By now, you’ve probably realized that EE doesn’t come particularly cheaply. While the ‘Core’ package is free (you simply have to create an account), it’s also limited. Serious developers will want to invest in the regular package, which costs $299. If you’re already an ExpressionEngine user and want to upgrade from your current version to version 3, this is cheaper, at a cost of $149. If you want to add an e-commerce solution to your package, EllisLab offers one developed by the Vector Media Group. It’s called CartThrob and costs an addition $249, but features a real-time payment system, ordering functions, product listing, a donations function, and much more.
EllisLab support comes separately and is offered as one of three packages: Silver Support, Gold Support, and Platinum Support. Support aid is offered through the exchange of ‘support tickets’ and ‘urgent tickets’, for immediate, in-depth support. All three packages offer you unlimited support tickets and number of sites covered, with the difference between them demonstrated by the number of urgent tickets per month (1 for Silver, 2 for Gold, unlimited for Platinum), the response time (1 business day for Silver, 4 business hours for Gold, 1 business hour for Platinum), and of course the price: Silver costs $49 per month, Gold is $299 per month, and Platinum is $1,999 per month. You can find out more about these packages and purchase your EE + EllisLab Support here.
Some examples of sites that use EllisLab’s ExpressionEngine can be found on Siftery’s comparison site. These include Nike, Apple, and the BBC online site.