Shopify pricing: Features explained and how they built it

Shopify is a commerce platform for launching an online store, selling across channels, and managing payments, fulfillment, and operations in one place. This guide explains how Shopify structures plans and where usage-based elements come in.

Shopify pricing starts at $5/month for social selling and goes up to custom enterprise rates for Plus. Each plan comes with a different set of features, staff limits, and transaction fees.

Note: For the most up-to-date pricing, check Shopify’s pricing page. Plan names, inclusions, and rates may change over time.

Shopify pricing model summary

This section covers all Shopify plans at a glance. If you’re comparing plans and pricing for Shopify, the quick takeaway is: Starter ($5), Retail ($89), Basic ($29 billed yearly), Grow ($79 billed yearly), Advanced ($299 billed yearly), and Plus (from $2,300 on a 3‑year term). 

Starter plan

Starter costs $5/month and supports social and link‑based selling without a full website. You get checkout, product page links, and shareable buy links for social and messaging. Starter includes a limited online store.

Key features:

• Share product links across Instagram, email, WhatsApp, and more.
• Basic Shopify-hosted storefront with mobile checkout.
• POS Lite app for in-person sales.
• Card rates are 5% online and 5% in person. Shopify also lists 5% for third‑party providers on this plan. (Rates vary by region.)
• Limited online store (simple storefront), plus checkout and shareable product links.

Basic plan

Basic costs $39/month, or $29/month when billed yearly. It includes a full online store, POS Lite, 10 inventory locations, and 24/7 chat. (Prices vary by region.)

Key features:

• Full-featured website builder with unlimited products.
• Shopify blog, custom domain support, and navigation menus.
• 10 inventory locations.
• POS Lite included.
• Up to 3 localized global markets.
• Card rates starting at 2.9% + 30¢ online and 2.6% + 10¢ in person in the U.S.; third‑party payment providers add a 2% fee on Basic. (Rates and fees vary by region.)

Retail plan

Retail costs $89/month and targets in‑person selling with POS Pro features for physical retail. 

Key features:

• POS Pro features for staff roles, smart inventory, and loyalty.
• Location-based fulfillment and returns.
• Designed for use with Shopify hardware.
• Does not include website or storefront tools.
• Retail includes a limited online store.

Grow plan

Grow costs $105/month, or $79/month when billed yearly. It adds 5 staff accounts and professional reports.

Key features:

• 5 staff accounts with admin permissions.
• 10 inventory locations and 3 global market regions.
• POS Pro is an add‑on ($89/month per location) on Basic, Grow, and Advanced. Retail includes 1 POS Pro location; Plus includes more.
• Standard and professional-level reports.
• Card rates starting at 2.7% + 30¢ online and 2.5% + 10¢ in person in the U.S.; third‑party providers add a 1% fee on Grow. (Rates and fees vary by region.)

Advanced plan

Advanced costs $399/month, or $299/month when billed yearly. It includes custom reports and carrier‑calculated shipping.

Key features:

• Up to 15 staff accounts.
• Custom report builder and analytics filters.
• Real-time carrier-calculated shipping rates.
• Advanced includes 3 markets and supports up to 50. Cross‑border fees come from Managed Markets (per transaction).
• Card rates starting at 2.5% + 30¢ online and 2.4% + 10¢ in person in the U.S.; third‑party providers add a 0.6% fee on Advanced.

Plus plan

Plus starts at $2,300/month on a 3‑year term ($2,500/month on a 1‑year term). It includes priority support, customizable checkout, and higher POS Pro caps.

Shopify enterprise pricing features:

• Unlimited staff accounts and up to 200 inventory locations.
• Custom checkout with access to checkout.
• Wholesale/B2B tools and expansion stores (up to 9 included).
• Shopify Functions for custom discount/shipping logic.
• API rate increases and integration tools.
• Priority 24/7 support and a Merchant Success Manager.
• On Plus, set Shopify Payments as your primary gateway to waive Shopify’s platform fees on other methods; if you use a third‑party provider as primary, Shopify charges a platform fee in addition to that provider’s card fees.
• Headless architecture is possible with Commerce Components.

Remember: All plans and pricing for Shopify are subject to change. For the latest details, see Shopify’s pricing page.

A closer look at Shopify’s usage-based pricing

Shopify doesn’t bill based on typical SaaS metrics like storage, API calls, or user volume. Instead, the platform works on a tiered pricing model with fixed monthly fees, then layers in transaction-based costs that scale with sales.

Your cost often comes from these usage-linked elements:

• Transaction fees: If you don’t use Shopify Payments, Shopify adds a platform fee (2% Basic, 1% Grow, 0.6% Advanced in the U.S.). On Plus, Shopify can waive platform fees when you use Shopify Payments as your primary gateway. Otherwise, a small platform fee applies.
  ‍
• Credit card rates: Shopify shows card rates starting at plan‑level amounts, and rates vary by region and card type (U.S. examples: 2.9% + 30¢ Basic, 2.7% + 30¢ Grow, 2.5% + 30¢ Advanced).
• International markets: Basic/Grow includes 3 markets; Advanced includes 3 and supports up to 50; Plus supports up to 50. Shopify’s Managed Markets uses per‑transaction fees (for example, 6.5% processing + 2.5% FX in the U.S. program).
  ‍
• Expansion stores (Plus only): Shopify Plus includes up to 9 expansion stores for international or B2B. No extra software charge, but setup costs apply.
  ‍
• Apps: Shopify’s App Store includes thousands of add-ons. Many are free, but paid ones can range from $5 to $200/month, depending on features.
  ‍
• Email usage: Shopify Email is free for the first 10,000 emails each month. After that, it’s $1 per 1,000 emails.

So, while Shopify doesn’t meter data or API traffic, it does scale based on usage of sales channels, payment methods, and features. That means the monthly cost for Shopify will vary if users sell more, add users, or build out more localized storefronts.

Note: For anyone wondering how Shopify writes scalable Go services, Shopify built much of its backend using Go (Golang) to handle this type of volume-based growth, especially on Shopify Plus, where merchants run flash sales and process thousands of orders per minute. 

Shopify’s architecture scales, but the pricing doesn't change based on backend load. 

Why do companies like Shopify adopt usage-based billing?

Usage-based billing aligns price with value delivered. When a store processes more orders, handles more payments, or uses higher-impact features more often, the platform supports more activity and delivers more utility. 

Pricing that scales with actual activity keeps entry straightforward for smaller teams while supporting steady expansion as adoption grows.

It also supports flexible packaging. A subscription tier sets the foundation for support and core features, while usage-based elements reflect the intensity of specific workflows. This lets buyers match their current stage without overcommitting, then expand confidently as results increase.

Usage-based elements encourage exploration of advanced capabilities. Teams try features when they need them, then pay in proportion to how much they use them. That reduces friction during evaluation and lowers the commitment required to access powerful tooling.

• Align price with value: Your spend tracks how much you use the platform.
  
  
• Lower starting commitment: Teams begin with a smaller package and expand with activity.
  
  
• Encourage adoption: Advanced features are available when needed, with spend tied to usage.

Note: Explore how usage models work in practice: pricing models, tiered pricing, and subscription billing.

Why is usage-based billing becoming the default?

Buyer expectations have shifted toward pricing that reflects real outcomes. Teams prefer a structure where spend follows adoption. As product use expands, the invoice increases in step, which keeps the relationship between price and value clear.

Finance teams benefit from revenue that tracks engagement. When usage rises, billings rise with it, which supports forecasting and gives leaders a transparent link between product activity and revenue. 

Product organizations need flexible pricing that evolves with the roadmap. Usage-based elements unlock precise packaging, rapid experiments, and clean plan updates as features mature. Versioning and migrations help teams update packaging without disruption.

The broader market rewards pricing that scales smoothly from first transaction to sustained growth. A store that processes seasonal peaks or expands into new channels sees spend tracking the actual activity.

Note: Learn more about change management and packaging in our articles about versions and migrations and pricing and packaging strategy.

FAQs

How much does a Shopify website cost?

A Shopify website costs $5 to $399 per month on standard plans, plus $89/month for Retail and from $2,300/month for Shopify Plus on a 3‑year term. Annual (billed yearly) rates are $29 (Basic), $79 (Grow), and $299 (Advanced). Monthly rates are $39, $105, and $399.

How much does Shopify cost per month?

Shopify costs $5 (Starter), $89 (Retail), $39 (Basic), $105 (Grow), $399 (Advanced) per month on a monthly billing schedule. Shopify Plus starts at $2,300/month on a 3‑year term ($2,500/month on a 1‑year term). 

Can you cancel Shopify anytime?

Yes, you can cancel Shopify anytime without a cancellation fee if you're on a monthly plan. Annual plans are prepaid and non-refundable, so early termination may result in forfeiting unused time. Be sure to export your store data before closing your account.

How much is the Shopify basic plan?

Basic is $39/month on monthly billing or $29/month when billed yearly.

How much does Shopify charge per purchase?

Shopify shows card rates starting at plan‑specific amounts, and rates vary by region and card type. 

Example U.S. online rates: 2.9% + 30¢ (Basic), 2.7% + 30¢ (Grow), 2.5% + 30¢ (Advanced). If you use a third‑party payment provider, Shopify adds a platform fee (2% Basic, 1% Grow, 0.6% Advanced in the U.S.). On the Plus plan, they can waive platform fees when you use Shopify Payments as your primary gateway.

Learn how Orb supports usage-based billing

If you're supporting fast-growing usage-based or tiered pricing, Orb is the done-for-you billing platform that gives you the infrastructure to do it right. Here’s how Orb helps you:

• Track usage in real-time and bill precisely: Orb ingests raw event data, enabling you to turn it into billable metrics and  accurate invoices. You can measure anything: API calls, transactions, user actions, storage, or credits.
  ‍
• Create, iterate, and launch pricing plans fast: Build tiered models that evolve with your product across self-serve, business, and enterprise tiers. Adjust price points or package contents anytime. Orb supports billing version control, progressive plan rollouts, and feature gating.
  ‍
• Simulate before you ship: With Orb Simulations, you can test new pricing strategies using real product usage data before launching them live. Understand revenue impact and customer behavior without touching production.
  ‍
• Support usage-based, subscription, or hybrid models: Build custom billing metrics and plans using Orb SQL Editor or a visual editor. Whether your pricing is flat, tiered, or volume-based, Orb supports it from day one.
  ‍
• Give customers transparent, trustworthy billing: Orb connects the dots between what your users do and what they see on their invoice. You can trace each charge back to usage data, making billing easy to understand.
  ‍
• Run financial operations at scale: Orb connects with your finance stack, automates revenue reporting, and adapts to your product changes. From billing to invoicing to audit-ready exports, finance teams get what they need without messy spreadsheets.

Whether you're introducing metered billing, experimenting with plan design, or planning for scale, Orb gives you the tools to run pricing the way it should. Explore Orb’s pricing tiers and see how fast you can move when your billing adapts as pricing changes.