Shopify Pricing and Fees: What It Costs to Sell on Shopify in 2026

Shopify takes a per-sale cut through payment processing. On Shopify Payments, that's 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic, 2.7% + 30¢ on Grow, 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced, and 2.15% + 30¢ on Plus — there's no separate sales commission on top. If you use a third-party processor instead, Shopify adds a 0.15%–2% transaction fee on every order.

On top of that is a monthly plan fee: $5 (Starter), $39 (Basic), $105 (Grow), $399 (Advanced), or from $2,300 (Plus). This guide covers the full cost structure, how to pick a plan, and the break-even math on upgrading.

Note: "Grow" is the plan Shopify formerly called "Shopify." If you signed up before the 2025 rename, it's the same mid-tier plan at the same price.

Shopify pricing: monthly plan costs

Shopify charges a monthly platform fee depending on your plan. All plans include hosting, SSL, an online store, unlimited products, and 24/7 support.

Paying annually saves about 25% on Basic through Advanced. Plus is quoted at $2,300/mo on a 3-year term or $2,500/mo on a 1-year term for standard setups, with variable pricing for higher-volume merchants.

How much does Shopify take per sale?

When using Shopify Payments (the built-in processor), the fee Shopify takes per online sale is your card processing rate — no separate transaction fee.

If you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify charges an additional transaction fee on every order — on top of whatever your processor charges.

A merchant on the Basic plan using Stripe would pay Stripe's processing fee plus Shopify's 2% transaction fee on every sale. For most merchants, this makes Shopify Payments the better choice on a per-transaction basis unless you have a specific reason to use a different processor.

Shopify fees by sale amount: quick examples

Here's what Shopify takes from a single sale at different price points on Shopify Payments. Basic (2.9% + 30¢) is the entry tier; Advanced (2.5% + 30¢) shows what high-volume stores pay.

At $500, Advanced saves about $2 per sale versus Basic on processing alone — roughly 14% lower. Across a store doing hundreds of orders a month, the plan upgrade pays for itself once volume is high enough (see break-even below).

What Shopify plan should I use?

The right plan depends on your monthly sales volume. The processing-rate spreads, with 2026 rates:

Basic → Grow lowers your online rate from 2.9% to 2.7% — a 0.2% saving. The plan costs $66/month more ($105 vs $39). Break-even is around $33,000/month in sales: below that, Basic is cheaper; above it, Grow's lower rate more than covers the higher plan fee. Most merchants upgrade for the features — 5 staff accounts, professional reports — before the pure processing math tips over.

Grow → Advanced lowers the rate from 2.7% to 2.5% — another 0.2%. The plan costs $294/month more ($399 vs $105). Break-even on processing alone is around $147,000/month.

Advanced → Plus drops the rate to 2.15% (0.35% lower) and starts at $2,300/month. Break-even on processing alone is high — roughly $530,000/month — but Plus is usually justified earlier by features (custom checkout, multi-storefront, B2B, API access, expansion stores) rather than the rate math.

Most merchants should start on Basic and upgrade when their monthly volume makes the math work in their favor. Annual billing brings every break-even point meaningfully lower.

Payment methods: what Shopify supports

Shopify supports over 100 payment gateways. The main options merchants choose between:

Shopify Payments is Shopify's built-in processor, powered by Stripe. Using it eliminates the additional transaction fee. It supports all major credit cards, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay Installments. Available in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Ireland, and other markets (39 countries as of 2026).

PayPal is supported as an additional payment option. Most merchants keep both Shopify Payments and PayPal active, since some customers strongly prefer paying via PayPal. Note that PayPal orders processed through a separate PayPal account — not through Shopify Payments — incur the third-party transaction fee.

Stripe, Square, Braintree, and others can be connected as third-party gateways. These are useful if you have an existing relationship with a processor, need specific payment methods, or operate in a market where Shopify Payments isn't available. All third-party gateways incur Shopify's additional transaction fee.

In-person (POS) fees: what Shopify takes on card-present sales

Card-present sales — in a shop, at a market, on the go — are charged at lower rates than online, because they carry less fraud risk. With Shopify Payments:

• Basic: 2.6% + 10¢
• Grow: 2.5% + 10¢
• Advanced: 2.4% + 10¢

The flat per-transaction component drops from 30¢ online to 10¢ in person. The spread between Basic and Advanced is only 0.2%, but at $50,000/month in in-person sales that's about $100/month, or $1,200/year.

In-person selling needs the POS software and, usually, hardware. POS Lite is included with every plan; POS Pro is $89/month per location (or $79/month on annual billing) and adds features like advanced staff permissions and smart inventory. A basic card reader starts around $49; Shopify's POS Terminal is $349.

What it costs to use a non-Shopify processor

Every third-party gateway (Stripe, PayPal Business, Square, Braintree) triggers Shopify's additional transaction fee on top of whatever the processor charges. A worked example on a $100 sale:

• Basic + Stripe: Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ = $3.20, and Shopify adds its 2% surcharge = $2.00. Total: $5.20 — versus $3.20 if you'd used Shopify Payments.
• Grow + Stripe: $3.20 to Stripe + 1% Shopify surcharge ($1.00) = $4.20 — versus $2.90 on Shopify Payments.
• Advanced + Stripe: $3.20 to Stripe + 0.5% surcharge ($0.50) = $3.70 — versus $2.80 on Shopify Payments.

In nearly every case, Shopify Payments is cheaper per transaction. Use a third-party gateway only when you have a specific reason: an existing processor relationship, a payment method Shopify Payments doesn't support, or a market where Shopify Payments isn't available.

Other Shopify costs to budget for

Beyond the plan fee and processing fees, most stores incur additional costs that are easy to overlook when budgeting:

• Apps: $200–800/month is typical for a mid-size DTC store. Reviews, email (Klaviyo), helpdesk, analytics, and shipping apps alone can easily reach this level.
• Themes: Free themes work for most stores; paid themes run $180–400 as a one-time cost.
• Domain: $10–20/year through Shopify or your registrar of choice.
• Shopify Tax: 0.25–0.35% of sales for automated tax calculation (free below $100K in sales).
• Shopify Shipping: Discounted carrier rates through USPS, UPS, DHL, and others. Free to use; savings depend on carrier and volume.
• Transaction currency conversion: 1.5% on currencies other than your store currency.
• Chargebacks: $15 per disputed transaction (refunded if you win the dispute).

Frequently asked questions

How much does Shopify cost per month?

Shopify plans range from $5/month (Starter) to $2,300+/month (Shopify Plus). Most DTC brands use Basic ($39/month), Grow ($105/month), or Advanced ($399/month). Annual billing saves approximately 25% across Basic, Grow, and Advanced. Plans include hosting, SSL, unlimited products, and 24/7 support — you're not paying extra for infrastructure beyond the plan fee.

How much does Shopify charge per transaction?

On Shopify Payments, Shopify charges 2.9% + 30¢ per online sale on Basic, 2.7% + 30¢ on Grow, 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced, and 2.15% + 30¢ on Plus. In-person rates are lower (2.6% + 10¢ down to 2.4% + 10¢). If you use a third-party processor, Shopify adds a 0.15%–2% transaction fee on top of whatever your processor charges.

Does Shopify take a percentage of sales?

Yes, via payment processing fees. Shopify Payments charges 2.15–2.9% + 30¢ per transaction depending on plan. Shopify doesn't charge a separate "sales commission" on top of processing if you use Shopify Payments — the processing fee is what Shopify takes. If you use a third-party processor, Shopify adds an additional 0.15–2% transaction fee.

Does Shopify take a cut of every sale?

Yes — through payment processing. On Shopify Payments that's 2.15%–2.9% + 30¢ per online order, depending on plan. There's no separate sales commission on top of that. Shopify only adds an extra cut (0.15%–2%) if you process payments through a third-party gateway instead of Shopify Payments.

How much does it cost to run a Shopify store per month?

Budget the plan fee plus real running costs. A typical small-to-mid store runs roughly: plan ($39–$399), apps ($200–$800), and processing fees on sales. A new Basic store spending modestly on apps might run $250–$500/month all-in before processing; a scaling store on Advanced with a full app stack can run $1,000+/month. Most merchants underestimate the total by 10–25% because apps and processing aren't in the sticker price.

Why did Shopify charge me twice — or more than expected?

Two common causes. First, billing thresholds: Shopify bills your subscription on a cycle, but app and usage charges can hit a threshold and bill separately, so you see two charges close together. Second, processing fees are deducted from payouts, not billed up front — so your plan fee and your per-sale cut show up in different places. Check Settings → Billing for subscription charges and Analytics → Finances for processing deductions.

Is Shopify worth the cost?

For most ecommerce brands, yes. Shopify's $39/month Basic plan covers hosting, SSL, checkout, inventory management, reporting, and 24/7 support — things that would cost considerably more to build or piece together elsewhere. The processing fees are comparable to what Stripe charges directly for comparable volume. The value question isn't really whether Shopify is cheap; it's whether the platform's feature set (checkout quality, app ecosystem, reliability) makes sense for a given business versus alternatives like WooCommerce or BigCommerce.

Is the "Shopify" plan the same as the "Grow" plan?

Yes. Shopify renamed its mid-tier plan from "Shopify" to "Grow" in 2025. Same $105/month price, same position between Basic and Advanced. Older guides still call it the "Shopify plan."

Is there a free Shopify plan?

No, but Shopify offers a 3-day free trial followed by 3 months at $1/month on most plans. The Starter plan at $5/month is the cheapest paid option. After the trial, all plans are paid. The closest thing to "free" Shopify is Shopify Starter, which gives you product pages and payment capability without a full storefront.

How much does Shopify take from a $100 sale?

On Shopify Payments with the Basic plan, Shopify takes $3.20 from a $100 sale (2.9% + 30¢). On Grow, $3.00. On Advanced, $2.80. On Plus, $2.45. If you use a third-party processor, add the additional transaction fee on top: $2 on Basic (2%), $1 on Grow (1%), $0.50 on Advanced (0.5%), or $0.15 on Plus (0.15%).

Does Shopify charge a fee for PayPal?

PayPal orders processed through Shopify's PayPal Express integration incur Shopify's additional transaction fee (0.15–2% depending on plan) on top of PayPal's own processing fees. Shopify Payments orders paid via the Shop Pay, Apple Pay, or Google Pay routes do not incur additional fees. If you're using PayPal through a separate Business account rather than Shopify's PayPal integration, the same transaction fee applies as any third-party gateway.

The bottom line

Shopify's total cost depends on the plan you're on and how much you sell. For most small to mid-size stores, Basic at $39/month with Shopify Payments at 2.9% + 30¢ is the right starting point. Upgrade to Grow or Advanced when your sales volume makes the break-even math favorable — roughly $33K/month for Grow on processing alone, though the feature set usually justifies it sooner. Use Shopify Payments unless you have a specific reason to use a different processor; the additional transaction fee on third-party gateways usually outweighs whatever savings the alternative provides.

If you're planning a Shopify build or migration and want to pressure-test the cost math for your specific volume and business model, First Pier offers a free consultation to walk through plan selection and total cost of ownership.