Start with the job your first paid plan must do
Basic is the first plan to evaluate for a solo founder building a full online store. Grow becomes relevant when other staff need their own accounts. A larger sales target alone is not a reason to choose a more expensive subscription.
Basic covers storefront creation and product, order and customer management, but does not include additional staff accounts. It also lacks third-party carrier-calculated shipping: live shipping prices obtained from an external carrier. Check that requirement if your fulfillment setup depends on it. Basic plan documentation
This guide uses United States pricing in USD, checked September 12, 2026. We verified the pricing page's USA/English region setting; these are not currency conversions from another country. Japanese merchants can use our Japan pricing guide. Our budget example is fictional, not a store's reported spending.
US plan prices: the headline monthly amount has two meanings
Compare plans on the same billing cycle. The yearly column below is a monthly equivalent, not a monthly payment.
| Plan | Pay monthly | Yearly: monthly equivalent | Calculated yearly amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $39 | $29 | $348 |
| Grow | $105 | $79 | $948 |
| Advanced | $399 | $299 | $3,588 |
The yearly amounts are our calculations of the listed monthly equivalent multiplied by 12. They exclude promotions, taxes and other charges. Verify the total shown when selecting your subscription. Official US pricing
A founder still testing the product range can compare the monthly option against the cash required for a full year. Paying less per month on paper is useful only if the commitment fits the business. This is a budgeting judgment, not a claim that one billing cycle suits every launch.
Annual billing changes cash flow, not just the displayed price
An annual subscription is paid upfront. Keep a cash calendar as well as a monthly budget: allocating $29 per month internally is different from paying the annual Basic subscription.
Shopify documents a 30-day monthly subscription cycle and a one-year annual cycle. Other charges can still generate bills during an annual subscription. Confirm the billing cycle and charged amount under Settings → Plan. Billing cycles
Before confirming, write down the plan, payment interval, first full-price payment and renewal timing. If you cannot yet predict which apps or staff access you need, resolve those unknowns before treating an annual discount as your final budget.
Separate payment processing from Shopify's other transaction fees
Subscription cost is only one part of the total. US online standard card processing starts at 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic, 2.7% + 30¢ on Grow and 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced. Premium and international cards have different conditions. US payment-rate table
Shopify Payments eligibility is specific to the business and country. Read the US requirements before assuming it is available for your setup.
Third-party transaction fees are separate from the payment provider's processing charges. Exceptions and payment-method rules matter; gift card and store-credit payments can also trigger fees for newer stores. Do not interpret Shopify Payments activation as a blanket exemption for every payment. Third-party transaction fee rules
For bookkeeping, Shopify Payments processing costs are deducted from payouts rather than included as these charges on the Shopify bill. Apps can charge recurring, usage-based or one-time fees. Domains and themes can add separate costs. Bill breakdown
Make an app list with a purpose, price basis and cancellation decision for each entry. “We may need it later” is not enough information to put a paid app into a launch budget.
A fictional $5,000 sales month does not automatically justify Grow
Use a comparable scenario before upgrading for a lower card rate. Suppose a fictional store processes $5,000 across 100 orders, all charged at the US Basic standard online card rate, with a hypothetical $20 app budget.
- Basic subscription, monthly option: $39.
- Percentage-based processing: $5,000 × 2.9% = $145.
- Per-order processing: 100 × $0.30 = $30.
- Hypothetical app allowance: $20.
- Illustrative subtotal: $234.
This is not an all-in operating cost. It leaves out taxes, inventory, fulfillment, advertising, domains, returns and payment types with other rates. The $20 allowance is not a quoted app price. Replace every assumption with your own inputs.
With the same order mix, Grow's percentage difference saves $10 in processing, while its monthly subscription costs $66 more. The order-level charge is unchanged in this scenario. Grow might still be worthwhile because your team needs access; the example simply separates a workflow reason from a fee-saving reason.
When comparing actual bills later, match the sales period to the processing data. Shopify's August 22, 2026 update introduced a Payments activity report covering balances, fees and payouts, which can help inspect where the money went. Official activity-report update
Use the trial to test your subscription decision
The standard new-store offer is three days free; any introductory paid period afterward is a separate offer. Check your signup terms rather than building a permanent budget around a promotion. Official trial entry
The trial starts when you register. Choosing a plan preserves your setup work; if you do not choose one before the trial ends, the store pauses. If you already selected a plan and decide not to continue, take the required cancellation action. Trial app charges can also reach your invoice. Trial and plan-selection guidance
Prepare a small test before signing up:
- Add one representative product with the options you intend to sell.
- Check the payment and shipping requirements for your business.
- List everyone who needs admin access and the tasks they will perform.
- Record the full-price plan and necessary app costs.
Our Magic product-description guide helps with the first product. Our Inbox guide covers the support workflow. Inbox's app listing is free, but that does not remove the Shopify subscription or make all other apps free. Official Inbox listing
FAQ: when is a more expensive plan worth considering?
Upgrade for a requirement you can name and a cost you can compare. Grow supports five staff accounts, which makes it a practical candidate for a founder delegating store operations. Grow documentation
Is Basic just a temporary starter website?
Basic supports a full online store. Treat it as a candidate for your actual workflow, rather than assuming that a professional store must start on a higher tier.
Does annual billing cover app subscriptions too?
No. Your Shopify plan and app charges are distinct. Some app bills also follow a different cycle, so plan for more than a single renewal date. How Shopify bills are organized
Should I buy Advanced because I expect international orders?
First name the feature you need. Ask whether your shipping, regional storefront or staffing requirement is supported on the plan you are considering. A forecast of international sales is not a completed feature comparison.
Your next step: test one product, then choose the billing commitment
Start a new-store trial with a short checklist and a full-price budget. After checking your product, payments and team access, select the lowest plan that meets those requirements and choose a payment cycle you can fund.
We checked the official pricing, help pages, relevant Inbox listing and the recent Shopify changelog on September 12, 2026. Your accepted promotion, taxes and selected app total remain specific to your signup and business. Confirm those amounts before committing.
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