Shopify Fees: Pricing, Plans & Hidden Costs (2026)

Shopify fees can feel confusing at first, especially when you’re trying to budget for your online store in 2026. Between subscription plans, payment processing charges, app costs, and those sneaky extra expenses most beginners never consider, it’s easy to wonder: “How much does Shopify really cost?”

We have simplified it, broken it down into clear and simple and used real examples in this blog so that you know precisely what you will be paying (and what you can avoid). Once you are opening your first store, or even growing to thousands of orders per month, this full breakdown of pricing, plans, and hidden costs at Shopify will enable you to make better, more profitable decisions. Let’s dive in!

Shopify Subscription Fees (2026)

1. Starter Plan - The Social Seller’s Tool

Shopify Starter plan is the fastest and the least expensive option for beginning to sell without creating a complete site by creating product links to post on social media and messaging platforms.

• Price: $5/month.
• What's included: This plan focuses purely on selling via links and social commerce. It includes product pages, unlimited product listings, basic analytics, and secure checkout via Shopify Payments. It also includes 24/7 support.
• Billing & Savings: The price is a fixed $5 per month, offering no annual discount. It is designed for maximum affordability and low commitment.
• Feature limitations compared to others: The most significant limitation is the absence of a traditional, fully customizable online store or blog. It offers zero staff accounts, and transaction fees are the highest at approximately 5.0% + $0.30 (online).
• Best suited for: Social media entrepreneurs, influencers, and micro-businesses who primarily sell through Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or existing websites and simply need a secure checkout link, without the overhead of maintaining a full e-commerce site.

2. Basic Shopify Plan - The Launchpad

Basic Shopify plan is the entry-level tier for merchants who need a dedicated, professional online store and blog, providing all the essential tools to launch and manage a solo e-commerce venture.

• Price: $25/month (pay monthly) or $19/month (pay yearly).
• What's included: This is the first tier to unlock a full, customizable online store, blog, and custom domain name. It includes all core e-commerce necessities, such as unlimited products, fraud analysis, and built-in abandoned cart recovery email tools. It allows for up to 2 staff accounts and the management of 1 inventory location.
• Billing & Savings: The monthly rate is $25. Opting for annual billing provides a discount, bringing the effective monthly price down to $19, a 25% saving over the year.
• Feature limitations compared to others: Reporting is limited to Basic Reports. It does not include professional reports or third-party calculated shipping. The transaction fees are the highest among the full store plans (approx. 2.9% + $0.30 online CC rate; 2.0% third-party fee).
• Best suited for: Small businesses and new entrepreneurs who are entering the committed e-commerce. It provides the crucial environment to prove product-market fit and create a separate brand presence.

3. Shopify Grow Plan - The Scaling Accelerator

Shopify Grow plan is the best option when businesses are growing steadily. Therefore, this level warrants the increased subscription fee as it offers greater analytics and consequently much less transactional fee, which will hasten profitability.

• Price: $65/month (pay monthly) or $49/month (pay yearly).
• What's included: Building on Basic, the Grow plan's central feature is the introduction of Professional Reports. It significantly increases administrative capacity, allowing for 5 staff accounts and management of up to 5 inventory locations. Critically, it offers noticeably lower transaction fees than the Basic plan.
• Billing & Savings: The monthly rate is $65/month. The annual option offers a substantial 25% saving, reducing the effective monthly cost to $49/month.
• Feature limitations compared to others: While reporting is professional-grade, it still lacks the custom report-building features of the Advanced tier. It also does not include third-party calculated shipping rates as a standard feature.
• Best suited for: Growing businesses with consistent sales volume and a small, dedicated team. The lower transaction fees and access to deeper analytics (Professional Reports) make this the most cost-effective tier once a business hits a critical revenue threshold.

4. Advanced Shopify Plan - The High-Volume Data Engine

The Advanced Shopify plan is aimed at a merchant who has a high income and is established. This level provides the lowest quality transaction rates, essential custom reporting applications, and advanced and real-time shipments to streamline large-scale logistics.

• Price: $399/month (pay monthly) or $299/month (pay yearly).
• What's included: This plan is designed for high-volume efficiency. It features the platform's lowest standard transaction fees (approx. 2.5% + $0.30 online CC rate; 0.6% third-party fee). It unlocks 15 staff accounts and crucial operational tools, including the Advanced Report Builder for custom analytics and Third-Party Carrier Calculated Shipping (real-time rates from carriers).
• Billing & Savings: The monthly rate is $399/month. Annual payment provides a 25% saving, reducing the effective monthly cost to $299/month.
• Feature limitations compared to others: The primary limitation compared to Plus is the lack of customizability for the checkout itself. While powerful, the store structure and checkout remain within Shopify's standard template.
• Best suited for: Established, high-volume merchants whose operations demand deep, customized data insights and complex, accurate shipping logistics. The lower fees and enhanced reporting are vital for maintaining profit margins at scale.

5. Shopify Plus Plan - The Enterprise Solution

Shopify Plus plan’s enterprise-grade solution is built for global brands and corporations, offering unlimited staff access, ultimate customization of the checkout process, and dedicated support for complex, large-scale operations.

• Price: Starts at $2,300+/month.
• What's included: This is an enterprise solution with unlimited staff accounts, support for up to 200 locations, and the absolute lowest negotiable transaction fees. Key capabilities include the ability to run multiple expansion stores for international markets and full code access to the checkout system via the Script Editor for complete customization. It includes a dedicated Merchant Success Manager.
• Billing & Savings: Pricing is quote-based and often requires a 1-year or 3-year contract. Savings are realized through negotiated service terms and dramatically lower transaction fees, rather than a fixed percentage discount.
• Feature limitations compared to others: While offering the most features, the pricing structure and complexity necessitate a dedicated development or technical team for full utilization.
• Best suited for: Large global brands, corporations, and high-growth businesses with high sales volume (typically $1 million+ in annual revenue) that require maximum customization, sophisticated automation, and enterprise-grade support.

Payment processing fees

Shopify's payment processing fees decrease with each upgrade in your subscription plan. These fees generally include two components: the Shopify Payments rate (for credit card transactions) and the Third-Party Transaction Fee (applied if you do not use Shopify Payments).

Shopify Payments Fee (Credit Card Processing)

This is the fee charged when a customer pays using a credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, etc.) through Shopify Payments, the platform's native payment processor.

• Rate Decreases with Tier: The rate of percentage reduces gradually decreases as you ascend the levels of subscriptions. This is one of the main reasons that large volume traders are encouraged to upgrade their plan, since the savings in terms of the processing fees can very easily be recouped by the increased monthly subscription fee. Example: A sale of 100 on the basic plan will cost 3.20 (2.90 30). The identical purchase of 100 dollars on the Advanced plan is 2.80 dollars ($2.50 and 0.30).
• In-Person (POS) Rates: Fees for in-person transactions using Shopify POS are generally lower and have a smaller fixed fee (e.g., typically a flat percentage like 2.6% or 2.7% for Basic and a lower percentage for higher plans).

Third-Party Transaction Fee

This fee is Shopify's commission on top of the payment processor's fee (e.g., PayPal, Stripe) if you choose not to use Shopify Payments as your primary gateway.

• Waived with Shopify Payments: If you use Shopify Payments for a transaction, this additional fee is waived entirely. This is why Shopify strongly encourages all merchants to use their native processor.
• Significant Deterrent: The fee (2.0% on Basic, 1.0% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced) is designed to be a major financial deterrent to using external processors. For large stores, a 2.0% fee on top of the external processor's rate (e.g., Stripe's 2.9% + 0.30) would make the total processing cost prohibitively high.
• Plus Exception: On the Shopify Plus plan, this third-party fee is lowered to 0.2% and is often waived entirely based on the merchant's contract.

Summary table of key transaction costs

Besides the 2 fees above, there are also some other fees that can be charged in certain situations, such as international/cross-border fees, currency conversion fees, and dispute/chargeback fees that we will explain in the next sections.

International and Currency Conversion

International and currency conversion fees are a critical element of global selling on Shopify, primarily managed through Shopify Markets and Shopify Payments. These fees are charged when the currency used by the customer (presentment currency) is different from your store's primary currency (payout currency).

Detailed breakdown of the currency conversion fee

Items sold to international buyers are subject to a currency conversion fee or FX fee (when a payment in a foreign currency is exchanged into the currency your store pays out in). The cost varies between 1.5 (stores based in the U.S) and 2.0 (part of the rest of the world using Shopify Payments). A charge is charged against the amount of the transaction before it gets to your payout.

For instance, if a customer in the EU pays the EUR equivalent of $100 USD, Shopify converts the amount and deducts the 1.5 - 2% fee during the process. Shopify often incorporates this fee into the checkout total so merchants can better absorb the cost.

Multi-Currency Selling Across Shopify Plans

All plans, including Starter and Advanced, can use multi-currency selling, provided you are using Shopify Payments. Using Shopify Markets, you are able to show prices in the local currency of a shopper, adjust prices globally, and even deal with duties and import taxes at checkout.

• Starter, Basic, Grow, and Advanced Plans: Full access to multi-currency features through Shopify Markets, including localized currency display, regional pricing adjustments, and language settings.
• Shopify Plus: Allows more sophisticated international controls, including custom exchange rates, more detailed price lists, and support of up to 50 distinct markets, suitable for international brands with complicated margin rules.

If you're not using Shopify Payments, international customers will typically be charged in your base currency, leaving their bank to perform the currency conversion—often resulting in additional fees and a lower conversion rate for your store.

Strategies to minimize international fees

Merchants can employ several strategies to keep cross-border costs manageable:

• Prioritize Shopify Payments: This is the most critical step. By using Shopify Payments, you avoid the third-party transaction fee (which ranges from 2.0% to 0.6% depending on your plan) entirely. You will only pay the Shopify Payments processing fee plus the currency conversion fee.
• Encourage Domestic Payouts: Establish a bank account in your most frequent selling country (e.g., a USD bank account for US sales) to minimize the currency conversion events. If you only convert funds once a month rather than per transaction, you can negotiate better rates.
• Price Adjustment (Markup): Use the Shopify regions feature to increase the price of your products in outside regions strategically.  By marking up the price by, say, 3% to 4% and preserving your home profit margin, you can effectively charge the consumer a currency conversion fee and any additional cross-border credit card fees.
• Upgrade Your Plan: Moving from Basic to Grow or Advanced significantly lowers the domestic and cross-border payment processing percentage rates, which saves money on every single sale, regardless of currency conversion.

Comparing the costs of different international payment solutions

When comparing payment solutions, there are three primary fee layers for international transactions:

• Subscription/Platform Fee: Your monthly Shopify plan cost.
• Payment Processing Fee: The percentage and fixed amount charged to process the credit card (e.g., 2.9% + 0.30).
• Currency Conversion/FX Fee: The 1.5% to 2.0% fee to convert the currency.

POS and retail-specific fees

Shopify's Point of Sale (POS) system integrates your online and physical store operations seamlessly. The fees consist of the subscription cost for the POS software (Lite or Pro), payment processing rates, and one-time hardware costs.

POS Lite vs. POS Pro Subscription

Shopify offers two distinct POS software tiers, with the choice depending on the complexity and scale of your physical retail operations.

POS Lite is the essential, cost-effective tool for casual in-person selling. It turns any iOS or Android device into a checkout counter. Its primary value is the real-time, automatic synchronization of inventory and orders between your physical sales and your online store.

On the other hand, POS Pro is the enterprise-grade upgrade designed for dedicated retail storefronts. The $89 monthly fee per location is justified by its features that streamline complex retail operations, particularly staff control, inventory flow between multiple locations, and detailed performance insights.

Hardware costs for in-person selling

Hardware is a separate, one-time investment that is necessary for in-person selling. Shopify does not charge a recurring monthly fee for the hardware itself, but you must purchase it outright.

• Card Readers (Essential): The most basic device is the Tap & Chip Card Reader (approx. $49). For a more advanced, mobile, all-in-one device, the Shopify POS Go is available (approx. $399).
• Full Countertop Setup: For a permanent retail location, you will likely need a complete kit, including a Tablet Stand (approx. $149), a Receipt Printer (approx. $299+), and a Barcode Scanner (approx. $229+).
• Cost Range: A basic setup with just a card reader costs under $100. A full, professional register setup can cost anywhere from $400 to over $1,000 per station.

Integration with Online Store Fees

The fee structure for Shopify POS is fully integrated with your online store subscription:

• Mandatory Foundation: You must have an active, paid Shopify Online Store Plan (Starter, Basic, Grow, Advanced, or Plus) to use either POS Lite or POS Pro. Your primary plan dictates the back-office features, the number of inventory locations you can manage, and your payment processing rates.
• POS Lite is Bundled: The POS Lite software fee is automatically $0 because it is included as a feature of your online store plan.
• POS Pro is an Add-on: The POS Pro fee of $89/month is an additional software subscription that is applied per retail location on top of your existing online store fee.

Example: A merchant on the Basic Shopify Plan ($39/month) with one permanent store location using POS Pro pays a total of $128 per month, plus transaction fees.

Explain app subscription costs

Shopify App Store enables third-party developers to develop applications that enhance the capabilities of the basic platform, like using advanced email marketing, specialized inventory management, more decorated reviews, or dynamic pricing. These applications have recurring monthly subscriptions, which are similar to the Shopify plan in itself.

The average cost of a useful and full-functioning app subscription is between 10 and 30 dollars a month per application. The vast majority of professional applications are priced according to the use metrics:

• Tier 1 (Free/Trial): Often free for stores with very low volume (e.g., less than 50 orders/month or less than 1,000 email subscribers).
• Tier 2 (Basic/Starter): The common $10 - $30 range, suitable for most small and growing businesses.
• Tier 3 (Pro/Advanced/Premium): Prices often jump to $50, $100, or even $300+ per month for high-volume stores or those requiring enterprise features like custom API access.

Theme and design fees

Free vs. Premium Theme Options

Your theme is the visual backbone of your store and a key part of your overall Shopify fees. 

Shopify offers free themes like Dawn and Refresh that are modern, mobile-responsive, and fully maintained by Shopify. They're perfect for inexperienced or cost-conscious retailers, but there isn't much design difference, so your store can seem like others that use the same template.

Premium themes (typically $150 -420 one-time) are available to be more industry-specific, with complex features such as mega-menus and additional storytelling features. One notable premium option is Vetro, which offers a clean, modern design with flexible layouts, advanced product display options, and built-in storytelling sections. Vetro is ideal for merchants who want a polished, visually engaging store without relying heavily on third-party apps. Although more expensive in the short term, premium themes like Vetro may save more money since they negate the necessity of various specialized apps.

Ongoing Customization Costs

Most of the stores require constant modification even after selecting a theme. Shopify has an integrated editor, the Sections, which enables merchants to modify colors, fonts, and design without any coding, at no cost. Nevertheless, minor design changes (such as the placement of a button or the addition of a custom section) may require minor amendments to the code. These can be frequently managed by using low-cost applications or rapid developer assistance, which makes the cost relatively low but enhances store polish.

Developer Fees for Custom Work

For unique branding or advanced functionality, developers come into play, and this is where costs can climb.

• Minor fixes or small integrations: $15 - $50/hr for beginners; $80 - $150+/hr for experts.
• Small projects (e.g., custom landing pages): typically $300 - $2,500.
• Fully custom theme development: starts at $5,000 and can exceed $15,000 - $20,000 for complex enterprise-grade builds.

Custom development offers complete creative freedom, but it’s the most expensive design path on Shopify.

How Page Builders Like EComposer Reduce Design Costs

Page builders such as EComposer offer a cost-effective middle ground between DIY editing and hiring a full developer. These tools provide drag-and-drop editors that allow you to build custom homepages, product pages, landing pages, and more with no coding required.

With monthly plans often between $10 - $50, page builders can replace dozens of hours of developer work. Many even include templates and AI-powered layout tools, enabling merchants to design high-converting pages faster and at a fraction of the traditional cost.

Additional Costs and Hidden

Subscription and payment processing fees are not the only costs associated with operating a Shopify site. Your overall monthly expenditure may be impacted by a number of minor but significant expenses, particularly as your store expands.

1. Domain, Email, and Technical Details

Although Shopify provides a free domain with a myshopify.com name, the vast majority of business buyers will buy their own domain to appear professional. Domains normally require $10 - 20/year when bought via Shopify or any third-party registrar. Email hosting is not part of the Shopify plans, so you will have to use a separate service (e.g., Google Workspace or Zoho Mail), which typically costs 1 - 6 USD per month per user. They consist of small and easy-to-overlook recurring expenses that new merchants are likely to forget about.

2. SSL Certificates and Security

All Shopify stores come with a free SSL certificate, which encrypts your site with HTTPS. This has the added benefit of securing customer data, improving SEO, and consumer trust. Although Free, extra security measures, like malware scanning, automated blocking applications, or more advanced firewall systems, can be provided by 3rd-party applications, which can cost as little as 5 -30/month depending on the protection level.

3. Backup and Security Solutions

Shopify does not provide backups of the database and design files by default. Most of the merchants have backup apps to recover product data, orders, themes, and pages in case anything goes wrong to protect your store. The cost of backup solutions is normally $5 -40 monthly, based on how often it is automated and storage capacity. This is among the most neglected and important hidden costs, particularly to expanding stores that do frequent updates.

4. Dropshipping Fee Structure

Dropshipping stores operate differently from traditional inventory-based businesses, and their fee structure reflects that. While Shopify doesn’t charge extra for dropshipping, costs come from:

• Product sourcing fees (your wholesale cost)
• Fulfillment and shipping costs
• Transaction fees + Shopify Payments fees
• App charges for product imports, automation, and order syncing

Dropshipping is a business model with much lower margins, which is why it is all the more crucial to learn how Shopify charges impact your bottom line.

5. Dropshipping App Costs

The majority of the dropshipping activities depend on the apps in product sourcing and delivery. Free-tier solutions such as DSers, Spocket, and Zendrop are popular. Nevertheless, serious sellers usually switch to paid versions between 10 -80+ a month, based on the volume of orders and additional capabilities (like one-click fulfillment, brand invoices, or expedited shipping). Such apps usually turn into one of the most recurrent expenditures of the dropshippers.

Read more: How to Set Up a Shopify Store for Dropshipping

6. Pricing Strategies for Dropshippers

To stay profitable, dropshipping stores must price strategically to absorb Shopify fees, app costs, transaction fees, and shipping expenses. Common strategies include:

• Keystone pricing (2× product cost) for standard goods
• Cost-plus pricing (cost + % markup to cover fees)
• Market-based pricing based on competitor benchmarks
• Geographic price adjustments using Shopify Markets (e.g., +10% markup for regions with higher shipping costs)

Successful dropshippers also build product bundles, upsell triggers, and free-shipping thresholds to increase average order value, helping offset Shopify fees and maintain strong profit margins.

Strategies to Reduce Shopify Fees

Shopify offers tremendous flexibility, but without careful planning, your monthly expenses can quietly stack up. The good news? There are several legal, practical, and highly effective ways to reduce your Shopify fees without sacrificing performance or growth.

1. Use Smart, Legal Tactics to Lower Overall Costs

Begin by checking the recurring charges of your store. Eliminate idle applications, automate business processes, and select those features that provide quantifiable ROI. Most traders lose track of the fact that small subscriptions can become significant, and a quarterly review of all your Shopify bills can pocket real money back into your wallet.

2. Take Advantage of Annual Billing Discounts (20 - 25%)

Shopify rewards long-term commitment. If your business is financially stable, switching from monthly to annual billing can save 20 - 25% instantly. Over a full year, the difference is significant, especially on mid-tier or advanced plans. This is one of the simplest ways to reduce fixed expenses without changing anything about your store setup.

3. Avoid Third-Party Payment Gateway Fees

One of the highest avoidable costs comes from external payment gateways. Shopify charges an extra 0.5 - 2% fee per order when you use anything other than Shopify Payments.
To eliminate this:

• Activate Shopify Payments as your primary processor.
• Enable Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay for frictionless checkout.

This change alone can save thousands per year for stores with steady order volume.

4. Consolidate Apps to Reduce Monthly Charges

Many stores unknowingly pay for multiple apps that overlap in functionality, like reviews, upsells, bundles, pop-ups, page editing, etc. App consolidation not only cuts subscription fees but also improves site speed.

Look for all-in-one solutions that replace 3 - 6 apps at once, reducing both cost and technical clutter.

5. Know When Upgrading a Plan Actually Saves Money

It may seem counterintuitive, but upgrading to a higher Shopify plan can reduce your total costs. Why? Transaction fees and payment processing rates drop as you move up the tiers. For stores processing high sales volume, the savings from lower fees often outweigh the higher subscription cost.

A general rule of thumb:

• If you're processing $8,000 - $10,000+ per month, upgrading from Basic to Shopify Grow often becomes cheaper overall.
• At even higher volumes, Advanced can deliver major savings on processing fees and shipping discounts.

6. Use EComposer to Reduce Design & Development Costs

Page builders like EComposer are powerful tools for reducing long-term design expenses. Instead of hiring developers for landing pages, product layouts, or custom sections, EComposer allows you to build fully tailored pages using drag-and-drop tools for a low monthly fee.

Benefits include:

• Replacing hours of developer work
• Reducing the need for multiple single-purpose design apps
• Access to conversion-optimized templates and AI-powered content tools

For most merchants, using a page builder is one of the highest-impact ways to save money on design while boosting store quality.

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. What’s the difference between Shopify transaction fees and payment processing fees?

Shopify transaction fees apply only when you use a third-party payment gateway like PayPal or Stripe. These range from 0.5% to 2% depending on your plan.

Payment processing fees, on the other hand, are charged by Shopify Payments (or any processor) for handling the transaction itself, typically 2.4% - 2.9% + a small fixed fee. You pay processing fees no matter what, but you can eliminate Shopify’s transaction fees by switching to Shopify Payments.

2. How much does Shopify really cost per month in 2026?

Most merchants spend between $39 and $105/month on subscription fees alone. However, the true monthly cost depends on payment processing fees, apps, themes, domains, and other add-ons. For growing stores, it’s common for total monthly expenses to land between $100 - $300, and higher for stores using premium apps or advanced tools.

3. Can I avoid Shopify transaction fees?

Yes, with Shopify Payments. Paying with the Shopify native gateway eliminates its additional fee (0.5% -2%). You will still pay the normal card processing rates; however, you will save the additional transaction fee, and this will save you considerably on your total charges.

4. Does Shopify charge additional fees for third-party payment gateways like PayPal or Stripe?

Yes. In case you decide to use a third-party processor over Shopify Payments, Shopify will apply an additional charge to each order, which is usually 0.5 per cent - 2 per cent, depending on your plan. This is imposed on top of the charges by the payment processor. Shopify Payments is the most common processor among many merchants who have PayPal as an alternative to reduce additional charges.

You may also like

• Shopify Lite Plan - Shopify $9 Plan: All you need to know!
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• Shopify Pricing Plans 2025: Everything You Need To Know!
• Which Shopify Plan is Best for Dropshipping? 2025 Review
• How to Set Up a Shopify Store for Dropshipping

Final Thoughts

Knowing the Shopify costs is among the most prudent steps that you can take prior to establishing or expanding your online shop. Although there is remarkable flexibility in the platform, each plan, application, and payment option has a cost that can affect your bottom line. The good news? Given the correct approach, such as selecting the appropriate plan, utilizing Shopify Payments, integrating apps, and streamlining your design process, it is possible to keep costs slim and maximize profit. You have a global ambition, or you have just started; either way, controlling your Shopify charges will mean investing your money in the right places: building your brand.