Shopify subscriptions start at $5 per month, and payment processing rates decrease as you upgrade plans.
Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising
partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or
click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our
evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and
here's how we make money.
Updated · 3 min read
Written by
Managing Editor
Edited by
Managing Editor
Co-written by
Lead Writer & Content Strategist
SOME CARD INFO MAY BE OUTDATED
This page includes information about these cards, currently unavailable on
NerdWallet. The information has been collected by NerdWallet and has not
been provided or reviewed by the card issuer.
Shopify is one of the best e-commerce platforms on the market. But its different options can make it tough to estimate your potential costs. Shopify's cheapest monthly plan is $5, but most business owners will pay at least $29. You’ll also owe processing costs per sale. Those charges depend on multiple factors, including your subscription level.
Here’s a rundown of Shopify’s plans, pricing and the features they include.
All Shopify plans currently include a free three-day trial for new customers. While that window is short, Shopify charges just $1 for your first month.
If you choose a monthly plan, you can end your subscription anytime. For annual plans, you’ll need to wait until the end of your contract’s term to cancel.
Plan
Monthly fee
Transaction fees
Starter
$5 per month.
In-person: 5%.
Online: 5% plus 30 cents.
Retail
$89 per month (or $79 per month when paid annually).
In-person: 2.6% plus 10 cents.
Online: 2.9% plus 30 cents.
Basic
$39 per month (or $29 per month when paid annually).
In-person: 2.6% plus 10 cents.
Online: 2.9% plus 30 cents.
Shopify
$105 per month (or $79 per month when paid annually).
In-person: 2.5% plus 10 cents.
Online: 2.7% plus 30 cents.
Advanced
$399 per month (or $299 per month when paid annually).
In-person: 2.4% plus 10 cents.
Online: 2.5% plus 30 cents.
POS Pro vs. POS Lite
All of the Shopify plans listed above — except the Retail plan — include POS Lite, the company’s basic set of retail store management capabilities. It includes limited or no staff accounts, depending on your plan, returns at the original purchase location only and simple customer profiles.
The Retail plan offers upgraded POS Pro features, and they can be added to the Basic, Shopify and Advanced plans for an extra $89 per month. The Starter plan doesn’t support POS Pro.
POS Pro includes the following features POS Pro includes the following features
Unlimited staff accounts.
More staff permission settings.
In-depth customer profiles and customer loyalty tools.
Advanced inventory and product performance reporting.
Ability to accept returns and exchanges at any location.
These Shopify alternatives may have smaller upfront costs, but they don’t have as many website-building tools or templates. If you’ve already built your website or only need a basic one, the following choices can be a great fit.
Helcim: Best for interchange-plus processing. Unlike Shopify, Helcim uses interchange-plus processing, which can be more cost-effective than flat-rate pricing for higher-volume businesses. Plus, rates get even lower once you start processing more than $50,000 per month. For more details, read our full Helcim review.
Square: Best for brick-and-mortar businesses. Square bundles a solid line of POS hardware products with competitive in-house processing and easy-to-use POS software. For more details, read our full Square review.
Stripe: Best for web developers. If you have coding experience, Stripe’s developer tools give you lots of ways to customize your business’s online payments experience. For more details, read our full Stripe review.
Or consider these popular e-commerce platforms
If you’re searching for a platform to house your online shop or you’d like to build your own online store, explore the following Shopify alternatives. Squarespace and WordPress, in particular, let you choose which payment processor you’d like to use.
Shopify's plans include two options for selling mostly in-person and three for selling both online and in-person. Each plan has a set of features that cater to different types and sizes of businesses and comes with its own pricing structure.
Starter plan
Best for solopreneurs selling mostly in person and on social media
The Starter plan, Shopify’s least expensive option, is ideal for solopreneurs that are just getting started and need an easy setup to sell online and on the go. However, its online store has limited features, and no staff accounts are included. If you plan to set up a full-blown online store, as opposed to relying on social media sales, or have employees, consider upgrading your plan.
Read more about what’s included Read more about what’s included
Ability to accept credit cards in person and online.
Simple website with product pages, contact page and Shopify checkout.
Unlimited products.
Ability to share product links on social media.
Linkpop account for your social media bio.
Shopify POS mobile app for accepting in-person transactions.
1 POS lite location.
Basic sales reporting.
Order and inventory management.
Gift cards.
Ability to accept refunds and returns.
24/7 live chat support.
Retail plan
Best for small in-person businesses that need advanced tools and inventory tracking.
Shopify’s Retail plan is made for brick-and-mortar retail stores that also want a simple online store. It includes the same online shopping features as the Starter plan, plus a few extra capabilities, like unlimited staff accounts.
Read more about what’s included Read more about what’s included
1 POS Pro location.
Unlimited staff accounts and products.
Customer management tools.
Basic plan
Best for solopreneurs that sell in person and online and need a more robust online presence.
Shopify’s Basic plan is designed to help burgeoning small businesses that need a feature-rich online store, along with tools for selling in person. However, if you rely on employees to operate your POS system, it doesn’t include additional staff accounts.
Read more about what’s included Read more about what’s included
A customizable online store with multiple themes to choose from.
POS lite.
More than 60 reports.
Up to 10 inventory locations.
Gift cards.
Ability to accept returns and refunds.
24/7 live chat support.
Abandoned cart recovery.
Unlimited product listings.
Customer segmentation to filter by feature.
Marketing automation.
Alternative sales channel support outside of the Shopify ecosystem.
Shipping discounts and shipping label printing.
Support for international market management, including currency conversation and translation.
Shopify plan
Best for small businesses that sell in person and online and need staff management.
The middle-tiered Shopify plan is geared toward small and medium-sized businesses that have multiple employees and need a full-featured online store. Features include those listed under the Basic plan, plus some additional capabilities, like five staff accounts.
Read more about what’s included Read more about what’s included
Five staff accounts.
A shipping discount up to 88%, plus shipping insurance.
USPS Priority Mail Cubic pricing.
Advanced plan
Best for larger, high-volume small businesses that sell in person and online.
Shopify’s Advanced plan builds on the lower-tiered plans to offer the most features for established businesses that need advanced insight into sales, are handling a lot of shipping and have a larger employee base. The plan includes what you’ll find in the Basic and Shopify plan options, as well as a handful of extra features.
Read more about what’s included Read more about what’s included
15 staff accounts.
Custom sales and performance reports.
Third-party shipping calculations that show customers what they’ll pay in real-time.
Shopify Plus is a plan designed for enterprise-level companies processing hundreds of thousands of dollars and up annually. Among other features, it lets you customize your checkout experience and includes 20 POS Pro locations.
Can I have a store with Shopify Lite? Can I have a store with Shopify Lite?
You can have an online store, but you can't host it with Shopify. You'll need to already have it set up before you add a Buy Button to let customers checkout through Shopify.
Will my credit card be charged if I sign up for the free trial? Will my credit card be charged if I sign up for the free trial?
According to Shopify, your credit card will not be automatically charged at the end of the trial. You'll only be charged if you sign up for a particular monthly plan.
What is Shopify Payments? What is Shopify Payments?
Shopify Payments is the company's payment processing service and is available for all plans.
A version of this article was first published on Fundera, a subsidiary of NerdWallet.
Whitney Vandiver, a writer at NerdWallet, contributed reporting to this article.
Article sources Article sources
NerdWallet writers are subject matter authorities who use primary,
trustworthy sources to inform their work, including peer-reviewed
studies, government websites, academic research and interviews with
industry experts. All content is fact-checked for accuracy,
timeliness and relevance. You can learn more about NerdWallet's
high standards for journalism by reading our
editorial guidelines.