- Salla hosts more than 65,000 paying stores, which have sold over SAR 45 billion to date.
- Plus costs SAR 99 a month or SAR 990 a year on the web. Pro is SAR 299 a month. Salla takes no commission on sales.
- Local payments, 200+ couriers and ZATCA e-invoicing come built in, so most stores launch in a day or two.
- A store selling SAR 15,000 a month pays about SAR 7,400 a year all-in, and most of that is card fees you'd pay on any platform.
- Salla is built for Saudi businesses. Foreign brands, and stores selling far beyond the Gulf, usually do better on Shopify.
Want to open an online store in Saudi Arabia this month? Salla is where most Saudi sellers start.
It's a Saudi store builder, like Shopify but built Arabic-first. Mada, Apple Pay, Tabby, cash on delivery and ZATCA invoices all work out of the box. And it takes no cut of your sales.
The scale is impressive. Salla stores have sold more than SAR 45 billion to date.
My verdict: if you sell mainly in Saudi Arabia, Salla is the easiest and cheapest serious platform you can pick. Below, I cover the plans, payments, shipping, limits and a real year-one cost.
What is Salla?
Salla (سلة, Arabic for "basket") is a Saudi platform for building and running an online store. You pay a monthly subscription, pick a theme and sell from your own website.
It was founded in Makkah in 2016. Today it's the biggest store builder in the Kingdom by a wide margin.
It has grown well beyond a website builder:
- Salla Pay takes card, Apple Pay and BNPL payments.
- Salla Shipping and Fulfilment prints discounted labels and can store and pack your stock.
- Salla Point is a point-of-sale (POS) app for selling in a shop or at events.
- Salla Ads runs ad campaigns from the dashboard.
- The App Store adds hundreds of extras, from WhatsApp cart reminders to loyalty points.
- 2016Founded in Makkah
Nawaf Hariri and Salman Butt launch Salla for small Saudi sellers.
- 2020Series A
An $8.5M round as Saudi ecommerce takes off.
- Mar 2024$130M pre-IPO round
Led by Investcorp, with Sanabil (PIF) and STV.
- Feb 2025Salla Ads
Ad-tech startup Sweply becomes Salla Ads.
- Sep 2026Paylink deal
Salla buys SAMA-licensed Paylink to expand payments and in-store acceptance.
Why does the Paylink deal matter to you? Salla plans to use it for multi-currency payments and for collecting money from abroad. That's the exact gap foreign-facing stores feel today.
Salla plans and prices in 2026
Salla has a free plan and three paid tiers. Most real stores run on Plus.
| Basic | Plus | Pro | Special | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price (web) | Free | SAR 99 | SAR 299 | Custom |
| Yearly price (web) | Free | SAR 990 | SAR 2,990 | Custom |
| Unlimited products and orders | ||||
| Card, Apple Pay and BNPL payments | ||||
| Custom domain | ||||
| Staff accounts, VAT settings, branches | Yes, up to 5 branches | Yes | ||
| CSS/JS editing and branded mobile app | ||||
| Commission on sales | None | None | None | None |
Here's what the tiers mean in practice:
- Basic is for testing an idea. You can build the whole store, but you can't take card or Apple Pay payments online.
- Plus is the real starting point. It unlocks online payments, Tabby and Tamara, your own domain and marketing tools.
- Pro suits growing brands that need staff accounts, branches, code edits or their own shopping app.
- Special is for large retailers with custom integrations.
Paying yearly gives you two months free. You can also prepay two years at once. That's SAR 1,980 for Plus or SAR 5,980 for Pro.
Subscribe on the web, not in the iPhone app
The same plans cost about 30% more through the iPhone app, because Apple takes a cut.
On Plus, that's SAR 360 a year for nothing. Sign up at salla.sa in a browser.
Every add-on and plan detail is in our full Salla pricing guide.
Payments: Salla Pay, mada, BNPL and COD
Salla covers every way Saudis like to pay. You switch each method on from the dashboard.
Once your documents are approved, you get:
- mada, the Saudi debit card network most shoppers use.
- Visa and Mastercard, plus Apple Pay, which switches on automatically once mada and Visa are live.
- STC Pay, the popular Saudi mobile wallet.
- Tabby and Tamara, the two big buy now, pay later (BNPL) providers.
- Cash on delivery (COD) and bank transfer.
You can also connect outside gateways such as HyperPay, Moyasar, PayTabs or MyFatoorah.
What does it cost? Sellers report paying about 1.75% + SAR 1 per mada order. Visa and Mastercard cost more, at about 2.2% + SAR 1.
SAMA caps online mada fees at 1.75%. If a quote comes in higher, push back.
BNPL providers typically charge 2–5% of the order.
Those fees go to the payment provider, not to Salla. Salla itself takes nothing from your sales.
Want to compare BNPL providers before you switch them on? See Tabby vs Tamara.
Shipping and fulfilment
Salla connects to more than 200 shipping partners. That includes the big Saudi names: Aramex, SMSA, J&T Express, Naqel and DHL.
From the dashboard you can:
- print waybills at discounted merchant rates
- set shipping zones and prices
- add a COD fee for cash orders
- track parcels and handle returns
A COD order typically costs about SAR 10 through the courier. That's worth building into your prices.
Don't want to pack orders yourself? Salla Fulfilment stores your stock and ships it for you. Our Saudi fulfilment guide compares it with independent 3PLs (third-party logistics warehouses).
ZATCA e-invoicing is built in
Every VAT-registered Saudi business must issue electronic invoices through ZATCA's system, called Fatoora. Salla handles this for you.
It issues ZATCA-ready invoices with the required QR code. Turn it on once you're VAT-registered.
ZATCA's latest wave pulls in businesses with taxable sales above SAR 187,500. Their deadline is 1 February 2027. That reaches most small VAT-registered stores.
On Shopify, the same job needs a paid third-party app. Read our ZATCA e-invoicing guide to check your wave.
Arabic-first design, themes and apps
Salla is Arabic from the ground up. The dashboard, storefront, checkout, invoices and customer messages all work in Arabic and right-to-left (RTL) without any setup.
You can add English as a second store language. That's useful in Riyadh and Jeddah, where many shoppers switch between the two.
The ecosystem is the biggest in Saudi Arabia:
- Themes: 100+ Arabic themes, free and paid.
- Apps: 550–900+ apps for reviews, WhatsApp, loyalty, marketing pixels and more.
- People: the largest pool of Arabic-speaking agencies and freelancers who know the platform.
The trade-off? Design freedom is more limited than on Shopify. Code edits (CSS and JavaScript) only unlock on Pro.
What does Salla really cost in year one?
Take a Saudi store that sells SAR 15,000 a month, or SAR 180,000 a year. Its average order is SAR 200, so it ships 900 orders.
Its customers pay like this: half by mada, a quarter by credit card, 15% by BNPL and 10% cash on delivery. Mada is priced at the top of its range, 1.75% + SAR 1.
| Year-one cost (ex-VAT) | How it's worked out | SAR |
|---|---|---|
| Salla Plus, yearly plan | Paid on the web | 990 |
| mada fees | 1.75% of SAR 90,000, plus SAR 1 × 450 orders | 2,025 |
| Visa and Mastercard fees | 2.2% of SAR 45,000, plus SAR 1 × 225 orders | 1,215 |
| BNPL fees | 4% of SAR 27,000 | 1,080 |
| COD courier fees | 90 orders × SAR 10 | 900 |
| Two apps | 2 × SAR 50 a month × 12 months | 1,200 |
| Total | 7,410 |
That's about 4% of sales, and only SAR 990 of it goes to Salla. The rest is card fees and apps you'd pay on any platform.
Got a 1% mada rate? Then mada costs SAR 1,350 and the year comes to SAR 6,735.
On Shopify Basic, the same store pays about SAR 4,095 before any gateway fees. That's the SAR 855 yearly plan plus Shopify's 2% fee on every card and BNPL order.
Selling more? Our Shopify vs Salla vs Zid comparison runs the sums for a store at SAR 50,000 a month.
Salla pros and cons
- Free plan, and the cheapest serious yearly plan at SAR 990
- No commission on sales
- Arabic-first everywhere, including checkout and notifications
- Saudi payments, BNPL, couriers and ZATCA invoicing built in
- Biggest local app store, theme store and agency pool
- Fastest launch, often a day or two
- Built for Saudi businesses, so foreign brands need a local entity
- Weaker tools for selling outside the Gulf
- Code customisation only on Pro and above
- App subscriptions can stack up
- More limited data export if you move later
- Pricier through the iPhone app
Who is Salla best for?
Salla is the right home for:
- First-time Saudi sellers who want a store live this week.
- Small Saudi brands in fashion, beauty, perfume, gifts and food.
- Social sellers moving from Instagram or WhatsApp orders to a real checkout.
- Arabic-first brands whose customers shop in Arabic.
- Budget-conscious teams, thanks to the free plan and flat yearly price.
It's a weaker fit for foreign companies, UAE-based brands and stores built to sell worldwide. Those sellers usually do better on Shopify.
Still not sure? Answer seven quick questions and get a recommendation.
Which platform should you sell on?
7 quick questions. We score Shopify, Salla, Zid, WooCommerce, Amazon and noon for your situation.
Question 1 of 7
Where is your business based?
Where your company or trade licence is registered.
Scores are an editorial estimate based on published pricing and features as of October 2026 (noon details partly unverified); confirm with each provider before committing.
How to open a Salla store
- 1
Register on the web
Sign up at salla.sa with a Saudi mobile number. Use a browser, not the iPhone app, to avoid the higher prices.
- 2
Get your paperwork ready
You'll need a freelance document or a CR (commercial registration, your Saudi business licence). The freelance document is free for Saudi citizens.
- 3
Pick Plus
Choose Plus if you want to take cards, Apple Pay or BNPL. The yearly plan saves two months.
- 4
Switch on payments
Submit your CR or freelance document, your ID and a Saudi IBAN. Mada and Visa go live together, and Apple Pay follows.
- 5
Connect couriers
Link Aramex, SMSA or J&T, set your shipping zones and add a COD fee.
- 6
Choose a theme and add products
Pick an Arabic theme, add English if you need it and write product pages in both languages.
- 7
Turn on invoicing and launch
Enable ZATCA invoicing once you're VAT-registered, install two or three essential apps and place a test order.
No CR yet? Our guide to the Saudi freelance document shows the quickest route for solo sellers.
Notes for foreign and Chinese brands
- Salla verifies a Saudi CR or freelance document, a Saudi ID and a Saudi IBAN for payouts. Without a Saudi entity, you can't run your own Salla store.
- The usual route is a Saudi distributor that buys your stock and runs its own Salla store.
- Never borrow a Saudi person's CR or bank account. That's tasattur (concealment), and the penalties are severe.
- Most foreign brands start on Shopify instead, or sell through Amazon.sa and noon first.
- Our guide to selling in Saudi Arabia covers every entry route.
Notes for UAE-based sellers
- Salla can ship to UAE shoppers, but its sweet spot is still Saudi Arabia.
- A UAE company can't take Saudi payouts without a Saudi setup.
- Shopify Payments works in the UAE, which usually makes Shopify the better home for a Dubai brand.
Notes for shops with branches
- Salla Point lets you sell in person and share stock with your website.
- Pro handles up to five branches and staff accounts.
- If physical shops drive most of your sales, compare Zid too. Its POS and multi-branch tools are the strongest of the Saudi platforms.
Notes for brands planning to expand abroad
- Salla's multi-currency and multi-language tools are simpler than Shopify Markets.
- Plenty of brands launch on Salla, prove their products in Saudi Arabia, then move to Shopify as they expand.
- Products, customers and orders transfer. Themes, apps and gateways get rebuilt.
- Our Salla to Shopify migration guide walks through each step, and the Platforms hub compares every option.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. It's one of the easiest store builders anywhere, and everything is in Arabic. You pick a theme, add products, connect payments and a courier from the dashboard, with no coding. Most first-time sellers have a working store within a day or two.
Sources & further reading
- Salla acquires Paylink (65,000+ active stores, SAR 45bn+ sales) — WorldEF
- Salla app vs web plan prices — Salla Help Center
- Salla prices 2026 (plans and fees) — RankX SEO
- State of Salla in 2026 — Store Leads
- Best Ecommerce Platform Saudi Arabia 2026 — Husain Alhaboubi
- Salla and Zid fee calculator — PopupSnap
- E-invoicing roll-out phases and waves — ZATCA
This guide is for general information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and fees change — always confirm with the official source or a licensed advisor.
Maya is MiddleEastEcom's lead guide and editor. She researches GCC marketplaces, payments and regulations and turns them into practical playbooks for sellers.
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