How Much Does Shopify Cost? Plans, Prices & Fees 2026

Shopify costs from around 36 euros per month for the Basic plan and goes up to Shopify Plus starting at roughly 2,300 euros per month. The good news: hosting, SSL certificate, and CDN are all included in the price. There are no hidden server or maintenance costs. The plan price is only the start of the calculation.

What Shopify really costs in the end depends on three factors: the plan you choose, the apps you install, and your payment volume. These are exactly the three building blocks we look at here, so you can estimate your total costs realistically. Short on time? Jump straight to the cost calculator.

How Much Does Shopify Cost per Month?

Shopify costs between roughly 36 euros and over 2,300 euros per month, depending on the plan. These prices apply with annual payment, which is cheaper than monthly billing. The most important point up front: the plan price already covers all the operating costs of the platform.

Concretely, that means you pay for hosting, an SSL certificate (the encryption that customers recognize by the padlock symbol in their browser), a global CDN (a network that delivers your images and pages quickly worldwide), and all security updates. On other systems, these are often separate line items that quickly add up to hundreds of euros per year.

The plan price is therefore your predictable base fee. But two more cost blocks are added regardless of which plan you choose: your payment provider’s fees and optional apps. We cover both in detail below.

Store2X recommends Richard Roth

When merchants ask me what Shopify costs, they almost always fixate on the plan tier. In practice the plan is the easy part to budget. What quietly grows is the app stack and, once you use a third-party payment provider, the transaction surcharge on top of card fees. Model those two before you pick a plan, otherwise the “cheap” Basic setup can end up pricier than Grow.

Which Shopify Plans Exist and What Can They Do?

Shopify offers four main plans: Basic, Shopify (also called Grow), Advanced, and Shopify Plus. All share the same core platform with online store, checkout, and app store. The differences lie in the advanced features, the reporting depth, and the conditions for third-party payment providers.

The higher the plan, the lower the surcharge Shopify charges when you use an external payment provider instead of Shopify Payments. If you use Shopify Payments, this platform surcharge disappears entirely, regardless of the plan.

Basic: The entry point with everything a working store needs: products, checkout, discount codes, basic reports. Ideal when you are just building your business.

Shopify (Grow): More staff accounts, more professional reports, and a lower surcharge for third-party payment providers. The sweet spot for stores that grow steadily.

Advanced: Advanced reports, calculated third-party shipping rates in real time, and the lowest third-party surcharge of the standard plans. Meant for stores with noticeable volume.

Shopify Plus: The enterprise tier with dedicated resources, much more automation, and custom checkout adjustments. You will find details in the section below and in the in-depth Shopify Plus article.

Which Additional Costs Come on Top of the Plan Prices?

On top of the plan price come mainly three real cost blocks: payment fees, apps, and one-time costs like a theme. These items are the reason the plan overview alone is only half the truth. We name them here so you do not get a surprise.

Payment and Transaction Fees

Every card sale costs a fee. That is true on every platform and independent of your Shopify plan. This card fee goes to the payment provider (the service that technically processes the card payment), not to Shopify. It applies per transaction and consists of a small percentage plus a fixed amount, depending on card type and country.

The important distinction is between two types of fees:

• Payment provider’s card fee: Always applies, on every payment. It covers processing the card.
• Shopify’s platform transaction surcharge: Only applies if you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments. Depending on the plan, that is roughly 0.5 to 2 percent extra.

If you use Shopify Payments, this platform surcharge disappears entirely. You then pay only the normal card fee, which applies with every provider anyway.

Apps

Apps extend your store with features that are not included by default: product reviews, subscription sales, checkout upsells, advanced email flows. Many apps cost between roughly 14 and 39 euros per month, each per app. There are also free apps and pricier specialized solutions.

The typical mistake: installing ten apps because each one looks cheap on its own. Three to five well-chosen apps cover most requirements. Check for each app whether it measurably contributes to revenue.

Theme

The theme determines how your store looks. Shopify ships free themes that are perfectly sufficient for many stores. A professional premium theme usually costs around 300 euros, but as a one-time amount, not a recurring fee. So you pay once and can use the theme permanently. If you do not need a custom look, one of the free themes lets you skip this cost entirely.

Agency and Development (if needed)

If you need custom adjustments, such as a tailored design or a special integration, development costs are added. This is optional. Many stores run for years without a single line of custom code. Only when your setup gets genuinely complex does professional support pay off.

How Much Does Shopify Plus Cost and Who Is It Worth It For?

Shopify Plus costs from around 2,300 euros per month and targets companies with high revenue and special requirements. The jump from the Advanced plan is large, so Plus only pays off when your volume clearly justifies the extra cost.

For this price you get, among other things, a customizable checkout, significantly more automation options, more staff accounts, higher API limits, and dedicated support. The customizable checkout in particular is an argument that the standard plans simply do not offer.

Plus is typically worth it when one or more of these conditions apply:

• Your revenue is high enough that better fee conditions offset the plan’s extra cost.
• You need automation for recurring processes, such as large campaigns or complex discount logic.
• You have custom checkout requirements that cannot be implemented on the standard plans.
• You run multiple stores or sell internationally with your own rules per market.

For most small and mid-sized stores, Plus is oversized. Basic, Grow, or Advanced usually cover the need completely. For a detailed breakdown of when the switch really pays off, read the Shopify Plus article.

How Much Does Shopify Really Cost per Year (Example Calculation)?

The annual total costs are made up of the plan price, apps, and payment fees. A realistic example makes this tangible. Let us take a growing store on the Grow plan with Shopify Payments.

Setup: Grow plan (~105 euros/month), three apps (reviews, upsell, email flow) at about 25 euros each, a one-time premium theme, Shopify Payments as the payment provider.

The fixed, predictable costs in this example come to around 2,160 euros per year, plus the one-time theme. On top come the card fees, which grow with your revenue but stay constant as a percentage.

The key point: because this store uses Shopify Payments, no platform surcharge applies. With a third-party provider, another ~0.5 to 2 percent of revenue would be added depending on the plan. At 200,000 euros in annual revenue, that would be 1,000 to 4,000 euros extra, just for the surcharge.

How Do You Lower Your Shopify Costs?

You lower your Shopify costs most effectively through three levers: the right plan, Shopify Payments, and a lean app list. Each of these saves money without making your store run any worse.

Choose the right plan, not the biggest: A higher plan only pays off when its better conditions or features offset the extra cost. Start smaller and switch when your volume justifies it. An upgrade is possible at any time.

Use Shopify Payments: This lets you avoid the platform transaction surcharge entirely. Especially as revenue rises, this is often the single biggest saving.

Keep your app list lean: Regularly check which apps you actually use. Every unused app is wasted money. Three to five well-chosen apps beat ten half-hearted ones.

Pay annually instead of monthly: The annual plan is noticeably cheaper than monthly billing, as soon as you are confident about your store.

Use a free theme when it fits: The included themes are high quality. A premium theme only pays off when you need a feature or look the free theme does not offer.

The honest core: Shopify costs are predictable because hosting and maintenance fall away. You control the actual total yourself through plan, apps, and payment provider. If you want to switch to Shopify from another system, you will find all the steps and options in the migration hub. And you can put together your concrete annual bill fastest with the cost calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Shopify cost per month?

Shopify costs between roughly 36 euros (Basic) and over 2,300 euros (Shopify Plus) per month with annual payment. The Shopify plan (Grow) is about 105 euros, Advanced about 384 euros. Hosting, SSL, and CDN are included in the price.

Does Shopify charge transaction fees?

The payment provider's card fee applies on every payment, regardless of the plan. An additional platform surcharge from Shopify (roughly 0.5 to 2 percent depending on the plan) only applies if you use a third-party payment provider. With Shopify Payments, this surcharge disappears entirely.

Are hosting and SSL included in the Shopify price?

Yes. Hosting, SSL certificate, CDN, and all security updates are included in every Shopify plan. There are no separate server or maintenance costs, which makes the costs easy to plan.

How much does Shopify really cost per year?

That depends on plan, apps, and payment volume. A growing store on the Grow plan with three apps comes to around 2,160 euros in fixed annual costs plus the revenue-based card fees. A one-time premium theme is added in the first year. It is best to run the numbers on your individual total with the cost calculator.

Who is Shopify Plus worth it for?

Shopify Plus (from around 2,300 euros per month) is worth it for companies with high revenue, custom checkout requirements, or strong automation needs. For most small and mid-sized stores, Basic, Grow, or Advanced are completely sufficient.