Shopify Fees Explained (2025)
Every fee Shopify charges sellers — payment processing, transaction fees, plan costs, and how to minimize them. Updated June 2025.
By Marginory team · Online sellers with hands-on experience across Etsy, Shopify & POD
Shopify fee summary (2025)
| Fee type | Basic ($39/mo) | Shopify ($105/mo) | Advanced ($399/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Payments rate | 2% + $0.30 | 1.5% + $0.30 | 0.85% + $0.30 |
| Transaction fee (3rd-party gateway) | 2% | 1% | 0.5% |
| Monthly plan cost | $39 | $105 | $399 |
| Listing fee | None | None | None |
| Annual billing discount | ~25% off | ~25% off | ~25% off |
Source: shopify.com/pricing · Last verified June 2025
The two types of Shopify fees
Shopify charges two distinct types of fees on sales: a payment processing fee (unavoidable — goes to the card network and Shopify) and an optional transaction fee (only if you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments).
1. Payment processing fee (Shopify Payments)
If you use Shopify Payments — Shopify's built-in payment processor — you pay a percentage of each sale plus a fixed $0.30 fee. The rate depends on your plan:
- Basic: 2.0% + $0.30 per transaction
- Shopify: 1.5% + $0.30 per transaction
- Advanced: 0.85% + $0.30 per transaction
On a $50 sale with Basic + Shopify Payments: fee = $50 × 2% + $0.30 = $1.30 (2.6% effective rate).
2. Transaction fee (third-party payment providers)
If you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments (e.g., standalone PayPal, Square, or a local gateway), Shopify charges an additional transaction fee on top of whatever your payment provider charges:
- Basic: +2% per transaction
- Shopify: +1% per transaction
- Advanced: +0.5% per transaction
Key insight: Using Shopify Payments eliminates this fee entirely. Most US, UK, Canadian, and Australian sellers should use Shopify Payments unless they have a specific reason not to.
3. Monthly plan cost
Unlike Etsy (no monthly fee) or TikTok Shop (no monthly fee), Shopify requires a subscription. Plans billed monthly:
- Starter: $5/month — sell via social/link in bio only, no full store
- Basic: $39/month — full online store, 2 staff accounts
- Shopify: $105/month — full store, 5 staff accounts, better reports
- Advanced: $399/month — custom reports, 15 staff accounts, lowest processing rate
Annual billing reduces all plan costs by approximately 25%.
4. No listing fee
Shopify does not charge per-listing fees. You can add unlimited products at no additional cost. This is a significant advantage over Etsy ($0.20 per listing) for sellers with large catalogs or high-volume SKUs.
When does Shopify become cheaper than Etsy?
Etsy charges 6.5% + payment processing (~9.5% total) on every sale with no monthly fee. Shopify charges 2% + $0.30 (Basic, with Shopify Payments) but requires $39/month.
The per-order savings with Shopify (avoiding Etsy's 6.5% transaction fee) need to cover the $39 plan cost. At $2.50 savings per order: break-even = $39 / $2.50 = 16 orders/month. Above that, Shopify is cheaper on fees — but you must drive your own traffic without Etsy's built-in 90M buyer marketplace.
Fee example: $45 sale on Basic Shopify vs Etsy
Shopify Basic (Shopify Payments)
Etsy (US, no Offsite Ads)
Shopify saves $3.23/order on fees. At 13 orders/month, savings cover the $39 plan cost.
Fees Shopify does NOT charge
- No listing fee per product
- No transaction fee if using Shopify Payments
- No Offsite Ads fee (you control your own advertising)
- No currency conversion fee from Shopify (your payment processor may charge one)
- No per-sale percentage fee beyond payment processing
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