How to Choose a Shopify Plan: Pricing, Free Trial and Fees

What is Shopify pricing in 2026, plan by plan?

Shopify pricing in 2026 starts at $25 USD a month for Basic, or $19 a month billed yearly. Grow costs $65 ($49 yearly), Advanced $399 ($299 yearly), and Plus starts at $2,300 a month. No plan has a setup fee, but card and app costs come on top.

Key Takeaways

• There are four main Shopify plans: Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus. Annual billing lowers the monthly rate but is paid upfront.
• Free trial length depends on your location and sign-up date. Checkout stays off until you pick a paid plan.
• Using a payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds third-party transaction fees, and card fees are not returned on refunds.
• The real deciders between plans are staff accounts (0, 5, 15 or unlimited), locations and point-of-sale needs, not a revenue threshold.
• Cancelling happens under Settings > Plan. Subscriptions are not refunded, and domains and outside app subscriptions can keep billing.

Step 1: Check current Shopify pricing on the official page

Start with the official Shopify pricing page, not a third-party summary. Prices change, and many guides still quote older figures, so compare any figures you read elsewhere (including here) with the live page in your country.

The table below shows the prices, in USD, that the page listed when we checked it on 4 October 2026. If your page shows different amounts, your region, currency or a newer price change is the reason. Trust the live page.

A few pricing details are easy to miss:

• The page states there are no setup fees on any plan.
• The current page lists only Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus. Some older guides mention a Starter plan; it was not on the page when we checked.
• POS Pro, for selling in person with more advanced point-of-sale features, is an optional add-on at $89 USD a month per location.
• Marketplace sync is free for the first 50 synced marketplace orders a month; beyond that the page lists 1%, capped at $99 a month.

Step 2: Start the Shopify free trial and know its limits

Use the trial to build and test, not to sell. During the trial your store is in private mode and checkout is inactive, so customers cannot pay until you choose a paid plan.

When we checked, the trial offer on the pricing page read “Try 3 days free, then $1/month for 3 months” on monthly subscriptions. According to the Shopify Help Center page on the free trial, trial length varies by location and by when the account was created, and it cannot be extended. Stores created through supported AI tools currently get a four-month trial.

What happens during and after the trial:

• Picking a plan: go to Settings > Plan in the Shopify admin. Plan charges start after the trial ends, not on the day you select a plan.
• Apps: app charges can build up during the trial and appear on your first invoice.
• No plan picked: the store is paused until you choose one. Your products, theme and settings are kept.
• Plan picked but you change your mind: you must deactivate the store yourself before the trial ends, or billing begins.

A practical trial checklist: add a handful of real products, set up shipping and taxes, connect your domain, place test orders, and write down every app you install. That list becomes your real monthly cost in Step 4.

Step 3: Match Shopify plans to what your store actually needs

Choose the cheapest of the Shopify plans that covers your team, locations and selling channels. Most new single-owner stores can start on Basic and upgrade later, because you can change plans from Settings > Plan at any time.

Ignore advice that ties a plan to a revenue figure. The plan features that force an upgrade are concrete and easy to check:

Card rates also differ by plan. Read your exact rates in the comparison table on Shopify’s pricing page for your country before deciding, because they change the maths once your order volume grows.

If you are weighing Shopify against other platforms or a custom build, our guide to ecommerce development services, platforms and costs sets out the trade-offs. If you hire help with Shopify store development, ask for this plan check before any theme work starts.

Step 4: Add up the fees beyond the plan price

Headline Shopify pricing covers only the plan. Your real monthly cost adds payment fees, apps, theme and domain, so work it out before launch so the plan price does not mislead you.

The biggest variable is how you take payments. The Shopify Payments cost page says that, beyond the card rate and your plan subscription, Shopify Payments has no monthly, hidden or setup fees. The picture changes if you add another provider:

• Shopify Payments only: you pay the card rate for your plan and no third-party transaction fees.
• Third-party provider only: the provider charges its own rates, and Shopify adds a third-party transaction fee that depends on your plan.
• Both at once: third-party transactions carry the transaction fee, and Shopify Payments transactions are charged the standard rate plus a 1.25% premium.

Other cost lines to budget for:

• Apps: billed on their own cycle, separate from your plan.
• Themes: free themes exist; paid themes are a one-off cost.
• Domain: a yearly renewal if you buy it through Shopify or a registrar.
• Refunds: card transaction fees are not returned when you refund an order.
• Gift cards and store credit: on stores created from 12 May 2025, orders paid this way also count for third-party transaction fees.

Those last points come from the Shopify billing and pricing overview. If you invoice wholesale buyers outside Shopify, our free invoice generator keeps those records tidy alongside your Shopify payouts.

Step 5: Choose monthly or annual billing

Pick monthly billing while you are still testing, and switch to annual once you know the store will keep running. Annual billing gives a lower effective monthly rate, but you pay the year upfront and subscription charges are generally not refundable.

How billing works in practice:

1. Go to Settings > Plan in your Shopify admin.
2. Select the plan and the billing period you want.
3. Confirm your payment method for Shopify bills.
4. Note that plan fees are billed on a 30-day cycle, and you cannot choose your billing date.
5. Expect app charges on a different cycle, so your statements will not always line up.

Shopify bills in USD, EUR, GBP or INR depending on your location, so your bank may add a currency conversion fee if your card is in another currency. Using the yearly figures from Step 1, the saving on Basic is $6 a month and on Grow $16 a month, as long as you stay on the plan for the full year.

Step 6: Pause or cancel your Shopify subscription without surprise charges

To stop paying, go to Settings > Plan and choose Cancel plan (or Cancel trial). If you only need a break, Pause and Build keeps your admin open for less than a full plan.

How to cancel Shopify subscription billing step by step

These steps follow the Shopify Help Center guide to deactivating a store:

1. Transfer or manage any domain you bought through Shopify first.
2. Go to Settings > Plan.
3. Click Cancel trial (on a trial) or Cancel plan (on a paid plan).
4. Review the downgrade and pause options shown.
5. Select Cancel my plan and uninstall all apps, then click Continue.
6. Choose a reason, add comments if you like, and click Continue.
7. Optionally tick Save payment details to reopen your store faster.
8. Enter your password and click Cancel trial or Cancel plan to confirm.

What to expect afterwards: all apps are uninstalled and pending charges are billed straight away. Shopify has a strict no-refund policy on subscription plans. Domain renewals are not cancelled automatically, so you may still be billed for them. Store data is kept for two years, so you can reactivate from the Plan page later.

Also cancel any app or service you pay for outside Shopify, such as email tools or review platforms billed directly. Uninstalling the Shopify app does not always end those separate contracts.

Pause and Build instead of cancelling

The Pause and Build help page says it costs less than a full plan but does not list a price; the Plan page shows yours. Only the store owner can switch, only after the free trial, and only from a paid plan other than Plus.

• Path: Settings > Plan > Cancel plan > enter your password > Cancel plan > Pause and build > Switch to Pause and build.
• Still works: the admin, product editing, basic reports and viewing the storefront.
• Stops working: checkout on every sales channel, including Point of Sale.
• Watch out: apps stay installed and can keep charging, and when you unpause you must pick a new plan.

Shopify pricing mistakes and troubleshooting

Most billing surprises come from a few predictable gaps. Check these before you launch and before you leave.

• Comparing outdated prices: if a guide shows figures that differ from the live page, the guide is out of date or written for another region. Always use the official page.
• Running two payment providers by accident: leaving an old provider active alongside Shopify Payments triggers the 1.25% premium. Review Settings > Payments.
• Paying yearly too early: annual billing is paid upfront with no refund, so commit only once the store is proven.
• Forgetting app costs: uninstall apps you tested during the trial, or their charges reach your first invoice.
• Store paused after the trial ended: nothing is lost. Choose a plan under Settings > Plan to turn checkout on.
• Still charged after closing: check domain renewals and any app billed outside Shopify, then contact Shopify Support about remaining Shopify charges.
• Buying Advanced for features you will not use: upgrade when you hit a limit, such as staff accounts, not in advance.

Next steps

Once you have settled on a plan, read these in order. First, what a Shopify development company costs and how to vet one, if you plan to hire help. Next, product schema markup for rich snippets, so your listings show price and stock in search. Then how to evaluate an ecommerce SEO company when you are ready to grow traffic.

If you would rather have the store built and configured for you, including the payment setup that keeps fees down, see our Shopify store development service or contact us with your requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Shopify cost per month, and is annual billing cheaper?

On 4 October 2026, Shopify’s official pricing page listed Basic at $25 USD a month, Grow at $65, Advanced at $399, and Plus from $2,300. Billed yearly, Basic drops to $19, Grow to $49 and Advanced to $299 a month. Annual billing is cheaper per month, but you pay the year upfront and plan charges are not refunded.

How long is the Shopify free trial, and what happens when it ends?

Trial length depends on your location and when you created the account, and it cannot be extended. The pricing page offered 3 days free and then $1 a month for 3 months when we checked. If the trial ends without a plan, the store is paused and your work is kept until you choose one.

Should a new small store choose Basic or Grow?

Choose Basic if you run the store alone and sell online, because it has the lowest fixed cost and no staff accounts are needed. Move to Grow when other people need their own logins, since it includes up to five staff accounts, or when the card rates for Grow, listed in the comparison table for your country, save more than its higher plan fee at your order volume.

Does Shopify charge transaction fees if I use PayPal or another provider?

Yes. If a third-party provider processes the payment instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify adds a third-party transaction fee whose rate depends on your plan. If Shopify Payments is active alongside another provider, its own transactions also carry a 1.25% premium. Using Shopify Payments as your only provider avoids third-party transaction fees.

How do I cancel my Shopify subscription, and will I get a refund?

Go to Settings > Plan, click Cancel plan (or Cancel trial), select Cancel my plan and uninstall all apps, give a reason, enter your password and confirm. The subscription ends at the end of the billing cycle. Shopify has a strict no-refund policy on subscription plans, so cancel before the next cycle starts.

Will my domain and apps keep charging me after I close my store?

They can. Shopify uninstalls apps when you deactivate, but domain renewals are not cancelled automatically, so transfer or manage your domain first. Services you pay directly, outside Shopify billing, keep charging until you cancel them with that provider. Pause and Build is different: apps stay installed there and can keep billing.