Shopify Pricing for Beginners (2026)
Which Shopify plan should a beginner choose? Honest breakdown of every plan cost, what you get, payment fees, and the true monthly cost of running a Shopify store.
By Marginory team · Online sellers with hands-on experience across Etsy, Shopify & PODUpdated Fee data verified against official platform documentation
Shopify plans at a glance (2026)
| Plan | Monthly | Annual/mo | Card rate | Txn fee* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $5 | N/A | 5% + $0.30 | 5% |
| Basic | $25 | $19 | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2% |
| Grow | $65 | $49 | 2.7% + $0.30 | 1% |
| Advanced | $399 | $299 | 2.5% + $0.30 | 0.6% |
| Plus | $2,300+ | varies | 0.2% + $0.30 | 0.2% |
* Transaction fee only applies when NOT using Shopify Payments. Basic highlighted = recommended for most beginners.
Source: shopify.com/pricing · July 2026
Which plan should a beginner choose?
Start with Basic ($25/month). It gives you a full online store, unlimited products, 2 staff accounts, and Shopify Payments. The only reason to go higher is to save on payment processing fees — and that math only works at higher volumes.
The Starter plan ($5/month) is not a real store — it only gives you a "Buy Button" or product link to paste on social media. If you need a proper storefront with product pages, cart, and checkout, you need Basic or higher.
When to upgrade from Basic
Upgrading to Grow plan ($65/month) cuts your Shopify Payments rate from 2% to 1.5%. The extra cost is $40/month. The savings from the lower rate: (your monthly revenue) × 0.5%.
Break-even: $40 ÷ 0.5% = $8,000/month in Shopify revenue
Only upgrade when your revenue exceeds ~$8,000/month
Most beginners are better off staying on Basic until they hit $8,000+/month in consistent revenue. Don't upgrade "just in case" — the math won't support it.
True monthly cost of Shopify (Basic plan)
The plan fee is just the beginning. Here's what a beginner actually pays per month:
Payment processing: 2.9% + $0.30 per order. On $2,000 revenue from ~40 orders at $50 avg: 2.9% × $2,000 = $58, plus 40 × $0.30 = $12. Total ~$70. Estimate varies by order count vs order value mix.
Shopify Payments vs third-party processors
If you use Shopify Payments (powered by Stripe), Shopify does not charge a transaction fee. You only pay the card processing rate. If you use PayPal, Square, or another external payment method, Shopify adds an extra 2% (Basic) transaction fee.
| Payment method | Processing rate | Shopify txn fee | Total on $50 order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify Payments (Basic) | 2.9% + $0.30 | None | $1.75 |
| PayPal Checkout (Basic) | 3.49% + $0.49 | +2% | $3.23 |
| Stripe (external) | 2.9% + $0.30 | +2% | $2.75 |
Conclusion: Use Shopify Payments whenever available. The $1.93 difference per $50 order adds up fast at volume.
Annual billing: save 25%
Shopify offers significant discounts for annual billing:
- Basic: $25/month → $19/month (save $72/year)
- Grow: $65/month → $49/month (save $192/year)
- Advanced: $399/month → $299/month (save $1,200/year)
If you're committed to running your store for at least 6–8 months, annual billing almost always pays off. But if you're still testing, start monthly — Shopify doesn't refund unused months if you cancel early.
Shopify vs Etsy: which is cheaper to start?
| Cost | Shopify Basic | Etsy (no subscription) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $25/month | $0 (Etsy Plus: $10 optional) |
| Listing fee | None | $0.20 per listing |
| Transaction fee | None (w/ Shopify Pay) | 6.5% of item + shipping |
| Payment processing | 2.9% + $0.30 | 3% + $0.25 (US) |
| Total on $30 sale | ~$0.90 + $25 | ~$3.96 |
| Break-even vs Etsy | ~7–9 sales/month at $30 | — |
Shopify is cheaper per sale at volume (no 6.5% transaction fee), but requires covering the $25/month fixed cost. Etsy has no fixed cost but takes more per sale. Break-even is roughly 7–10 sales/month depending on average order value.
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What's included in each Shopify plan
| Feature | Basic | Shopify | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online store (full) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unlimited products | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Staff accounts | 2 | 5 | 15 |
| Inventory locations | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Shopify Payments | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 24/7 support | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Professional reports | Basic | Standard | Advanced |
| Third-party calculated shipping | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom pricing by market | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
For most beginners, the Basic plan has everything needed to run a full store. The features that justify upgrading — third-party calculated shipping and advanced reports — are rarely needed until you're scaling.
Total cost calculator: what will Shopify actually cost you?
Here's a realistic monthly cost breakdown at different revenue levels (Basic plan, Shopify Payments, US):
| Monthly revenue | Plan fee | Payment fees* | Total cost | Cost as % of revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $500 | $25 | ~$12 | ~$37 | 7.4% |
| $1,000 | $25 | ~$23 | ~$48 | 4.8% |
| $2,000 | $25 | ~$46 | ~$71 | 3.6% |
| $5,000 | $25 | ~$115 | ~$140 | 2.8% |
| $10,000 | $25 | ~$230 | ~$255 | 2.6% |
*Payment fees = 2% of revenue + $0.30 per order (assuming avg $50 order value). Add domain (~$1.50/month) and optional apps separately.
Calculate your exact Shopify fees → · Calculate Shopify profit after all costs →