Starting at just $5 per month, Shopify pricing is transparent and straightforward, consisting of monthly and per-transaction fees.
Shopify Pricing Plans: Comparison, Fees & Calculator
This article is part of a larger series on Retail Management.
Thinking about selling on Shopify? Before you choose a plan, it’s critical to understand the real costs — beyond just the monthly subscription price. As someone who has helped small businesses launch successful online stores, I know firsthand that Shopify pricing can be confusing once you factor in transaction fees, apps, and POS hardware.
At a glance, if you’re just starting a Shopify online store, expect to pay $300 to $600 in start-up fees and around $75 to $150 in monthly expenses at the beginning, including add-ons. If you need to sell in-store as well, that will be an additional $49 to $499 for hardware purchases, plus an $89 per location monthly fee for using Shopify POS Pro (which I recommend).
In this guide, I’ll clearly break down Shopify pricing plans, reveal hidden fees you need to consider, and show you how to calculate your total Shopify costs before you commit. Let’s make sure you pick the right plan the first time and avoid unnecessary surprises.
In the News: On April 9, 2025, the “Shopify” plan name was updated to the “Grow” plan. This change has been reflected in this article.
Shopify pricing and fees at a glance
Shopify Starter | Basic Shopify | Grow | Advanced Shopify | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Monthly fees* | $5 | $39 | $105 | $399 |
Online card fees | 2.9% + 30 cents | 2.9% + 30 cents | 2.6% + 30 cents | 2.4% + 30 cents |
In-person card fees | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.5% | 2.4% |
Transaction fees (using third-party provider) | 5% | 2% | 1% | 0.5% |
Best for | Selling on social media (no standalone store) | Storefronts and small online sales | Growing ecommerce businesses | High-volume sales |
*Shopify collects sales taxes in certain states where it is required by law. The prices stated here do not reflect such taxes.
Understanding Shopify fees
It’s important to know the differences between credit card processing fees and transaction fees regarding Shopify’s specific pricing model.
- Credit card processing fees (otherwise known as credit card fees) are charged by Shopify and allow you to accept major credit cards, such as Visa and Mastercard, as payment in your online store.
- Transaction fees are additional Shopify charges (on top of credit card fees) if you use a third-party payment provider to take payments. It covers the charge to integrate Shopify with your chosen provider. Transaction fees vary based on your Shopify plan subscription. They are waived if you use Shopify’s payment processor, Shopify Payments.
For example, if you’ve subscribed to Basic Shopify and use Shopify Payments, online purchases have credit card fees of 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction. If you use a third-party payment gateway, expect to pay a 2% transaction fee for each sale on top of credit card rates.
On the other hand, Shopify Payments lets you fully integrate your checkout process without redirecting customers to outside platforms like PayPal. It consolidates online and in-person sales through its point-of-sale system (POS), Shopify POS, while still giving you the flexibility to offer other payment options like PayPal, Amazon Pay, and Apple Pay. Shopify Payments also unlocks features like Shop Pay, a one-click checkout that speeds up purchases and supports local currencies for a smoother international shopping experience.
Want a deeper look at Shopify’s built-in payment solution? Read our Shopify Payments review or learn how to set it up for your store.
Understanding how Shopify’s fees work with and without Shopify Payments is key to estimating your true costs — use our calculator below to see what you’ll pay based on your monthly sales.
Shopify fees calculator
Estimate your Shopify fees. Enter your expected monthly sales to calculate your total Shopify fees based on your chosen plan and payment method.
Shopify vs other ecommerce platforms
Quick take: Compared to other ecommerce platforms, Shopify offers a flexible pricing structure, built-in POS, extensive app integrations, and strong scalability, making it a top choice for both small businesses and fast-growing brands.
Best For | Monthly Plans | Start-up Costs | Extra Fees (On Top of Card Fees) | Full Review | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Online and multichannel retailers | Starts at $5 | $300–$600 | $300–$600 | |
| High-volume sellers | Starts at $39 | $800–$1,000 | Zero transaction fees | |
 | Businesses that use WordPress | Free | $500–$1,000 | Zero transaction fees | N/A |
Considering all the add-on costs, expect to initially shell out around $300 to $600 to launch a Shopify store. We compared our cost estimate to other ecommerce platforms’ start-up costs and found that creating a Shopify store is the more economical option.
For example, WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin; however, it requires you to invest in hosting plans and other add-ons, so expect to pay around $500 to $1,000 as a startup (roughly includes shared hosting, a paid website theme, and a few paid plug-ins).
Meanwhile, with BigCommerce, start-up costs are around $800 or more, depending on your online store’s expected sales volume. This estimate comes with no website developer. If you prefer to work with a developer, expect to pay a few thousand more.
What you can save on start-up fees with Shopify might go to its monthly transaction fees on your online sales. BigCommerce does not have transaction fees, making it an ideal solution if you are a high-volume seller or plan to use a processor other than Shopify Payments.
If Shopify’s start-up budget is too much for you, you can explore our top picks for free ecommerce platforms. While they can be limited in features, you might find one that is enough to start your online store and upgrade when your business is more profitable.
How to choose the right Shopify pricing plan for you
Quick take: The best Shopify pricing plan for your business depends on your sales volume, business size, POS needs, and global selling goals. Matching your plan to your growth stage saves you money and ensures you have the right tools.
Choosing the right Shopify pricing plan sets your business up for long-term success. The wrong plan can quietly cost you hundreds of dollars a year through higher transaction fees, missing features, or unnecessary upgrades. On the flip side, picking the right plan from the start ensures you have the tools, support, and flexibility you need as you grow.
Let me give you a simple framework to help you confidently select the best plan based on your business size, sales volume, in-person selling needs, and whether you plan to expand internationally.
Pro Tip: If you sell internationally or operate physical stores, it might make sense to choose Grow or Advanced Shopify earlier — even if your monthly sales volume is still growing. These plans offer flexibility that can save you time and money down the road.
Shopify plan | Business type | Monthly sales volume | In-person sales |
|---|---|---|---|
Starter | Hobby or testing product ideas | Inconsistent; occasional | Occasional (Shopify POS Lite) |
Basic Shopify | New small business | Less than $5,000 | Occasional — pop-ups, farmer’s markets, etc. (Shopify POS Lite) |
Grow | Growing business (staff, multi-channel) | $5,000 to $15,000 | Brick-and-mortar store; frequent in-person sales (Shopify POS Pro) |
Advanced Shopify | Established brand with high volume | $15,000+ | Brick-and-mortar store with multiple physical locations (Shopify POS Pro) |
Shopify Plus | Enterprise-level company | $75,000 and above | Multi-channel, multi-location stores (Shopify POS Pro) |
Step 1: Consider your business size
Before you start comparing features and prices, the first thing to think about is the size and stage of your business. Shopify offers different plans for a reason — what a solo entrepreneur needs is very different from what a growing team or a multi-location retailer requires. Choosing a plan that matches your current business size ensures you’re not overpaying for features you don’t need, or worse, missing out on essential tools that could help you grow faster.
Of all the ecommerce platforms I have evaluated, Shopify’s pricing plans bring the most value for buck — they meet the needs of all types of sellers with a wide range of budgets. For example, sellers that don’t need a Shopify website can sell securely on blogs and Facebook for just $5 per month, while businesses needing a website can launch one on any budget.
The Basic Shopify pricing plan delivers what most small online sellers need to get started for just $39 per month — a full online store and robust marketing tools such as an abandoned cart saver, email marketing, and the ability to create discounts and promo codes.
Meanwhile, Grow and Advanced Shopify support growing and volume sellers by adding a range of advanced reporting, marketing, and shipping functionality for $105 and $399 per month, respectively.
Step 2: Gauge your monthly sales volume
Another key factor in choosing the right Shopify pricing plan is knowing your average monthly sales volume. As your revenue grows, so do your transaction fees — and sometimes the savings from a lower payment processing rate can more than offset the higher monthly subscription cost. That’s why it’s important to align your Shopify plan with your sales numbers, not just your current store setup.
For example, if you’re bringing in under $5,000 a month, the Basic Shopify plan typically offers the best value. But once you start generating $5,000 to $15,000 or more in sales each month, upgrading to Grow or Advanced Shopify can actually save you money in the long run by lowering your transaction costs and unlocking advanced features that support growth.
If you are just starting out, you can start with the lowest plan and upgrade as your business scales.
Step 3: Determine your need for in-person sales
If you plan to sell at farmers markets, pop-up events, craft fairs, or physical retail stores, having a reliable POS system is crucial. Shopify’s POS solution seamlessly connects your in-person and online sales, letting you manage inventory, payments, and customer data in one place. Even if you primarily sell online now, adding a few in-person events each year can quickly justify choosing a Shopify plan that supports POS features.
Occasional sellers may be fine with the POS Lite option included in Basic Shopify, while businesses running permanent retail locations will want to invest in Shopify POS Pro and a plan like Grow or Advanced Shopify to take full advantage of inventory management, staff permissions, and omnichannel reporting.
Step 4: Think about international selling
If you’re planning to sell beyond your home country — whether now or in the future — choosing the right Shopify pricing plan can make international selling much easier. Shopify’s higher-tier plans include tools specifically designed for global commerce, like custom international pricing, duties and tax calculations, local currency support, and region-specific domains. These features not only improve the customer experience for international buyers but also help you stay compliant and competitive in overseas markets.
If you’re only shipping a few international orders occasionally, you can stick with Basic Shopify for now. But if you’re targeting multiple countries or planning to localize your storefronts, upgrading to Grow or Advanced Shopify gives you access to essential cross-border selling tools that simplify growth and reduce risks.
Shopify pricing plans comparison: Features and costs explained
Shopify offers four main pricing plans — Starter, Basic, Grow, and Advanced — with monthly costs ranging from $5 to $399 when billed month-to-month. Annual billing discounts are available, saving you around 25% on subscription fees.
Each plan is designed to meet the needs of businesses at different stages of growth. Below, I’ll walk you through the key differences so you can find the right fit.
Shopify Starter | Basic Shopify | Grow | Advanced Shopify | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Monthly fees (month to month) | $5 | $39 | $105 | $105 |
Monthly fees (billed annually) | $5 | $29 | $79 | $299 |
Standalone store | N/A | âś“ | âś“ | âś“ |
Staff accounts | 1 | 2 | 5 | 15 |
Inventory locations | 1 | Up to 4 | Up to 5 | Up to 8 |
Shipping discounts | N/A | Up to 77% | Up to 88% | Up to 88% |
Best for | Selling via social media | New small businesses | Growing online stores | High-volume sellers |
Included with all Shopify plans (except Starter):
Every Shopify pricing plan (except Starter) comes with a robust set of ecommerce tools to help you run and grow your business:
- Unlimited products
- Up to 1,000 inventory locations
- Ability to sell in 133 currencies
- Multilingual store translation
- Shopify POS (software and hardware integration)
- Gift cards
- Access to online sales channels (Amazon, Facebook, Pinterest, and more)
- Fraud analysis (when using Shopify Payments)
- Manual order creation
- Marketing tools (like abandoned cart recovery and discount codes)
- 24/7 customer support (live chat and phone in English; email in multiple languages)
Available on higher Shopify plans:
Higher-tier Shopify plans offer added features to support scaling businesses:
- Professional and customizable reporting (Grow, Advanced Shopify)
- Real-time carrier shipping rates (Advanced Shopify)
- Lower credit card processing fees (Grow, Advanced Shopify)
- More staff accounts for growing teams
- Better shipping discounts
Shopify Starter
Shopify Starter is ideal for new sellers that plan to sell through social media platforms or messaging apps and do not want to maintain an online store. We recommend Shopify Starter, aptly, for those starting out. Once a customer base and product demand have been established, we encourage you to explore Basic Shopify, which includes value-added features like theme editing, blog posts, and more.
Basic Shopify
Basic Shopify delivers everything the new or small business seller needs to sell online, market their website, create a blog, and sell in-person or on other channels like Amazon, Facebook, and Pinterest. Basic Shopify is very much in line with the needs of small-volume online sellers.
Grow (formerly Shopify)
The Grow plan gives you all of the features of Basic Shopify plus advanced capabilities like cart recovery, gift cards to optimize sales, and expanded reporting capabilities. With this plan, sellers using Shopify Payments to process credit cards also pay a lower processing rate. So, if you are a volume seller and process more than $25k/month in sales, the Shopify plan is worth the monthly fee.
Advanced Shopify
Advanced Shopify is geared toward high-volume sellers who use all the capabilities of the full Grow plan but need added features such as real-time shipping rates and customizable reporting. Advanced Shopify sellers also get the lowest Shopify Payments processing rates of all four plans. If you sell more than $110k/month, the Advanced plan is worth the higher monthly fee.
But that’s not all. If you outgrow the Advanced Shopify plan, Shopify prices its Enterprise plan, Shopify Plus, to meet specific needs. With this option, you can custom-tailor ecommerce features and save even more on credit card processing. This starts at $2,000 per month and includes custom-discounted processing fees.
Interested in learning more about Shopify’s features? Read our Shopify review.
Additional costs to launch a Shopify store
While Shopify’s subscription fees cover the basics of running an online store, most businesses will encounter a few additional costs when setting up and operating their Shopify site. Understanding these upfront can help you budget more accurately and avoid unexpected surprises.
Pro Tip: Budget at least $100-$500 extra when launching your Shopify store to cover essential setup costs beyond your subscription. Planning for these additional expenses upfront will help you launch smoothly without cash flow surprises.
Here’s a breakdown of common extra expenses:
Additional feature | Pricing | Recommended for | |
|---|---|---|---|
In-person selling | Shopify POS Lite | Free | Pop-up shops, markets, and occasional sales |
Shopify POS Pro | $89/month per location* | Â Brick-and-mortar shops that do in-person selling and online sales | |
Shopify POS Hardware | $49 to $999, one-time fee | ||
Online sales | Domain name | Starts at $11/year if purchased through Shopify | Businesses wanting to develop their branding to establish credibility and reputation |
Shopify website theme | Starts at $100, one-time fee | Businesses wanting more variety for their website design | |
Apps and integrations | Depends on plug-in | Businesses wanting to improve or strengthen their website’s performance and streamline operations |
*Shopify POS Pro is free with a Shopify Plus plan (for enterprise users).
Here’s a full breakdown of the additional Shopify fees listed above.
1. Domain name
When you create a Shopify site, you automatically get a free “www.storename.myshopify.com” domain. However, you’ll probably want to upgrade to a custom domain name to brand your store professionally. You can use your domain if you already have one or purchase a new one through Shopify. Domains purchased through Shopify start at $11 per year. The exact pricing depends on which top-level domain (TLD) extension you choose (such as .com, .net, .store, etc.).
Tip: Shopify makes it easy to buy and connect your domain during setup, but you can also transfer an existing domain if you already own one.
2. Shopify premium website theme
Shopify offers about nine free and over 200 premium website themes, with prices starting at $100. Additionally, you can hire a Shopify expert if you need help customizing a paid theme.
Tip: Investing in a premium theme can save time and reduce the need for expensive design work later.
3. Add-ons & Integrations
One of the reasons Shopify is a popular and highly rated ecommerce platform is its fantastic app store. If you want extra functionalities such as dropshipping or membership programs, you might benefit from signing up for add-ons in the Shopify App Store.
There are free and paid integrations, which usually charge a monthly fee. Thousands of integrations are available, so you should know the most popular add-ons used by Shopify owners to get an idea of which features you can add to your store. These plug-ins and add-ons can significantly improve your online store’s usefulness and your business’s performance.
Tip: Many apps have free tiers, but growing stores often end up paying for automation tools, advanced SEO apps, or loyalty programs.
4. Shopify POS
Shopify POS Lite is free with your Shopify ecommerce plan, and it works great for running temporary stores such as pop-up shops and farmers market locations. However, those who want to use the app for their brick-and-mortar operations will likely want to upgrade to Shopify POS Pro for $89 per location. The main difference between the two is access to advanced features such as smart inventory management and in-store analytics.
5. Shopify POS hardware
If you sign up for the Shopify POS, then you will also need Shopify’s hardware options (such as a card reader) to support mobile and in-store sales. Each hardware solution includes free shipping, 30-day returns, 24/7 customer support, and a one-year warranty. One-time fees range from $49 to $999.
Shopify POS is a consistent top pick for retail POS systems, multichannel POS systems, and POS inventory systems. Interested in finding out more about Shopify POS? Read our Shopify POS review and learn how to use Shopify POS.
Here are sample hardware solutions for Shopify POS.
Tap and chip reader | Tap and Chip Countertop Kit | Barcode Scanners |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
$49 | $219 | $199–$289 |
Best for: Mobile sales | Best for: Brick-and-mortar stores | Best for: Retailers with large inventory or sales volume |
If you plan to use Shopify POS for a temporary market, pop-up sales, or on a seasonal basis, you can rent its hardware through Shopify’s partnership with Fello.
Read more: Shopify Hardware: Ultimate Guide for Small Businesses
Shopify pricing frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Yes, Shopify is a great choice for small businesses looking for a scalable and easy-to-use ecommerce platform. With flexible Shopify pricing plans and built-in marketing tools, it supports growth at any stage. Note, though, that the true cost of Shopify is not just the subscription fees but also the costs you pay for apps, themes, and transaction fees.
Starting a Shopify store typically costs $39/month for the Basic plan, plus optional expenses like a domain ($14/year) and apps ($10-$50/month). Overall, your Shopify store cost or cost of Shopify store usually ranges from $60 to $150 monthly when just starting out. Your exact Shopify account cost will depend on the apps and tools you add.
You should upgrade your Shopify plan when your sales volume grows or you need advanced features. For example, businesses making over $16,000/month often save money by switching to a higher Shopify pricing plan due to lower transaction fees. Choosing the right plan from Shopify’s different pricing and plan offerings ensures you scale affordably.
The real cost of Shopify depends on several factors: your plan choice, transaction fees, and optional add-ons like premium themes or apps. Basic Shopify starts at $39/month, but a fully operational store often sees a total Shopify store cost closer to $100–$300/month once apps and payment processing fees are included.
Shopify often runs a promotion where new users can access any paid Shopify pricing plan for just $1 for the first three months. After that, regular Shopify plans and pricing apply. It’s a great low-risk way for small businesses to test building an online store with minimal upfront investment.
If you use Shopify Payments on the Basic plan, Shopify charges 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction. For a $100 sale, Shopify would take approximately $3.20 in fees. Different Shopify pricing and plans have slightly lower rates as you upgrade, reducing how much you lose to transaction costs at higher volumes.
For me, the sweet spot is the Basic Shopify plan at $39 a month. You can sell on multiple sales channels, build a full online store, sell in-person, and have a basic marketing tool kit — a lead generation tool (Shopify Forms), email marketing (Shopify Email), abandoned cart saver, promo codes, and more. Shopify’s latest updates give more tools that adding a plug-in (which is an additional cost) is no longer needed.
Bottom Line
Shopify prices its ecommerce plans to meet every small business’s budget and selling needs. At $5 per month, Shopify’s entry-level plan provides you with a checkout link and allows you to sell through social media channels. Full-featured plans starting at $39 per month allow beginner sellers to start their online store and give them room to scale.
Consider additional costs when setting up your Shopify store, but don’t be discouraged by them. What’s great about these investments is that they deliver more profit in the long run. We suggest you launch your store first and add more features (integrations) as the need arises.
Start your free trial before choosing a plan for three days, and extend it to three months for just a dollar a month.
