How Much Does Shopify Really Cost Per Month? Plan Fees + Card Processing + Hidden Transaction Fees Explained

Last reviewed April 2026. The short answer: a Shopify store's true monthly cost is not the $29, $79, or $299 plan fee you see on the pricing page. It is plan fee + card processing (2.25%–2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) + Shopify's transaction fee on third-party gateways (0.15%–2%) + apps + optional add-ons. A typical merchant doing $30,000/month in revenue on Shopify Payments pays around $1,000–$1,300 per month all-in. At $100,000/month revenue the real cost is closer to $3,100–$3,600 per month.

The rest of this guide breaks that down dollar by dollar, with worked examples at four revenue levels, a formula you can plug your own numbers into, and the hidden costs most guides skip.

The Formula for Your True Monthly Cost

Every Shopify bill, regardless of plan, follows the same formula:

Three of those five components are fixed on your plan (plan fee, card rate, transaction fee). Two are driven by your business (revenue / transaction count, and the apps you choose). Understanding which levers move the needle is the whole game.

Component #1: The Plan Fee

The most visible cost and the one you think about first. On annual billing (about 25% cheaper than monthly), here are Shopify's public rates in 2026:

Plus pricing starts at $2,300/month on a typical three-year contract and scales with revenue — above roughly $800,000/month in revenue, Plus becomes revenue-based. For most merchants, plan fee is only 10–30% of the real monthly bill. The other components are usually larger.

Component #2: Card Processing Fees

Every time a customer pays by card, someone charges a processing fee. On Shopify Payments, that rate drops with each plan:

Rates differ by region — UK, EU, Australia, and Canada all have their own rate cards — but the pattern is identical: higher plans get lower rates. The $0.30 per-transaction fixed fee also matters. On a $15 average order it is an extra 2% on top of the percentage rate. On a $150 average order it is only 0.2%.

Shopify Payments vs third-party gateways

If you use a third-party processor (Stripe, PayPal, Adyen, 2Checkout, Klarna), you pay that processor's rates instead. The card rates above do not apply. Third-party gateway rates are often similar or slightly lower, but Shopify adds its own transaction fee on top — which is the next component.

Component #3: Shopify's Transaction Fee (The Hidden One)

This is the fee that blindsides merchants. When you choose not to use Shopify Payments, Shopify charges its own transaction fee on every order — separately from and on top of whatever your third-party gateway charges. Per plan:

Read that carefully: the fee is 0% on every plan when you use Shopify Payments. It only applies when you use a different processor. The fee exists because Shopify wants to incentivise you to use their payments product. If you have a reason to use a third-party gateway — an existing merchant account, international market coverage Shopify Payments does not serve, anti-duplication policy — this fee becomes the single biggest driver of your plan choice.

Worked Examples: Real Monthly Cost at 4 Revenue Levels

All examples assume Shopify Payments, US card rates, an $80 average order value, and annual billing. Apps are included at a typical mid-range figure for comparability.

Example 1: $10,000/month in revenue

Verdict at $10k/month: Basic wins on total cost. The $50 plan fee saving from Shopify to Basic is not offset by the small card rate difference at this volume.

Example 2: $30,000/month in revenue

Verdict at $30k/month: Basic and Shopify are essentially tied on total cost. Shopify wins on features (5 staff, Shopify Flow automation, standard reports) for $10/month less. This is the band where most merchants upgrade from Basic to Shopify.

Example 3: $100,000/month in revenue

Verdict at $100k/month: Shopify and Advanced are tied. Advanced costs $20/month more but gives you the custom report builder, third-party calculated shipping rates, and 15 staff accounts instead of 5. For most growing stores, that is worth $20.

Example 4: $500,000/month in revenue

Verdict at $500k/month: Advanced is still $750/month cheaper than Plus on pure cost. Plus only wins here if you need Plus-only features (B2B, expansion stores, full checkout customisation) or if you are using a third-party gateway, in which case the 0.5% vs 0.15% transaction fee swing adds $1,750/month in Plus's favour.

Component #4: Apps (The Second Biggest Line Item)

After plan fee + processing, apps are usually your largest fixed monthly cost. A stripped-down store can run $0–$50/month in apps. A typical mid-market store runs $200–$500/month. An enterprise Plus store with heavy B2B, loyalty, and marketing automation can easily run $2,000–$5,000/month in apps.

Component #5: The Smaller Line Items

• Domain name — $10–$30/year (about $1–$3/month). Buy through Shopify, GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Cloudflare Registrar.
• Theme — $0–$500 one-time. Stock themes are free. Premium themes from the Shopify Theme Store cost $150–$500 as a one-time purchase, not a subscription.
• Professional email (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365) — $6–$22/user/month. Shopify does not include professional email with your domain.
• Shopify Email usage — Shopify includes 10,000 emails/month free, then $1 per 1,000 emails. If you already have Klaviyo or similar, ignore this line.
• Additional staff accounts above plan limits — not offered. You have to upgrade plans instead.
• POS Lite vs POS Pro — POS Lite is included free. POS Pro costs $89/location/month and adds omnichannel inventory, staff permissions, and B2B. Plus includes one POS Pro location free.
• Shopify Shipping labels — discounted carrier rates, no subscription fee, pay-as-you-go per label.

Costs Merchants Routinely Forget to Budget

1. 1.Payment processing fees on refunds — on refunds, Shopify Payments refunds the credit card fee to you, but the $0.30 fixed fee is not refunded. At scale this adds up.
2. 2.Chargeback fees — Shopify Payments charges $15 per chargeback (win or lose). Industries with high chargeback rates (digital goods, fashion) budget for this.
3. 3.International card fees — cards issued outside your country add 1–2% to the processing rate. If 40% of your traffic is international, assume your effective rate is 0.4–0.8% higher than your headline rate.
4. 4.Currency conversion — Shopify Markets converts currencies at a 1.5% markup above the mid-market rate. Fine for low volumes; expensive at scale.
5. 5.Content — copywriting ($25–$50 per product), product photography ($25–$75 per product), lifestyle photography ($2k–$10k per shoot). Not a Shopify cost per se but always forgotten in store-launch budgets.
6. 6.Agency retainer — most merchants need $1,000–5,000/month in agency support once live, especially on Plus. Budget for it alongside plan costs.
7. 7.Fraud protection — Shopify includes basic fraud analysis free. Signifyd or NoFraud is $50–$500/month if you want managed fraud protection with a chargeback guarantee.

How Costs Differ by Region

Shopify's card processing rates vary by country. Plan fees are priced in USD globally, but card rates are local. Representative online card rates for Shopify Payments on the Shopify plan:

European and UK merchants often pay noticeably less in card fees than US merchants on the same plan — especially on domestic consumer cards. International cards still attract a surcharge everywhere. Always check Shopify's public rates for your country before quoting yourself a total cost.

The Three Reasons Your Shopify Bill Is Higher Than You Expected

1. 1.You are on a third-party gateway without realising — check your Settings → Payments page. If Shopify Payments is not your active provider, you are paying the transaction fee (2% on Basic, 1% on Shopify, 0.5% on Advanced).
2. 2.Apps bill creep — every app you added during a launch or redesign is probably still billing. Do a quarterly audit.
3. 3.You are on monthly billing instead of annual — monthly billing is roughly 25% more expensive than annual. If you are confident you are staying on Shopify for a year, switch.

Practical Ways to Cut Your Monthly Shopify Bill

1. 1.Switch to Shopify Payments if you are eligible in your country — eliminates the 0.15–2% Shopify transaction fee entirely.
2. 2.Switch to annual billing — saves roughly 25% on the plan fee. Payable upfront but almost always worth it.
3. 3.Upgrade plan if you process high volume on a third-party gateway — the txn fee saving usually exceeds the plan fee jump once revenue clears $15–20k/month.
4. 4.Audit apps quarterly — cancel anything unused or duplicative. A typical audit recovers $100–$300/month.
5. 5.Negotiate Plus pricing — the $2,300/month starting price is negotiable on multi-year contracts, especially with expansion store commitments or implementation credits.
6. 6.Use Shopify's built-in features before reaching for apps — discounts, gift cards, abandoned cart email, basic SEO, basic analytics are all native. You do not need an app for them.
7. 7.For seasonal stores, downgrade in off-season — plan changes are prorated and instant. If you run a gift business that quiets from February to September, downgrading to Basic saves real money.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

The Shopify plan fee is the visible cost but rarely the dominant one. For a store doing $30,000/month, the plan is less than 10% of your real Shopify bill. Card processing is the biggest lever (move it by using Shopify Payments), apps are the second biggest (audit them quarterly), and plan choice becomes meaningful at higher revenue bands where the card-rate and transaction-fee differences outweigh the plan fee jumps.

If you want a personalised monthly cost for your exact situation — revenue, AOV, processor, feature needs — use the calculator. It does all four plans side-by-side in under a minute.