Shopify Fees Explained: Every Fee in One Place
Shopify has three kinds of fees: a monthly plan, a charge on every sale, and optional or situational extras. This page lists all of them with the official rates, shows what one order really costs, and links to the detailed guide for each.
By Marginory teamContent reviewed
The short answer
Shopify charges a monthly plan (US Basic $39, or $29 on yearly billing) and card processing on every sale (2.9% + 30¢ on Basic with Shopify Payments). There is no commission, no listing fee and no transaction fee as long as you use Shopify Payments. Everything else applies only in specific situations — the table below lists all of them.
All Shopify fees at a glance
| Fee | Basic / Grow / Advanced (US) | When it applies | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan subscription | $39 / $105 / $399 monthly; $29 / $79 / $299 yearly | Every month | Plans |
| Online card processing | 2.9% / 2.7% / 2.5% + 30¢ | Every card sale via Shopify Payments | Transaction fees |
| In-person card processing | 2.6% / 2.5% / 2.4% + 10¢ | POS sales | Transaction fees |
| International card surcharge | +1% | Card issued outside your store's country | Transaction fees |
| Third-party transaction fee | 2% / 1% / 0.6% | Payments through an external provider | Payments vs PayPal |
| Gift card / store credit fee | Same as third-party fee | Stores created from May 12, 2025 | Transaction fees |
| Currency conversion | 1.5% (3% via PayPal Wallet) | Customer pays in another currency | Transaction fees |
| Synced marketplace orders | 1% after 50/month, max $99/month | Orders from connected marketplaces | — |
| POS Pro | $89 per location per month | Optional, in-person selling | Monthly cost |
| Theme, apps, domain | Free to hundreds of dollars | Optional | Monthly cost |
Sources: shopify.com/pricing and Shopify help: Fees and costs, checked 2026-10-11. US store rates; plan prices are set per country.
How much does Shopify take per sale?
With Shopify Payments there is no commission: Shopify keeps only the card processing fee. US online card rates by plan:
| Order | Basic (2.9% + 30¢) | Grow (2.7% + 30¢) | Advanced (2.5% + 30¢) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $20.00 | $0.88 (4.4%) | $0.84 (4.2%) | $0.80 (4.0%) |
| $30.00 | $1.17 (3.9%) | $1.11 (3.7%) | $1.05 (3.5%) |
| $50.00 | $1.75 (3.5%) | $1.65 (3.3%) | $1.55 (3.1%) |
| $100.00 | $3.20 (3.2%) | $3.00 (3.0%) | $2.80 (2.8%) |
The fixed 30¢ is why small orders lose a bigger share: on a $20 order Basic takes 4.4%, on a $100 order 3.2%. Paying through an external provider instead adds the third-party transaction fee (2%on Basic) on top of that provider's own rate.
Rates are for US stores. Plan prices and card rates differ by country; see Shopify fees in the UK.
What one $50 order actually costs
Basic plan, Shopify Payments, by customer and payment method:
| Scenario | Fees | % of order |
|---|---|---|
| US customer, US card | $1.75 | 3.5% |
| International card, pays in USD | $2.25 | 4.5% |
| International card, pays in local currency | $3.00 | 6.0% |
| Paid with Shop Pay | $1.75 | 3.5% |
| $40 card + $10 gift card (store created after May 12, 2025) | $1.66 | 3.3% |
| External gateway at 2.9% + 30¢ (example rate) | $2.75 | 5.5% |
Domestic Shopify Payments sales are the cheapest case, and an external gateway on Basic is the most expensive. The full rules — including which payment methods are exempt and why refunds don't return card fees — are in Shopify transaction fees.
Fixed fees vs per-sale fees: which matters more?
At low volume, the plan dominates. At $1,000 a month in sales on Basic, the $29 plan is larger than the card fees of about $35. At $10,000 a month, card fees are about $350 — more than ten times the plan. That is why choosing a plan by its sticker price is a mistake once you have steady sales. See the total monthly cost and where each upgrade pays off in Shopify pricing plans.
When is Shopify cheaper than Etsy?
Etsy has no monthly plan but charges more per order: 6.5% transaction + 3% + $0.25 processing + $0.20 listing (US, no Offsite Ads). Shopify Basic charges $29 a month (yearly billing) plus 2.9% + 30¢. On fees alone, Shopify becomes cheaper at these monthly sales:
| Average order | Etsy fees per order | Shopify card fees per order | Shopify cheaper above |
|---|---|---|---|
| $20.00 | $2.35 | $0.88 | $395/month |
| $35.00 | $3.78 | $1.32 | $413/month |
| $50.00 | $5.20 | $1.75 | $420/month |
| $100.00 | $9.95 | $3.20 | $430/month |
The fee break-even is low — a few hundred dollars a month. The real question is traffic: Etsy brings buyers, Shopify doesn't. If you would need to spend on ads to get the same sales on Shopify, that ad spend usually outweighs the fee difference. Many sellers run both. Compare in detail: Etsy vs Shopify for beginners and Etsy vs Shopify for print on demand.
Fees Shopify does not charge
- No commission on sales (unlike Etsy, eBay, TikTok Shop or Amazon referral fees).
- No listing fees, on any plan.
- No transaction fee with Shopify Payments, Shop Pay, Shop Pay Installments or manual methods like cash, COD and bank transfer.
- No additional currency conversion fee when you refund (though the original card and conversion fees are not returned).
Go deeper
To calculate your own numbers: Shopify fee calculator, transaction fee calculator and profit calculator.