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Understand Shopify's pricing plans, what each one includes, how billing works, and how to choose the right plan for your store.

Shopify charges a monthly (or annual) subscription fee for using its platform. Your plan determines what features you can access, what transaction fees you pay, and how many staff accounts you can have.

Quick summary

Shopify's main plans are Basic, Grow (formerly called the Shopify plan), and Advanced, with Shopify Plus above them. Higher plans cost more per month but charge lower fees on sales. Payments taken through Shopify Payments don't carry Shopify's third-party transaction fee. Paying annually costs less per month than paying monthly; check shopify.com/pricing for current prices. Your bill also includes any app subscriptions you have active.

The main Shopify plans

Shopify's plan lineup and pricing change periodically, so always check the current rates at shopify.com/pricing. Here is a plain-English summary of what each tier typically includes:

Feature	Basic	Grow	Advanced
Online store	Yes	Yes	Yes
Staff accounts	None	5	15
Inventory locations	Up to 10	Up to 10	Up to 10
Reports and analytics	Yes	Yes	Yes
Custom reports	Yes	Yes	Yes
Third-party transaction fee	Highest	Lower	Lower still
Rates from your own carrier account (e.g. UPS, FedEx) at checkout	No	Extra monthly fee, or included with annual billing	Yes
Collect duties and import taxes at checkout	Yes	Yes	Yes

Shopify's own built-in carrier rates (such as USPS in the US or Canada Post in Canada) are available on all plans. Collecting duties at checkout has some requirements, such as adding HS (customs) codes to your products.

Transaction fees: the honest truth

If a customer pays through a third-party payment provider (anything that is not Shopify Payments), Shopify charges you a percentage fee on that sale, on top of what the provider charges. The rate depends on your plan; check shopify.com/pricing for current rates. Payments through Shopify Payments and manual methods like cash on delivery don't carry this fee, and with Shopify Payments turned on, neither do Shop Pay or PayPal Express Checkout. On stores created on or after May 12, 2025, the fee also applies to the part of an order paid with store credit or gift cards. See Payment providers (Shopify Payments, PayPal, etc.) for more detail.

Shopify Plus

Shopify Plus is Shopify's enterprise tier. It is designed for high-volume merchants. It includes:

Full checkout customization
Unlimited staff accounts
Up to 9 expansion stores (extra stores for other countries, locations and similar needs)
Priority 24/7 support
The lowest third-party transaction fee rate, waived if Shopify Payments is your only payment provider

Shopify Plus starts at a much higher monthly price and is only relevant once you are doing significant revenue. If you are considering it, talk to us first — we can help you evaluate whether the cost is justified.

Shopify Starter

You may see Shopify's Starter plan mentioned, but it isn't available to new stores. It was made for selling through product links shared on social media or in messages, with a simplified online store, and it doesn't include staff accounts or collections. If you already have a website and just want to add a simple purchase flow, use Shopify's Buy Button sales channel instead. It's included in all plans and lets you embed buy buttons on an external website or blog.

Annual vs monthly billing

Paying annually (the full year charged upfront) gives you a lower effective monthly price than paying month by month. Compare both prices at shopify.com/pricing. If you are confident in your store and plan to use Shopify for at least a year, the annual billing is a clear win. Switching back from annual to monthly usually means contacting Shopify Support before your annual cycle ends, and the change takes effect when that cycle ends.

To switch to annual billing:

Go to Settings → Plan. From your Shopify admin, click Settings then Plan.

Click Change plan, Choose plan, or Select plan, then select your plan.

Select the annual billing cycle. Review the charge, then click Subscribe.

What appears on your Shopify bill

Your regular Shopify bill can include:

Shopify plan subscription — your plan fee
App charges — subscription and usage charges for apps that bill through Shopify (some apps charge you directly instead, and those don't appear here)
Third-party transaction fees — if customers paid through a third-party payment provider
Shopify Messaging email charges (formerly Shopify Email) — if you send more than the free monthly allowance, shown as "Marketing emails"

Some charges arrive as separate bills: domains you buy through Shopify, themes, one-time app purchases, and shipping labels. Card processing fees from Shopify Payments aren't on your bill at all; they're deducted from your payouts.

You can see your upcoming bill and your Past bills in Settings → Billing.

How to change your plan

Go to Settings → Plan. You will see your current plan.

Click Change plan, Choose plan, or Select plan.

Select a new plan. Review what changes with that plan (features gained or lost, new transaction fee rate), then pick a billing cycle.

Click Subscribe. Upgrades take effect immediately. Downgrades take effect at the end of your current billing cycle.

Downgrading may remove features

If you downgrade and your store uses features not available on the lower plan — like extra staff accounts — the staff accounts over the new limit are suspended. Review what will change before confirming a downgrade. Only the store owner, or a staff member with permission to manage the plan, can change it.

Shopify's free trial

Shopify offers a free trial for new stores. The length varies, so check shopify.com/free-trial for the current offer, and Shopify can't extend it. During the trial, your store starts in private mode or with checkout switched off, but you can set it up fully. To let customers buy, you turn off private mode or choose a paid plan, and you'll also need a payment provider set up. If the trial ends before you pick a plan, your store is paused until you do.

Common questions

Can I pause my Shopify store instead of cancelling?

Yes. Shopify offers a Pause and Build plan that keeps your store running at a reduced cost. Your storefront stays visible, so customers can still browse your products, but checkout is switched off on every sales channel. You can still access your admin to make changes. This is useful for seasonal businesses or during a major redesign. Only the store owner can choose it, it isn't available on Shopify Plus, and your apps keep billing unless you uninstall them. When you're ready to sell again, you pick a new plan.

What happens to my store if I cancel?

Shopify keeps your store's information for 2 years after you deactivate, in case you decide to reopen. All your apps are uninstalled, and any pending charges are billed. Only the store owner can deactivate a store; Shopify Support can't do it for you. Always export your customer and order data as CSV files before cancelling.

Are Shopify plan fees charged in USD?

Not always. Depending on where you're based, the Basic, Grow and Advanced plans are billed in US dollars (USD), euros (EUR), British pounds (GBP) or Indian rupees (INR). Shopify Plus can be billed in a few more currencies. If you're billed in a currency your bank account doesn't use, your bank may apply a conversion rate.

Does Shopify charge VAT or sales tax on my subscription?

Yes, in some regions, and the rules depend on where your business is. If your store is in Europe, Shopify asks you to add your VAT number (or confirm you don't have one) in Settings → Billing → Billing profile. Whether VAT then appears on your bill depends on your country; Shopify's help centre lists the rules for each region.

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.

Shopify plans & billing