What Shopify charges
Shopify fees come in three parts: the monthly plan, a card fee on every order paid through Shopify Payments, and an extra transaction fee if you use a different payment provider instead.
At the time of writing, US monthly prices are about $39 for Basic, $105 for Shopify and $399 for Advanced, with lower prices if you pay yearly. Online card rates are about 2.9% + 30¢, 2.7% + 30¢ and 2.5% + 30¢. Shopify changes these and they differ by country, so check your admin before you rely on them.
The formulas
Card fees = orders × (order value × card rate + fixed fee). Monthly fees = plan price + card fees + any third-party fee. Effective fee rate = monthly fees ÷ sales × 100.
With 200 orders at $45 on Basic, card fees are 200 × ($45 × 2.9% + $0.30) = $321. Add $39 for the plan and you pay $360 a month, or 4% of $9,000 in sales.
Third-party payment providers
If you take payments through another provider, you pay that provider's fee and Shopify adds its own transaction fee on top: about 2% on Basic, 1% on Shopify and 0.6% on Advanced at the time of writing. On $9,000 a month, that's an extra $180 on Basic. Unless you need a specific provider, Shopify Payments usually works out cheaper.
When a bigger plan pays off
Bigger plans cost more each month but take a smaller cut of each order. A plan pays for itself once the card fees you save cover the price difference. Moving from Basic to Shopify saves 0.2 points on each sale, so you'd need about $33,000 a month in card sales before that alone covers the extra $66. Most stores upgrade for features like reports or staff accounts first.
The calculator doesn't include apps, paid themes, shipping labels, currency conversion, chargebacks or sales tax. Add those to your product cost if they're regular.
Reading your effective fee rate
Your effective fee rate is everything you pay Shopify, plan included, as a share of sales. Small stores feel the plan price most: at 20 orders of $45 a month, Basic's $39 alone adds about 4.3 points on $900 in sales. As orders grow, the plan fades into the background and the card rate is what's left, so the rate drops toward 3% to 4% on Basic.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Shopify take per sale?
On Basic with Shopify Payments, about 2.9% + 30¢ per online order in the US at the time of writing, plus the monthly plan. Bigger plans have lower card rates.
Does Shopify charge transaction fees?
Only if you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments. Then Shopify adds a fee of about 0.6% to 2% depending on your plan, on top of your provider's own fees.
Which Shopify plan is cheapest?
For most small stores, Basic. A bigger plan only saves money once your sales are high enough for the lower card rate to cover its higher monthly price. The table in the calculator shows each plan on your numbers.
Are card fees charged on shipping and tax?
Yes. Card fees apply to the full amount the customer pays, so use your average order total, including shipping and tax, as the order value.
How can I pay less for Shopify?
Pay yearly for a lower plan price, stay on Shopify Payments to avoid the extra transaction fee, and review paid apps you no longer use.