# FAQ — Setup, Pricing & Hosting | Caravano > Answers about starting a store, pricing, ownership, hosting, migration from Shopify or WooCommerce, payments, and platform capabilities. Canonical: https://caravano.app/en-US/faq Markdown: https://caravano.app/en-US/faq.md **Eyebrow:** Frequently Asked Questions **Title:** Everything you need to know before you launch **Subtitle:** From setup and pricing to ownership and technical details, find answers to common questions about the platform. ## Sections ### Getting Started **Title:** Getting Started #### Items ##### Launch Time ### How quickly can I launch my store? A trial store can be opened the same day. Describe the store in a few sentences; the store composer writes pages, type and colours in preview until accepted. Add products with the product composer, then place rows and spotlights on the home page. Taking orders starts after a Launch or Brand subscription and Stripe. How long a full catalogue takes depends on products and content. ##### Technical ### Do I need technical knowledge? No. Describe the store, create products from photos and price with the product composer, and add home sections with the store composer. Exact picks and page order stay in admin. Hosting, updates and maintenance are included on managed plans. Code is not required. ##### Composer ### Can I create my storefront and products with AI? Yes. The store composer turns a few sentences into a starting storefront — pages, type and colours — in preview until accepted. The product composer writes each listing from photos, price and stock. Home sections — product rows, grids and spotlights — can be added once products exist. Exact picks and page order stay in the CMS. ##### Domain ### Can I use my own domain? Yes. Custom domains are available with Brand plans and included with Lifetime licenses. ### Pricing **Title:** Pricing & Plans #### Items ##### Monthly ### Is monthly billing available? Yes. Launch is €89/month, or €79/month when billed annually. Brand is €139/month, or €119/month when billed annually. Lifetime is a one-time platform license, not a monthly or annual subscription. ##### Launch Vs Brand ### What is the difference between Launch and Brand? Both plans use the same Caravano platform. Brand adds a custom domain, priority support, and personalised onboarding and storefront guidance. Custom features and integrations are available as separately quoted work. ##### Transaction Fees ### Are there any transaction fees? Caravano does not charge a fee on each sale. Card payments are processed by Stripe. Stripe's processing fees still apply and are charged by Stripe, separate from the Caravano plan. ##### Prices Vat ### Are the prices shown including VAT? No. Advertised prices exclude VAT. VAT is added at checkout where it applies. Eligible EU business customers can enter a valid VAT ID; reverse charge then applies and VAT is not added. ##### Setup Fee ### Can I get help with setup and launch? Yes. Store Setup & Launch is optional hands-on help (€590). Starting is free, with no required setup fee. Subscribe to Launch or Brand when ready to take orders — the same store goes live, with no second setup. It typically includes: - Store configuration - Domain connection - Branding setup - Stripe configuration - Light product import (quoted if complex) - Shipping configuration - Launch assistance ##### Upgrade ### Can I change my plan later? Yes. A managed plan can be a starting point, with additional support, a custom domain, or ownership options discussed as the business grows. ### Ownership **Title:** Ownership & Hosting #### Items ##### Who Owns ### Who owns the store? Your business owns its products, content, domain, and customer data. Lifetime customers receive a perpetual license for one production store. The store can be hosted for you on the platform without requiring you to manage the infrastructure yourself. ##### Self Host ### Is self-hosting required? No. Launch and Brand include managed hosting. Lifetime does not require self-hosting. Managed hosting is available separately, from €35/month. ##### Managed Hosting ### What is included with managed hosting? Launch and Brand include managed hosting, updates, and maintenance. Hosting does not need to be arranged separately. Lifetime is a one-time platform license. Managed hosting is optional, from €35/month. ##### After Year One ### What happens after the first year with Lifetime? The Lifetime license continues. This is separate from Launch and Brand, which are ongoing subscriptions. The first year of updates and support is included. That covers platform updates, security and compatibility updates, maintenance, bug fixes, and technical support. After that year, updates and support can continue for €790/year. Managed hosting, if used, stays optional and is billed separately from €35/month. ##### Move Away ### Can I move away later? The business keeps its products, content, domain, and customer data. On Launch or Brand, the storefront is hosted by Caravano while the subscription is active. When the subscription ends, that managed hosting ends with it. On Lifetime, the platform license stays with the business. Optional managed hosting can be stopped separately. Moving the live store onto another platform is a discussed migration, not an automatic export of the whole storefront. ### Features **Title:** Ecommerce Features #### Items ##### Languages ### Are multiple languages supported? Yes. The platform supports multilingual storefronts with translation workflows. Current demo languages include: - English - German - Danish - Spanish ##### Vat ### Is VAT supported? The platform supports VAT configuration and VAT-inclusive price display. Businesses remain responsible for their own tax obligations and compliance requirements. ##### Accessibility ### Are Caravano storefronts built with accessibility in mind? Platform storefront UI (navigation, cart, checkout, account, and search) and this marketing website are designed with WCAG 2.1 Level AA in mind. Each store’s content, media, and custom theme colours remain the merchant’s responsibility. For accessibility feedback, contact hello@caravano.app. ##### Discounts ### Are discount codes supported? Yes. Create percent or fixed discount codes in admin and enable them in store settings. Codes apply to merchandise at checkout. ##### Subscriptions ### Are subscription products supported? Subscription products are not currently part of the standard package. Contact us if you have specific requirements. ##### Marketplaces ### Are marketplaces supported? No. Caravano is for an owned ecommerce storefront — one brand's store — rather than a marketplace where many sellers list together. ##### Shop Assistant ### Is there an AI shop assistant? Yes. The shop assistant is separate from the store composer and the product composer. The store composer creates a starting storefront. The product composer writes product listings. The shop assistant answers questions on the live store. Each store can enable an optional shop assistant in Store Settings. It answers from published products, pages, and shipping settings, plus optional merchant notes. Managed plans include a monthly message allowance (larger on Brand than Launch). When the allowance is used, the storefront chat button is hidden until the next month — Enable stays on. It does not replace direct customer support or order lookup. ### Migration **Title:** Migration #### Items ##### From Shopify ### Can I migrate from Shopify or another ecommerce platform? Sometimes — it depends on the catalogue and setup. Get in touch for a quote based on the store. ##### Help ### Can you help migrate or rebuild an existing store? Yes, when a migration or a rebuild is the right fit. Get in touch with a short description of the current store for a quote. ## Final Cta **Title:** Still have questions? **Subtitle:** Start a 30-day trial, or write with requirements for Lifetime or hands-on setup. **Primary:** Start free trial **Secondary:** Contact