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The Only Shopify Pricing Calculator You’ll Ever Need

Figuring out what you’ll actually pay for Shopify can feel tricky. Beyond the monthly plan price, there are transaction fees, payment processing rates, and other costs that determine your final bill. The simple sticker price doesn’t tell the whole story, and that uncertainty can make it hard to budget with confidence.

That’s why we built this all-in-one Shopify pricing calculator. It’s designed to not only give you a clear, honest estimate of your total cost of ownership but also to recommend the most money-saving plan for your specific needs.

Our calculator is the only one that uses the latest 2026 pricing and factors in crucial variables like your Average Order Value (AOV), your mix of payment gateways, and even a budget for essential apps. This gives you the most accurate and realistic monthly cost estimate possible, so you can choose the right plan and start your business on solid financial ground.

Curious to see how it all works? You can start a free Shopify trial now and follow along with our calculator—no credit card required.

Your Total Shopify Cost of Ownership Calculator

This interactive Shopify fee calculator is designed to give you a complete picture of your potential monthly costs.

Start by selecting your location and billing cycle. For the most accurate estimate of your Shopify monthly cost, enter your projected Average Order Value (AOV) and open the ‘Advanced Settings’ to factor in your app budget and payment processing mix.

If you’d rather see the math in action, I’ve recorded a video guide on how to use our Shopify pricing calculator to find your true monthly cost.

Understanding Your Results: A Full Breakdown of Shopify Fees (2026 Rates)

The number our Shopify pricing calculator provides is more than just an estimate; it’s a comprehensive breakdown of the three core costs of running a Shopify store. Here’s a clear explanation of each component so you can understand exactly where your money goes.

1. Your Monthly Subscription Fee (With New Annual Savings)

This is the fixed, recurring fee you pay for access to the Shopify platform. While you can pay month-to-month, choosing an annual plan offers significant savings of around 25%, making it a smart choice for long-term store owners.

The Shopify Basic plan provides everything you need to launch, while the Shopify Grow and Advanced Shopify plans offer lower fees and more advanced features as your business scales.

2. Transaction vs. Payment Fees: Why Your AOV is Crucial

From my experience, this is the most variable part of your monthly bill and a common point of confusion. Every time you make a sale, two potential fees can apply: a payment processing fee and a Shopify transaction fee.

A payment processing fee consists of two parts: a percentage rate (%) and a fixed fee (e.g., +30¢). That small fixed fee has a massive impact on your total costs, which is why your Average Order Value (AOV) is so important.

For example, consider two stores that both make $1,000 in revenue:

• Store A has a $100 AOV (10 orders). They pay the +30¢ fixed fee 10 times, totaling $3.
• Store B has a $10 AOV (100 orders). They pay the +30¢ fixed fee 100 times, totaling $30.

Store B pays ten times more in fixed fees for the exact same revenue. Our calculator accounts for this automatically to give you a precise estimate.

Shopify Payments Fees

If you use Shopify’s native gateway, Shopify Payments, you only pay a payment processing fee. The rates get lower as you upgrade your plan, which is a primary reason to level up as you grow.

• Basic Plan: 2.9% + 30¢ per online transaction
• Grow Plan: 2.6% + 30¢ per online transaction
• Advanced Plan: 2.4% + 30¢ per online transaction

Third-Party Gateways (PayPal, Stripe, etc.)

If you choose to use an external payment gateway like PayPal or Stripe, you will pay their processing fees plus an additional transaction fee to Shopify. This extra fee covers Shopify’s platform costs and is waived if you use Shopify Payments.

• Basic Plan: 2.0% additional fee
• Grow Plan: 1.0% additional fee
• Advanced Plan: 0.6% additional fee

3. The “Hidden Costs”: Budgeting for Apps & Themes

Your Shopify plan provides the engine for your store, but apps and a theme provide the custom features and design. You can explore the real Shopify website cost in our complete budget breakdown. These are common and essential expenses that are not included in your monthly subscription.

My advice is most new stores should budget $25–$75 per month for essential apps covering things like email marketing, customer reviews, and shipping management. While Shopify’s free themes like Dawn are excellent, many businesses invest in a premium theme, which is typically a one-time cost of $200–$350.

If you want to see what successful stores in your niche are using, our Shopify theme and app detector is a powerful research tool.

Our calculator is unique because it lets you budget for these from day one. Enter your estimates for “Monthly App Spend” and “One-time Theme Cost” under ‘Advanced Settings’ for a truly complete picture of your expenses.

When Should You Upgrade? A Data-Backed Guide (Based on 2026 Fees)

Choosing the right Shopify plan is about balancing monthly costs with long-term savings – a decision our Shopify pricing calculator is designed to simplify.

Upgrading isn’t just about unlocking new features; it’s a financial decision that should be based on your sales volume. Here are the specific, data-backed break-even points to know exactly when an upgrade will start saving you money.

The Break-Even Point: Basic vs. Grow Plan

The primary financial benefit of upgrading from Basic to Grow is the reduction in transaction fees. The Shopify Payments rate drops by 0.3%, but the most significant saving is the 1.0% reduction on fees for third-party gateways like PayPal.

The Math: On an annual subscription, the price difference between the Grow plan ($49/month) and the Basic plan ($19/month) is $30 per month.

The Answer: To save more than that $30 price increase, you need to process at least $3,000 per month through third-party gateway. Once you consistently hit this sales volume, the Grow plan becomes more profitable purely based on fee savings.

Strategic Note on AOV: Even if you don’t use third-party gateways, the upgrade can be worth it. I’ve found that for stores with a low AOV (e.g., under $20), the Grow plan’s professional reports are invaluable. They provide the detailed analytics needed to understand and optimize the behavior of a large customer base.

The Break-Even Point: Grow vs. Advanced Plan

The jump to the Advanced plan is more significant, but so are the potential savings at high volume. The main driver is another drop in transaction fees—this time, a 0.4% reduction for third-party gateways and a 0.2% reduction for Shopify Payments.

The Math: The annual price difference between the Advanced plan ($299/month) and the Grow plan ($49/month) is a substantial $250 per month.

The Answer: To justify the $250 monthly price jump, you need to be processing over $62,500 per month through third-party gateways. At this scale, the lower Shopify Payments rate (2.4%) also contributes to significant savings on every transaction.

Strategic Note on AOV: High-volume stores also upgrade for a crucial feature: third-party calculated shipping rates. This automatically pulls real-time shipping quotes from carriers like USPS and UPS, which is essential for businesses with varied product weights or a high AOV. It ensures you never lose money by undercharging for shipping.

Is Shopify Plus Right For You?

Shopify Plus is an enterprise-level solution designed for high-volume merchants, typically those with annual revenue exceeding $1 million.

Pricing starts at around $2,300 per month and is variable based on sales volume. Plus offers unparalleled scalability, checkout customization (which is not available on other plans), dedicated B2B features, and advanced APIs for custom integrations. It’s the platform of choice for major brands like Allbirds, Gymshark, and Heinz.

Real-World Budgets: What 3 Sample Stores Actually Pay

Theory and formulas are helpful, but seeing the numbers in action makes it real. To show you how these costs come together, we’ve run three scenarios through our Shopify pricing calculator for typical stores at different stages of growth.

The Startup Store: A Handmade Jewelry Business

This new business sells unique, handmade items. With a focused product line, their order volume is still low, and they rely on a simple app for customer reviews to build social proof.

• Monthly Revenue: $1,500
• Average Order Value (AOV): $50 (equals 30 orders/month)
• Plan: Basic (Annual – $19/month)
• Payment Mix: 100% Shopify Payments
• Other Costs: $15/month for a product review app

Cost Breakdown:

• Subscription Fee: $19
• Shopify Payments Fees: $52.50
• App Costs: $15
• Total Estimated Cost: ~$86.50 per month

For a new store, the Basic plan is the perfect starting point. The costs are predictable and low, allowing the owner to invest profits back into marketing and inventory.

The Growing Business: A Home Decor Dropshipper

This store has found its niche and is seeing consistent sales. They’ve invested in a premium theme for a more professional look and use a handful of apps to manage marketing and operations.

• Monthly Revenue: $10,000
• Average Order Value (AOV): $50 (equals 200 orders/month)
• Plan: Grow (Annual – $49/month)
• Payment Mix: 90% Shopify Payments ($9,000) / 10% PayPal ($1,000)
• Other Costs: $75/month for apps + $240 one-time theme ($20/month amortized)

Cost Breakdown:

• Subscription Fee: $49
• Shopify Payments Fees: $288 (Calculated on $9,000 revenue)
• Third-Party Gateway Fees: $45 (Includes Shopify’s 1.0% fee + PayPal’s fees)
• Apps & Theme Costs: $95
• Total Estimated Cost: ~$477 per month

Upgrading to the Grow plan is a smart move at this stage. The lower payment processing rate (2.6% vs 2.9%) provides significant savings on the majority of sales. This example also highlights the dual cost of using third-party gateways (PayPal), which adds about $45 to the monthly bill.

The Scaling Brand: An Apparel Store

This established apparel brand has high monthly revenue and a loyal customer base. They use a split payment mix to accommodate customers who prefer PayPal and invest in advanced apps for email marketing, loyalty programs, and inventory management.

• Monthly Revenue: $150,000
• Average Order Value (AOV): $80 (equals 1,875 orders/month)
• Plan: Advanced (Annual – $299/month)
• Payment Mix: 80% Shopify Payments ($120k) / 20% PayPal ($30k)
• Other Costs: $200/month for advanced apps

Cost Breakdown:

• Subscription Fee: $299
• Shopify Payments Fees: $3,330
• Third-Party Gateway Fees: $1,162.50 (Includes Shopify’s 0.6% fee + PayPal’s fees)
• App Costs: $200
• Total Estimated Cost: ~$4,991.50 per month

At this scale, the Advanced plan is essential. The dramatically lower transaction fees save them hundreds of dollars each month, and access to features like third-party calculated shipping rates is critical for protecting their profit margins on a high volume of orders.

Now that you know your store’s operating costs, you can focus on pricing your products for success. You can use our Shopify profit margin calculator to find the perfect price point that covers all your fees and grows your business.

Your Next Step: From Calculation to Creation

Understanding your total cost of ownership is the first critical step, and now you have a clear, predictable budget. If you’re ready to turn that budget into a business, our complete founder’s playbook on how to start a Shopify business will guide you through every step from idea to launch.

Think of this cost not as an expense, but as an investment in a powerful platform that handles security, hosting, and payments, freeing you up to focus on what you do best: building your brand and selling your products.

You’ve done the research. You have the numbers. Now, it’s time to build. You have everything you need to make a confident decision. Click the link below to claim Shopify’s special offer—a 3-day free trial followed by your first 3 months for just $1/month—and start bringing your business to life today.