Shopify remains the dominant ecommerce platform in 2026, but its pricing structure has evolved significantly. Whether you’re launching your first online store or scaling to seven figures, understanding the real cost of each plan is essential before committing.
Here’s what Shopify actually costs in 2026—including the fees most guides skip.
Shopify Plans at a Glance
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per month) | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $5 | $5 | Social selling, link-in-bio |
| Basic | $39 | $29 | New stores, solopreneurs |
| Grow | $105 | $79 | Growing businesses |
| Advanced | $399 | $299 | Scaling brands |
| Plus | $2,300–$2,500 | Custom | Enterprise, high-volume |
Starter Plan — $5/month
The Starter plan is not a full online store. It gives you a simple product page and checkout link you can share on social media, messaging apps, or embed on an existing website. You get no customizable storefront, no themes, and no blog.
Best for: Creators selling 1–3 products via Instagram, TikTok, or WhatsApp.
Basic Plan — $39/month
This is where most new merchants start. You get a fully customizable online store with themes, a blog, discount codes, and manual order creation. The Basic plan supports up to 2 staff accounts.
Transaction fees: 2.9% + $0.30 per online transaction via Shopify Payments. If you use a third-party gateway, Shopify charges an additional 2% per transaction on top of your gateway’s fees.
Best for: Solopreneurs and small businesses doing under $50K/year in revenue.
Grow Plan — $105/month
Previously called “Shopify” (the confusingly named mid-tier plan), the Grow plan adds professional reporting, 5 staff accounts, and lower transaction fees. You also get shipping discounts up to 88%.
Transaction fees: 2.6% + $0.30 per online transaction. Third-party gateway surcharge drops to 1%.
Best for: Established stores with consistent monthly sales and a small team.
Advanced Plan — $399/month
The Advanced plan unlocks custom reporting, 15 staff accounts, and third-party calculated shipping rates at checkout. Transaction fees drop further, and you get enhanced fraud analysis.
Transaction fees: 2.4% + $0.30 per online transaction. Third-party gateway surcharge is 0.6%.
Best for: Brands processing over $10K/month that need detailed analytics and automation.
Plus Plan — Starting at $2,300/month
Shopify Plus is the enterprise tier. Pricing starts at $2,300/month on a 3-year contract or $2,500/month for a 1-year term. You get dedicated support, Shopify Flow automation, checkout customization via Checkout Extensibility, and the ability to run up to 10 expansion stores.
Transaction fees: Negotiable, typically starting at 2.15% + $0.30.
Best for: High-volume merchants, B2B sellers, and brands needing deep checkout customization.
Hidden Costs to Budget For
The subscription price is just the starting point. Here’s what adds up:
- Apps: Most stores install 5–15 apps. Popular ones like Klaviyo, ReCharge, or Judge.me range from $10 to $200+/month each
- Themes: Premium themes cost $150–$400 one-time, though free themes are solid
- Transaction fees: Using anything other than Shopify Payments triggers surcharges
- Domain: ~$14/year through Shopify, or bring your own
Shopify vs Competitors on Price
Shopify’s pricing is competitive but not the cheapest. BigCommerce offers zero transaction fees on all plans, which matters if you don’t use Shopify Payments. WooCommerce is technically free but requires hosting, security, and plugin costs that add up fast.
For a detailed feature-by-feature comparison, see our Shopify review.
Which Plan Should You Pick?
- Just testing an idea? Start with Basic ($39/month) — the Starter plan is too limited for a real store
- Making consistent sales? Grow ($105/month) pays for itself through lower transaction fees once you hit ~$5K/month
- Scaling fast? Advanced ($399/month) if your monthly revenue exceeds $10K
- Enterprise needs? Plus only if you genuinely need checkout customization or multi-store management
Bottom Line
Shopify’s pricing makes sense at every growth stage, but the real cost is always higher than the sticker price. Factor in apps, transaction fees, and themes before committing to a plan. Start with Basic, upgrade when the math on transaction fee savings justifies it.
Compare Shopify with alternatives side by side → BigCommerce review | Shopify review