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

Shopify's total cost has two components: the monthly plan fee and the per-transaction fee Shopify takes on each sale. Both depend on which plan you're on. The short version: plans start at $5/month (Starter) or $39/month (Basic) and go up to $2,300+/month (Plus). Payment processing ranges from 2.15% to 2.9% + 30¢ on Shopify Payments, with additional third-party transaction fees of 0.15–2% if you use a non-Shopify gateway.

This guide covers the complete cost structure, how to choose the right plan, and the break-even math on upgrading.

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 approximately 25% on monthly fees. For most established stores, the annual commitment is worthwhile.

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 sale at different price points, assuming Shopify Payments on the Basic plan (2.9% + 30¢):

• $20 sale: Shopify takes $0.88 (2.9% + 30¢). You keep $19.12.
• $50 sale: Shopify takes $1.75. You keep $48.25.
• $100 sale: Shopify takes $3.20. You keep $96.80.
• $200 sale: Shopify takes $6.10. You keep $193.90.
• $500 sale: Shopify takes $14.80. You keep $485.20.

On the Advanced plan (2.4% + 30¢), fees are lower at higher price points: a $500 sale costs $12.30 instead of $14.80 — a 17% savings on processing. That adds up at volume.

What Shopify plan should I use?

The right plan depends on your monthly sales volume. The math works like this:

Basic → Shopify upgrade saves 0.3% on processing fees. The plan costs $66/month more ($105 vs $39). Break-even is at roughly $22,000/month in sales — below that, Basic is cheaper; above it, Shopify saves you money.

Shopify → Advanced upgrade saves 0.2% on processing fees. The plan costs $294/month more ($399 vs $105). Break-even is at roughly $147,000/month in sales.

Advanced → Plus upgrade saves 0.25% on processing fees. Plus starts at $2,300/month. Break-even on processing alone is roughly $760,000/month. Plus is usually worth it earlier than the processing math alone suggests, because it unlocks features (custom checkout, multi-storefront, B2B, API access) that matter at scale.

Most Shopify merchants starting out should begin on Basic and upgrade when their monthly volume makes the math work in their favor. Annual billing brings the 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.

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.

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), Shopify ($105/month), or Advanced ($399/month). Annual billing saves approximately 25% across all tiers. 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, 2.6% + 30¢ on Shopify, 2.4% + 30¢ on Advanced, and 2.15% + 30¢ on Plus. In-person rates are slightly lower. If you use a third-party processor instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify adds an additional transaction fee of 0.15% to 2% 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.

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 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 the Shopify plan, $2.90. On Advanced, $2.70. On Plus, $2.45. If you use a third-party processor, add the additional transaction fee on top: $2 on Basic (2%), $1 on Shopify (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 when your sales volume makes the break-even math favorable — roughly $22K/month for Shopify, $147K/month for Advanced. 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.