A US founder asks for one number, and a Shopify store does not have one. It has a monthly plan, card fees on every sale, a domain, a theme, apps and a build. This guide puts dollar figures on each part that Shopify itself publishes, says where each figure comes from, and ends with a first-year budget whose sums you can redo with your own numbers. Every Shopify price below was read on 3 November 2026.
It sets no price for your build, because nobody can price a build without a scope. It passes on the one range Shopify's own guide gives, shows what moves a quote and explains how to read one. Our general guide, How much does a Shopify store cost?, lists every cost part without prices. This one adds the dollars for a US brand. If you want help scoping a build, see our Shopify solutions.
Plan prices on Shopify's pricing page
The pricing page version we read shows prices in US dollars. It shows no date, and its FAQ says pricing and payment options can differ depending on where your business is based, so check the page for your own country if you are not in the US.
- Basic: $39 a month billed monthly, or $29 a month billed yearly.
- Grow: $105 a month billed monthly, or $79 a month billed yearly.
- Advanced: $399 a month billed monthly, or $299 a month billed yearly.
- Plus: starts at $2,300 a month.
The sums for a year: Basic is 39 × 12 = $468 monthly against 29 × 12 = $348 yearly, a gap of $120. Grow is 105 × 12 = $1,260 against 79 × 12 = $948, a gap of $312. Advanced is 399 × 12 = $4,788 against 299 × 12 = $3,588, a gap of $1,200. Shopify's billing help page says annual billing charges the full year at once and that plan charges are generally non-refundable, so a yearly plan is a cash commitment. Plus at $2,300 a month is 2,300 × 12 = $27,600 a year, and Shopify's cost guide says that price is on a three-year term.
The pricing page also shows a trial offer of 3 days free, then $1 a month for 3 months, and says there are no setup fees on any plan. Read the terms at sign-up.
Card rates and payment fees
The same page lists these rates. Shopify Payments is limited to certain countries, so confirm that your business qualifies.
- Online card rate: 2.9% + 30¢ on Basic, 2.7% + 30¢ on Grow, 2.5% + 30¢ on Advanced.
- In-person card rate: 2.6% + 10¢, 2.5% + 10¢ and 2.4% + 10¢.
- Online premium cards: 3.5% + 30¢ on Basic, 3.3% + 30¢ on Grow, 3.1% + 30¢ on Advanced.
- Online international rate: add 1%.
- Third-party payment provider fee: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced. Ask your provider for its own rate as well.
- PayPal Wallet: starting at 3.49% + 49¢.
Shopify's billing help says no third-party fee applies to Shopify Payments, Shop Pay or manual methods such as bank transfer. A $50 online order on Basic with a standard card costs 50 × 0.029 = $1.45, plus $0.30, so $1.75. With a third-party provider, Shopify's fee on the same order is 50 × 0.02 = $1.00, before whatever the provider charges.
When a higher plan pays back on card fees
A higher plan has a lower card rate. You can test when the lower rate covers the higher plan fee. Use the yearly prices and standard online cards. The 30¢ is the same on every plan, so it drops out.
- Basic to Grow: the extra plan cost is 948 minus 348 = $600. The rate gap is 2.9% minus 2.7% = 0.2 points, or 0.002. So 600 ÷ 0.002 = $300,000 of yearly card sales.
- Basic to Advanced: 3,588 minus 348 = $3,240, with a gap of 0.004. So 3,240 ÷ 0.004 = $810,000.
- Grow to Advanced: 3,588 minus 948 = $2,640, with a gap of 0.002. So 2,640 ÷ 0.002 = $1,320,000.
This compares card fees only. Plans also differ in other features, such as staff accounts, so read the comparison table before you choose.
Domain, theme and apps
- Domain. Shopify's domain cost article, dated 22 May 2026, gives $16 a year on average for a .com bought through Shopify. It says relatively unique names generally run $10 to $30 a year, premium names cost more, and renewal stays close to the first-year price. Privacy protection is included.
- Theme. Free themes exist. On 3 November 2026 the Theme Store page showed paid themes from $150 to $420. Shopify's cost guide gives $0 to $500 for prebuilt themes. The Theme Store page does not say whether a price is one-time, so check the listing and its licence terms.
- Apps. Apps bill separately through their own subscriptions, on their own cycles. Add up the monthly prices on each app page. Shopify's cost guide says Shopify Messaging includes 10,000 free email sends a month, then $1 per 1,000 up to 300,000. At 40,000 sends, that is (40,000 minus 10,000) ÷ 1,000 × $1 = $30.
Sales tax, shipping and other costs outside the Shopify bill
Collecting sales tax can add cost: registrations, filing and an adviser. Shopify Tax shows a free allowance, then 0.35% on orders with calculated tax on Basic, Grow and Advanced for US orders, on the help page we read. The page also says the rules differ for stores created before and after 13 May 2026. Read selling to US customers from outside the US for the state-by-state side.
Shipping is not a Shopify fee. You pay carrier charges and packaging. The pricing page lists shipping discounts among plan features, but ask for rates for your own parcel sizes and destinations before you count on any saving. Also plan for returns, product photography, legal pages, a custom email address through a third-party service, and your time.
The build: what the guide says and how to read a quote
Shopify's ecommerce cost guide, updated on 3 September 2026, says custom-built ecommerce website development runs from $2,000 to $20,000 or more, depending on complexity and functionality. It gives no agency or developer rates. Treat the range as a general marker, not a quote for your store. The wide gap shows that scope drives the price.
What moves a build quote:
- A theme adjusted for your brand, or a custom design.
- The number of page templates and product types.
- Product data and customers moved from an old store.
- Custom features and links to your own systems.
- Who writes the content and takes the photos.
- Testing, including accessibility and speed.
- Training, handover and support after launch.
When you read a quote, look for line items, written assumptions, exclusions, how change requests are priced, what counts as accepted, and who owns the store account, theme files and domain. The store should be in your name. For a US shortlist, read how to choose a Shopify agency in New York and questions before hiring an agency.
A first-year budget: one worked example
This is one made-up example to show the method. It is not a typical store and not a forecast, and every input is an assumption chosen to keep the sums easy. Replace each one with your own figure. The store is on Basic billed yearly. It sells 2,400 orders of $50 each, so 2,400 × 50 = $120,000. All are standard online cards through Shopify Payments. Apps cost $100 a month in total. The theme is one paid theme at $320, a price shown for several themes on the Theme Store. The domain is a .com at $16.
- Plan: 29 × 12 = $348
- Domain: $16
- Theme: $320
- Apps: 100 × 12 = $1,200
- Costs that do not move with sales: 348 + 16 + 320 + 1,200 = $1,884
- Card fees: 120,000 × 0.029 = $3,480, plus 2,400 × 0.30 = $720, so $4,200
- Total before the build: 1,884 + 4,200 = $6,084
Now add the build. At the guide's low marker of $2,000 the first year is 6,084 + 2,000 = $8,084. At $20,000, the top figure the guide names, it is 6,084 + 20,000 = $26,084, and the guide says a build can cost more. Neither figure includes sales tax work, shipping, photography, marketing or the trial offer.
On Grow with the same sales, plan plus card fees come to 948 + (120,000 × 0.027 + 720) = 948 + 3,960 = $4,908, against 348 + 4,200 = $4,548 on Basic. That is $360 more, which fits the $300,000 break-even above.
Questions to ask before you commit
- Which plan does the quote assume, and billed monthly or yearly?
- Which apps does the build need, and what does each cost a month?
- Is the theme free, bought or custom, and who holds the licence?
- What does the quote leave out: content, migration, photos, support?
- Which sales tax setup do we need, and who handles registrations?
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Check the current rules or ask a qualified adviser before you decide.
How we can help
ESTASOFT shows Clutch 2026 rankings as Top Shopify Company in New York City and Top E-commerce Developers in New York City. To start scoping your own build, see our Shopify solutions and send a short brief on the contact page. If you plan to grow beyond the US, read Shopify Markets: sell in several countries.
Sources
- Shopify pricing page: plan prices in USD, card rates, third-party fees, trial offer, setup fees (checked 3 November 2026)
- Shopify Help Center: pricing plans and billing overview: annual billing, refunds, third-party fee exceptions, app billing (checked 3 November 2026)
- Shopify blog: Shopify domain cost: .com price and other extensions, page dated 22 May 2026 (checked 3 November 2026)
- Shopify Theme Store: paid theme prices shown on the page (checked 3 November 2026)
- Shopify blog: ecommerce website cost guide: build range, theme range, Messaging email pricing, Plus term, updated 3 September 2026 (checked 3 November 2026)
- Shopify Help Center: Shopify Tax pricing: percentage fee for US orders and the 13 May 2026 change (checked 3 November 2026)