Shopify Pricing: Basic vs Shopify vs Advanced — Which Plan to Pick?

Quick answer

For almost everyone reading this: start with Basic ($39/month).

You don’t need the $105 or $399 plans until you’re doing real volume. Here’s when each plan makes sense:

Plan	Monthly	Start here if…
Basic	$39	You’re validating a product, under $5k/month in sales
Shopify	$105	You’re doing $5k–$50k/month and need gift cards + better rates
Advanced	$399	You’re doing $50k+/month and need custom shipping rates

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The three plans at a glance

Feature	Basic ($39)	Shopify ($105)	Advanced ($399)
Monthly price	$39	$105	$399
Annual price (billed yearly)	~$25/mo	~$65/mo	~$265/mo
Online store	✅	✅	✅
Unlimited products	✅	✅	✅
Staff accounts	2	5	15
Locations for POS	2	5	8
Discount codes	✅	✅	✅
Abandoned cart recovery	✅	✅	✅
Gift cards	❌	✅	✅
Professional reports	❌	✅	✅
Third-party calculated shipping rates	❌	❌	✅
Shopify Payments fee (US)	2.9% + 30¢	2.7% + 30¢	2.4% + 30¢
Extra transaction fee (non-Shopify Payments)	2%	1%	0.5%

Basic ($39/month) — who it’s for

Best for: New stores, first-time founders, side hustlers.

You get:

Full online store

Unlimited products

2 staff accounts (you + a part-time helper)

Abandoned cart recovery

Discount codes

2.9% + 30¢ processing on Shopify Payments

You don’t get:

Gift cards (you can’t sell digital gift cards)

Professional reporting

Multiple warehouse locations

When to stay on Basic:

You’re doing under $5k/month in sales

You’re still validating product-market fit

You only have 1 staff member (you)

You don’t need gift cards

Real talk: 90% of new Shopify stores should start here. The jump to $105/month is not worth it until you’re consistently making sales.

Shopify ($105/month) — who it’s for

Best for: Growing stores doing $5k–$50k/month.

What you get over Basic:

Gift cards (big revenue driver during holidays)

Professional reports (sales by product, traffic, conversion)

5 staff accounts (enough for a small team)

Lower payment fees (2.7% vs 2.9%)

Lower extra transaction fee (1% vs 2%)

5 inventory locations

Is it worth the $66/month upgrade?

Do the math. At $20k/month in sales:

Payment fee savings: 0.2% × $20k = $40/month

Gift card revenue (if you use them): often $500–$2,000/year during holidays

Professional reports: saves you hours of manual accounting

The upgrade pays for itself around $10k–$15k/month in revenue. Below that, stay on Basic.

Advanced ($399/month) — who it’s for

Best for: Scaling stores doing $50k+/month.

What you get over Shopify:

Third-party calculated shipping rates (real-time UPS/FedEx/DHL prices at checkout)

15 staff accounts

Lowest payment fees (2.4% vs 2.9%)

Advanced report builder (custom dashboards)

When to jump to Advanced:

You’re consistently doing $50k+/month

You ship 100+ orders/day and need real-time shipping quotes

You have a real operations team

Real talk: Unless you’re doing serious volume, the $399/month price tag is hard to justify. Most mid-sized sellers stay on the $105 Shopify plan for years.

The decision tree

Ask yourself these questions:

Q1: Are you making sales yet?

No / just starting → Basic ($39)

Yes, but under $5k/month** → **Basic ($39)

Yes, $5k–$50k/month → Continue to Q2

Q2: Do you need gift cards or multiple staff accounts?

No → Stay on Basic (save the $66/month)

Yes → Continue to Q3

Q3: Are you doing $50k+/month and shipping 100+ orders/day?

No → Shopify ($105)

Yes → Advanced ($399)

The hidden cost difference

People only look at the monthly sticker price. But the payment fee difference matters:

Plan	Fee on $10k/month sales	Monthly savings vs Basic
Basic	$290	$0
Shopify	$270	$20
Advanced	$240	$50

At $10k/month in sales, the $105 plan saves you $20/month in fees — but costs you $66 more in subscription. **Net: you lose $46/month by upgrading.** At $50k/month, the math flips.

Pro tips for picking a plan

Start month-to-month, not annual. You can always switch to annual billing once you’re committed.

Downgrade anytime. You can move from $105 → $39 mid-cycle and get prorated credit.

Don’t buy Advanced for the “reporting.” Basic reports are fine until you’re doing real volume.

Use Shopify Payments — otherwise every plan adds a 2%/1%/0.5% extra fee.

Skip the “Plus” enterprise plan ($2,000+/month) unless you’re doing $1M+/month.

Frequently asked questions

Can I upgrade my Shopify plan later?

Yes, anytime. You’ll be charged the prorated difference immediately, and the new features unlock right away.

Can I downgrade?

Yes. Go to Settings → Plans. You’ll get prorated credit for the unused time.

Is the annual billing worth it?

Only if you’re committed to 12 months. Annual saves ~25% (~$300/year on the Basic plan). If you’re still testing the product, go month-to-month.

Do I need Advanced for dropshipping?

No. Dropshippers do fine on Basic or Shopify. The Advanced plan’s shipping rate calculator is only useful if you have a warehouse and negotiated real shipping discounts.

What’s the cheapest Shopify plan?

Basic at $39/month. The $1/month “starter” plan (Shopify Starter) was retired. You can’t run a full online store on the cheapest option anymore.

Ready to pick your plan?

The easiest way to decide is to start a free trial on Basic. You’ll build your store, test checkout, and see if you outgrow Basic before you ever need to think about upgrading.

“Start your free Shopify trial“

Last updated: October 2026. Prices are US-based. Check Shopify’s pricing page for the latest rates.