How Much Does Shopify Cost Per Month? Complete Pricing Guide 2026

The Quick Answer: Shopify Plans at a Glance

Shopify charges between $39 and $399 per month depending on the plan you choose. But the subscription fee is only one piece of the puzzle. Transaction fees, apps, themes, and other add-ons can double or triple your actual monthly spend.

Here is the base pricing for every Shopify plan in 2026:

Paying annually saves you 25% on the Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans. Shopify also runs a promotional offer for new merchants: $1/month for the first three months, which makes testing the platform almost risk-free.

The rest of this guide breaks down every cost you will actually encounter so there are no surprises on your bill.

Shopify Plan Comparison: Features That Matter

Choosing the right plan is not just about the subscription price. Each tier unlocks different features, staff accounts, and fee structures. Here is what separates them.

Basic ($39/month) gives you everything you need to launch: an online store, unlimited products, 24/7 support, and up to 10 inventory locations. You get two staff accounts and basic reporting. For most new stores doing under $5,000 per month in revenue, this plan covers the essentials.

Grow ($105/month) adds professional reporting, up to five additional staff accounts, and 200 inventory locations. The lower transaction fees start paying for themselves once you cross roughly $10,000 in monthly sales. You also unlock localized selling in up to five markets, which matters if you sell internationally.

Advanced ($399/month) is built for brands doing serious volume. You get 15 staff accounts, custom reporting, third-party calculated shipping rates, and localized selling across 50 markets. The lowest credit card processing rates on this tier save you meaningful money at higher revenue levels.

Plus (from $2,300/month) targets enterprise merchants. You get a dedicated account manager, customizable checkout, and negotiable transaction rates. Most stores under $500,000 in monthly revenue do not need this tier.

If you are still figuring out which plan fits your business model, our store setup guides walk through the decision in detail.

Transaction Fees and Credit Card Processing Rates

Transaction fees are where most merchants underestimate their Shopify costs. Every sale you make gets a percentage shaved off the top for payment processing.

When you use Shopify Payments (Shopify's built-in payment processor), you pay only credit card processing fees with no additional transaction fee:

If you use a third-party payment gateway instead (like PayPal, Stripe, or Authorize.net), Shopify adds an extra transaction fee on top of whatever your processor charges:

That extra fee stacks on top of your processor's own rates. On a $100 sale using Basic with a third-party gateway, you might pay $2.90 to your processor plus $2.00 to Shopify, totaling $4.90 in fees. Using Shopify Payments on the same sale costs $3.20.

The takeaway: unless you have a specific reason to use an outside processor, Shopify Payments saves most merchants hundreds of dollars per month. For a deeper look at optimizing your checkout fees, see our payments and checkout guides.

How Shopify Payments Saves You Money

Shopify Payments is more than just convenient. It directly reduces your costs in three ways.

First, you eliminate the extra transaction fee. That 0.6% to 2.0% surcharge only applies when you use a third-party gateway. On $25,000 in monthly sales using the Basic plan, switching to Shopify Payments saves you $500 per month in transaction fees alone.

Second, you get competitive credit card rates. Shopify Payments uses Stripe's infrastructure and offers rates that are in line with what most small businesses negotiate independently. The rates drop as you move to higher plans, and Plus merchants can negotiate custom pricing.

Third, you simplify your accounting. All payment data flows directly into Shopify's reporting dashboard. No reconciling between platforms, no delayed deposits from third-party processors. According to Shopify's fees documentation, payouts are typically received within two business days.

There is one scenario where a third-party processor wins: very high-volume stores (above $200,000 per month) with high average order values can sometimes negotiate interchange-plus rates that beat Shopify Payments. But for the vast majority of merchants, Shopify Payments is the clear winner.

App Costs: The Hidden Monthly Expense

Apps are where Shopify costs creep up on you. The Shopify App Store has over 8,000 apps, and while many are free, the ones that move the needle usually cost money.

Here is what a typical store's app stack looks like at different stages:

Common paid apps and their typical monthly costs include:

• Email marketing (Klaviyo, Omnisend): $20 - $150/mo depending on list size
• Reviews (Judge.me, Loox): $15 - $50/mo
• SEO tools (SEO Manager, Plug In SEO): $20 - $40/mo
• Upsell and cross-sell (ReConvert, Bold Upsell): $15 - $50/mo
• Subscription management (Recharge, Bold Subscriptions): $99 - $300/mo
• Inventory management (Stocky, TradeGecko): $30 - $100/mo
• Loyalty programs (Smile.io, LoyaltyLion): $50 - $250/mo

The smart approach is to start lean. Add apps only when you can tie them to a clear return on investment. A $50/month reviews app that increases conversion rate by 0.5% easily pays for itself on a store doing $5,000 in monthly revenue. A $200/month app that you barely use does not.

As WebsiteBuilderExpert notes, app costs are one of the most overlooked factors in Shopify's total cost of ownership. Budget for them from day one.

Theme, Domain, and Email Costs

Your Shopify theme controls how your store looks and performs. You have two options: free or paid.

Free themes: Shopify offers around 13 free themes, including Dawn (the default), Taste, Craft, and Sense. These are well-built, mobile-responsive, and regularly updated by Shopify's own team. For most new stores, a free theme is more than enough.

Premium themes: The Shopify Theme Store sells premium themes ranging from $150 to $400 as a one-time purchase. Third-party marketplaces like ThemeForest offer Shopify themes starting around $50, though quality varies significantly.

A premium theme is not a monthly cost, but it does factor into your total first-year investment. If you are not sure which direction to go, our team at Let's Talk Shop can help you evaluate what your store actually needs.

For stores that need advanced customization without building from scratch, Digital Silk recommends working with a Shopify development partner who can modify an existing theme rather than building custom from zero.

Beyond your theme, every legitimate ecommerce store needs a custom domain and email setup. Here is what those cost.

Domain registration: Shopify sells domains directly through its admin panel for $15 to $20 per year for a .com. You can also purchase from third-party registrars like Namecheap, Cloudflare, or Google Domains for $10 to $15 per year. Renewal prices sometimes increase after the first year, so read the fine print.

Shopify Email: Shopify includes a basic email marketing tool. You get 10,000 emails per month free, then pay $1 per additional 1,000 emails. For stores with small lists, this is a genuine money saver. Larger stores typically outgrow it and switch to dedicated platforms like Klaviyo or Mailchimp.

Professional email (you@yourstore.com): Shopify does not include email hosting. You will need a third-party provider like Google Workspace ($7/user/month) or Zoho Mail (free for up to five users). This is a small but often-forgotten cost.

Total Cost of Ownership at Every Revenue Level

This is the section that actually answers the question: how much does Shopify cost per month when you factor in everything? The numbers below are based on real-world spending patterns from merchants at each revenue tier.

Starter Store: $1,000/month in revenue

You are testing a product idea or running a side hustle. Keep costs as low as possible.

Your effective cost of doing business: roughly 6% to 9% of revenue.

Growing Store: $5,000/month in revenue

You have product-market fit and need better tools. Still on Basic.

Effective cost: roughly 6% to 8% of revenue. At this stage, every app should earn its keep.

Scaling Store: $25,000/month in revenue

Time to consider upgrading to the Grow plan. The lower transaction rates start saving more than the plan price increase.

Effective cost: roughly 4.5% to 5.7% of revenue. The economies of scale are kicking in. This is the stage where your business strategy around margins matters most.

Established Store: $100,000/month in revenue

You are running a real brand. The Advanced plan is almost certainly worth it.

Effective cost: roughly 3.5% to 4.2% of revenue. At this level, you are paying a competitive rate for a fully managed ecommerce platform. The alternative, building and maintaining a custom solution, would cost significantly more in developer salaries alone.

According to EcommerceCEO's analysis, mid-sized Shopify stores typically spend between $5,000 and $20,000 annually on the platform including all costs, which aligns closely with these estimates.

Ways to Reduce Your Monthly Shopify Costs

You do not have to accept every cost at face value. Here are proven strategies to bring your bill down.

Pay annually. This single change saves 25% on your plan, which is $120 per year on Basic and $1,200 per year on Advanced.

Use Shopify Payments. Eliminating the third-party transaction fee is the easiest cost reduction available. On $10,000 in monthly sales using the Basic plan, that saves $200/month.

Audit your apps quarterly. Most stores accumulate apps they no longer use. Set a calendar reminder every 90 days to review your installed apps. If an app is not directly contributing to revenue or operations, remove it.

Start with free themes. Dawn and the other free themes are genuinely good. You can always upgrade later when your revenue justifies the investment.

Negotiate at scale. Once you are on Shopify Plus or doing significant volume, transaction rates are negotiable. According to Printify's Shopify pricing guide, Plus merchants regularly negotiate rates below the published tiers.

Use Shopify's built-in tools first. Before paying for a third-party email app, try Shopify Email. Before paying for an analytics app, use Shopify's built-in reports. The platform has added significant functionality in recent years that reduces the need for paid add-ons.

When to Upgrade Your Shopify Plan

Upgrading your plan at the wrong time wastes money. Upgrading too late leaves savings on the table. Here is a simple framework.

Upgrade from Basic to Grow when:

• Your monthly revenue consistently exceeds $10,000
• You need professional reports for business decisions
• You are selling internationally and need multiple market support
• The transaction fee savings exceed the plan price difference ($66/month)

Upgrade from Grow to Advanced when:

• Your monthly revenue consistently exceeds $50,000
• You need third-party calculated shipping rates
• You sell in more than five international markets
• You have a team larger than five people managing the store

The math is straightforward. On the Basic plan, you pay 2.9% per online transaction. On Grow, you pay 2.7%. That 0.2% difference equals $20 in savings per $10,000 in sales. At $10,000/month, you save $20 but pay $66 more for the plan, so it is not worth it yet. At roughly $33,000/month, the savings equal the extra plan cost, and above that, upgrading saves you money.

For help deciding the right time, our Shopify experts network can review your specific numbers and recommend the best plan for your current stage.

How Shopify Compares on Price

Shopify is not the cheapest ecommerce platform, but it is one of the most complete. Here is how it stacks up against the major alternatives.

WooCommerce looks cheaper on paper, but once you factor in hosting, security, maintenance, and paid plugins, the total cost often matches or exceeds Shopify. WebsiteBuilderExpert's comparison found that WooCommerce's flexibility comes with significantly higher time and maintenance costs.

Shopify's advantage is predictability. You know exactly what you are paying each month, and the platform handles hosting, security, updates, and PCI compliance. That operational simplicity has real dollar value, especially for teams without dedicated developers.

For a detailed side-by-side analysis, check out our business strategy articles covering platform selection and ecommerce planning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a free Shopify plan? No. Shopify offers a three-day free trial and a $1/month promotional rate for the first three months, but there is no permanently free plan. The Starter plan at $5/month is the cheapest option.

Does Shopify charge per transaction? Yes. Every plan includes credit card processing fees (2.5% to 2.9% + $0.30 for online sales via Shopify Payments). If you use a third-party payment gateway, Shopify adds an extra 0.6% to 2.0% fee on top of your processor's rates.

Can I switch plans later? Yes. You can upgrade or downgrade your Shopify plan at any time. Upgrades take effect immediately, and downgrades take effect at the start of your next billing cycle.

Are Shopify apps included in the plan price? No. Most Shopify apps are third-party products with their own pricing. Some are free, but the majority of feature-rich apps charge between $10 and $300 per month. This is a separate cost from your Shopify subscription.

Is Shopify worth the cost? For most ecommerce businesses, yes. As Oberlo's analysis explains, Shopify removes the technical burden of running an online store. You do not need to worry about hosting, security patches, or server maintenance. That peace of mind and time savings has genuine value, especially as your business grows.

Start With What You Need, Scale When You Are Ready

The real answer to "how much does Shopify cost per month" depends entirely on your business stage. A brand-new store can get started for under $90 per month total. A store doing $100,000 in monthly revenue should expect to spend $3,500 to $4,200 per month across all Shopify-related costs, which represents a competitive 3.5% to 4.2% of revenue.

The best approach is to start on the Basic plan with free themes and minimal apps. Let your revenue growth dictate when you upgrade. Every dollar you spend on the platform should have a clear path to earning more than it costs.

If you want a personalized cost estimate for your specific business, reach out to our team. We have helped hundreds of merchants right-size their Shopify investment and avoid overspending on features they do not need yet.

What is the biggest surprise cost you have encountered on Shopify? Share your experience in the comments. Your insight could save another merchant from an unexpected bill.

About Talk Shop

The Talk Shop team — insights from our community of Shopify developers, merchants, and experts.