Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Shopify is known as a state-of-the-art platform that provides all the necessary tools to create, manage and level up a store. If you’re planning on opting for Shopify to set up and grow your online business, your concerns may revolve around Shopify pricing. As for my case, I have asked a bunch of questions such as How much does it cost to sell on Shopify? Is Shopify free? Or, what are Shopify plans and features? Don't worry, this article has come to the rescue!
Currently, Shopify offers 5 different pricing plans, including:
Plans | Subscription fee | Transaction fee | Best for |
Starter | $5/month | 5% | Influencers and small businesses who wants to sell on social media. |
Basic | $39/month | Online: 2.9% + 30¢ In-person: 2.6% + 10¢ 3rd party payment: 2% | Small businesses who want essential tools to basic online store with minimal overhead. |
Grow | $105/month | Online: 2.7% + 30¢ In-person: 2.5% + 10¢ 3rd party payment: 1% | Growing businesses needing better transaction rates and collaborative features. |
Advanced | $399/month | Online: 25% + 30¢ Online: 2.4% + 10¢ 3rd party payment: 0.6% | Medium to large businesses scaling operations for advanced features. |
Plus | $2,300/month | Competitive rates for high-volume merchants | Large or complex businesses needing enterprise-grade eCommerce functions. |
In this article, let's learn about the nitty-gritty of these Shopify fees and all the underlying costs that you may need to be aware of. Additionally, let's go through all the reasons why Shopify is still worth your investment.
Without further ado, let's get this show on the road!
Shopify Starter – $5/Month
Who is the Shopify Starter for?
Shopify Starter is an ideal pricing to kick off your online business if you already have a website or social media page. This solution enables you to earn a pretty penny by integrating some products to sell on these sites.
Still curious about this pricing option? Check out our in-depth Shopify Starter review now!
If you are looking for the lowest Shopify pricing plan to start your business, Shopify Starter is the ideal option. This special Shopify fee only costs $5 per month. In my assessment, this pricing plan is best for those who only want to sell via social media channels, SMS, email, or forums, with a simple checkout experience to test a selling idea.
Even with a smartphone, you can set up your Shopify store with ease! Please note that this Shopify pricing plan is only available for new merchants within their free trials.
If you choose Shopify Starter pricing, here are the impressive functions you may get:
- Quick-setting storefront
- Unlimited product page
- Fast & secure checkout
- Contact page
- Selling through social media channels or anywhere you can share a link with Linkpop
If you're using Shopify Payments, the transaction fee will be 5% (and it's way high!)
Basic Shopify Plan – $39/Month
Who is the Basic Shopify plan for?
The Basic Shopify pricing plan is extremely suitable for small or newly-built businesses, with a monthly subscription fee of only $39. It is the cheapest price to get a fully functional eCommerce website.
Basic Shopify, which charges you $39/month, offers you a standalone website with an eCommerce store and a blog.
With the Basic Shopify pricing plan, you can get access to almost all selling features of Shopify, including:
- Creating 2 staff accounts
- Having up to 1000 inventory locations
- Selling unlimited products
- Getting Shopify tax support
- Selling internationally with Shopify Market
From my point of view, the downside of this pricing plan is that it doesn't include some of the more sophisticated features like Professional reports, eCommerce automation, or third-party calculated shipping rates.
To summarize my thoughts, Basic Shopify pricing plan is still a great place to kick off your business because you can quickly move on to higher plans as your business grows. You can minimize the operation cost and get the most out of Shopify Basic pricing by subscribing to the annual plan and getting 25% OFF!
Grow Shopify Plan – $105/Month
Who is the Shopify plan for?
Still, my personal take is that the Shopify pricing plan works well for growing eCommerce businesses that are looking for a solution to scale up their operations, as you can get all the features of Basic Shopify with this plan, along with powerful additional features.
If you opt for the Shopify pricing plan, you'll have to pay $105/month and, at the same time, can create a more robust eCommerce Shopify store!
With the Shopify pricing plan, you can get access to even more prominent features of Shopify, including:
- Creating 5 staff accounts
- Having up to 1000 inventory locations
- Enjoying higher shipping discount (88%)
- and more!
Based on what they have to offer for the Shopify pricing plan, I went for this one and received a seamless selling experience. Specifically, this package offers Professional reports. These figures surely enabled me to have a better view of customers’ purchasing habits. As a result, my staff and I were able to come up with more effective marketing strategies to increase conversion rates.
It appears to me that online merchants cannot access the third-party calculated shipping rates function with this pricing plan, which will be discussed later.
If you are wondering whether you should upgrade from the Basic plan, here are the key differences between Shopify Basic vs Grow.
Criteria | Basic Shopify plan | Grow Shopify plan |
Monthly subscription | $39 | $105 |
Transaction fee | Online: 2.9% + 30¢ USD In-person: 2.6% + 10¢ USD 3rd-party payment providers: 2% | Online: 2.7% + 30¢ USD In-person: 2.5% + 10¢ USD 3rd-party payment providers: 1% |
Additional staff accounts | No support | 5 accounts |
Shipping discount | Up to 77% | Up to 88% |
Shipping insurance | No support | Suported |
3rd-party calculated shipping rates | No support | Additional paid service |
Custom apps | Limited data access (no PII) | Full data access |
Advanced Shopify Plan – $399/Month
Who is the Advanced Shopify plan for?
The Advanced Shopify pricing plan is well-suited for large businesses and enterprises. As your business continues growing up, you may need to invest in superior features to deal with a sharp increase in-store traffic. This is when the Advanced Shopify pricing plan comes as the cream of the crop to help you improve store management.
This Shopify fee is the most expensive package, which charges you $399 monthly.
From what I've observed, users are able to create up to 15 staff accounts with the Shopify Advanced pricing plan. Additionally, this pricing option allows you to integrate third-party shipping carriers to calculate Shopify shipping rates during checkout. By doing this way, your customers can select the carrier that offers the lowest shipping rates in order to save the total cost of the purchase.
Plus, you will receive an advanced report builder which enables you to edit default reports and customize a new one. You can filter these files by dimensions to get the exact data that you need and get a bird's eye view of your entire business.
Here's how Shopify Advanced stacks up against the Grow and Basic Shopify pricing plan.
Criteria | Basic | Grow | Advanced |
Monthly subscription | $39 | $105 | $399 |
Transaction fee | Online: 2.9% + 30¢ In-person: 2.9% + 30¢ USD 3rd-party payment providers: 2% | Online: 2.7% + 30¢ In-person: 2.5% + 30¢ USD 3rd-party payment providers: 1% | Online: 2.5% + 30¢ In-person: 2.4% + 30¢ USD 3rd-party payment providers: 0.6% |
Additional staff accounts | 0 | 5 | 15 |
24/7 support | Live chat | Live chat | Enhanced live chat |
Shipping discount | Up to 77% | Up to 88% | Up to 88% |
Shipping insurance | Not included | Included | Included |
3rd-party calculated shipping rates | No support | Additional paid service | Supported |
Custom apps | Limited data access (no PII) | Full data access | Full data access |
API rate limits | Standard | Standard | Up to 2x on select APIs |
Local storefronts | No support | No support | Supported |
Duties and import taxes | No support | No support | Supported |
To my way of thinking, it is the best to take a look at each of these Shopify fees in detail so that you may get a broader view of how much is a Shopify store and, which pricing option is most suitable & the Shopify cost per month.
I'm of the opinion that the Shopify and Advanced Shopify pricing plans are ways to outweigh the Basic plan with more inventory locations, staff accounts, lower transaction fees, progressive report systems, and outstanding workflow automation.
Shopify Plus – From $2,500/Month
Who is Shopify Plus for?
Shopify Plus is best suited for large-scale businesses or enterprise-level operations that handle high transaction volumes and require advanced customization, robust automation, and dedicated support. It provides the flexibility and scalability needed by high-volume merchants to maintain performance, streamline operations, and deliver a tailored customer experience.
If this is your first time learning about Shopify fees, you might be intrigued by this special pricing tier. Shopify Plus is definitely a comprehensive eCommerce solution exclusively for enterprises. You’ll have a chance to take full advantage of a dedicated project manager, an account manager, personalized support contacts, and so on.
Explicitly, Shopify Plus is a decent choice for high-growth merchants and huge companies like Rothy’s, Heinz, and Allbirds.
For a better understanding of key differences between Shopify vs Shopify Plus, please take a look at our comprehensive comparison of these two eCommerce systems. And, don't forget to check out our in-depth Shopify Plus review to know more about this subscription tier.
I've found that the minimum fee of the Shopify Plus plan is $2000/month for standard setups and integrations. However, you need to pay more if your business has a higher volume.
Contrary to Shopify, the Shopify Plus pricing plan requires you to contact their experts and negotiate directly to get the exact pricing for your business when upgrading to the enterprise level.
Besides, like other Shopify pricing plans, the Shopify Plus option charges you credit card rates and additional transaction fees.
The credit card rates vary by country. You need to contact Shopify Plus representatives to know exactly how much you have to pay to the credit card payment provider.
In terms of Shopify fees for transactions, Shopify Plus allows you to use a third-party payment processor. Nonetheless, you need to pay an extra cost of 0,15% per transaction. Otherwise, you can enable Shopify Payments to eliminate this fee.
Additional Shopify Fees You Must Not Ignore
#1 Shopify domain name cost
To give you the most objective point of view, I will directly guide you through each step while setting up my own Shopify store. Once you go with the appropriate pricing plan, it's time to register a domain name.
In fact, Shopify offers a free myshopify.com domain for all stores. However, it is important to have a specific domain name because it helps your products to be widely visible. Also, owning a unique domain name lays a firm foundation for your brand authority and awareness, especially when you want to expand the scope of your business.
If you already have a domain name registered, you can continue using that for your Shopify store. You can choose to transfer or connect your existing domain to Shopify at no cost. Then, you can manage all domain settings directly in your Shopify admin, including making payments for your domain provider.
Otherwise, for those who haven't had one like me, I buy a domain name with Shopify starting at $15 per year. The exact price will depend greatly on the top-level domain (TLD) extension you choose.
There this one tool called Shopify domain generator, which I could check the price and availability for my domain and get inspiration for some catchy names, too. Even if I no longer like that name, Shopify allows me to change it whenever I want.
#2 Shopify themes & design pricing
Your store’s appearance plays an important role in increasing conversion rate, that’s why you need to find a mesmerizing theme for your website.
Fortunately, Shopify features a wide range of website templates (both free and paid options) on its Shopify Theme Store. You must include this cost when calculating Shopify pricing if you choose a paid theme.
The additional Shopify fees for themes and templates cost around $180 to $350. The category ranges from clothing & fashion, electronics to art & digital cameras, and so on.
If you find it challenging to choose a suitable theme for your store, don’t worry, we have listed best Shopify themes for your consideration.
Otherwise, I could also find good-quality themes, or stunning web designs created by third-party providers. In my analysis, Themeforest and Verzdesign are where you can find multiple interesting Shopify themes and eCommerce web designs at a relatively lower price. Additionally, you can easily change theme on Shopify, so feel free to test several options before choosing the ideal one for your business.
#3 Shopify apps & integrations cost
To extend the functionality of your online store, add-ons, and integrations are indispensable parts. Understanding this demand, Shopify developers have created an extensive collection of freemium third-party plugins on its Shopify App Store that allow you to equip your store with more specialized features.
Most of the premium apps cost you around $20-$70, while some cost more than $350. Here are some of the popular categories for Shopify apps:
- Store design
- Sales and marketing
- Inventory management
- Orders and shipping
- Customer support
- Security
- Reporting
What I love about it and maybe you too is that even the Shopify free trial pricing can access their variety of apps. Some of them offer a 3-day trial, while others allow you to use them for free within a month.
It can be overwhelming to search for a suitable app for your store, so I highly recommend you take a look at our article about the free apps for Shopify.
#4 Shopify transaction fees
Does Shopify charge transaction fees? Yes, other Shopify pricing that need to be taken into account are transaction fees. This Shopify cost is included in every transaction if you use third-party payment providers to execute customer payments.
Nonetheless, from what I've researched, you can use Shopify Payments to avoid additional Shopify fees per sale. This is an in-house payment system developed by Shopify itself to ease the complexity of the payment process.
Credit card rates are other Shopify fees that we have to consider when estimating Shopify pricing because it has a direct impact on your profits.
To accept payments via credit cards, such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express, etc, I had to pay a small Shopify fees. My take on it is due to the security risk when processing digital data, Shopify charges higher rate for online credit cards than in-person payment.
Similar to transaction fees, online credit card rates per transaction vary depending on the Shopify pricing plans that you choose:
- Basic Shopify plan: 2.9% + 30¢ USD
- Shopify plan: 2.6% + 30¢ USD
- Advanced Shopify plan: 2.4% + 30¢ USD
And the rates for in-person credit/debit card are charged as follows:
- Basic Shopify plan: 2.7%
- Shopify plan: 2.5%
- Advanced Shopify plan: 2.4%
#5 Shopify POS pricing
Shopify designed its own POS system for on-the-go sales (Shopify POS Lite) and brick-and-mortar sales (Shopify POS Pro).
The Lite version is available in all Shopify pricing plans, allowing you to manage orders, products, and customer profiles. You need to pay in-person credit card rates as mentioned in the Shopify Payment section above.
Likewise, Shopify POS Pro is included with all Shopify pricing packages. Besides the monthly cost of each pricing plan, you need to pay an additional fee of $89/month per location. Notably, even enterprise-level business owners on Shopify can benefit from the features of Shopify POS Pro as well.
Besides, the Shopify POS system requires you to install Shopify POS Apps and buy some form of hardware (Shopify Chip & Swipe Reader or Tap & Chip Card Reader). You can order these accessories right in the Shopify Hardware store to build your full kit.
#6 Email hosting
Email is one of the key factors that greatly contribute to your marketing strategy. Therefore, it's important to take Shopify Email into consideration calculating the cost of Shopify.
Fortunately, the Shopify Email does not require an installation fee. This means users on all Shopify pricing plans can optimize this feature and expand their reach. Each month, you are able to send up to 10,000 emails for free, both automated and manual. Then, when you run out of that quota, this platform will charge $1 per 1,000 additional emails.
Asides from that, when you reach the number of 300,000 emails, the price will be reduced to $0.65 per 1,000 additional emails. It will be $0.55 if you reach 750,000 emails.
Is Shopify Worth Your Investment?
It’s not an exaggeration to state that Shopify is the most powerful hosted eCommerce platform in the market. Shopify is regarded as a safe and efficient platform, which is home to more than 4.4 million live websites worldwide. This eCommerce platform is no doubt one of the best eCommerce platforms until now. Find out in this Shopify Review Video:
From someone who had their own hands-on experience working with this platform for nearly a year, I must say Shopify is an ideal solution if you aren't tech-savvy. With its effective tools, I had no trouble creating my website and generating profits on Shopify.
After filling in an email address, password, and a Shopify store name, I'll be guided through the Shopify store creation process with a straightforward dashboard. Besides, with Shopify, I don't have to trade ease of use for customization because you can easily customize your site using Shopify Liquid.
I have started multiple shops with Shopify, and honestly considering the community support and number of plugins, I have absolutely loved the experience! Can't recommend enough.
Shopify review from Tanya Kozlova
Armed with a wealth of functions, Shopify takes care of your online presence, from online store building and sales to payments and marketing. Apart from that, I can benefit from Shopify inventory management, Shopify app store, Shopify reporting & analytics, and superb functions in spheres of multi-channel & omnichannel, dropshipping, payment & shipping.
Plus, don’t miss a golden chance to launch a Shopify store with one of the cutting-edge platforms by having a quick glance at our visualized Shopfiy tutorial:
Shopify Pricing vs Alternatives
Before ending our article, let's take a brief look at how its pricing stacks up against other Shopify alternatives for more reference.
Platform | Monthly Subscription | Transaction Fees | Best for |
Basic: $39 Grow: $105 Advanced: $399 Plus: From $2,500 | Starting from 2.5% + $0.30 per online transaction | Entrepreneurs to enterprises seeking scalability and strong app ecosystem. | |
Standard: $39 Plus: $105 Pro: $399 Enterprise: Custom | No transaction fee | Medium to large businesses needing powerful built-in features and no transaction fee. | |
Open-source version: Free to install Commerce Cloud: Around $2,000 | 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for payment gateways | Large enterprises needing full customization, multi-store support, and global reach. | |
Free to install but might cost more for domain, hosting, and development | 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for payment gateways | Tech-savvy users or small businesses wanting control and flexibility. | |
Light: $17 Core: $27 Business: $36 Business Elite: $159 | 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for payment gateways | Creatives, small shops, and beginners prioritizing design and ease-of-use. | |
Basic: $25 Core: $36 Plus: $56 Advanced: $139 | No transaction fee | Artists and small businesses looking for aesthetics and simplicity. |
Shopify Pricing – FAQs
How much does Shopify actually cost?
Shopify offers several pricing plans to suit different business needs. The Basic plan starts at $39/month, the Grow plan at $105/month, Advanced at $399/month, and Shopify Plus at $2,300/month (based on a 3-year term). Each tier comes with its own transaction rates and features tailored to specific stages of business growth.
Is Shopify $1 dollar for 3 months?
Yes, Shopify occasionally runs promotional offers where new users can get started for just $1/month for the first 3 months. This deal is currently available for the Basic, Grow, and Advancedd plan and is a great way for entrepreneurs to test the platform at a minimal cost before committing to a full-priced subscription.
Does Shopify take a cut of sales?
Yes, Shopify charges transaction fees based on the plan you choose. These range from 2.9% + 30¢ per online transaction on the Basic plan, down to more competitive rates for higher-tier plans. Using Shopify Payments can reduce or eliminate some third-party payment processing fees.
Is there an alternative to Shopify?
Yes, there are several alternatives to Shopify depending on your needs. Popular options include WooCommerce (for WordPress users), BigCommerce, Wix eCommerce, Magento (Adobe Commerce), and Squarespace. Each platform has its pros and cons in terms of ease of use, customization, scalability, and pricing.
Shopify Pricing: Final Thoughts
In brief, Shopify pricing varies significantly between pricing tiers. It mainly depends on the scope of your business. I had to pay certain unavoidable expenses to get a fully functional Shopify eCommerce store, including domain name registration, theme cost, payment fees, and extension cost.
Now, you probably estimate and have Shopify pricing comparison for your online store. If you're not satisfied with the trial, you can cancel free trial store at any time. I hope that you can choose the right pricing plan for your business based on the comparison between the pricing tiers I’ve shown you.
In case you already have an e-store and are about to move to Shopify, choose LitExtension – #1 Shopping Cart Migration Expert to migrate all important data to your new Shopify store accurately and effortlessly. So don’t hesitate to try our Free Demo and get support from our team whenever you need it.
Furthermore, don't forget to check out other blogs about Shopify and join our Facebook Community for further information and updates about the eCommerce industry!
