Shopify is becoming increasingly popular as a store system in e-commerce. Are you considering whether Shopify is a good fit for your brand or would you like to know whether an upgrade to a higher plan makes sense for you?
In this article, we take a closer look at the different Shopify plans and Shopify costs. We'll take a look at when it makes sense to choose a higher plan and when Shopify Plus is a sensible option for you.
Simply put, it depends on a mixture of these factors:
- How many products you sell per month
- How expensive your products are (AOV)
- Which Shopify features you need
- Which payment providers you would like to use to process your transactions
Switching between plans is very easy and quick with Shopify. You can do this at any time and Shopify will charge the costs accordingly.
What Shopify plans are available?
Shopify currently offers 4 different plans. Basic (36€ / month), Shopify (105€ / month), Advanced (384€ / month) and Shopify Plus (from 2,300$ / month). These differ mainly in the monthly fees, the fees per sale and the range of functions.
No matter which plan you choose, all plans offer you these basic functions (and a few more)
- Online store with website and blog function
- unlimited products & variants
- Multichannel:some text
- Connection to marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy
- Social media (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok etc.)
- Other channels such as e-mail, store & more
- 24/7 Shopify customer support
- 10 Inventory/storage locations
- POS Lite (for stationary sales via Shopify)
- Localization and internationalization in 3 markets
- Extensive vouchers & coupon codes
- Free Shopify Appssome text
- Shopify Flow
- Shopify Bundles
- Shopify Subscriptions
- Shopify Checkout Blocks
- and much more.
Depending on the plan, you then get additional functions and options. So let's take a look at the individual Shopify plans in detail:
Shopify Basic
The Basic Plan offers a great basis for getting started with your store. You get all the basic functions, a fully comprehensive Shopify store and can start with a comparatively low monthly fee. However, the Basic plan only gives you one employee access to the store - so if you have several people who need to manage the store, you will quickly reach the limit here.
The Basic Plan has the lowest basic fee, but also the highest variable transaction fees (starting at 2.1% + €0.30 per sale).
We take a closer look at the exact transaction fees for all plans below.
Shopify
The Shopify plan is geared towards "small teams" by Shopify itself. Here you get 5 additional employee accounts in addition to the basic functions. Otherwise, this plan only differs from the Basic Plan in terms of transaction costs:
The Shopify plan costs you 105€ / month and starts with transaction fees from 1.8% + 0.30€ per sale.
We take a closer look at the exact transaction fees for all plans below.
Advanced
The Advanced plan now comes with a number of additional features and upgrades. You get a whopping 15 extra staff accounts, can set up customized analyses, statistics and reports, get an extended live chat for premium support and benefit from 10 times the capacity in the Shopify checkout.
You can also add more markets from this plan onwards. Shopify Basic and Shopify include 3 markets, but no further markets can be added. With Shopify Advanced you can connect additional markets for 59$ / month.
The Shopify Advanced Plan costs you 384€ / month and the transaction fees start at 1.6% + 0.30€ / sale.
We take a closer look at the exact transaction fees for all plans below.
Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus is the enterprise solution from Shopify. Monthly costs start from $2,300 and transaction fees are calculated individually. Shopify Plus is particularly suitable for large, complex or highly specialized companies.
Shopify Plus offers you a high degree of customization, you can edit the checkout (which is not possible with any of the other plans) and you have access to a very extensive, native B2B functionality.
You can also connect up to 10 Shopify stores, all of which run under a Shopify Plus license.
If you would like to find out more about Shopify Plus, we would be happy to advise you. As a Shopify Plus agency, we are here to help and advise you. Get in touch directly via our contact form.
Alternative plans
Shopify offers a few alternative plans, which we would like to discuss briefly:
Starter
This plan costs you €5/month and only offers a connection to social media, messaging apps and a POS option. Here you benefit from the well-known, fast Shopify checkout, but you don't have the option of setting up your own webshop. Of course, you can upgrade at any time without having to create a new account.
Retail
For 79€ / month you can use the Retail plan and use Shopify POS Pro. This plan is particularly suitable if you run a retail business without an online store but want to benefit from Shopify's features. You can find out more about POS prices directly from Shopify.
What are the Shopify prices?
Shopify is basically a platform based on a subscription model. This means that you book a plan and pay a fixed monthly or annual fee for the service. Shopify is made up of the fixed monthly price and the variable transaction costs per order.
The plans at a glance
Shopify Basic:
- 36 € / month
- from 2.1 % + 0.30€ per sale online
- from 1.5% per sale via POS (stationary)
Shopify:
- 105 € / month
- from 1.8% + 0.30€ per sale online
- from 1.3 % per sale via POS (stationary)
Advanced:
- 384 € / month
- from 1.6% + 0.30€ per sale online
- from 1.2% per sale via POS (stationary)
Shopify Plus:
- from 2,300$ / month (0.4 % of the order volume)
- Variable fees per transaction
This way you can save up to 25% per month
The costs of the individual Shopify plans generally refer to the prices per month. If you are sure that you want to use Shopify, it can make perfect sense to book an annual plan directly. Here you save up to 25% per month:
Basic
- Monthly payment: 36 € / month
- annual payment: 27 € / month (-25%)
Shopify
- Monthly payment: 105 € / month
- Annual payment: 79 € / month (-24.7%)
Advanced
- Monthly payment: 384 € / month
- Annual payment: 289 € / month (-24.7%)
Additional transaction fees: This is important
The variable transaction fees are an important factor to consider when thinking about Shopify. The variable fees differ depending on the Shopify plan and payment method used for checkout.
Shopify offers its own payment solution called Shopify Payments. This is based on Stripe and combines various payment methods in one. So you conclude a contract with a payment service provider, but receive various payment methods such as Apple Pay/Google Pay, credit cards, Klarna (instant/purchase on account/payment by installments), regional payment methods such as iDEAL or EPS and many more.
Shopify Payments is now available in many countries and can be set up in just a few steps.
As the costs vary greatly depending on the plan, we have selected and compared a few of the most important payment methods here. We are only looking at sales via the webshop, i.e. online:
Credit cards
- Basic: 2.1 % + € 0.30
- Shopify: 1.8 % + € 0.30
- Advanced: 1.6 % + € 0.30
Klarna purchase on account
- Basic: 2.99 % + € 0.35
- Shopify: 2.99 % + 0.35 €
- Advanced: 2.99 % + € 0.35
Immediately
- Basic: 1.4 % + € 0.25
- Shopify: 1.4 % + € 0.25
- Advanced: 1.4 % + € 0.25
All costs are per sale via the Shopify Online Store.
Additional transaction fees with third-party providers
If you want to offer other payment methods that are not covered by Shopify Payments, Shopify will charge additional fees in most cases. This happens, for example, if you use mollie or have direct contracts with certain payment providers.
The amount of these additional fees varies depending on the Shopify plan booked and is currently as follows:
- Basic: 2 %
- Shopify: 1 %
- Advanced: 0.5 %
We generally recommend using Shopify Payments, especially in German-speaking countries. The transaction fees are usually very low and absolutely competitive. So if you already have a contract with a payment provider, compare the costs and see whether Shopify Payments might even be the cheaper option. Especially if you take the additional fees into account, it often makes sense to switch.
PayPal
PayPal is a very popular payment method, especially in Germany and the DACH region. Shopify and PayPal have a partnership that gives you a very good catch: If you activate Shopify Payments and PayPal in your store, you don't pay any additional fees for PayPal.
PayPal is counted as an external payment method because it is not included in Shopify Payments, but you do not pay any additional fees. You only pay the fees that you have already agreed with PayPal.
Are there any other costs associated with Shopify?
Shopify is very transparent when it comes to pricing, which means you don't have to worry about hidden costs. However, you should always consider a few scenarios:
Costs for your own domain
With every Shopify Shop you get a ".myshopify.com" domain for free. Your store is always accessible under this domain. However, since you will certainly want to use your own domain for your store, you have two options: Either you register your domain directly with Shopify (from approx. 1 € / month) or you book it with one of the various domain providers (costs from 10 € / year).
These providers are particularly popular:
If you already have your own domain, you can of course simply connect it to Shopify. There are no additional costs here.
Paid apps
Shopify comes with an app ecosystem. The Shopify App Store now contains over 8,000 free and paid apps that you can install in your store. Here you will find the right extension for all areas. Whether it's accounting, newsletters, review platforms or loyalty programs - you'll find them all in the App Store.
Usually 2-3 paid apps come together, including a cookie consent solution - so if you expect additional costs of 30-50 € / month, you are definitely on the safe side for now.
If you are unsure which apps you need, we will be happy to advise you. Simply get in touch using our contact form.
Premium Themes
You can currently find 13 free themes in the Shopify Theme Store. Although these offer many basics, they quickly reach their limits when it comes to customization and a suitable look & feel for your brand.
In addition, there are over 200 premium themes that you can activate for a one-off fee. This fee is usually between €100 - €450 and is a one-off charge. We usually recommend themes that cost around €300. If you have any questions, we will of course be happy to help you.
Can I test Shopify for free?
Yes, you can test Shopify for free. The Basic, Shopify and Advanced plans can each be tested free of charge for 3 days. This is completely non-binding, you don't even have to enter a payment method.
If you then select a payment method after 3 days, you can test Shopify for a whole month for €1. Only then do you decide on a plan and select monthly or annual payment.
How do I find the right Shopify plan for my business?
Unfortunately, the question of the right Shopify plan for exactly your online store cannot be answered with tables and figures, the answer is always very individual.
You should ask yourself the following questions before deciding on a plan:
- Do I necessarily need several employee accounts / How many accounts do I need?
- How much can I realistically sell via the online store?
The first question can rule out the Basic Plan, but if none of the other features mentioned so far are absolutely necessary for you, you can get an idea of the expected payment fees and thus get closer to deciding on a plan.
We will be happy to help you choose the perfect plan for you - just get in touch with us: Contact.
When is Shopify Plus the right plan for you?
You've probably already guessed it: Shopify Plus is the most expensive and therefore also the most complex Shopify plan. It depends very much on how your business is set up, which functions are important to you and, above all, how much sales you will make through your store. As a certified Shopify Plus agency, we will be happy to advise you extensively on Shopify Plus and find out together whether Shopify Plus is the right choice for your business.
We'll also guide you through the Shopify Plus Sales phase and help you get the most out of Shopify's Enterprise model.
Conclusion
Since Shopify is very transparent in its pricing and offers a good variety of plans, there is a suitable solution for all merchants. The three standard plans are ideal for setting up a successful online store. Since even the smallest plan comes with all the necessary features, you can grow easily and relaxed and simply book the higher plans as soon as they make sense for your business.
Above a certain size, it makes sense to take a closer look at Shopify Plus. Shopify's enterprise solution offers everything that large, fast-growing brands and complex companies need.
If you don't have any experience with Shopify yet, we recommend that you book the free trial phase and start with the cheapest plan and take a closer look at the interface and the Shopify ecosystem. You'll quickly get a feel for whether Shopify is the right choice for you.
