Shopify is still the best all-round platform for building and running an online store. It handles products, payments, shipping, discounts and in-person selling in one admin, and it scales from a first sale to a large brand. The cost is not trivial once apps and payment fees are counted, and it is overkill for a simple brochure site, but for anyone serious about selling it is the safest foundation. Our score is 8.7 out of 10. It reflects Shopify’s official plan details and the consensus of established independent reviews.
Setup
Shopify’s onboarding is designed for people who have never run a store. You add products with images, prices and variants, choose a theme, connect a payment provider and set shipping and tax rules. Themes are professionally designed and can be customised with a visual editor. If you need something unusual, the app store fills most gaps, and developers can go further with custom code.
There is no free plan. The pricing page lists a 3-day free trial, after which new merchants can start on introductory pricing for the first three months. The amount of the introductory price depends on your country, so check Shopify’s pricing page. The introductory period is useful for testing, but plan for the full price afterwards.
Tip
Treat the first three months as a proof-of-concept. Add a handful of real products, run a test order, and judge the checkout and admin before you commit to a plan.
Features
Selling tools. Inventory tracking, discounts, abandoned-cart recovery, gift cards, product variants and multi-currency selling are all part of the platform. Higher plans add more inventory locations and international features, such as regional tailoring on Advanced and above.
Checkout and payments. Shopify’s checkout is widely regarded as one of the best-converting in the industry. Shopify Payments, its own processor, is available in supported countries and avoids the extra fee on outside gateways. The platform also supports many third-party gateways.
Point of sale. Shopify’s POS lets you sell in person with synced inventory. A separate POS Pro add-on provides features such as staff roles and in-store inventory management, priced per location; see Shopify’s POS pricing page for the current figure.
Apps and themes. The app store covers email marketing, reviews, subscriptions, loyalty and more. This is both strength and trap: each app adds capability, and many add a monthly fee.
Content and SEO. Shopify includes a blog and basic SEO controls, but content publishing is less sophisticated than on WordPress. Stores with heavy editorial content often add a dedicated blogging tool or an app.
Performance
Reviewers consistently describe Shopify as reliable and fast, with hosting, security certificates and updates handled for you. You do not manage servers or plugins, which removes a common source of problems for small sellers. Heavy use of third-party apps can slow storefronts, so install only what you need.
Price and plans
| Plan | Price in USD (annual billing) | Third-party payment fee | Staff accounts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $29 per month | 2% | Not included |
| Grow | $79 per month | 1% | 5 |
| Advanced | $299 per month | 0.6% | 15 |
| Plus | From $2,300 per month (three-year term) | 0.2% | Unlimited |
The US dollar prices are those Shopify lists on its own site, and the fee and staff figures come from its pricing page. Monthly billing costs more than annual, and prices differ by country. Shopify states there are no setup fees, but card processing fees apply and vary by plan and country.
For a new store, Basic is usually the right start. Grow becomes worthwhile when you have staff, higher sales volumes and want lower payment fees. Advanced and Plus are for larger operations.
Shopify
Dedicated ecommerce platform for building and running an online store.
Basic $29, Grow $79, Advanced $299 per month billed annually in USD, Plus from $2,300 per month on a three-year term (per Shopify, October 2026); short trial then introductory first-months pricing
Costs to watch
The monthly plan is only one line on the bill. Here is what else typically adds up for a store on Shopify.
- Payment processing. Card rates apply on every sale, and they vary by plan and country.
- Outside gateway fee. If you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments, the third-party fee in the table above applies on top of the provider’s own charges.
- Apps. Reviews, subscriptions, email and shipping tools often carry their own monthly fees.
- Domain and email. A custom domain is an extra annual cost, and business email is usually separate.
- Themes. Many stores use a free theme, but premium themes are a one-off purchase.
Growing with Shopify
One reason Shopify wins reviews is that you rarely have to change platforms. Staff accounts begin on Grow, more inventory locations and API capacity arrive on higher plans, and Plus adds a customisable checkout and priority phone support for complex businesses. That upgrade path means a store that starts on Basic can reach considerable scale without a migration, which is a headache on most other builders.
Launching your first store
A realistic first launch takes a weekend of focused work. This is the order that wastes the least time.
- Choose a plan and name the store. You can change the plan later, so start with Basic unless you already need staff accounts.
- Pick a theme and set your logo, colours and fonts. Keep it simple, since content and photography matter more than design tricks.
- Add products with clear titles, good photos, variants and honest descriptions.
- Set up payments. Use Shopify Payments if it is offered in your country, because it avoids the extra fee on outside gateways.
- Configure shipping and tax. Decide your shipping zones and rates, and check what tax rules apply to you.
- Write your policies: returns, shipping and privacy. Shoppers look for them before buying.
- Connect a domain and place a test order from start to finish.
- Add the essentials: analytics, an email sign-up form, and the sales channels you want.
Note
Tax and legal requirements differ by country and product type. Check them with a qualified adviser before you open the store.
Common mistakes
- Installing too many apps. Each one adds cost and can slow the storefront. Add an app only when you have a specific need.
- Ignoring the gateway fee. Choosing an outside payment provider adds a percentage on top of its own charges. Compare it with Shopify Payments before you decide.
- Paying for a higher plan too early. Basic is enough to find out whether the business works.
- Neglecting product photography. Clear, consistent images do more for conversion than any theme change.
- Skipping the test order. Run a real checkout, including shipping and tax, before you announce the store.
- Forgetting the content side. Shopify’s blog is basic, so plan how you will attract visitors through search, email or social media.
Shopify compared with the alternatives
| Shopify | Squarespace | Wix | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main strength | Dedicated selling tools | Design-led all-in-one | Flexible editor |
| Best for | Stores that expect to grow | Small shops that are mostly a site | Sites where selling is one job |
| Store fees | Third-party payment fee falls from 2% to 0.2% as plans rise | 2% on Basic, 0% on Core and Advanced | Ecommerce begins on Core |
| Free trial | 3 days, then introductory pricing | 14 days | Free plan, no ecommerce |
| Blogging | Basic | Good | Good |
If you are still choosing, our guide to the best website builders compares them in more detail.
Choosing the right plan
Plan choice mostly comes down to three questions.
- How many people work in the store? Basic does not include additional staff accounts. Grow includes five, Advanced fifteen and Plus is unlimited.
- How much will you sell through outside payment providers? The third-party fee falls from 2% on Basic to 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus. If you use Shopify Payments this fee does not apply, but card processing rates do.
- Do you need advanced features? International tailoring, deeper reporting and more inventory locations arrive on higher plans, and Plus adds a customisable checkout.
A good rule is to start on Basic, then move up when staff numbers or sales volume make the extra monthly cost smaller than the saving or the capability you gain. Shopify lets you change plans as the business grows, so you do not need to guess your final size on day one.
Selling beyond a website
One reason sellers stay with Shopify is that the same catalogue and inventory can feed several channels. Alongside the online store you can sell in person through Shopify’s point of sale, and use the app store to connect marketplaces and social channels. Keeping a single inventory count across them reduces the overselling and manual spreadsheet work that slow down growing shops. Each extra channel brings its own fees and rules, so check them before you switch it on.
Alternatives
- Squarespace offers refined templates and an all-in-one package. Its commerce plans have 0% store fees on Core and Advanced. Good for a small shop that is mainly a beautiful site.
- Wix offers ecommerce from its Core plan and more design freedom, with less depth in inventory and selling tools.
- WordPress.com Commerce focuses on WooCommerce for people who want WordPress’s content strengths.
See our guide to the best website builders for the full comparison.
Who should buy it
Choose Shopify if you sell physical or digital products and expect to grow, want to sell on several channels or in person, and prefer a platform that handles the technical work. It is also a strong choice for dropshippers and brands that want an app ecosystem.
Skip it if you only need a small site with a few products, or if content and blogging are your main focus. A website builder will cost less and be simpler.
Finally, budget for the whole stack rather than the sticker price. A realistic monthly cost includes the plan, any paid apps, a custom domain and payment processing. Add those up before comparing platforms.
