What does Shopify cost in 2026? All prices and hidden costs explained

Shopify looks simple to price: pick a plan and you're off. In practice the bill is made up of several layers — transaction fees, apps, theme, build costs and sometimes a migration project. Below we break down every component with indicative 2026 figures, so you know what to expect before you commit.

Shopify plans: Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus

Shopify charges a monthly fee, with a discount for annual billing. Exact figures shift occasionally, so treat the numbers below as indicative and check current list prices when signing up.

Plan	Monthly (indicative)	Annual (indicative, avg/mo)	Best for
Basic	approx. $39/mo	approx. $29/mo	Starting store, single admin
Grow (formerly Shopify)	approx. $105/mo	approx. $79/mo	Growing store, multiple staff, reporting
Advanced	approx. $399/mo	approx. $299/mo	Higher volumes, advanced reporting, lower transaction fees
Plus	from approx. $2,300/mo	negotiable, tiered on revenue	Enterprise scale, checkout customisation, multiple stores

Paying annually saves a structural 20-25% compared to month-to-month. For a starting store that's a few hundred euros a year; on Advanced and Plus it quickly runs into thousands, so always model this before choosing.

Shopify Payments and transaction fees

On top of the subscription you pay per transaction. Shopify Payments (the built-in payment solution) is usually the cheapest route, since it avoids the extra transaction fee Shopify charges on top of card costs.

Plan	Online card rate (indicative)	Extra fee with external gateway
Basic	approx. 2.9% + €0.25-0.30	approx. 2%
Grow	approx. 2.6% + €0.25-0.30	approx. 1%
Advanced	approx. 2.4% + €0.25-0.30	approx. 0.5%
Plus	negotiable	negotiable, often 0%

If you use an external payment provider (for example because you already have a bank contract or need a specific local method), you pay that provider's costs plus a surcharge from Shopify. For Dutch stores with heavy iDEAL volume this is worth calculating carefully: Shopify Payments supports iDEAL, but always compare rates against what you currently pay.

Apps and subscription costs that add up

Nearly every Shopify store runs on a stack of apps: reviews, email marketing, upsell, inventory sync, accounting. Individual apps typically cost between €10 and €150 per month, depending on functionality and volume.

A realistic indication for an average store:

• Starter stack (reviews, basic SEO, email): €30-80/mo
• Growing store (loyalty, upsell, advanced email flows, accounting): €150-400/mo
• Mature store (PIM/ERP integration, personalisation, advanced analytics): €500-1,500+/mo

Watch for overlapping functionality: many apps partially duplicate each other, and paying for duplicate subscriptions is one of the biggest creeping cost drivers. See our guide to Shopify apps for a structured approach.

Theme: free, premium or custom

• Free themes — functional, but generic in look and limited in flexibility.
• Premium themes — one-off €200-400, often a solid base with more sections and settings.
• Custom theme (agency) — €5,000-25,000+, depending on complexity, brand identity and functionality.

For most SME stores, a premium theme with targeted customisation is the best balance between cost and distinctiveness. Full custom builds only pay off at higher volumes or a highly specific customer journey.

Build costs: what an agency charges

The implementation itself — theme customisation, product data, integrations, testing — is usually the largest share of the one-off investment.

Project type	Indicative build cost
Simple store, standard theme, limited number of products	€3,000-8,000
Mid-size store, customised theme, integrations (accounting, shipping)	€8,000-25,000
Complex store, custom functionality, multiple countries/languages	€25,000-75,000
Shopify Plus implementation, checkout extensions, ERP integration	€75,000-200,000+

These figures are indicative and depend heavily on scope. Always ask for an itemised quote with clear assumptions, so you know exactly what is and isn't included.

Migration costs: switching from another platform

Coming from WooCommerce, Magento, Lightspeed or a custom system adds a one-off migration project: product data, customer data, order history, content and — crucially — 301 redirects to preserve your SEO value. Budget €5,000-40,000 depending on catalogue size and number of integrations. We cover this in detail under migrating to Shopify.

Total cost of ownership: three examples

Starter (revenue up to approx. €150,000/year)

• Plan: Basic, approx. €29-39/mo
• Apps: €30-80/mo
• Theme: premium, one-off €250
• Build cost: €4,000-8,000 one-off
• Year 1 total: approx. €5,000-9,500, following years €700-1,400/year

Growing (revenue €150,000-1,500,000/year)

• Plan: Grow or Advanced, approx. €79-299/mo
• Apps: €150-400/mo
• Build cost: €10,000-25,000 one-off, plus ongoing optimisation
• Year 1 total: approx. €15,000-35,000, following years €3,000-8,000/year

Enterprise (revenue €5,000,000+/year)

• Plan: Plus, from €2,300/mo, tiered on revenue
• Apps: €1,000-3,000/mo, often including enterprise integrations
• Build cost: €75,000-200,000+ one-off
• Year 1 total: approx. €120,000-300,000+, following years €40,000-80,000+/year

What drives costs up in practice

• App sprawl — new tools for every new wish, without ever decommissioning old ones.
• External payment providers alongside Shopify Payments, resulting in double transaction fees.
• Underestimated migration scope — forgotten product variants, customer groups or historical content.
• Scope creep during the build — changes mid-development without clear change requests.
• No maintenance budget — a store that isn't developed further after launch loses conversion and visibility over time.

When Shopify Plus is (and isn't) worth the investment

Plus pays off once you hit concrete limits of Advanced: checkout customisation, multiple stores from one backend, advanced automation via Flow, or negotiated transaction fees that genuinely matter at high volume. For a store not yet turning over several million, Plus's fixed costs usually don't outweigh the benefits — Advanced offers enough headroom. If you're unsure, use our platform selector to weigh your situation against the platform options.

Checklist: hidden cost items

• Transaction fees with external payment providers
• Multi-language and multi-currency apps
• Shipping integrations and customs apps for international sales
• SSL and security (included by default, but check with custom domains)
• Backup and staging environments for larger stores
• Ongoing maintenance and optimisation after launch
• Training costs for your team

Frequently asked questions about Shopify costs

What's the cheapest way to start with Shopify?

Basic with a premium theme and a minimal app stack. Budget a few thousand euros in setup costs and a few tens of euros a month in subscriptions, depending on how much you set up yourself.

Is Shopify Payments mandatory?

No, but it's often the cheapest option since it avoids Shopify's extra transaction surcharge. If you choose an external gateway, always calculate that difference first.

What does it cost to have an agency build a Shopify store?

This varies widely with scope: from €3,000-8,000 for a simple store to €75,000+ for a Plus implementation with custom work. Always ask for an itemised quote.

Does Shopify get more expensive as you grow?

Yes, but not linearly. The subscription steps up with higher revenue or feature needs, and app and integration costs grow with complexity. See the cost of webshops in a broader context for a comparison with other platforms.

Does a migration to Shopify pay for itself?

Usually yes, provided the migration is executed properly including redirects and data transfer. Read more about the approach under migrating to Shopify.

Can I cut costs myself without losing quality?

Yes, mainly by selecting apps critically and avoiding overlap. If you're unsure about the right setup, get in touch for a no-obligation review.