Shopify Pricing Plans 2024: Choosing the right Shopify Plan

As a business owner, you know that having an online store is essential in today’s market. Online business is booming, and you’re missing out on sales if you don’t have a store. If you’re looking for a user-friendly eCommerce platform with a wide range of features and affordable features, then Shopify is a great option.

However, one question many business owners face is what pricing plan to choose for their Shopify store. In this guide, we will outline the different Shopify pricing plans offered by Shopify and provide an overview. We will also give tips on which pricing plan might be best for your specific needs.

What Is Shopify?

Shopify is a leading eCommerce platform that enables businesses to create an online store. Shopify offers a user-friendly platform with a wide range of features, making it a popular choice for businesses of all sizes. One of the key benefits of using Shopify is that it offers several different pricing plans, which gives companies the flexibility to choose the plan that best suits their needs.

Shopify has enabled businesses to sell online for over a decade and is trusted by businesses of all sizes, from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Shopify is constantly innovating and expanding its platform to meet the needs of its users.

How Does Shopify Work?

Shopify works by providing businesses with a platform to build an online store. Shopify offers a wide range of features and tools, making it easy for companies to create a professional and functional online store.

Once your store is up and running, Shopify will provide you with a unique URL that you can use to promote and sell your products. Shopify also offers several marketing and SEO tools to help you promote your store and drive traffic to your website.

The Benefits of Using Shopify

There are many benefits of using Shopify, including the following:

Ease of use

The platform is user-friendly and offers many features and tools to help you create a professional and functional online store.

Flexibility

Shopify offers various pricing plans, allowing businesses to choose the plan that best suits their needs. There is no need to commit to a long-term contract, and you can upgrade or downgrade your plan anytime.

Scalability

Shopify is a scalable platform that can grow with your business. You can add more products and features to your store as your business expands without switching to a new platform.

Support

Shopify offers 24/7 support to all its users. Shopify also has an extensive knowledge base and online community that can help you with any questions or issues.

Wide range of features

Shopify offers a wide range of features, including everything from marketing and SEO tools to social media integration. This allows businesses to create a professional and functional online store that meets all their needs.

Security

Shopify is a secure platform that uses the latest technology to protect your store and customer data. This means you can rest assured that your store and data are safe and secure.

Mobile-friendly

Shopify stores are mobile-friendly, which means they will look great on all devices. Online shoppers are increasingly using mobile devices to make purchases, so it’s important to have a mobile-friendly store.

Third Party Integrations

Shopify integrates with a wide range of third-party applications, which allows businesses to add even more features and functionality to their store. This includes everything from accounting and shipping apps to social media and marketing tools.

Affordable

Shopify pricing plans come in 5 tiers, making it an affordable option for businesses of all sizes. Shopify offers a 14-day free trial, so you can try out the platform before committing to a paid plan.

Trusted by businesses of all sizes

Shopify is one of the best commerce platforms trusted by businesses of all sizes, from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. This is due to its user-friendly platform, wide range of features, and excellent customer support.

How to get started with Shopify?

If you’re ready to get started with Shopify, we recommend following these steps:

1. Create a Shopify account

The first step is to create a Shopify account. You can do this by going to shopify.com and “Start free trial.”

2. Choose your Shopify plan

Once you’ve created your account, you’ll need to choose from the 5 Shopify pricing plans: Starter, Basic Shopify, Shopify, Advanced Shopify, and Shopify Plus. You can learn more about each plan below.

3. Choose a domain name for your online store

The next step is to choose a domain name for your store. This is the URL that customers will use to visit your store. You can either buy a new domain name or use an existing one.

4. Choose a Shopify theme

Once you’ve chosen your domain name, it’s time to choose a theme for your store. Shopify offers a wide range of free and paid Shopify themes.

5. Add your products to your online store

The next step is to add your products to your store. You can do this by going to your Shopify admin’s “Products” section and “Add product.

6. Set up payment methods

Once you’ve added your products, you’ll need to set up a payment method. Shopify offers many payment options, including credit cards, PayPal, and Apple Pay.

7. Launch your store

Once you’ve completed all the steps above, you’re ready to launch your store!

How is Shopify making money?

Shopify is a publicly traded company and must disclose how it makes money. The vast majority of Shopify’s revenue comes from its customers’ fees. This includes monthly subscription fees, transaction fees, and app fees.

Shopify is earning most of its revenue from processing fees charged on credit card purchases. For online orders, these rates generally fall between 2.2% and 1.6%; in-store ones are typically 1.5% to 1.7%.

And it’s not as if Shopify is the only one doing this–any platform you use will likely have a similar fee, even if Shopify isn’t getting a cut directly. So even if you’re not using Shopify Payments specifically, the company still benefits financially from payment processing.

Shopify also makes money through its merchant solutions business. This includes services like Shopify Payments, Shopify Shipping, and Shopify Capital.

And while they may not generate as much revenue as processing fees, they’re still an essential part of Shopify’s business model.

Shopify also makes money from Apps and Themes. While some of these are free, many are paid. And even the free ones often have paid versions with more features.

Developers typically get 70% of the revenue from paid apps and themes, while Shopify keeps 30%. So if an app or theme costs $100, the developer would get $70, and Shopify would save $30.

Shopify Pricing Plans

Below are the five different Shopify pricing plans:

1. Starter — $5 per month
2. Basic Shopify — $29 per month
3. Shopify — $79 per month
4. Advanced — $299 per month
5. Shopify Plus — negotiable, but usually costing around $2,000 per month

The main differences between the plans are the number of products you can sell, the amount of storage you get, the features and tools you can access, and the level of support you receive.

If you’re starting, then the Starter plan is an excellent option, as it’s the cheapest plan Shopify offers. However, if you’re planning on selling many products, you’ll need to upgrade to a higher-priced plan.

Shopify also offers a 14-day free trial, which allows you to try out the platform before committing to a paid plan.

Shopify Starter

• What: Sell products via URLs and a simple landing page
• Who: Startups and businesses with a limited budget
• Why: Easy to set up and use; the cheapest option
• How much: $5 per month – no discounts available for multi-year purchase

The Starter plan for Shopify is one of the cheapest ways to start selling items online, but it only gives you some features a standalone store would have. For example, your store will be up and running with Starter in only a few clicks. You only need an image and a well-written description of the product or service sold. It’s that easy!

Shopify’s Starter plan is perfect for entrepreneurs on a budget who want to quickly and easily sell their products through social media, email, SMS, WhatsApp, and more.

With mobile optimization built-in, customers can make purchases anywhere at any time. Best of all? The Starter plan only costs USD 5 per month.

If you’re looking to turn your website into a business and make money off of it, Shopify Starter might be the right choice for you. With Buy Buttons, you can add e-commerce capabilities to any WordPress or Squarespace site quickly and easily.

You can also use Shopify Starter for physical locations such as events, fairs, pop-up shops, etc., as it comes with an app that lets you take digital payments via iOS or Android devices.

These transactions have a 2.7% fee, while online sales go through the Shopify payments gateway, which charges a fee of 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction.

This plan allows merchants to have access to the following:

– Accepting credit cards in person and online.

– Adding purchase links on existing websites.

– Managing inventory.

– Accepting gift cards.

– Unlimited product pages.

– Contact page.

– Shopping cart for multiple purchases.

– Automatic tax calculations.

– Discount codes and coupons.

– Shipping labels from major shipping carriers.

– Mobile optimization for iOS and Android devices.

– 24/7 support.

Basic Shopify

• What: A comprehensive eCommerce platform with plenty of features
• Who: Growing businesses that need more than the Starter plan offers
• Why: Reasonably priced; gives you access to a wide range of features
• How much: $19 per month, or $17 per month if paid annually – no discounts available for multi-year purchase

Shopify Basic is the second most affordable plan that Shopify has to offer, coming in at USD 19 per month. This plan is excellent for businesses starting to see growth and needs more features than the Starter plan.

With Basic Shopify Plan, you get everything in Starter plus a few extras, such as professional reports, abandoned cart recovery, and Advanced Payment Gateway.

If you’re looking to set up an online shop, this is the lowest price you’ll pay for Shopify. With their drag-and-drop website builder, anyone can create a professional store and take advantage of features like managing products, accepting payments, and fulfilling orders–all in one place.

We’ve dubbed Shopify as one of our best ecommerce platforms for small businesses for many reasons, but most importantly, convenience.

The Shopify Basic plan allows you to streamline your purchase and fulfillment workflow by printing shipping labels and tracking packages directly through the site–all while being charged for shipping in your monthly subscription bill.

With Basic, online purchases have a per-transaction fee of 2.9% plus $0.30, while in-person purchases have a 2.7% fee.

Here’s a breakdown of what you get with Shopify Basic:

– All the features in Starter, plus:

– Basic reports.

– 2 staff accounts

– Advanced Payment Gateway.

– Automatic tax calculations.

– Discount codes and coupons.

– Shipping labels from major shipping carriers.

– Up to 4 inventory locations

– Mobile optimization for iOS and Android devices.

– 24/7 support.

Shopify

• What: Level up your business with professional reporting and more staff accounts
• Who: Businesses that want to scale their operations
• Why: Still reasonably priced; it gives you more features for managing a more significant business
• How much: $49 per month, or $44 per month if paid annually – no discounts available for multi-year purchase

The new Shopify plan comes with a lower credit card rate (2.6% + 30¢) and transaction fee (1%). It also provides more features, such as professional reports, which make it easier to analyze your online store.

Plus, it’s better suited for international selling because it includes country-specific domains (if you want to use different domains in different regions) and percentage-based international pricing. Before upgrading to the Shopify pricing plan, look at your Google Analytics.

Checking GA is free and will give valuable insights into how well your online shop is doing (and whether or not it makes sense to upgrade).

Shopify also gives you the ability to use Shopify Payments, which is a payment gateway that’s built into the platform. This can save you money on Shopify transaction fees, making it easier to manage your finances because everything is in one place.

Overall, the new Shopify plan is an excellent value for businesses looking to scale their operations.

Here’s a breakdown of what you get with Shopify:

– All the features in basic, plus:

– Professional reports.

– Country-specific domains.

– Percentage-based international pricing.

– Shopify Payments.

– Up to 5 inventory locations

– 5 staff accounts

– 24/7 support.

Shopify Advanced

• What: Get the best of Shopify with custom reporting and our lowest transaction fees
• Who: High-volume businesses that want the most features and lowest transaction fees
• Why: The best of Shopify, plus custom reports and our lowest transaction fees
• How much: $299 per month, or $269.10 per month if paid annually – no discounts available for multi-year purchase

The Advanced Shopify Plan is $299 per month + 2.4% and 30¢ per transaction, which gives you all the previous plans’ features, an advanced report builder, and third-party calculated shipping rates.

You can upload as many products as possible because this plan has unlimited storage capabilities. Additionally, your transaction fees will drop slightly if you use external payment gateways. You can post as many videos, images, and blogs as you want with no restraint.

The Advanced package also comes with traffic data so that you ensure your website is successful and make the increased plan price worth it.

Shopify advanced is the best way for high-volume businesses that want the most features and lowest transaction fees. This is it if you’re looking for a plan to give you everything you need to succeed.

Here’s a breakdown of what you get with Shopify Advanced:

– All the features in basic and professional, plus:

– Advanced report builder.

– Custom reports.

– Traffic data.

– Shopify Payments.

– Up to 8 inventory locations.

– 15 staff accounts.

– 24/7 support.

Shopify Plus

• What: The enterprise solution for high-volume businesses
• Who: High-volume businesses that need an enterprise solution
• Why: Powerful features and dedicated support
• How much: Custom pricing starts at $2000/month – no discounts available

Shopify Plus is Shopify’s enterprise-level plan for businesses selling high volumes. Over 10,000 brands use Shopify Plus, including familiar names such as Allbirds, Heinz, Steve Madden, and Staples.

Although it starts at $2,000 per month- which is more than the $19 to $299 price range of Shopify’s other plans- the benefits are worth it for large ecommerce brands. Shopify Plus comes with dedicated support, unlimited bandwidth and storage, and a custom-priced plan tailored to your business.

Shopify Plus is the way to go if you’re a high-volume business that needs an enterprise solution. You’ll get powerful features and dedicated support to help you succeed. There’s no discount for this plan, but the price is worth it for what you get.

Here’s a breakdown of what you get with Shopify Plus:

– All the features in basic and professional, plus:

– Advanced scalability.

– Custom checkout.

– Gift cards.

– Launchpad.

– Fraud analysis.

– Custom reports.

– Dedicated support.

– Unlimited bandwidth and storage.

– Tailored pricing plan.

Shopify Plus has been incredibly successful for high-volume businesses that need an enterprise solution.

The features and support are worth the custom pricing, which starts at $2,000 per month. This is it if you’re looking for a plan to give you everything you need to succeed.

Shopify Pricing vs Competitor Pricing

Shopify’s pricing is very competitive when compared to other ecommerce platforms. For example, Magento’s enterprise pricing starts at $15,550 per year, significantly more than Shopify Plus’s starting price of $2,000 per month. Additionally, Shopify offers a discount if you pay for a year in advance, while Magento does not.

Shopify’s pricing is also competitive compared to BigCommerce’s enterprise pricing, which starts at $2495 per month. Again, Shopify Plus offers a lower starting price and the option to pay for a year in advance and receive a discount.

Although their features are similar, it’s interesting to see that Shopify and BigCommerce differ by only $0.95/month in starting price.

When analyzing the financial pros and cons, we can note that while Shopify takes an extra 2% transaction fee for non-Shopify purchases, BigCommerce doesn’t include abandoned cart recovery on its cheapest plan.

Shopify’s pricing is very competitive compared to other ecommerce platforms. For high-volume businesses, Shopify Plus offers a lower starting price and the option to pay for a year in advance and receive a discount.

How to save on your overall Shopify cost?

If you’re looking to save on your overall Shopify cost, we recommend considering the following options:

Pay for a year in advance and receive a discount.

If you’re looking for a long-term investment, Shopify offers various discounts on annual and biennial plans when paid upfront. For example, customers receive a 10% discount on yearly and 20% off biennial plans. The best part is that you can begin with basic Shopify plans and upgrade to higher ones as your business grows; the original discount will be applied to future payments.

Use Shopify’s built-in payment gateway, Shopify Payments.

Shopify Payments is Shopify’s payment gateway and is the simplest way to accept payments on your store. You don’t have to pay additional transaction fees when using Shopify Payments. If you’re looking for ways to save on your overall Shopify cost, we recommend using Shopify Payments.

Pause your Shopify store if you’re not using it.

If you’re not using your Shopify store, you can pause it and only be charged $9/month. This can save you a significant amount of money if you’re not using your store for an extended period of time.

Choosing the right plan for your business

The size of your business

If you have a small business with a limited number of products, start with Shopify Basic. You can upgrade to Shopify Professional or Shopify Advanced as you scale up.

If you have a large business with a high volume of sales

Your budget

Shopify Basic may be the best option if you’re on a tight budget. If you’re willing to spend more, we recommend upgrading to Shopify Professional or Shopify Advanced. If money is no object, Shopify Plus is the best choice.

Your needs

Consider what features are important to you and your business. You may want to choose Shopify Professional or Shopify Advanced if you need advanced features. Shopify Plus is the best option if you need the highest level of support and customizability.

Additional Shopify Fees

Shopify Apps

While the base Shopify plans include most of the features you need to run your store, a few additional fees may apply. The first is for Shopify apps. While many free apps are available, some more advanced apps can cost $10/month or more.

Domain names

If you don’t already have a domain name, you can buy one directly from Shopify. Prices start at $14/year for a .com domain.

Shopify Email

You’ll need to pay an additional fee if you want to use Shopify’s email service. This service includes a custom domain name and unlimited email accounts. Send 2,500 free monthly emails and pay $1 for every 1,000 additional emails.

Shopify POS

You’ll need to pay an additional $89/month using Shopify’s point-of-sale features. This fee gives you access to Shopify’s POS app, a physical credit card reader, and other POS hardware.

The Bottom Line

Shopify is an excellent platform for businesses of all sizes. If you’re looking to save on your overall Shopify cost, we recommend using Shopify Payments, paying for a year in advance, or pausing your store if you’re not using it. Choose the right plan for your business by considering the size of your business, your budget, and your needs. Additional Shopify fees for apps, domain names, email, and POS may apply.

If you have any questions about Shopify pricing, please feel free to contact us. We’re always happy to help!