How much does it cost to run a Shopify store?

If you’re considering starting a Shopify store, it’s important to understand the costs associated with running your Shopify store. These costs can be broken down into recurring fees, such as the cost of a pricing plan, and one-time payments, such as a premium theme purchase or a custom feature development.

While some fees are compulsory, others are optional but may enhance your store’s functionality and improve the customer experience. Here’s a breakdown of the potential costs that you may encounter when running your Shopify store.

Shopify pricing plans

Shopify offers a 14-day free trial for those who are interested in trying out their platform. If you need more time to test out the features, you can extend your trial by paying $1 for the first month (not eligible for all plans). For some time, Shopify offered a 3-day free trial, but has reverted back to the 14-day free trial (eligible only in some countries).

Once your trial period ends, you’ll need to choose a pricing plan that suits your needs. It’s worth noting that each plan comes with different features and benefits, such as shipping discounts, credit card rates, staff limit, and else.

Here are the current pricing plans and their monthly charges (for up-to-date pricing information, please visit the Shopify website).

* With these plans, you can save 25% by choosing annual billing. However, you won’t be eligible for the $1 for first month trial extension. Instead, you’ll need to either pay for your annual plan immediately after the 14-day trial, or start on a monthly plan and then switch to an annual plan later.

**For more information about Shopify Plus costs you need to contact the Shopify Sales Team.

Note: If you choose to work with a Shopify expert, Shopify partner or a Shopify developer to set up your store, they will create a development store for you. This allows you to build and test your store without incurring a monthly subscription fee. Once your store is ready to launch, ownership will be transferred to you and the subscription will begin immediately. Remember that development stores do not qualify for any additional free trials or promotions, and you will be required to start paying the monthly subscription fee once your store is launched. Essentially, this replaces the free trial you receive with a normal sign-up, as you won’t need to pay anything until your store is ready to launch

Transaction fees

Your customers’ transactions may be subject to third-party transactional fees and credit card fees, which can vary depending on your chosen pricing plan and payment provider. To better understand these fees, let’s take a closer look at each type.

Third-party transaction fees

If you choose to use a third-party payment provider like Stripe to process customer payments, you may be charged third-party transaction fees on each transaction. The amount of the fee vary depending on the pricing plan, with the Basic plan charging a 2% transaction fee, the Shopify plan charging a 1% transaction fee, and the Advanced plan charging a 0.5% transaction fee.

However, if you use Shopify Payments, you won’t be charged any transaction fees. If you’re eligible to use Shopify Payments and don’t have any special payment processing needs, we recommend using it to avoid the third-party transaction fees.

Online (in-store) credit card rates

Each credit card transaction made by your customers, whether online or in-store, is subject to a credit card rate. This rate is calculated as a percentage of the transaction amount plus a fixed fee per transaction.

The specific credit card rate you’ll pay can vary based on your chosen pricing plan. For the Basic plan, the online credit card rate is 1.9% + $0.30 per transaction. For the Shopify plan, the online credit card rate is 1.8% + $0.30 per transaction. Finally, the Advanced plan comes with an online credit card rate of 1.6% + $0.30 per transaction (as of April 2023).

Domain

By default, when you create a store on Shopify, you are provided with a domain that includes “Shopify” in the name, such as https://yourstorename.myshopify.com. While this domain allows customers to access your store, it may not appear as professional as having a custom domain that matches your store’s name and branding. To enhance your store’s credibility and branding, we highly recommend that you purchase a custom domain.

You can purchase a domain directly from Shopify or from a third-party provider like GoDaddy. The cost of a domain varies significantly, depending on the name you choose and the provider you use, ranging from a few euros/dollars to tens or hundreds of euros/dollars.

Theme

When starting your Shopify store, you need to select a theme that determines the layout and design of your online store. There are over 130 Shopify themes available, each with their own set of built-in features. Shopify offers several free themes that are a great starting point, especially for new or small businesses that may not need advanced features.

In addition to free themes, there are also premium themes available with more advanced features and customization options. These premium themes are a great choice for established businesses or those looking for a unique design.

Once you’ve chosen a theme (free or premium), it can be further customized to fit your brand’s unique look and feel.

Apps

To enhance the functionality of your Shopify store, you may want to consider integrating apps. These apps can work in both the backend and frontend of your store, offering a wide range of features and functions. The Shopify App Store offers dozens of apps that can be installed for free, while others require a one-time or recurring subscription fee after a free trial.

However, when selecting the right app for your store, it’s important to take your time and do your research. Some apps may offer only the features you need, while others may provide more functions than you require. Keep in mind that some apps require adding JavaScript and other codes to your theme, which can potentially slow down your store’s speed and negatively affect the user experience and SEO.

The price of apps can vary significantly, with some asking for a few euros/dollars a month in recurring fees, while others may cost tens of euros/dollars. Before installing any app, make sure you need it, and regularly audit the apps in your store to identify any that you no longer require. By removing unnecessary apps, you can save money and optimize your store’s performance.

Custom development

Custom development is a great way to add unique features to your store that can help you stand out from the competition. However, it is important to keep in mind that custom development may be costly, and the price will depend on the complexity and scope of the feature, and the experience level of the developer.

Additionally, custom features may not be automatically migrated when you switch to a new theme or update your current one, so you will need to plan accordingly and budget for additional migration fees.

Note: If you have a custom feature in mind and you’re not sure whether to develop it from scratch or use an app, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’ll discuss it with you!

Other possible costs

Other possible costs to consider when running a store on Shopify may include hiring professionals if you lack certain skills such as the above mentioned web development, web design, or marketing. Additionally, promoting your online store and driving traffic to it may require investing in marketing and advertising campaigns, which can also incur additional costs.

We hope we managed to provide you with a general overview of the costs associated with running a Shopify store and if you have any questions, let us know!