payment management,
limited moderation functions.
Advanced Marketplace - €75,000 to €120,000
The most common format for a marketplace forscaler.
Includes :
payment systemsSplit (Stripe Connect),
KYC / KYB (vendor verification),
complete sales dashboards (sales, orders, statistics),
complex catalog management,
advanced search engines,
ratings & reviews system,
intelligent categorization,
automations (emails, notifications, sales reminders),
aPI access if required,
multi-vendor SEO architecture.
Ideal for :
marketplace produits,
marketplace services,
closed B2B platform,
marketplace locale premium.
Why the budget is increasing :
financial compliance,
safety,
complexity data,
richer design,
UX multi-personae.
Tailor-made Marketplace - €120,000 to €200,000+ - Custom-made Marketplace
For platforms that become abusiness in its own right.
Includes :
matching engines (services, skills, location, availability),
recommandations IA,
advanced semantic search,
gestion multi-pays / multi-devises,
complex logistics rules,
advanced automations,
customized administrative workflows,
vendor subscription systems,
multiple user levels,
eRP/CRM connectors.
Ideal for :
scale-ups,
projets VC-backed,
innovation marketplace,
hybrid models (SaaS + marketplace).
What determines the price of a marketplace
Paiements split (Stripe Connect)
+10 000€ à +35 000€
Multi-party management requires :
compliance,
multi-vendor partial refund,
scheduled repayments,
gestion litiges,
Automated KYC.
Dashboard vendeur
+5 000€ à +25 000€
According to :
statistics,
exports,
catalog management,
vendor/customer communication.
Search engine / matching
+10 000€ à +40 000€
The smarter it is, the higher the cost.
Moderation & administrative workflows
+5 000€ à +20 000€
Multilingual / multi-country
+20 à +40%
Technologies used
Technology | Benefits | Cost |
|---|---|---|
SaaS “No-Code” (Sharetribe, Bubble) | MVP rapide | € |
Shopify + apps | Limited, rarely suitable marketplace | € |
Headless (Astro + backend Node/Laravel) | Performance & scalabilité | €€€€ |
Full custom (Numinam) | Unlimited, customized, scalable | €€€€€ |
Numinam focuses onAstro + backend headless to combine :
speed,
safety,
scalability,
clean architecture for AI & automation.
Light speed website
Sites that load in <1s - to reduce lead loss by up to 30-40%.
Recurring costs of a marketplace (2026)
Realistic annual budget :10 000€ à 80 000€ depending on size.
Hosting
500 to €4,000/year (depending on traffic & microservices architecture).
Maintenance & support
1,000€ to 8,000€/month
(patches, upgrades, vendor support, incidents).
Payments (Stripe Connect)
2 to 4% of flow depending on model + fees per transaction.
SEO & acquisition
1,000€ to 10,000€/month depending on strategy.
Moderation & user support
can become a significant internal cost.
Examples of marketplace budgets for a Belgian company in 2026
Cas 1 — Marketplace services locale
Budget: €40 000 - €60 000
Objective: solid MVP + first sellers
Limited but sufficient automation.
Cas 2 — Marketplace produits nationale
Budget: €70 000 - €120 000
Objectif : marketplace scalable
Includes: split + dashboard + SEO + moderation.
Cas 3 — Marketplace internationale avec matching
Budget : 120 000€ - 200 000€+
Objective: a business in its own right
Includes: matching engine, AI, multi-country, regulatory.
Mistakes to avoid
Launch the marketplace too soon
A marketplace requiressales traction.
Otherwise → empty platform.
Choosing a limited technology
Many projects fail because the initial choice prevents evolution.
Underestimating moderation
Unverified sellers = loss of trust.
Think "website" instead of "product
A marketplace requires a roadmap, continuous evolution and support.
Forget compliance
KYC/KYB is not optional in 2026.
What budget do you need to match your ambitions?
Ambition | Recommended budget |
|---|---|
MVP marketplace | 40 000€ - 70 000€ |
Marketplace PME | 70 000€ - 120 000€ |
Marketplace nationale/internationale | 120 000€ - 200 000€+ |
Create your marketplace with Numinam
Numinam designs marketplaces:
scalables & performantes,
basées sur Astro + backend headless,
compatibles Stripe Connect,
sEO optimized,
ready for AI recommendations,
designed to grow over several years.
Numinam is also involved in :
strategic framing,
technical architecture,
UX multi-personae,
product roadmap,
compliance & safety.
Typical Numinam budget :
75 000€ à 150 000€ depending on the scale of the project.
→ Request a free framing :contact@numinam.com