How Shopify fees work in 2026
Last updated June 2026 · ~5 min read
Shopify's costs work nothing like a marketplace's. There's no sales commission — instead you pay a fixed monthly plan plus payment processing (about 2.9% + $0.30 per order). That makes Shopify's per-sale cut tiny compared to eBay or Etsy, but you pay the monthly fee whether you sell or not, and you bring your own traffic. Here's exactly what comes out of each sale, the two fees sellers overlook, and what you actually keep.
Shopify isn't a marketplace — that changes everything
On a marketplace like Etsy or eBay you pay a percentage of every sale (often 6.5%–15%) in exchange for the platform's built-in shoppers. Shopify is the opposite model: it's software for running your own store, so it doesn't take a commission on sales. You pay a subscription to use the platform and a payment processing fee to accept cards — and that's essentially it.
| Cost | Amount (US, 2026) | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan | $39 / $105 / $399 | Fixed subscription for Basic / Shopify / Advanced (lower with annual billing — see below). Paid whether or not you sell. |
| Payment processing | ~2.9% + $0.30 | Per online order via Shopify Payments. Drops to 2.6% / 2.4% on higher plans. |
| Sales commission | $0 | None. Shopify takes no cut of the sale itself — this is the big difference from a marketplace. |
| Third-party gateway fee | +0.5%–2% | Only if you use an outside payment gateway instead of Shopify Payments (see below). |
Costs as of June 2026 (US Shopify). Planning tool, not financial advice — verify current pricing in Shopify's plan page.
The monthly plans (and the annual discount)
The plan you pick sets both your monthly fee and your payment processing rate — higher plans cost more upfront but process cards more cheaply, so they pay off at volume.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual billing | Online card rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $39/mo | ~$29/mo | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Shopify | $105/mo | ~$79/mo | 2.6% + $0.30 |
| Advanced | $399/mo | ~$299/mo | 2.4% + $0.30 |
Paying annually instead of monthly knocks roughly 25% off the subscription. There's also a $5/month Starter plan for selling through links, chat and social posts rather than a full storefront — useful if you just want a buy button, but it carries a higher processing rate and no full online store.
The catch #1: the monthly fee is a hidden per-order cost
Because the subscription is fixed, its real bite depends entirely on how many orders you spread it across. The same $39 Basic plan costs very different amounts per sale depending on volume:
| Orders / month (Basic, $39) | Plan cost per order |
|---|---|
| 10 orders | $3.90 each |
| 50 orders | $0.78 each |
| 200 orders | $0.20 each |
At 10 orders a month that $3.90 is bigger than the entire processing fee on a $50 sale — so low-volume stores feel Shopify's cost most. To see your true per-unit cost, divide your monthly plan by the orders you expect and treat it as an extra cost per item.
The catch #2: third-party gateways add a transaction fee
If you accept payments through an outside gateway (PayPal, Stripe, Authorize.net, etc.) instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify charges an extra transaction fee on top of that gateway's own processing — about 2% on Basic, 1% on Shopify, and 0.5% on Advanced. You end up paying twice: your gateway's rate and Shopify's penalty.
For most sellers the answer is simple: use Shopify Payments and the extra transaction fee disappears — you pay only the standard 2.9% + $0.30 (or your plan's rate). Shopify Payments is available in the US and most major markets; only reach for an outside gateway if you genuinely need one.
A worked example: what you actually keep
Say you sell a $49.99 item with free shipping, it costs you $18 to source, you ship it for $5, and you're on the Basic plan using Shopify Payments:
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Revenue (item, free shipping) | $49.99 |
| Payment processing (2.9% + $0.30) | −$1.75 |
| Product cost (COGS) | −$18.00 |
| Your shipping cost | −$5.00 |
| Net before the monthly plan | ≈ $25.24 (≈ 50% margin, ~110% ROI) |
Shopify's per-sale cut here is just $1.75 — about 3.5% of the price, a fraction of what a marketplace would take on the same item. But you still have to cover the plan. At 50 orders/month, the $39 Basic plan adds $0.78 per order, pulling net to ~$24.46. At just 10 orders/month, it adds $3.90, dropping net to ~$21.34 — same sale, very different take-home, purely because of volume.
How to keep more of each Shopify sale
- Use Shopify Payments. It avoids the 0.5%–2% third-party transaction fee entirely — the single easiest saving.
- Do the volume math before upgrading. The Shopify and Advanced plans only beat Basic once your sales are high enough that the lower card rate saves more than the bigger subscription costs.
- Pay annually if you're committed. Annual billing cuts the subscription by roughly 25% — worthwhile once you know you're staying.
- Spread the fixed cost. The monthly fee is cheap per order at volume and expensive when sales are thin — factor it into pricing on a low-volume store.
- Mind app subscriptions. Paid Shopify apps are recurring fixed costs too; they stack up the same way the plan does, so audit them like you would the subscription.
Run your numbers
The Shopify fee calculator has the processing rate by plan (Basic / Shopify / Advanced), the fixed per-order fee, and your product and shipping costs — so you can see your real net profit, margin, ROI and break-even price, then add your monthly plan as an "other cost" to find your true per-unit take:
Frequently asked questions
How much does Shopify take per sale in 2026?
Shopify takes no sales commission. Your per-sale cost is payment processing via Shopify Payments: about 2.9% + $0.30 per online order on Basic, 2.6% on the Shopify plan, and 2.4% on Advanced. On a $50 sale that's roughly $1.75 on Basic. Separately you pay a fixed monthly plan fee that isn't tied to any one sale.
Does Shopify charge a transaction fee?
Only if you use a third-party payment gateway instead of Shopify Payments — then Shopify adds about 2% on Basic, 1% on Shopify, 0.5% on Advanced, on top of your outside gateway's own rate. With Shopify Payments there's no extra transaction fee, just the standard processing rate.
How much does Shopify cost per month?
The main US plans are Basic $39/mo ($29 annual), Shopify $105/mo ($79 annual), and Advanced $399/mo ($299 annual). There's also a $5/mo Starter plan for selling through links and social rather than a full storefront. The plan is a fixed cost you pay whether or not you make a sale.
Is Shopify cheaper than a marketplace?
Per sale, almost always — there's no 6.5%–15% commission, just ~2.9% processing. But you pay the monthly subscription regardless of sales and you supply your own traffic, so Shopify wins at volume while a marketplace can win when you're small or depend on its built-in shoppers. See our Etsy vs Shopify guide for the break-even point.