Shopify Pricing Plans: Choose the Best for Your Business

shopify pricing plans guide for business owners
Sandip Malaviya
24-Mar-2022
Reading Time: 8 minutes

Did You Know? Shopify acquires 23% of eCommerce market share in the US. If you are willing to start an online store, Shopify can be a good choice. Shopify offers various plans at different rates and it’s confusing for you. You are probably asking, “Which Shopify pricing plan is best for me?” Don’t worry; we are here to answer the question while guiding you for a cost-effective plan according to your business needs.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is an eCommerce platform that allows users to set up online stores and sell their products. With the help of Shopify POS (Point Of Sale), merchants can also sell their products in person. Businesses can host their entire website on Shopify. It offers a seamless buying portal for customers. Shopify also supports selling through other marketplaces like Facebook, eBay, and Amazon.

Different Types of Shopify Pricing Plans

PlansPay MonthlyPay Yearly (save 25%)*
Basic$39 per month$29 per month
Shopify$105 per month$79 per month
Advanced$399 per month$299 per month
Shopify PlusStarts at $2,300 per monthStarts at $2,300 per month

Alternative Shopify Plans:

  • Shopify Starter – $5 per month
  • Retail – $60 per month
  • Enterprise – Custom pricing

Let’s explore the details of these plans, starting with the main Basic Shopify plans and then covering alternative options.

1. Basic Shopify Plan

The Basic Shopify plan is the foundation for starting an online store. It includes all the essential features needed to launch and manage a store, such as product listings, a secure checkout process, and integration with social media and marketplaces. The plan is best suited for merchants who look to sell in-person (via POS lite) or add a buy button to their existing websites.

Features

  • Up to 77% shipping discount
  • Basic e-commerce functionalities
  • 10 inventory locations
  • Mobile-responsive design
  • 24/7 customer support for assistance
  • Localized global selling (3 markets)
  • SSL certificate and fraud analysis detection
  • Secure payment processing
  • POS Lite

Transaction Fees

  • 2.9% + 30¢ USD for each online credit card transaction
  • 2.6% + 10¢ USD for in-person credit card transactions
  • 2% 3rd-party payment providers

2. Shopify Plan

Designed for businesses with a more robust set of needs when selling online and in-person, it opens up the full potential of the Shopify system. With the Shopify plan, you’ll also have access to professional reports to gain valuable insights into your store. It is perfect for growing businesses seeking more sophisticated features to enhance their operations.

Features

  • Up to 88% shipping discount and insurance
  • 10 inventory locations
  • Mobile-responsive design
  • 24/7 customer support for assistance
  • Localized global selling (3 markets)
  • 5 additional staff accounts
  • SSL certificate and fraud analysis detection
  • Secure payment processing
  • Lower credit card rates and transaction fees
  • Point of Sale (POS) Pro features at a reduced cost

Transaction Fees

  • 2.7% + 30¢ USD for each online credit card transaction
  • 2.5% + 10¢ USD for each online credit card transaction
  • 1% 3rd-party payment providers

3. Advanced Shopify Plan

The Advanced Shopify solution might be the right choice for your business if you need a wide range of features for selling online, in-store, and on the go. The main advantage is that it takes the lowest transaction fees compared to other Shopify plans.

Features

  • Up to 88% shipping discount and insurance
  • Shows Third-party Calculated Shipping Rates
  • Collects Duties and Import Taxes
  • Multi-language Translation
  • Lowest credit card rates and transaction fees
  • Advanced Custom reports and analytics
  • 10 inventory locations
  • Enhanced 24/7 chat support
  • Localized global selling (3 markets) + add markets for $59 USD/mo each
  • 15 additional staff accounts
  • 10x checkout capacity
  • POS Lite

Transaction Fees

  • 2.5% + 30¢ USD for each online credit card transaction
  • 2.4% + 10¢ USD for each online credit card transaction
  • 0.6% 3rd-party payment providers

4. Shopify Plus

The Shopify Plus plan is ideal for larger businesses and those looking to scale. It provides more advanced reporting tools, larger ordering capacities, as well as priority customer service. Shopify’s provisions for the Shopify Plus Plan are often tailored to meet your needs, which means that you might have to pay $2300 for this plan. It provides extensive customization, dedicated support, and advanced features to handle the complexities of large-scale operations.

Shopify Plus Plan Website HomePage

Features

  • Up to 88% shipping discount and insurance
  • Shows Third-party Calculated Shipping Rates
  • Collects Duties and Import Taxes
  • Multi-language Translation
  • Lowest credit card rates and transaction fees
  • Advanced Custom reports and analytics
  • 200 inventory locations
  • Priority 24/7 phone support
  • Localized global selling (50 markets)
  • Unlimited staff accounts
  • Fully customizable checkout with 40x capacity
  • 200 POS Pro locations with Shopify Payments
  • Sell wholesale/B2B

Transaction Fees

  • Shopify Plus offers competitive prices for high-volume retailers, and card rates depend on the country.

Alternative Shopify Plans

1. Starter Plan

Shopify’s Starter plan is a simplified online store that allows merchants to sell products through social media, messaging apps, email, SMS, and WhatsApp. It plans offer basic features at an affordable price point, making it a suitable choice for individuals or small businesses looking to start selling online.

Features

  • Sell on social media or websites through buy buttons.
  • Product listing and order management
  • Mobile optimization
  • Analytics
  • Customer support

Transaction Fees

  • 5% + 30¢ USD for each online credit card transaction
  • 5% + 0¢ USD for in-person credit card transactions
  • 5% 3rd-party payment providers

2. Retail Plan 

The Shopify Retail plan provides you with features to manage staff, inventory, and customers, and with tools for a simple online presence. Shopify Retail, also known as Shopify POS, is a plan for retail businesses that want to have an online presence and sell in-store. 

Features

  • Free Shopify POS app 
  • One Shopify POS Pro location 
  • Advance analytics reports 
  • Customer relationship tools 
  • Inventory management tools 
  • Features to manage staff, inventory, and customers  
  • 24/7 customer support 

Transactions fees

  • 2.9% + 30¢ USD for each online credit card transaction 
  • 2.6% + 10¢ USD for in-person credit card transactions 
  • 2% 3rd-party payment providers 

3. Enterprise Commerce Plan

Shopify Plus offers unique enterprise solutions for organizations who have outgrown the platform. These are highly personalized and priced to meet the exact demands of the business. This plan’s cost is dependent on the requirements. 

Features

  • Customizable checkout for high-volume transactions. 
  • Advanced API support for integration with existing IT systems. 
  • Dedicated account management and technical support. 
  • Advanced security and compliance features. 
  • Scalability options for peak sales periods. 

Which Are Other Costs With Shopify Pricing Plans?

  1. Domain Name
  2. Shopify Apps
  3. Shopify Payments
  4. Shopify Point of Sale
  5. Shopify Email
  6. Website Themes
  7. Shipping Fees

1. Domain Name

Domain names aren’t much expensive. When you sign up for the first time, you will get the “www.storemane.myshopify.com” domain. You can purchase a domain name from a third party like GoDaddy. Ensure that the pricing is affordable if the domain you want is available. You can save money by using a cheap domain registrar rather than selecting Shopify’s built-in service.

Approx Costing

  • Between $15 to $30 per year.

2. Shopify Apps

More than 8,000 apps are available in the Shopify App Store for extending and customizing your website’s functionality. Shopify plans don’t cover the cost of these apps. You can also link your store to many free apps. On average, a premium Shopify app starts at $5 per month.

Shopify App Store Website

Approx Costing

  • Between $0 to $500 per month.

3. Shopify Payments

The Shopify Payments platform provides an effortless way to accept credit card payments online through the platform’s proprietary payment solution. There are two ways to accept payments on Shopify – you can use third-party payment gateways or Shopify Payments. You’ll be charged an additional transaction fee if you don’t use Shopify Payments.

Shopify Payments Website

4. Shopify Point of Sale

All Shopify plans come with a comprehensive POS feature. However, you can purchase Shopify’s POS add-on to access additional POS features. In addition, you need to buy Shopify POS Hardware.

Shopify POS Website HomePage

Approx Costing

  • $89 per month + Hardware cost.

5. Shopify Email

Shopify offers email services because email marketing is one of the key aspects of eCommerce sales. You can opt between using Shopify Email or third-party email services MailChimp.

Shopify Email Tool Image

Approx Costing

  • Shopify provides 10,000 free emails each month. After that, pricing starts at $1/1000 emails per month. All charges are billed in USD.

6. Website Themes

Like other eCommerce platforms, Shopify offers a variety of website themes, or templates, so that you don’t have to design your site from scratch. The best Shopify theme makes your website look prettier and more attractive. Free themes work well for small and simple web stores, while premium themes fit well for big online web stores having advanced features.

Shopify themes Website HomePage

Approx Costing

  • Between $0 to $180 (one-time payment).

7. Shipping Fees

Shipping fees include the money you pay for the services like United States Postal Service (USPS) and United Parcel Service (UPS) to deliver products. You may also need to spend money on printing shipping labels. The fees vary based on the product size, weight, dimensions, packing material, and destination.

Approx Costing

  • You can gain access to competitive shipping fees (up to 85% off) and free label printing tool.

Which Shopify Plan is Best For You?

There you have everything about Shopify pricing plans and other costs with it. Now a question will arise in your mind “Which Shopify plan is best for me according to my business?”. Don’t worry; here is your answer in a simple way.

  • Shopify Lite – If you have a website and started selling with few products.
  • Basic Shopify – If your revenue from online store is less than $20k per month.
  • Shopify – If you make revenue between $20k to $150k per month.
  • Advanced Shopify – If your revenue is between $150k to $680k per month.
  • Shopify Plus – You can select this if your online store makes more than $680k per month.

*All amounts are assumed, the data is provided after researching various factors like Shopify transaction charges, shipping fees, theme costs, and many other costs.

Is Shopify Free To Use?

No, Shopify provides a 3-day free trial with no credit card required. It can also extend your trial to 30 days for $1. However, in order to receive sales after completing the trial period, you need to choose one of its paid plans.

FAQs About Shopify Pricing Plans

What’s the cheapest plan on Shopify?

Basic Shopify is the cheapest Shopify plan costing $29 per month. You can create a fully functional and customizable online store using it. If you have a few products to sell, you can choose Shopify starter at just $5 per month. 

Which Shopify plan is best for small businesses?

Basic Shopify plan is the best plan for small businesses. It costs $29 per month with a fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.

Is Etsy cheaper than Shopify?

Yes, at lower sales only. Etsy is cheaper than Shopify but if your sales increases Shopify becomes more cheaper than Etsy.

Does Shopify have transaction fees?

Transaction fees occur when you don’t use Shopify Payments. When you use a third-party payment gateway, the transaction fees differ according to your Shopify plan. 2% for Basic Shopify, 1% for Shopify, and 0.6% for Advanced Shopify.

Can Shopify Handle Massive Traffic Spikes?

Yes, there is no restriction on sales, visitors, traffic for any Shopify plan. The main advantage of using Shopify is you don’t need to maintain your own server.

Who owns Shopify?

Tobi Lütke is Founder and CEO of Shopify. Shopify’s net worth, or market capitalization, was $104.69 billion on March 21, 2024, up 96.52% from the previous year.

Over To You

Choosing the right Shopify plan doesn’t seem tedious and time-consuming work. Don’t stress too much about selecting the perfect Shopify plan because you can cancel or change it anytime. Then also if you are unsure of which Shopify plan is best for your business since all five plans seem worthwhile. Not to worry, our expert team of custom Shopify development is here to help you from Shopify migration to Shopify website customization.

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