Shopify's subscription is only one part of what a Shopify store costs. This guide covers Shopify's plans and fees for US stores, then the other costs that make up the real cost of running a Shopify store: payments, themes, apps, and development.
Prices below are Shopify's published US prices at the time of writing (September 2026). Shopify updates its pricing from time to time and shows different prices in some countries, so always confirm current pricing on Shopify's pricing page.
Shopify plans
Shopify offers four main plans for online stores:
- Basic — $39/month billed monthly, or $29/month billed yearly. For new and smaller businesses.
- Grow — $105/month billed monthly, or $79/month billed yearly. For small teams, with more staff accounts and better rates.
- Advanced — $399/month billed monthly, or $299/month billed yearly. For larger businesses, with more staff accounts, lower rates, and more advanced reporting.
- Shopify Plus — starting from $2,300/month. For high-volume and complex businesses that need features such as checkout extensibility, B2B, and expansion stores.
Billing yearly reduces the monthly cost on the Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans. Shopify also regularly runs introductory offers for new stores.
Payment processing and transaction fees
How you take payments affects your costs as much as the plan you choose.
With Shopify Payments, you pay a card processing rate on each online transaction. For US stores at the time of writing, online card rates are 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic, 2.7% + 30¢ on Grow, and 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced, with lower rates available on Plus.
With a third-party payment provider, Shopify charges an additional transaction fee on top of your provider's own fees: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced, and 0.2% on Plus.
For most US stores, Shopify Payments is the simpler and cheaper option because it avoids the additional transaction fee.
Themes
- Free themes from Shopify are a solid starting point for many stores.
- Paid themes from the Shopify Theme Store are a one-time purchase and include ongoing updates from the theme developer.
- Custom themes are built around your brand, products, and customers. They cost more upfront, but they can be designed for exactly how your business operates — see custom Shopify theme development.
Apps
Most stores need some apps — for reviews, email marketing, subscriptions, or support. Many apps charge monthly, and some charge based on order volume or usage.
App costs add up quietly. Review your app subscriptions regularly and remove anything you no longer use. Our guide to the best Shopify apps covers how to choose apps without adding unnecessary cost or weight.
Development and ongoing support
Development is often the largest variable in the real cost of a Shopify store. It depends on:
- Whether you're customizing an existing theme or building a custom one
- How much custom functionality you need
- Integrations with other systems
- Migration from another platform
- Ongoing improvements, fixes, and optimization after launch
Some stores need a single project. Others benefit from ongoing Shopify support with a defined amount of development capacity each month.
Other costs to plan for
- Domain name — typically an annual cost.
- Shipping — labels, packaging, and fulfilment.
- Email and marketing tools — if you use platforms outside Shopify.
- Taxes and duties — especially if you sell internationally.
Which plan should you choose?
- Basic suits new stores and small teams getting started.
- Grow suits growing businesses that want more staff accounts and lower card rates.
- Advanced suits larger stores where lower rates and advanced reporting offset the higher subscription.
- Shopify Plus suits businesses that need its specific capabilities or operate at high volume. It's a significant investment, so the decision should be based on what you actually need — see Shopify Plus development.
A practical way to compare plans is to estimate your monthly online sales, then compare each plan's subscription against what you'd pay in processing fees at that volume. As sales grow, lower rates on higher plans can offset their higher subscription.
The bottom line
The real cost of Shopify is your plan, payment processing, theme, apps, and development — not the subscription alone. Planning for all of them upfront gives you a realistic budget and avoids surprises after launch.