Thinking about opening a Shopify store this year? Smart move! But before you dive in, let’s talk money.
I’ve helped dozens of small business owners set up their online shops, and the number one question I always get is: “What’s the real cost of a Shopify store?” It’s never as simple as the monthly fee they advertise.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through all the costs, both the obvious ones and those sneaky expenses nobody tells you about. Let’s make sure your budget is ready for the real world of e-commerce!
Shopify’s Basic Plan Prices (The Starting Point)
Shopify keeps things simple with five main pricing options:
Shopify Starter: $1/month
- Perfect if you just want to sell through Instagram or Facebook
- No actual website—just product links you can share
- Great for testing the waters before diving in deeper
Basic Shopify: $27/month
- Your first “real” store option
- Includes a complete website with unlimited products
- Best for new sellers or small businesses just starting out
Shopify (now called “Grow”): $72/month
- More features for growing businesses
- Professional reports to understand your customers better
- Lower transaction fees than Basic
Advanced Shopify: $399/month
- All the bells and whistles for serious sellers
- Advanced reports and the lowest transaction fees
- Third-party shipping rates to save on delivery costs
Shopify Plus: Starts at $2,300/month
- For the big leagues—enterprise-level businesses
- Custom features and dedicated support
- Automation tools to save time
Right now, Shopify offers a 3-day free trial and your first three months for just $1. That’s a great deal, but remember it’s what comes after that really matters to your wallet.
The Extra Costs Nobody Tells You About
Here’s where the real cost of a Shopify store starts to add up. These extras can sometimes double or triple your budget if you’re not careful!
1. Transaction Fees (The Silent Budget-Killer)
Every time someone buys from your store, you’ll pay:
If using Shopify Payments:
- Basic: 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction
- Shopify: 2.6% + 30¢ per transaction
- Advanced: 2.4% + 30¢ per transaction
If using PayPal, Stripe, or other payment options, You’ll pay the fees above PLUS an extra fee to Shopify:
- Basic: Additional 2.0%
- Shopify: Additional 1.0%
- Advanced: Additional 0.5%
Let me put this in real numbers: If your store makes $10,000 in monthly sales using Shopify Payments on the Basic plan, you’ll pay about $320 in payment fees alone. That’s almost 10 times your monthly subscription!
2. The Theme Game (Making Your Store Look Good)
Your store needs to look professional to earn customer trust. Here are your options:
Free Themes:
- Shopify offers 12 free themes
- They’re basic but functional
- Many new stores start here to save money
Premium Themes: $140-$350 (one-time fee)
- More professional design and features
- Better mobile shopping experience
- Most successful stores eventually upgrade to these
Custom Design: $3,000-$20,000+
- Completely unique look and feel
- A professional designer creates your brand identity
- Best for established businesses with specific needs
I usually recommend starting with a free theme, then upgrading to a premium one once you’re making consistent sales. The improved customer experience usually pays for itself quickly.
3. Apps (The Features Shopify Doesn’t Include)
Shopify’s basic features won’t cover everything you need. That’s where apps come in:
Common apps most stores need:
- Email marketing: $10-50/month
- SEO tools: $20-30/month
- Product reviews: Free-$60/month
- Upsell features: $20-50/month
- Inventory alerts: $5-30/month
- Abandoned cart recovery: Free-$50/month
- Social media integration: $20-100/month
The average Shopify store uses 6-8 apps, adding $50-250+ to your monthly costs. Unlike WooCommerce, where you can buy many plugins once, Shopify apps usually charge monthly fees forever.
4. Other Basic Expenses
Don’t forget these essentials:
Domain name: $14-20/year. Your web address (like yourstore.com)
Professional email: $6-15/month per user. Having [email protected] looks more professional than gmail.com
Hidden Fees That Might Surprise You
These are the costs that often catch new store owners off guard:
Tax calculation fees: After you hit $100,000 in yearly sales, Shopify charges 0.35% of each transaction for tax calculations
Multi-currency fees: If you sell in different currencies, Shopify charges 1.5-2% on top of the exchange rate
POS costs: Want to sell in person too? Shopify POS Pro costs an extra $89/month per location
Image optimisation: Large stores may need additional tools to manage product images ($5-20/month)
Backup solutions: Protect your store data ($5-30/month)
What You’ll Really Pay: Real-World Examples
Let’s look at what actual store owners pay each month:
New Store Owner (Selling $5,000/month)
- Basic Shopify: $39
- Premium Theme: $14 (spread over a year)
- 5 Essential Apps: $75
- Payment Fees: $175
- Domain & Email: $10
- Total: About $313/month
Growing Business (Selling $20,000/month)
- Shopify Plan: $105
- Premium Theme: Already purchased
- 7 Apps: $150
- Payment Fees: $550
- Domain & Email: $15
- Total: About $820/month
Established Store (Selling $80,000/month)
- Advanced Plan: $399
- Custom Theme: Already purchased
- 10 Apps: $300
- Payment Fees: $1,950
- Domain & Email: $25
- Tax Automation: $280
- Total: About $2,954/month
As you can see, the real cost of a Shopify store is much higher than just the monthly subscription!
Shopify vs. WooCommerce: Cost Comparison
Many of my clients ask about WooCommerce as an alternative. Here’s how they compare on costs:
Shopify Advantages:
- Easier to set up (no technical skills needed)
- All-in-one solution (hosting included)
- Customer support included
- Security and updates handled for you
WooCommerce Advantages:
- No monthly platform fee (just hosting costs)
- One-time payments for many plugins (vs. monthly app fees)
- No additional transaction fees beyond the payment processor
- More control over your costs as you grow
For many growing businesses, WooCommerce becomes more cost-effective once you’re selling over $10,000/month, mainly because of the lower transaction fees and one-time plugin costs.
Money-Saving Tips for Shopify Stores
After helping dozens of store owners optimize their costs, here are my top tips:
- Pay annually to save 25% on your subscription
- Use Shopify Payments to avoid extra transaction fees
- Audit your apps quarterly and remove any you don’t absolutely need
- Start with free themes until you have consistent sales
- Use built-in features before adding apps
- Compare plan costs vs. transaction fees as you grow
Is Shopify Worth the Cost?
Despite all these expenses, Shopify remains popular for good reasons:
- It’s the easiest platform to use
- Your store will look professional from day one
- Customer support is available 24/7
- You don’t need any technical skills
The total cost of a Shopify store is higher than most people expect, but the time you save and the professional results often make it worthwhile for busy entrepreneurs.
Consider Shop2Woo for Better Value
If you’ve outgrown Shopify or the mounting costs are eating into your profits, Shop2Woo offers a smart alternative. Our service helps you:
- Save money by eliminating ongoing subscription fees
- Keep more profit with lower transaction costs
- Maintain control of your online business
- Preserve all your products, reviews, and SEO rankings
We’ve helped hundreds of store owners smoothly transition from Shopify to WooCommerce, cutting their monthly costs by 30-50% while keeping all the features they love.
Want to see how much you could save? Visit Shop2Woo.com today and try our free savings calculator.
