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Shopify’s monthly plan price is just the beginning. Transaction fees, payment processing rates, app costs, and theme purchases can easily triple what you expected to pay. We broke down every plan including the fees Shopify doesn’t put in bold on their pricing page.
Last updated: March 18, 2026. Prices sourced from shopify.com/pricing.
Shopify Pricing at a Glance
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per month) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $5 | $5 | Social media selling, link-in-bio |
| Basic | $39 | $29 | New stores, solo founders |
| Grow | $105 | $79 | Growing businesses, small teams |
| Advanced | $399 | $299 | Scaling businesses, international |
| Plus | From $2,300 | High-volume enterprise | |
These numbers look manageable. But the plan fee is usually the smallest part of your Shopify bill.
The Real Cost: Transaction Fees on Every Sale
This is what catches most new store owners off guard. Shopify charges fees on every transaction, on top of your monthly plan.
| Plan | Online credit card rate | In-person rate | 3rd-party gateway fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.6% + 10¢ | 2.0% |
| Grow | 2.7% + 30¢ | 2.5% + 10¢ | 1.0% |
| Advanced | 2.5% + 30¢ | 2.4% + 10¢ | 0.6% |
| Plus | 2.15% + 30¢ | 2.15% + 10¢ | 0.2% |
Using Shopify Payments (their built-in processor) avoids the third-party gateway fee. Using PayPal, Stripe, or any other processor? You pay the gateway fee on top of that processor’s own fees. This can push your total processing cost above 4-5%.
$348 /month
Plan: $29/month (annual)
Transaction fees (Shopify Payments): ~$319/month (2.9% + 30¢ on $10K)
That’s $348/month total — 12x the plan price.
Starter ($5/mo): Not a Real Store
Starter is misleading. You don’t get a full online store. You get:
- A product page and checkout that works via shareable links
- Sell on social media, messaging apps, or embed buy buttons
- Shopify POS Lite for in-person selling
- 5% transaction fee on third-party gateways
No customizable storefront. No blog. No full website. It’s a checkout page with a link. Fine for selling a few items via Instagram DMs. Not a real e-commerce solution.
Basic ($29-39/mo): Where Real Stores Start
Basic gives you an actual online store:
- Full customizable storefront
- Unlimited products
- 5 staff accounts
- 10 inventory locations
- Up to 77% shipping discounts (USPS, UPS, DHL)
- Manual order creation
- Discount codes
- Free SSL certificate
- 24/7 support
What Basic lacks: professional reports (you get basic analytics only), calculated shipping rates at checkout, and the lower transaction fees of higher plans. For most new stores doing under $10K/month, Basic is the right starting point.
Grow ($79-105/mo): The Middle Tier
Grow (renamed from “Shopify” plan) is for stores that have traction:
- Everything in Basic
- Professional reports — sales, customer, and marketing analytics
- 5 additional staff accounts
- Lower transaction rates (2.7% + 30¢ vs 2.9%)
- Lower third-party gateway fees (1% vs 2%)
The transaction fee savings matter at scale. On $30,000/month in sales, the 0.2% difference between Basic and Grow saves roughly $60/month — which almost covers the plan price difference.
~$25,000 /month in sales
Grow costs $50/month more than Basic (annual billing)
Grow saves 0.2% per transaction = $50 savings at $25K revenue
Above $25K/month, Grow pays for itself in lower fees.
Advanced ($299-399/mo): International and Scaling
Advanced is for established businesses with specific needs:
- 15 staff accounts
- Custom reports with advanced filtering
- Third-party calculated shipping rates at checkout
- Duties and import taxes calculation — critical for international selling
- Up to 88% shipping discounts
- Lowest standard transaction rates (2.5% + 30¢)
The jump from Grow to Advanced is $220/month. You need roughly $110K/month in sales for the lower transaction fees alone to justify the upgrade. Most stores should stay on Grow until they’re consistently above that threshold.
Plus ($2,300+/mo): Enterprise E-Commerce
Plus is a different product. It’s for brands doing millions in annual revenue:
- Lowest processing rates (2.15% + 30¢)
- Unlimited staff accounts
- Checkout customization (via Checkout Extensibility)
- Shopify Flow automation
- Expansion stores for B2B or international
- Dedicated support and launch team
At $2,300/month minimum ($27,600/year), Plus only makes sense for stores doing $500K+ in monthly revenue where the lower transaction rates and advanced features create measurable ROI.
The Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About
Paid themes: $150-400 one-time
Shopify’s free themes are decent but limited. Most serious stores buy a premium theme. Budget $150-400 upfront.
Apps: $20-300+/month
This is the biggest hidden cost. Need email marketing? Reviews? Upsells? Loyalty programs? Each app is a monthly subscription. A typical store runs 5-10 paid apps totaling $100-500/month. This can exceed your Shopify plan cost.
Domain: $14-40/year
Shopify gives you a yourstore.myshopify.com URL for free. A custom domain costs $14-40/year through Shopify or any registrar.
Email: included but limited
Shopify Email gives you 10,000 free emails/month. Beyond that, it’s $1 per 1,000 emails. For stores with large email lists, this adds up.
True Cost Scenarios
| Scenario | Plan | Monthly revenue | Total monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| New store, starting out | Basic (annual) | $2,000 | ~$116* |
| Growing store | Grow (annual) | $15,000 | ~$563* |
| Established business | Advanced (annual) | $50,000 | ~$1,599* |
| Enterprise brand | Plus | $500,000 | ~$13,350* |
*Includes plan fee + estimated Shopify Payments processing fees + ~$100/mo in apps. Actual costs vary.
Who Should Pick What
Just testing an idea: Starter ($5). Don’t invest more until you’ve validated demand.
Launching a real store: Basic annual ($29/mo). Upgrade when revenue justifies it.
$25K+/month revenue: Grow. The lower transaction fees pay for the upgrade.
International selling or $100K+/month: Advanced. Duties calculation and custom reports become essential.
$500K+/month: Plus. Talk to sales and negotiate hard.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the cheapest way to start on Shopify?
Basic plan with annual billing ($29/month) + Shopify Payments (no extra gateway fee) + a free theme. Total: ~$29/month plus transaction fees on actual sales.
Can I avoid Shopify’s transaction fees?
Use Shopify Payments as your processor. This eliminates the extra 0.6-2% third-party gateway fee. You still pay credit card processing rates (2.5-2.9% + 30¢).
Is Shopify worth it vs WooCommerce?
Shopify is simpler but costs more over time. WooCommerce is free software but requires hosting, maintenance, and development. If you want “set it and forget it,” Shopify wins. If you want full control and lower fees at scale, WooCommerce is worth considering.
Does Shopify offer a free trial?
Yes. 3-day free trial, then $1/month for the first 3 months on select plans. After that, full price kicks in.
Why are Shopify apps so expensive?
Because Shopify’s core features are intentionally limited to keep plan prices low. The app ecosystem fills the gaps — at a cost. Budget $100-300/month for apps on a serious store.
Pricing data sourced from shopify.com/pricing on March 18, 2026. Transaction rates assume US-based Shopify Payments. International rates may differ.
