Shopify continues to dominate the e-commerce platform space despite more and more companies offering similar services. The Canada-based giant made e-commerce website building simple and straightforward that even without prior experience, you can set-up your online store in a matter of hours. Shopify’s fees vary depending on your chosen monthly plan, but its three core monthly plans are the Basic, Shopify, and Advanced Shopify plans.
While there are no hidden charges, there are other Shopify fees you need to pay for on top of the monthly base plan you’re subscribed to. These may include transaction fees, credit card fees, and third-party app subscriptions. Keep reading our in-depth guide to Shopify fees below to learn what they are.
Shopify Fees Comparison Chart
| Name | Basic Shopify Plan | Shopify Plan | Advanced Shopify Plan |
 |  |  | |
| Price (Get 10% discount on an annual plan) | Try Shopify for free | Try Shopify for free | Try Shopify for free |
| Best For | New Businesses | Growing businesses, especially those who use third-party payment providers | Business owners looking to scale further |
| Online Credit Card Rates per Transaction | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.6% + 30¢ | 2.4% + 30¢ |
| In-Person Credit Card Rates per transaction | 2.7% + 0¢ | 2.5% + 0¢ | 2.4% + 0¢ |
| Third-party Payment Provider Transaction Fee | 2.0% | 1.0% | .5% |
| Shopify Shipping Discounts | Up to 64% | Up to 72% | Up to 74% |
| Third-Party Shipping Calculated Rates | No | No | Yes |
| Unlimited Products | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Digital Products | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gift Cards | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Staff Accounts | 2 | 5 | 15 |
| Inventory Locations | Up to 4 | Up to 5 | Up to 8 |
Monthly Fees
Shopify’s fees for its plans range from the lowest-tier $9USD/month to up to $2000/month
Technically, there are five Shopify plans with different fees that e-commerce store owners can choose from:
- Shopify Lite Plan($9/month): this only offers the use of Shopify’s “Buy now” button and doesn’t include a full-featured online store
- Basic Shopify Plan($29/month): perfect for newer e-commerce stores that are still getting traction
- Shopify Plan ($79/month): offers the best value among Shopify’s core plans
- Advanced Shopify Plan ($299/month): best for businesses that are generating higher revenues and bigger shipment volumes every month
- Shopify Plus (starts at $2000/month): for enterprise-level businesses
We discuss each Shopify monthly plans and fees in more depth in this article. In a capsule, Shopify’s three core plans are packed with essential e-commerce features that will get your online store up and running efficiently. They all include an online store, the ability to upload unlimited products, abandoned cart recovery, SSL certificate (to keep your data secure), fraud protection, Shopify Payments, Shopify Shipping, to name some. You can lower your base monthly fees by signing up for yearly plans and get 10% discount for a one-year plan or 20% discount a two-year plan.
Transaction Fees
In addition to the base monthly Shopify fees, you should take into account Shopify’s transaction fees per sale as well
When setting your profit margin goals, it’s important to factor in Shopify’s transaction fees when setting your product’s prices. Shopify will bill you with the transaction fees every month on top of the base monthly plan and other third-party app subscriptions you may have. As shown in the photo above, Shopify charges a flat rate 30¢ for every credit card transaction plus the corresponding rate for your plan.
For example, you’re selling a product for $50. If your store gets 100 credit card transactions every month and you generate $5,000 in revenues, here’s how your monthly Shopify fees will look like under each pricing plan:
| Name | Basic Shopify Plan | Shopify Plan | Advanced Shopify Plan |
| Base Monthly Fee | $29 | $79 | $299 |
| Online Credit Card Rates per Transaction | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.6% + 30¢ | 2.4% + 30¢ |
| Total Credit Card Rate Fees for every $5,000 | $145 | $135 | $120 |
| Total Flatrate Transaction Fees for 100 transactions | $30 | $30 | $30 |
| Total Shopify Fees/Month | $204 | $244 | $449 |
The above computation is for using Shopify Payments. If you’re using a different payment gateway for your e-commerce store, expect additional Shopify transaction fees on top of your provider’s rates as well. Other costs that may also be included are third-party app subscriptions and shipping charges if you’re using Shopify Shipping.
Avoiding Shopify’s Transaction Fees Per Sale
You can get the lowest transaction fees on Shopify to help keep your prices competitive by using Shopify Payments as your payment gateway. If you use other payment providers such as PayPal, Stripe, Amazon Pay, etc, Shopify will charge you an additional 2% to .5% (depends on your plan) for every transaction. Going back to the example above, if your monthly revenue is $5,000 and you’re on a Basic Shopify Plan, you have to pay an additional $100 (2%) to Shopify if you’re using a third-party payment provider.
If you want to completely stop paying Shopify’s transaction fees, you may want to take a look at other e-commerce platforms that don’t charge transaction fees for every sale you make. BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Squarespace are great alternatives, although each platform is fit for different types of businesses and business owners.
Shopify Fees Calculator
To help you figure out the best monthly plan for you and your business, use the following free Shopify fees calculators:
It’s tempting to just go for the Shopify Basic plan as it’s the most affordable option. However, there are instances where you may end up getting more savings by opting for the higher-tier plans such as the standard Shopify or Advanced plan. This is especially true if you prefer using a third-party payment gateway as the higher-tier plans have better rates for transaction fees. Use this free Shopify fees calculator to find out which plan best suits your business.
Shopify vs Etsy Fees Calculator
Etsy is another popular platform to sell your products, but it lacks certain e-commerce features that Shopify offers. If you’re debating whether to sell on Shopify or Etsy, this free Shopify vs Etsy fees calculator will show you where you’ll get more savings.
Shopify Shipping Fees Calculator
Another integral part of many e-commerce stores is shipping costs. For those who ship items directly and are not doing dropshipping, Shopify Shipping is a helpful tool to streamline your shipping process. US-based fulfillment locations can enjoy significant discounts from USPS, UPS, or DHL Express through Shopify Shipping. Use this free shipping rates calculator to get a better grasp of Shopify Shipping’s fees and how this can impact your pricing strategy.
Refund & Chargeback Fees
Shopify charges a chargeback fee everytime a customer files for a dispute, and the cost varies by country
There are different reasons for a customer filing for a dispute and asking for a refund. These can be delayed shipping, duplicate charges, fraudulent uses, among others. Whatever it is, refunds and chargebacks are a part of the reality of running an e-commerce store if you’re selling a refundable product.
Everytime a customer files for a dispute, Shopify charges $15 for US and Canada-based companies, and different countries will have different chargeback fees. For instances where you successfully win a chargeback claim, Shopify will refund you the chargeback fee. Make sure you read Shopify’s refund fees and chargeback process to help you better prepare for dealing with such situations.
Verdict
The standard Shopify plan is the best for a wide range of business sizes while newer businesses can take advantage of the Basic Shopify plan’s lower base monthly fees
Choosing the best Shopify plan for your business requires taking a closer look at your current business needs and your goals. If you are confident that you have winning products and have a decent budget, we recommend going for the standard Shopify plan. Apart from its extensive e-commerce features, this plan offers excellent credit card rates, transaction fees, and discounted shipping rates that can drastically lower your overall Shopify fees.
On the other hand, if you’re building an e-commerce store from scratch on a tighter budget, the Basic Shopify plan is more than sufficient. Despite its lower base fee, you’ll still get Shopify’s essential e-commerce features to run your store smoothly. You can easily upgrade to the Shopify or Advanced Shopify plan anyway once you’re generating more revenues and require more advanced features. Either way, make sure to take advantage of Shopify’s 14-day free trial before committing to a monthly plan.
