Shopify Pricing Guide - Which Plan is Best for You?

What is the best Shopify plan for your business? With multiple options available, it can be tricky to figure out which one offers the best value for your needs. No matter you're just launching your online store or looking to scale, understanding Shopify’s prices and plans, features, and limitations is key to making a smart investment.

In this guide, we’ll break down each Shopify plan, highlighting the costs and types of businesses they suit best. By the end, you’ll have a clear idea of which plan fits your growth stage – without paying for features you don’t need.

Let’s take a look at:

• key features included in all Shopify plans
• overview of Shopify’s main plans and alternative solutions
• pricing factors: Payments, domains, apps, POS, email, and discounts
• which Shopify plan is best for your needs
• signs it’s time to upgrade your Shopify plan

TL;DR: Compare Shopify plans and pricing to find the best fit for your business growth

• Shopify offers a tiered pricing model with plans suited for different business sizes.
• All Shopify plans include the world’s best checkout, commerce tools, shipping discounts, in-person sales support, performance insights, and multi-channel selling.
• For alternative needs, Shopify offers Starter, Retail, and Enterprise Commerce solutions.
• When choosing a plan, consider extra costs like transaction fees, custom domains, apps, and POS systems.

Shopify plans and pricing overview

Shopify provides a tiered pricing model designed to meet the needs of businesses, regardless of their size. The main plans include Basic, Shopify, Advanced, and Shopify Plus, along with three alternative options: Starter, Retail, and Enterprise Commerce. Each plan comes with its own set of unique tools tailored for ecommerce.

Regardless of whether you need simple online store features or advanced capabilities like detailed reporting and wholesale/B2B sales, Shopify has a variety of plans to help you succeed while optimizing your resources.

What’s included in all Shopify Plans

Now, let's explore the essential features and tools that come with every Shopify plan:

Top-notch checkout Shopify’s checkout process has been shown to convert more effectively than that of its competitors.

Affordable shipping solutions Shopify provides attractive shipping discounts across all plans, helping businesses reduce costs and streamline order fulfillment.

Commerce tools The platform offers a wide range of apps to assist merchants with everything from sourcing products to customizing your online store.

Seamless in-person sales Shopify lets ecommerce business owners effortlessly sell in-store and keep their inventory aligned with online transactions through Shopify POS.

Performance insights Gain valuable insights with detailed reports that help you track your store’s performance and identify areas for improvement.

Diverse sales channels Expand your reach by promoting and selling products on platforms like Instagram, Google, and others.

Summary table of the main Shopify pricing plans

Basic plan

Price: $32/month or $24/month if billed once yearly

Perfect for new entrepreneurs and small businesses starting their online journey, the Basic plan provides essential tools to launch and manage your store efficiently. It charges 2.9% + $0.30 for each transaction. If you opt out of Shopify Payments, there's a 2% fee on each sale.

Key features:

• 10 inventory locations
• Localized global selling in three different markets
• Financial, inventory, sales, and marketing reports for performance tracking
• POS Lite
• Discounted shipping rates with Shopify Shipping
• Round-the-clock chat support
• Up to 77% savings on shipping costs
• Free SSL certificate for secure transactions

Limitations and downsides:

• Lacks advanced reporting tools and scalability options, which limit growth
• Higher transaction fees without Shopify Payments
• No automation features like Shopify Flow
• Maximum of two staff accounts allowed

Best for: Small businesses, startups, and solo entrepreneurs looking for an affordable way to sell online.

Shopify plan

Price: $92/month or $69/month if billed once yearly

A solid choice for small teams and growing businesses, the Shopify plan offers additional features to scale your store and boost sales. The online credit card fee is set at 2.7% + $0.30 per transaction, and if not using Shopify Payments, there’s a 1% fee on every sale.

Key features:

• Everything in the Basic plan
• Professional reports for deeper insights
• Advanced marketing features
• Five additional staff accounts for role delegation
• Lower credit card rates and transaction fees
• Ecommerce automation with Shopify Flow
• International pricing and market support

Limitations and downsides:

• Lacks advanced report building and third-party shipping rate calculations
• No enterprise-level automation
• Transaction fees still apply if not using Shopify Payments

Best for: Businesses that need detailed analytics and automation to grow their online presence.

Advanced plan

Price: $399/month or $299/month if billed once yearly

Designed for scaling businesses, the Advanced plan provides powerful reporting and lower transaction fees. For online credit card transactions, you'll pay 2.5% + $0.30 each time. Opting out of Shopify Payments will incur a 0.6% fee on all sales.

Key features:

• Everything in the Shopify plan
• 15 additional staff accounts
• Localized global selling in three markets (add more for $59 each per month)
• Expanded custom reporting with the Advanced Report Builder tool
• 10x checkout capacity
• Third-party calculated shipping rates at checkout
• Lowest credit card processing fees
• Support for international expansion with advanced duties and import taxes
• Enhanced 24/7 chat support

Limitations and downsides:

• Higher monthly cost
• Greater complexity requiring technical expertise
• Lacks Shopify Plus-exclusive enterprise features
• Potential underutilization for smaller businesses

Best for: High-volume businesses that require detailed analytics, multiple staff accounts, and optimized checkout processes.

Shopify Plus plan

Price: Starts at $2,300/month (on a 3-year term)

A fully customizable enterprise solution, Shopify Plus is built for high-growth brands that need performance, scalability, and automation. Designed for high-volume merchants, it offers competitive payment processing rates, ensuring cost efficiency at scale.

Key features:

• Everything in the Advanced plan
• 200 inventory locations
• Localized global selling in up to 50 markets
• Custom checkout capabilities with up to 40x more flexibility
• 200 POS Pro locations with Shopify Payments
• Streamlined wholesale and B2B selling
• Dedicated account management
• Unlimited staff accounts for full team access
• Shopify Flow for advanced automation
• Advanced analytics for strategy optimization
• Priority 24/7 phone support for instant help
• High transaction scalability
• Shopify Launchpad for running promotions and sales
• Multi-channel integration

Limitations and downsides:

• High pricing, making it best suited for large businesses
• Setup complexity that requires technical expertise
• Extensive functionalities that may exceed the operational needs of smaller enterprises

Best for: Enterprise-level brands and high-revenue businesses that need customization, automation, and priority support.

Shopify’s alternative solutions

Here, we’ll discuss some alternative solutions to Shopify plans for businesses seeking different ecommerce options, including their features, drawbacks, and Shopify cost per month.

Starter

Price: $5 USD/month

The Shopify Starter Plan simplifies your setup, making it ideal for newcomers eager to create a store without committing significant funds.

Key features:

• It allows you to kickstart your online store without breaking the bank.
• Mobile-responsive design, making sure our store will look great on any device.
• Easily sell your products directly on social media.
• Basic SEO tools to improve your store's online visibility.
• Simple transaction processing with Shopify Payments for a smooth shopping experience.

Limitations and downsides:

• Increased transaction fees if you don't use Shopify Payments.
• Customer support options may be less extensive than on higher-tier plans.
• This plan may not meet your needs if you want to grow your business.
• Lacks advanced tools like detailed reporting and customization options.

Retail

Price: $89 USD/month

The Shopify Retail plan caters to businesses with a physical presence or those looking to bridge their online store with an offline location.

Key features:

• Access a robust point-of-sale system for managing sales across online and physical stores.
• Unified customer profiles for personalized service and marketing.
• Shopify offers card readers and receipt printers to streamline in-store operations.
• Manage stock levels across multiple locations from a centralized dashboard.

Limitations and downsides:

• Hardware integration can be challenging and time-consuming.
• Businesses must use Shopify’s POS to access all features, which may not suit everyone.

Enterprise commerce

Price: Custom pricing

Shopify’s enterprise commerce platform offers a robust, flexible solution that supports B2C, B2B, and retail markets, allowing seamless integration and management across various sales channels.

Key features:

• Manage all sales channels from one platform for a seamless customer experience.
• Process billions of transactions with 99.9% uptime and fast response times.
• Customize your storefront and backend to fit your unique business needs, boosting efficiency and engagement.

Limitations and downsides:

• To make the most of the platform, businesses need to use Shopify’s tools, which can limit flexibility.
• Setting up and customizing the platform can take time and require technical skills, which might be challenging for teams without dedicated IT support.

Shopify ecommerce pricing considerations

Now, let's explore significant factors that can change Shopify pricing for you and what that means for your business.

Shopify payments

Shopify Payments is the platform's integrated payment solution, designed to optimize transaction costs. Businesses can use it or a third-party provider, but note that third-party providers incur additional transaction fees. These fees are:

• Shopify Basic: 2% transaction fee
• Shopify: 1% transaction fee
• Shopify Advanced: 0.6% transaction fee

Shopify domains

Upon registering with Shopify, users receive a free default Shopify store domain. However, businesses may choose to purchase a custom domain name to improve their brand identity.

Domains can be secured through third-party registrars like Google Domains, NameCheap, Domain.com. After purchasing your domain, you’ll need to connect it to Shopify by updating the DNS settings. Most registrars provide step-by-step guides for this. Or secure a domain name directly via Shopify Domains, with prices starting at $11 per year.

Shopify apps

The Shopify App Store features a wide range of applications designed to extend and customize the functionality of your website. You’ll find plenty of apps to:

• Increase conversion rates
• Optimize email and SMS marketing campaigns
• Personalize product recommendations
• Provide advanced discount and bundling options
• Handle multi-channel inventory and order management
• Improve search engine rankings

Shopify’s pricing plans exclude third-party app costs, typically requiring a monthly subscription. Businesses should account for these expenses when budgeting for the Shopify platform. However, there are free Shopify apps your store can benefit from.

Shopify POS

Shopify offers a robust Point of Sale (POS) system that integrates seamlessly with your online store. All Shopify plans, except for Shopify Starter, include a standard set of POS Lite functionalities.

Upgrading to Shopify POS Pro may be advantageous for businesses operating physical retail locations. This enhanced system facilitates in-person payment processing and offers advanced features such as comprehensive inventory management and detailed sales reporting. Shopify POS Pro is available for $89 per month per location.

Shopify email

Shopify provides its own email service that’s perfect for running direct marketing campaigns. Instead of relying on third-party tools like MailChimp or Klaviyo, you can use Shopify Email with ease.

You get to send 10,000 manual or automated emails each month for free. Once you go beyond that limit, it’s just $1 for every additional 1,000 emails.

Shopify discounts

Substantial discounts are available for businesses that opt for annual or biennial subscription payments.

These discounts offer significant cost savings:

• 10% discount for annual prepayment
• 20% discount for biennial prepayment

What Shopify plans pricing should I choose?

Selecting a Shopify plan can be straightforward when you know what to consider. Here are some key points to help you decide:

Assess your business needs

Consider your business size, growth stage, and specific requirements. Different plans offer varying features, so identify what’s essential for your operation.

Evaluate transaction fees

Keep in mind that transaction fees can significantly affect your overall costs. If you expect high sales volumes, factor these into your decision-making process.

Explore plan features

For example, the Basic Shopify plan is ideal for businesses wanting a functional online store without overspending. It includes customizable themes, multiple store pages, and Shopify POS Lite for in-person sales. For rapidly growing businesses, higher-tier plans may provide better value with lower fees and additional features like advanced reporting and ecommerce automation.

Consider alternative solutions

If you’re an individual or a small business, Shopify Starter offers a simplified selling approach through social media. For physical retailers, the Retail plan integrates in-person and online sales seamlessly.

Think about future growth

For larger enterprises aiming to streamline operations and enhance growth, Shopify’s enterprise solutions are tailored to meet high-volume retail and B2B needs, trusted by brands like Dollar Shave Club and Glossier. Shopify Plus offers customizable checkouts, high-volume APIs, and advanced support suitable for large-scale businesses. It provides the flexibility to adapt quickly to market changes, ensuring a seamless customer experience and driving significant growth.

When you need to upgrade your Shopify plan

Thinking about upgrading your Shopify plan? Here’s when it makes sense to level up:

High fees impact profitability

If you're facing high transaction fees, an upgrade might save you money. Select a plan with lower fees to boost your profitability as sales grow.

Need for enhanced security

If you handle sensitive customer data, upgrading to a higher-tier plan can provide advanced security features like fraud analysis and robust payment processing.

Limited customization

If your current plan limits your store's design and functionality, consider upgrading for more themes, customization options, and integrations to improve user experience.

Growing business needs more tools

Growing businesses often need more tools, like detailed reporting or cart recovery systems. If you find these features lacking, consider upgrading to better meet your operational needs.

Increased sales volume

Higher volumes demand better performance, and plans with advanced features can help you track customer behavior effectively.

Product expansion

Planning to grow your product range or target new markets? A higher-tier plan can support your expansion. With enhanced features, increased bandwidth, and additional integrations, new plans provide the necessary tools to efficiently manage your growing business.

Make the right decision with DigitalSuits

A detailed Shopify plans comparison is essential for understanding how each plan aligns with your business goals and budget. Knowing the Shopify pricing structure and the differences between each plan helps you minimize costs while ensuring you have the necessary features. With options ranging from the Starter plan for beginners to Shopify Plus for larger enterprises, there's something for everyone.

If you need assistance selecting or upgrading your plan, feel free to contact us. As a certified agency and official Shopify Plus Partner with expertise and a proven track record, we're here to help you choose the right plan for your business.