Shopify’s pricing page looks simple enough: a few plan tiers, a free trial, and some card fees.

But once you start building a real store – with apps, international payments, staff accounts, and POS – the true cost adds up fast. After years of testing and managing Shopify stores across a range of industries and revenue levels, I’ve learned how to read between the lines.

In this guide, I’ll walk through what Shopify really costs – not just the sticker prices, but how much you’ll spend once you add apps, payment fees, and other expenses. I’ll also explain when it actually saves you money to upgrade your plan.

Quick Verdict: Which Shopify Plan Makes Sense for You?

Here’s a fast breakdown of what I recommend for most stores based on revenue stage and goals:

• Starter ($5) – Best for creators testing products with checkout links only
• Basic ($29/month annually) – Great for early-stage stores launching their full site
• Grow ($79/month annually) – Best value once you’re doing 5-figure monthly sales
• Advanced ($299/month annually) – Worth it if you’re scaling and optimizing margins
• Plus (from $2,300/month) – Only needed at high-volume, multi-region scale
• Commerce Components (Custom) – Built for massive global brands with full dev teams

Let’s break it down properly.

Shopify Pricing Plans at a Glance

Shopify offers three core ecommerce plans, plus a Starter tier, a retail-focused track, and two enterprise options. Pricing depends on whether you pay monthly or annually.

Plan	Best For	Monthly	Annual (Per Month)	Notes
Starter	Link-based selling only	$5	N/A	No full online store
Basic	First full website	$39	$29	Good starting point
Grow	Growing brands	$105	$79	Better fees + staff + reporting
Advanced	Scaling and international	$399	$299	Advanced analytics + lower transaction fees
Plus	High-volume, enterprise ecommerce	From $2,300	Custom term	Multi-storefront + wholesale + APIs
Commerce Comp.	Global enterprise stack	Custom	Custom	Modular system for large tech teams

Starter Plan – $5/month: Good for Side Hustles, Not Full Stores

I’ve used the Starter plan with creator clients who sell directly via Instagram or TikTok. It’s a minimal plan – you won’t get a storefront or any design options.

Here’s what you can do:

• Sell via social links or messaging apps
• Use Shopify’s checkout and inventory system
• Track basic orders and payments
• No storefront, theme editor, or blog

You’re also stuck with:

• A 5% transaction fee when using Shopify Payments
• No real customization
• A single-page setup (no homepage, no navigation)

Starter also lacks SEO features, sales analytics, or even the ability to set up a blog – all of which are vital if you’re planning to build organic traffic. That makes this plan feel more like a payment tool than a store builder.

And while it technically runs on Shopify’s engine, you’re limited to checkout links and product cards, not full navigation or UX control.

It can work well for creators selling digital products or a few SKUs through Instagram bios or WhatsApp, but once you start seeing repeat purchases or expanding product lines, you’ll outgrow Starter very quickly. At that point, Basic becomes the bare minimum.

My Verdict:

The Starter plan is great for validating an idea with very low commitment. But if you’re trying to build a brand, it’s not enough – you’ll need to move to Basic or Grow as soon as you want control over design or SEO.

Basic Plan – $39/month (or $29 if billed annually)

Most early-stage store owners I work with start here. It’s the first real ecommerce plan that gives you:

• A full online store with custom domains and themes
• Blogging, discount codes, and abandoned cart recovery
• Access to up to 10 inventory locations
• POS Lite for selling in person
• Shopify’s tax tools and free SSL

Transaction fees (US):

• Online: 2.9% + $0.30
• In-Person: 2.6% + $0.10
• Third-Party Payment Fee: 2% if not using Shopify Payments

If you’re selling low-AOV items, that $0.30 per transaction can hurt. You’ll also hit limits quickly if you work with a team – you only get 2 staff accounts.

This plan unlocks the Shopify theme store, which includes both free and premium options. You’ll also gain access to the blog editor, which is useful for content-driven ecommerce or SEO. But keep in mind: most Basic users still spend another $50–$100/month on apps like reviews, email marketing, or upsell tools to round out their stack.

If you’re building a real brand and want room to grow without breaking the bank, Basic is often where you start – just know that once sales start compounding, you’ll want more flexibility around team, analytics, and shipping.

My Verdict:

Basic is a good entry point for solo store owners. It has everything you need to start selling and building your brand. Just watch out for the rising fees if you scale fast – Grow will become cheaper once your revenue passes $30k/month.

Grow (Shopify) Plan – $105/month (or $79 annually)

Once your store is doing consistent revenue and you have a few people on your team, the Grow plan becomes a better deal.

You get everything from Basic, plus:

• 5 staff accounts
• Standard reporting tools
• Up to 88% shipping discount
• Slightly lower transaction fees
• Shipping insurance on eligible orders

Transaction fees (US):

• Online: 2.7% + $0.30
• In-Person: 2.5% + $0.10
• Third-Party Payment Fee: 1%

In my experience, this plan hits the sweet spot between cost and performance. You’ll save around $66/month in plan fees by sticking with Basic, but if your store is doing more than $30,000/month, the fee savings with Grow will cancel that out.

The extra staff accounts make a real difference once you bring in customer service help, virtual assistants, or content teams. And unlike Basic, Grow offers more powerful automation options and slightly better access to Shopify Markets features – making it easier to test international waters.

If you’re spending money on fulfillment, ads, or influencer campaigns, Grow gives you the back-end support to run operations more efficiently – without jumping to Advanced-level pricing just yet.

My Verdict:

Grow is the most balanced option for established ecommerce businesses. You’ll need fewer workarounds, and the built-in features will save time – and in many cases, money.

Advanced Plan – $399/month (or $299 annually)

This is where Shopify starts to become an enterprise-grade platform. I use Advanced for stores doing $150k–$500k per month, especially if they sell globally or need custom reporting.

Added features:

• 15 staff accounts
• Custom reports
• Third-party calculated shipping rates
• Better control over tax/duty for international markets

Fees (US):

• Online: 2.5% + $0.30
• In-Person: 2.4% + $0.10
• Third-Party Fee: ~0.5–0.6%

The jump in monthly cost is significant, but the card savings alone can justify the upgrade if you’re doing high volume – especially on high-ticket products.

Custom reports are a major upgrade – letting you build views based on sales by product tag, region, customer type, or channel. This is especially helpful for brands doing omnichannel or cross-border sales. You also get more power under Shopify Markets, with better control over duties, tax, and local currency pricing.

What I often see is that Advanced pays for itself not just in lower fees, but also in saved hours – fewer third-party analytics tools, fewer shipping errors, and easier localization management.

My Verdict:

Only go Advanced if you’re hitting high six-figure monthly revenue, have a team that needs more access, or need serious analytics. It’s overkill for a $50k/month brand.

Shopify Plus – From $2,300/month (Custom Terms)

I’ve consulted on several Shopify Plus builds, and it’s built for scale. This isn’t just a plan – it’s a suite of tools for enterprise ecommerce.

What makes it different:

• Multi-storefront support (region-specific domains)
• B2B portals and wholesale tools
• Fully customizable checkout via extensions
• Priority support and dedicated account manager
• Higher API limits and more automation

Typical pricing:

• Starts at $2,300/month (3-year contract)
• Shopify may offer revenue-share above certain GMV thresholds

This plan is often about operations and control, not just volume. Many mid-7-figure brands stay on Advanced because they don’t need custom checkout or B2B.

You’ll also get access to Shopify’s organization admin panel, which lets you manage multiple storefronts under one umbrella – ideal for brands with separate regional sites.

Plus-exclusive features like Launchpad (for campaign scheduling), Scripts (for custom discount logic), and Flow (advanced automation) help larger teams work at scale without duct-taping together third-party tools.

Still, Plus is not just about features – it’s about enterprise-grade support and technical capability. If you’re launching in multiple countries, doing B2B sales, or integrating with ERP or OMS systems, Plus removes friction and brings operational leverage.

My Verdict:

Only choose Plus if you need what it uniquely offers – like checkout control, multi-storefront, or wholesale. If not, Advanced will serve you just fine for much less.

Shopify for Enterprise (Commerce Components)

This is Shopify’s modular, API-first platform for brands that already have their own development infrastructure. You buy only the parts of Shopify you need – like checkout, storefront, or product data.

Who this is for:

• Global brands with full tech teams
• Companies using headless commerce setups
• Teams that want flexibility instead of an all-in-one UI

Pricing is fully custom and usage-based, tied to:

• GMV
• Traffic
• Number of components used
• Support level

You’ll be in deep with Shopify’s enterprise sales team if this is even on your radar.

This approach is more comparable to building on commercetools or Elastic Path than traditional Shopify. You’re buying into the underlying Shopify infrastructure – but plugging it into your own stack, front-end framework, and backend services. It’s technically impressive, but it comes with serious dev overhead.

In most cases, Shopify Plus will be more than enough unless you’re at the “Fortune 500” tier of ecommerce complexity. If you need modularity and freedom to swap in other tools like Salesforce Commerce Cloud or Contentful, that’s when Commerce Components starts to make sense.

My Verdict:

If you’re not running a global, multi-brand ecommerce infrastructure – ignore this. It’s a solution for massive operations, not DTC brands doing $5M/year.

Shopify Pricing by Business Model

Pricing isn’t one-size-fits-all. I’ve worked with stores doing $10k a month and others doing $1M+, and the same Shopify plan can either be a perfect fit or a huge mismatch – all depending on the business model. Your margins, AOV, team size, and tech stack matter more than most pricing pages let on.

Print-on-Demand (POD)

Characteristics:

• Lower margins (fulfilment partner takes a big cut)
• Lower AOV ($25–$40 t-shirts, mugs, phone cases)
• Heavy app usage (mockups, personalization, upsells)

Implications:

• Shopify + app + card fees often hit 6–10% of revenue
• Add ad spend and POD fees, and margins can collapse fast
• Shopify’s $0.30 fixed fee stings on low-value orders

Print on Demand is one of the most common first-store models I see. It’s attractive because it’s low-risk – no inventory, fast setup – but the fee stack adds up quickly. I’ve worked with POD stores where Shopify Basic + 4 apps (reviews, personalization, email, and shipping rates) pushed the stack past $120/month before ads or fulfilment.

The key is to start lean: use Basic, avoid bloated page builders, and only pay for the tools you absolutely need. Shopify’s built-in features (like Shopify Email and product variants) go further than most new sellers realize.

But once you’re bringing in steady traffic and cracking $20–30k/month in revenue, upgrading to Grow saves money and unlocks better reporting – essential for optimizing across designs and suppliers.

My Verdict:

Start lean on Basic, keep your apps minimal, and only move to Grow when your margins justify it. POD businesses need volume and control to stay profitable – and Grow gives you both.

Dropshipping

Characteristics:

• Thin margins, especially with AliExpress-style sourcing
• Often low AOV and higher refund/chargeback risk
• Product quality and shipping times vary – which affects customer trust

Implications:

• Fixed fees ($0.30/order) eat a bigger slice of profits on low-ticket items
• Refunds and chargebacks quietly increase your effective transaction cost
• Platform + app fees can outweigh your profit if you scale too early

Dropshipping is still popular, but I’ve seen it cause more churn than any other model – mostly because store owners underestimate costs.

A $30 product might only yield $6 profit after ads, fees, and processing. If you then issue a refund, you still eat the Shopify fee and payment processor cut.

If you’re running a one-product funnel or testing markets, Basic is fine. But if you’re scaling with multiple niches, variant testing, or multiple suppliers, you’ll hit Basic’s limitations fast. Once your monthly GMV hits $20–$40k, Grow becomes more cost-effective – and better reporting helps reduce refund risk.

My Verdict:

Dropshipping works best when paired with smart data usage. Stay on Basic early, model costs conservatively, and move to Grow once analytics and card savings can actually improve margin control.

High-Ticket DTC (Furniture, Jewelry, Equipment)

Characteristics:

• High AOV (usually $300–$1,000+)
• Fewer orders, more revenue per sale
• Often requires detailed product pages and trust-building content

Implications:

• The fixed $0.30 fee is negligible at this scale
• Percentage-based card rates are your main cost lever
• You’ll hit the break-even for Grow or Advanced faster

For high-ticket brands I’ve worked with, the conversation changes. You’re not worried about 5% platform costs – you’re optimizing around conversion, trust, and operations.

A $2,000 product has enough margin to absorb even $500+ in Shopify fees – but if you’re doing $200k/month, dropping your card rate from 2.7% to 2.5% (Grow → Advanced) can save you $400–$500/month.

This is where Advanced starts to make sense earlier than you’d expect. Not for the extra staff or reports – but for margin optimization. You also get more control over shipping calculations and checkout customizations, which can reduce cart abandonment on big purchases.

My Verdict:

High-ticket sellers should upgrade based on volume. If you’re doing $100k+/month, Advanced isn’t a luxury – it can be a net cost-saver. And the trust tools and custom reports pay for themselves in better conversion data.

Retail + Online (Omnichannel)

Characteristics:

• In-store and ecommerce blended
• Multiple locations, multiple staff
• Needs unified inventory and customer data

Implications:

• POS Pro ($89/location) adds up quickly
• Shopify’s Retail plans may be better value than stacking ecommerce + POS Pro
• Hardware costs and staff accounts become real budget considerations

I’ve consulted with boutique retailers running 2–5 physical locations alongside a growing online store. Shopify’s POS Lite (free with all plans) covers basic checkout – but for real retail needs (like smart inventory, staff permissions, and printed receipts), POS Pro is a must. That adds $89/month per location, on top of your ecommerce plan.

Once you pass 2–3 locations, it often makes sense to compare Shopify’s Retail plans directly – they include POS Pro and streamline billing. Just keep in mind that these still run on top of Shopify’s ecommerce backbone, so the same rules around Basic, Grow, and Advanced apply for the online side.

My Verdict:
If you’re running more than one physical store, don’t ignore POS pricing. The hidden cost isn’t just hardware – it’s the monthly POS Pro subscription. Consider Retail plans or bundle logic based on how your team operates.

International, FX & Dispute Costs

Selling globally opens revenue potential, but introduces real costs most sellers overlook. These aren’t “plan” costs – they show up in your effective margin.

Duties & Import Taxes

If you use Shopify’s Markets or Markets Pro tools to collect taxes and duties at checkout, you’ll be charged an extra fee per eligible order:

• Around 0.5–0.85% of the order total when using Shopify Payments
• Around 1.5% if using a third-party payment provider

These fees are per-order, not per-customer, and apply only when tax/duty calculations are triggered. That said, I always advise clients to factor them into margin calculations, especially when expanding into the EU or UK.

Yes, it’s a cost – but it also reduces failed deliveries and surprise customs bills for customers. That translates to fewer support tickets and better LTV.

My Verdict:

This is one of those “pay now or pay later” situations. Paying Shopify to handle duties at checkout saves you in refunds, angry emails, and returns.

Currency Conversion & FX Spreads

When you sell in one currency but get paid out in another, FX fees apply. Shopify Payments typically charges:

• 1–1.5% FX spread
• It varies by market and payout settings

This isn’t a Shopify subscription cost – it’s baked into your payment processing. You’ll only notice if you’re tracking net payouts carefully. For example, selling in GBP but receiving USD can quietly erode margins.

If you’re doing a lot of cross-border sales, consider whether it’s worth opening bank accounts in your main currencies or switching payout currency settings.

My Verdict:

FX fees are sneaky margin killers. If you sell internationally, track payout currencies closely – and adjust your pricing strategy to bake in that 1–1.5%.

Chargebacks & Refunds

Chargebacks are a fact of life in ecommerce. Most payment processors (including Shopify Payments) charge $15–$25 per dispute, and some don’t refund the fixed transaction fee when you issue a refund – meaning:

• You lose $0.30 per refund, even if the customer gets their money back
• You eat chargeback fees whether you win or lose

I encourage clients to track their dispute rates, especially if they sell in categories with high fraud risk (fashion, digital goods, or supplements). A low dispute rate (under 0.5%) won’t hurt much – but if you’re averaging 1–2%, it adds up fast.

My Verdict:

Model refunds and disputes into your effective fee structure. Add a buffer of 0.2–0.5% to your cost estimates, especially if your product category is high-risk.

Built-In Tools & AI That Can Reduce Your App Spend

Shopify’s built-in tools have improved dramatically. When working with new stores, I now tell clients to delay third-party apps unless there’s a clear need. Many features are now handled natively – or by AI.

Need	Typical Paid Tool	Shopify Built-In
Product descriptions	AI copywriting tools	Shopify Magic
Email campaigns & flows	Entry-level email platforms	Shopify Email
Basic store automation	Zapier-style apps	Shopify’s native workflows
Setup help	Freelancers / VAs	Shopify Sidekick AI

You don’t need to spend $100/month on apps just to launch. Shopify Magic writes decent product copy out of the box. Shopify Email covers the basics. And Sidekick can answer most setup questions instantly.

My Verdict:

If you’re spending over $300/month on apps, audit what Shopify now includes for free. You may be overpaying – or worse, running overlapping tools that slow your site.

Break-Even Math: When Upgrading Actually Saves You Money

Most merchants think higher Shopify plans just cost more. But if you’re using Shopify Payments, each plan gives you lower card processing rates – and at a certain point, that savings outweighs the higher monthly fee.

Let’s look at real math from client stores I’ve worked with.

Basic vs Grow – Where You Save

Assumptions:

• Basic: $39/month, 2.9% + $0.30
• Grow: $105/month, 2.7% + $0.30
• Difference in plan cost: $66/month
• Card fee difference: 0.2% savings on Grow

Break-even point:
$66 ÷ 0.002 = $33,000/month in card volume

So, if your store does more than ~$30k/month in Shopify Payments volume, Grow is actually cheaper – and you get better reporting, staff accounts, and shipping discounts.

Even before that point, Grow’s operational improvements (like team logins and analytics) are worth the cost for many stores.

Grow vs Advanced – Is It Worth $294 More?

Assumptions:

• Grow: $105/month, 2.7%
• Advanced: $399/month, 2.5%
• Plan difference: $294
• Card fee savings: 0.2% lower

Break-even point:
$294 ÷ 0.002 = $147,000/month in card volume

In this case, you’ll need to process $150k+ in revenue monthly before Advanced saves money on card fees alone. But that doesn’t include what you gain from:

• Custom reporting
• More staff accounts
• International shipping features
• Third-party shipping rate logic

My Verdict:

Think of plan upgrades as financial levers, not just feature access. If you’re approaching $30k/month, Grow is a smarter long-term investment than Basic. Past $150k/month, Advanced often pays for itself – even before you consider features.

Quick Plan vs Fee Table (US Sellers Using Shopify Payments)

Monthly GMV	Best Plan (Net Savings)
Under $30,000	Basic
$30k–$150k	Grow
Over $150,000	Advanced

App Stack Archetypes & Avoiding the Frankenstore

One of the biggest hidden costs on Shopify? Apps.

Apps are great – until your store becomes a Frankenstore: 20+ apps, bloated scripts, overlapping features, and a slow site that bleeds money. I’ve worked with brands spending over $1,000/month on apps alone – half of which they didn’t need.

Common App Stack Profiles

Profile	App Count	Monthly Spend	Description
Barebones	0–3	$0–$50	Lean setup: just reviews, email, and 1-2 essential tools
Growth Stack	5–8	$100–$300	Reviews, upsells, search, SMS, subscriptions, page builder, analytics
Frankenstore	10–20+	$300–$800+	Overlapping tools, slow site, rising complexity, unclear ROI

Too many apps cause issues beyond cost. They can slow your page speed (hurting SEO), create bugs, or even break your checkout. The worst is when 3 apps all try to control your popups or product bundles – and your customers bounce.

Quarterly App Audit Checklist (What I Use with Clients)

Every 3 months:

• Are any two apps doing the same thing? (e.g. popups, upsells)
• Are you paying for apps no one has used in 90+ days?
• Are you paying % of revenue for tools that now cost more than flat-fee alternatives?
• Are any apps slowing down your site? (Use Shopify’s store speed report or Google PageSpeed)

My Verdict:
Shopify’s App Store is powerful – but undisciplined stacking kills performance and margins. Audit quarterly, cut ruthlessly, and replace % revenue apps where possible.

Quarterly Shopify Bill Checkup (Simple, Effective Process)

I run this exercise with clients every quarter. It takes 30–45 minutes and often saves hundreds – sometimes thousands – per month.

Here’s the workflow.

Step 1: Export Last 3 Months of Key Data

• Revenue
• Orders
• AOV
• Refunds / chargebacks
• Shopify Payments processing fees
• App invoices
• POS subscriptions / device count

Step 2: Recalculate Your Break-Even Point

• Are you doing $30k+/month? Time to compare Basic vs Grow
• Hitting $150k+/month? Time to look at Advanced
• Nearing $800k+/month? Run Plus economics and negotiate terms

Step 3: Audit Your App Stack

• Tag each paid app:
  • Keep
  • Replace Later
  • Cancel Now
• Add up total app spend per month
• Look for % of revenue apps that are now charging more than flat-fee competitors

Step 4: Review Cross-Border Costs

• How much GMV is international?
• Are you using Shopify Markets or Markets Pro?
• Are FX fees eating 1–1.5% of revenue?
• Are duty/tax calculation fees worth the lower refund rate?

Step 5: Decide: Upgrade, Downgrade, or Hold

• Upgrade: If fee savings + features justify the plan jump
• Downgrade: If usage is below break-even and premium features aren’t being used
• Hold: If your usage aligns with your current plan, and apps + fees are under control

My Verdict:

A 45-minute quarterly pricing audit can uncover thousands in unnecessary spend – and usually leads to better operations too. Build this into your SOP.

Total Cost of Shopify: Full Stack Example Budgets

Shopify pricing goes far beyond the monthly subscription. Here’s what realistic budgets look like for three different store sizes.

1. New Store on Basic ($29–$39/month)

Cost Item	Monthly Estimate
Shopify Basic Plan	$29–$39
Apps (2–3 essentials)	$40–$70
Theme (one-time)	$0–$300
Domain	$1–$2 (yearly domain cost)
Shopify Payments fees	2.9% + $0.30 per order

Total Monthly: ~$80–$150 for most small stores

2. Mid-Stage Brand on Grow ($79–$105/month)

Cost Item	Monthly Estimate
Shopify Grow Plan	$79–$105
Apps (5–8 tools)	$100–$300
POS Pro (1–2 devices)	$89–$178
Email or SMS stack	$50–$100
Shopify Payments fees	2.7% + $0.30 per order

Total Monthly: ~$300–$700 depending on app stack + POS

3. Scaling Brand on Advanced ($299–$399/month)

Cost Item	Monthly Estimate
Shopify Advanced Plan	$299–$399
Apps (10–15 tools)	$300–$800
POS Pro (multi-store)	$200–$500
International fees	0.5–0.85% on duty/taxed orders
Shopify Payments fees	2.5% + $0.30 per order

Total Monthly: $1,000–$2,000+ before ad spend or ops

My Verdict on Overall Value

Shopify isn’t the cheapest option on the surface – but you’re not paying for a website builder. You’re buying a commerce engine: checkout, payments, fraud, taxes, shipping, reports, apps, AI, and support – all in one stack.

The real question isn’t “Is Shopify cheap?”

It’s:

“Given my margins and growth plan, which Shopify plan and stack help me build a profitable, resilient business?”