Shopify Pricing 2026: Complete Breakdown

By ToolVS Research Team · Last Updated April 2026

30-SECOND ANSWER

Shopify costs $5/month for Starter, $39/month for Basic, $105/month for Shopify, and $399/month for Advanced. Transaction fees range from 0.5-2% unless using Shopify Payments. Real costs with apps typically reach $200-500/month.

Shopify Plans & Pricing

Starter

/mo

Product pages only (no full store)
Shareable product links
Social media selling
Shopify POS Lite
5% credit card rate

Basic

$39

/mo

Full online store
2 staff accounts
Up to 4 inventory locations
Basic reports
2.9% + 30c online rate

Shopify

$105

/mo

5 staff accounts
5 inventory locations
Professional reports
2.6% + 30c online rate
Lower transaction fees

Advanced

$399

/mo

15 staff accounts
8 inventory locations
Custom reporting
2.4% + 30c online rate
Third-party calculated shipping

Hidden Costs & Gotchas

Transaction fees: 2% (Basic), 1% (Shopify), 0.5% (Advanced) on non-Shopify Payments orders
App costs: most stores need 5-10 apps at $10-50/month each
Premium themes cost $250-380 one-time
Shopify Email: free for 10,000 emails/month, then $1/1,000
POS Pro costs $89/location/month for retail stores
Shopify Plus for enterprise starts at $2,000/month

Is Shopify Worth It?

Starter ($5) is only for social media selling without a full store. Basic ($39) is the real starting point for any online store. The Shopify plan ($105) makes sense when lower transaction fees save you more than the $66 difference (around $6,600+ monthly sales). Advanced ($399) is for high-volume stores needing advanced reporting. Be realistic about app costs: budget $100-200/month on top of Shopify for a functional store. WooCommerce (free) is the main alternative if monthly costs are a concern.

Price Comparison: Shopify vs Competitors

Tool	Free	Starter	Mid-Tier	Enterprise
Shopify	$5	$39 /mo	$105 /mo	$399
WooCommerce	Free (hosting ~$5/mo)	$0 + hosting	$0 + plugins	$0 + custom
BigCommerce	No free plan	$29/mo	$79/mo	$299/mo
Squarespace Commerce	No free plan	$27/mo	$49/mo	N/A

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a free plan for Shopify?

No permanent free plan, but Shopify offers a 3-day free trial and $1/month for the first 3 months. Starter at $5/month is the cheapest ongoing option but lacks a full online store.

What is the cheapest Shopify plan?

Starter at $5/month for product links only. Basic at $39/month for a full online store. Real cost with essential apps is typically $100-200/month.

Does Shopify offer discounts?

Yes. Annual billing saves 25% on all plans. The $1/month for 3 months promotion runs frequently. Shopify Plus offers discounts for multi-year enterprise contracts.

Related: Shopify Alternatives — All Pricing Guides

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Last updated: April 15, 2026. Pricing verified monthly.