How Much Does It Cost to Start a Shopify Store in 2026?
You can open a basic Shopify store for less than $100, but that does not mean every Shopify business costs less than $100 to start.
The website is only one part of the business. Your real starting cost depends on what you sell, whether you hold inventory, how you create product photographs and whether you pay for advertising before making a sale.
This guide separates the unavoidable Shopify costs from the optional business costs.
Prices below were checked in August 2026. Shopify uses local pricing in several markets, so check the price displayed in your own country before paying.
The Shopify subscription
Shopify's US pricing page currently lists these annual-billing rates:
| Plan | Advertised monthly equivalent | Intended for |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $29 | Solo entrepreneurs |
| Grow | $79 | Small teams |
| Advanced | $299 | Larger international operations |
Annual billing means paying the year upfront in return for a lower effective monthly price. Monthly billing costs more but requires a smaller initial commitment.
Most first stores should begin with Basic. A new seller rarely needs more staff accounts or advanced reporting before proving that customers want the product.
Shopify sometimes advertises temporary introductory offers. Treat these as a short trial period, not as the permanent cost of operating the store.
Check current Shopify plan prices
Your domain name
Every store receives a myshopify.com address, but a serious public store normally uses its own domain.
A domain is paid separately from the Shopify subscription and renewed annually. The exact price depends on the extension and registrar. A normal .com often costs roughly $15 to $30 per year, although premium or already-owned names can cost much more.
You can buy the domain through Shopify or connect one bought elsewhere. Connecting an existing domain does not add another Shopify connection fee, but you continue paying the registrar that manages it.
Store design
You do not need a paid theme to launch.
Shopify provides free themes that include the normal features required for a small store. Paid themes in the official Theme Store currently range from less than $200 to around $500 as one-time purchases.
A paid theme can make sense when it replaces several paid apps or provides a layout your business genuinely needs. It is not a substitute for clear product photographs, sensible navigation or a product people want.
For a first version, start with a free theme. Upgrade only when you can describe the specific limitation you are paying to remove.
Apps
Apps are where a simple store can quietly become expensive.
An app might add reviews, subscriptions, product bundles, email marketing, pre-orders or advanced shipping. Charges can be monthly, one-time or based on usage. App billing cycles can also differ from the Shopify subscription cycle.
A sensible first-store app budget is $0. Use Shopify's built-in features until a real operational problem appears. If an app saves time or increases useful sales, calculate whether that benefit is worth its recurring cost.
Review installed apps monthly. An unused $15 app costs $180 over a year.
Payment processing
Payment processing is charged when customers pay.
On the current US Basic plan, Shopify advertises online card rates starting from 2.9% plus 30 cents. Rates differ by country, plan, card type and transaction type.
If Shopify Payments is available and used as the payment provider, Shopify says there is no additional third-party transaction fee on qualifying Shopify Payments orders. Using another payment provider can mean paying that provider's processing fee plus a Shopify third-party transaction fee.
Do not calculate profit from the selling price alone. Payment fees come out before you pay for the product, packaging, shipping, returns, advertising and tax.
Shopify pricing and billing overview
The costs outside Shopify
For many sellers, these are larger than the website bill:
- Product samples
- Initial inventory
- Packaging
- Product photography
- Shipping materials
- Business registration and accounting
- Insurance where relevant
- Returns and damaged orders
- Advertising or creator samples
A digital product avoids physical inventory and shipping, but it still requires useful content, presentation and customer support.
A print-on-demand or dropshipping model reduces initial inventory risk, but usually gives you less control over product quality, packaging and delivery speed.
Three realistic starting budgets
These are planning examples, not quoted Shopify packages.
Lean digital-product test
| Item | Example allowance |
|---|---|
| Shopify Basic | $29 |
| Domain | $15 to $30 per year |
| Free theme | $0 |
| Paid apps | $0 |
| Product creation tools | $0 to $50 |
| Approximate initial total | $44 to $109 |
Small made-to-order product test
| Item | Example allowance |
|---|---|
| Shopify Basic | $29 |
| Domain | $15 to $30 |
| Free theme | $0 |
| Samples and materials | $100 to $300 |
| Packaging | $40 to $100 |
| Photography | $0 to $100 |
| Approximate initial total | $184 to $559 |
Small stocked-product launch
| Item | Example allowance |
|---|---|
| Shopify Basic | $29 |
| Domain | $15 to $30 |
| Initial inventory | $300 to $1,500 |
| Packaging | $50 to $200 |
| Samples and photography | $50 to $250 |
| Marketing test | $0 to $300 |
| Approximate initial total | $444 to $2,309 |
Taxes and local business costs are not included because they vary substantially by location.
What should a beginner actually spend?
Spend enough to test the business properly, but not enough to make yourself defend a weak idea because you have already invested heavily.
A good first version normally needs:
- One suitable plan
- A clear domain
- A free theme
- Good product information
- Real photographs or accurate previews
- Working payments and shipping
- Clear policies
- Enough product or capacity to fulfil initial orders
It does not need five paid apps, a $500 theme and a large advertising campaign.
The practical conclusion
The technical minimum for a small Shopify store can be under $100. A realistic product business may require several hundred or several thousand dollars once stock, packaging and customer acquisition are included.
The safest approach is to calculate the complete route from product to delivered order before opening the store. Shopify is the storefront and checkout. It is not the entire cost of the business.