Shopify costs: what does an online store really cost?
Plans, apps, payment fees and support: understand the components of Shopify costs and build a realistic budget for your store.
Quick answer
Shopify costs include the subscription, extensions, payment processing and the work involved in building and supporting your store. The German prices recorded for this article on 7 October 2026 were €36 per month for Basic with monthly billing, or the equivalent of €27 per month with annual billing. The overall cost matters: revenue, order numbers, integrations and internal working time can be more significant than the cheapest subscription.
Shopify combines the store platform and hosting in one subscription. This can be a useful starting point for merchants who want to focus on products, customers and sales. A realistic budget also includes setup, required apps and payment fees, turning the subscription price into a useful basis for a decision.
At sjmedia GmbH, we particularly consider Shopify when merchants want the platform provider to handle much of the technical operation. The reduction in organisational work has economic value. We assess both monthly fees and which tasks your team can delegate, alongside the support it will still need.
How much does Shopify cost per month?
The following standard prices were recorded on 7 October 2026 on the Shopify pricing page for Germany. Temporary introductory offers are excluded. Annual prices are monthly equivalents of an annual subscription, not subscriptions that can be cancelled monthly. Applicable tax is separate. Check current terms before purchasing.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing: monthly equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 36 € | 27 € |
| Grow | 105 € | 79 € |
| Advanced | 384 € | 289 € |
The recorded starting price for Shopify Plus was €2,100 per month. Include the contract term and individual scope when comparing it. With standard plans too, define the features you need before selecting a subscription.
What costs come on top of the Shopify subscription?
The subscription is only one part of the budget. Include six further cost areas:
- Setup and design: planning, theme adaptation, product structure, content and testing.
- Apps and integrations: for example ERP, shipping, search, reviews or email marketing.
- Payments: percentage fees, fixed fees per payment and any additional Shopify transaction fees.
- Domain and other services: registration, renewal and separately purchased services.
- Support and development: technical checks, troubleshooting, changes and your own team’s time.
- Sales and customer acquisition: SEO, product data management, campaigns and advertising budgets.
Shopify describes subscriptions, app fees and other charges separately. Payment fees may also be deducted from payouts. Looking only at your monthly Shopify invoice does not necessarily capture every cost.
Check how apps are billed. An extension may cost more as orders, contacts or usage increase. Also check for overlapping app functions and whether you can export their data if you cancel.
Are Shopify Payments fees and transaction fees the same?
No. Payment processing fees pay for processing a payment; additional transaction fees may apply when using an external provider. Shopify does not charge additional third-party provider fees on payments processed directly through Shopify Payments. Payment processing itself still costs money. The provider, payment method, plan and applicable exemptions determine the result.
At the recorded date, the German pricing page listed standard online card processing on Grow at 1.8% plus €0.30. Other cards and payment methods can have different rates. Listed third-party provider fees were 2% for Basic, 1% for Grow and 0.6% for Advanced. These are not a blanket surcharge on every order.
Check exceptions separately. Shopify describes additional fees for gift-card or store-credit payments for stores created from 12 May 2025. This can also affect orders using mixed payment methods. The third-party transaction fee documentation explains the rules and exemptions.
Returns also affect the calculation. According to the Shopify refund documentation, the original credit-card processing fee is not refunded under Shopify Payments. A merchant with a high return rate should calculate from processed payments, not just revenue remaining after returns.
Worked example: running a small Shopify store
This is a hypothetical example, not a client case or quote. A German merchant uses Grow with annual billing. There are 100 orders and €10,000 in payment volume each month, all processed at the standard card rate above. We allow €60 for apps, €2 as the monthly domain equivalent and €150 for support. These three budgets are illustrative assumptions.
Payment processing is €10,000 × 1.8% + 100 × €0.30 = €210. Adding the €79 monthly subscription equivalent, €60 for apps, €2 for the domain and €150 for support gives €501 per month. The annual subscription is spread across months for comparison; actual billing occurs on a different schedule.
This excludes development, additional internal time, cost of goods, shipping, handling returns and marketing. It is not a calculation of VAT or taxable profit. Different payment methods, order numbers or app subscriptions change the calculation. That is why one monthly figure for “Shopify costs” tells you little on its own.
When is a higher Shopify plan worthwhile?
A higher plan is financially worthwhile when required features or fee savings justify the additional subscription. Higher revenue alone is not enough. First identify the actual feature limit and the work or costs an upgrade would save.
A simple model helps compare payment rates: suppose a plan costs €50 more each month and reduces the applicable fee by 0.2 percentage points. The break-even point is €50 ÷ 0.002 = €25,000 in monthly payment volume. This is an illustrative example. It applies only to volume covered by both compared rates and assumes unchanged fixed fees.
What does agency development cost?
Cost depends on scope. An existing theme with minor changes, clean product data and no migration differs from a relaunch involving ERP integration, several countries and custom workflows. Annual revenue alone says little about the work required.
Request quotes for the same scope. Do they include migration, redirects, product imports, training and acceptance testing? Who supplies images and copy? Which integrations are actually configured and which are only prepared? A low starting price is of little use if essential operating requirements are missing.
Our store cost calculator compares Shopify, PrestaShop and Shopware over several years. Check its assumptions and enter your own budgets. It provides an initial comparison and does not replace a quote based on your requirements.
What should merchants in Germany and Switzerland consider?
The pricing table above refers to Germany. Swiss merchants should use the conditions offered for their location and required payment methods. Converting a euro price into Swiss francs does not establish an equivalent plan.
Cross-border sales raise further questions: which currency does the customer pay in, which currency is paid out, and which services are needed for invoicing, shipping and returns? Test these workflows with a realistic sample order to identify additional requirements before launch.
When is PrestaShop a suitable alternative?
We include PrestaShop when you want more control over hosting and technical changes. With the self-hosted Classic version, you choose a hosting provider and extend the open-source software through modules and custom development. Hosting, maintenance and further development need defined budgets and responsibilities.
For merchants with unusual product or order workflows, this flexibility can justify the additional operational work. As a PrestaShop agency, we assess those requirements with you. Use our Shopify, PrestaShop and Shopware cost calculator to compare five-year totals with your own assumptions.
How should you compare Shopify with other platforms?
Compare the same services over the same period. Hosting and maintenance are more prominent with self-hosted platforms; Shopify subscriptions, apps and platform conditions need particular attention. Free core software does not mean free operation, just as an inexpensive Shopify plan does not include a fully managed store.
Our recommendation: consider Shopify first when you want a centrally operated store platform and less hosting administration. The overall calculation shows whether it suits your business. If WordPress is already part of your operations, see our WooCommerce and Shopify comparison. As a Shopify agency, we combine technical planning with product data, SEO and conversion work and support the implementation.