Shopify’s pricing page shows $39 a month for the Basic plan. That is accurate for monthly billing. What it does not show is what most sellers end up spending once payment processing fees, app subscriptions, and a theme are added to the bill. The gap between the advertised price and the real cost is where most first-time sellers get caught out.
This breakdown covers every cost associated with running a Shopify store: plan fees, processing fees, transaction fees, apps, and themes. It also gives you a clear framework for deciding whether Shopify’s pricing makes sense for your specific situation.
Shopify’s Plans: What Each One Costs
Shopify currently offers five plan tiers. Here is what each costs in 2026 and who each is built for.
Starter at $5/month
The Starter plan lets you sell through social media, messaging apps, and existing websites by creating shareable product links. It does not include a full online store with a custom domain and homepage. The plan suits creators testing a product idea or sellers who already have a web presence and just need a buy button. For boutique sellers who want a complete storefront, it is too limited to be a long-term solution.
Basic at $39/month (or $29/month billed annually)
The Basic plan is the starting point for most sellers building a full online store. It includes unlimited products, a full online store with a custom domain, 2 staff accounts, and basic reports. Payment processing through Shopify Payments (where available) costs 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. If you use a third-party processor, Shopify charges an additional 2% per transaction on top of the processor’s fees.
Grow at $105/month (or $79/month billed annually)
The Grow plan (formerly called the Shopify plan) adds 5 staff accounts, standard analytics, and reduces the third-party transaction fee to 1%. Processing through Shopify Payments drops to 2.6% + 30¢. Worth upgrading from Basic when your monthly revenue makes the transaction fee difference meaningful, roughly when you are processing $5,000 or more a month through a third-party processor.
Advanced at $399/month (or $299/month billed annually)
Advanced adds custom reports, 15 staff accounts, and reduces the third-party transaction fee to 0.5%. Processing through Shopify Payments drops to 2.4% + 30¢. Built for high-volume stores that need detailed analytics and are processing significant monthly revenue.
Plus at $2,300/month and above
Enterprise level. Custom checkout, dedicated support, and advanced automation. Relevant for large brands and enterprises, not for the sellers this article is primarily written for.
The Hidden Costs Most Articles Do Not Cover
The plan fee is the starting point, not the total cost. As one seller on Reddit put it: “The monthly plan is usually the smallest expense. Apps are where costs start stacking up fast.”
Payment processing fees
Every Shopify plan carries payment processing fees whether you use Shopify Payments or a third-party processor. With Shopify Payments (Basic plan), you pay 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. On $2,000 in monthly sales across 30 transactions, that works out to roughly $67 in processing fees.
The third-party transaction fee
If you use Stripe, Razorpay, PayPal, or any processor other than Shopify Payments, Shopify charges an additional platform fee: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.5% on Advanced. On $2,000 in monthly sales, the Basic plan’s 2% fee adds $40 to your monthly bill ($480 a year) on top of your processor’s own fees. As one seller described it: “If Shopify Payments isn’t available in your country or you use a third-party gateway, that 0.5 to 2% adds up fast at real volume.”
The app stack
Shopify’s base plan does not include abandoned cart recovery, product reviews, advanced upsells, or detailed email marketing. Each of those is a separate app. “The real cost usually isn’t Shopify itself, it’s the app stack that builds up over time,” one seller noted. A lean store can run on free apps entirely, and experienced sellers recommend starting that way. But sellers who install apps for reviews, email marketing, and upsells commonly report paying $80 to $100 a month in app fees before their first hundred orders. At the higher end, individual apps like Loox (reviews) run close to $200 a month, and Klaviyo (email) can reach $500 a month for growing lists.
Themes
Shopify’s free themes are functional. Dawn, the default free theme, is well-built and performs well on mobile. Premium themes cost $150 to $350 as a one-time fee, though some newer themes are moving to subscription pricing. Sellers who buy a premium theme in week one, before making any sales, are spending money before they have validated what their store actually needs. The better practice is to start with Dawn and upgrade only once revenue justifies it.
Migration costs
For sellers moving from another platform, the biggest hidden cost is often not the Shopify subscription itself. As one seller described: “The biggest hidden cost wasn’t Shopify itself, it was apps + cleanup/migration work + fixing tracking/SEO stuff properly.”
What Shopify Actually Costs at Different Sales Volumes
This table shows realistic all-in monthly costs at different sales volumes, including the plan fee, transaction fee (assuming a third-party processor like Stripe or Razorpay), processing fees, and a conservative app estimate of $50/month.
| Monthly sales | Plan fee | Transaction fee (2%) | Processing fee (~3%) | Apps | Est. total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $500 | $39 | $10 | $15 | $50 | $114 |
| $1,000 | $39 | $20 | $30 | $50 | $139 |
| $2,000 | $39 | $40 | $60 | $50 | $189 |
| $5,000 | $39 | $100 | $150 | $50 | $339 |
Note: this uses Basic plan monthly billing with a third-party processor. Sellers using Shopify Payments (available in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and select other markets) eliminate the 2% transaction fee, reducing costs meaningfully at every volume.
Shopify Pricing in India
Indian sellers face a specific cost structure that most Shopify pricing articles do not address.
Shopify Payments is not available in India. Every Indian seller using Shopify must use a third-party payment processor — Razorpay, Stripe, PayPal, or another gateway. This means the platform transaction fee applies on every sale regardless of which payment plan you choose.
On the Basic plan, the 2% transaction fee adds up as follows:
| Monthly sales (Rs) | Monthly transaction fee | Annual transaction fee |
|---|---|---|
| Rs 10,000 | Rs 200 | Rs 2,400 |
| Rs 25,000 | Rs 500 | Rs 6,000 |
| Rs 50,000 | Rs 1,000 | Rs 12,000 |
| Rs 1,00,000 | Rs 2,000 | Rs 24,000 |
This is before Razorpay’s processing fees (approximately 2% per transaction for most Indian sellers) and before the plan fee of Rs 2,900 to Rs 3,300 a month equivalent. For an Indian boutique seller doing Rs 25,000 a month in sales, the all-in monthly cost on Shopify Basic runs Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,500 before any apps.
Is Shopify Worth the Price at Your Stage?
Shopify is a solid platform. The question is whether its cost is justified by your current revenue and needs.
Shopify makes sense if you are doing consistent monthly revenue of Rs 50,000 or more (or $1,000+), have a clear growth plan that involves paid advertising, multichannel selling, or a large expanding catalog, and need the infrastructure (8,000-plus apps, native POS, enterprise-grade inventory tools) that Shopify provides. At that stage, the platform earns its cost.
Shopify is harder to justify if your monthly revenue is inconsistent, you are still proving demand for your products, you sell primarily through Instagram and WhatsApp rather than driving traffic to a standalone website, or the $90 to $150 all-in monthly cost represents a meaningful proportion of your current revenue before you have proven sustainable demand.
For Indian boutique sellers and social sellers who are not yet at the stage where Shopify’s cost is justified, Trustd is built for this gap. A permanent free plan with unlimited products, WhatsApp ordering, and verified reviews. No transaction fee, no app costs for the basics. The Pro plan costs Rs 999 a year, which is less than one month of Shopify Basic’s plan fee alone, and includes Razorpay integration with no additional platform transaction fee.
Start on Trustd, prove your revenue, and move to Shopify when the business actually demands its infrastructure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Shopify cost per month?
Shopify's Basic plan costs $39/month on monthly billing, or $29/month when billed annually. The Grow plan is $105/month (monthly) or $79/month (annual). Advanced is $399/month (monthly) or $299/month (annual). These are the plan fees only. Your actual monthly spend will be higher once payment processing fees, apps, and any theme costs are factored in.
What are Shopify's hidden costs?
The main costs beyond the plan fee are: transaction fees of 0.5 to 2% per sale if you use a third-party payment processor instead of Shopify Payments; payment processing fees of 2.4 to 2.9% plus 30¢ per transaction; app subscriptions that typically run $50 to $100 a month for a small store; and a premium theme if you choose one ($150 to $350 one-time). A realistic all-in figure for a small store is $90 to $150 a month.
Does Shopify charge transaction fees?
Yes, if you use a payment processor other than Shopify Payments. The Basic plan charges 2% per transaction, the Grow plan charges 1%, and Advanced charges 0.5%. Shopify Payments eliminates this fee but is not available in all countries. Indian sellers cannot use Shopify Payments and pay the transaction fee on every sale.
Is Shopify available in India?
Shopify is available in India, but Shopify Payments is not. Indian sellers must use a third-party processor like Razorpay or Stripe, which means the 2% platform transaction fee applies on every sale on the Basic plan. On Rs 25,000 in monthly sales, that is Rs 500 extra per month (Rs 6,000 per year) in addition to processing fees.
What is the cheapest way to run a Shopify store?
Start with the Basic plan ($29/month on annual billing), use a free theme (Dawn is well-regarded), and install only free apps to begin. One experienced seller summed it up well: 'You need precisely zero paid apps to set up a functional store. Every app you do pay for should earn its keep.' If your sales volume does not justify the plan cost, there are purpose-built alternatives for smaller sellers.
Is Shopify worth it for small sellers?
Shopify is worth it for sellers doing consistent revenue who need to scale, run paid advertising, manage a large catalog, or sell across multiple channels. For boutique owners and first-time sellers whose revenue is still inconsistent, the $90 to $150 all-in monthly cost is difficult to justify before proving demand. Cheaper alternatives exist specifically for that stage.