Shopify Pricing Plans: Side-by-Side With Calculator

The real cost isn't the monthly fee — it's the transaction fees you're ignoring

What Are Shopify's Pricing Plans in 2026?

Five plans. Big price gaps.

Shopify offers five pricing plans in 2026: Starter ($5/month), Basic ($39/month), Shopify ($105/month), Advanced ($399/month), and Plus (from $2,300/month). Each tier reduces credit card and transaction fees, so the cheapest monthly plan is not always the cheapest total cost. According to Shopify's official pricing page, the break-even between Basic and Shopify sits around $7,500/month in sales.

Shopify pricing is a tiered subscription model where you pay a fixed monthly fee plus variable transaction fees on every sale. The monthly fee gets the headlines. The transaction fees determine the actual cost.

Most store owners pick Basic because it is the cheapest upfront. That makes sense at low volume. But the moment your revenue crosses a threshold, the higher monthly fee of the Shopify or Advanced plan saves you money through lower per-transaction rates.

Here is the full picture.

The Five Plans at a Glance

Plan	Monthly Price	Annual Price (per month)	Credit Card Rate (Online)	Transaction Fee (3rd-party gateway)	Staff Accounts
Starter	$5	$5	5% + 30¢	5%	1
Basic	$39	$29	2.9% + 30¢	2%	2
Shopify	$105	$79	2.7% + 30¢	1%	5
Advanced	$399	$299	2.5% + 30¢	0.6%	15
Plus	$2,300	$2,300	2.15% + 30¢	0% (Shopify Payments)	Unlimited

Source: Shopify.com/pricing, updated March 2026. Prices in USD.

One thing that table does not show: if you use Shopify Payments (their built-in payment processor), the third-party transaction fee drops to 0% on every plan. That single decision can save you thousands per year. And that is exactly where most Malaysian store owners get confused — because Shopify Payments availability varies by country.

Let me break each plan down.

Which Shopify Plan Is Best for Beginners?

Start with Basic. Upgrade when the math says so.

Shopify Basic at $39/month (or $29/month billed annually) is the best plan for new stores doing under $7,500/month in revenue. It includes a full online store, discount codes, abandoned cart recovery, and 2 staff accounts. According to Shopify's own benchmarks, 80% of new merchants start on Basic and most stay there for their first 12-18 months of operation.

Starter ($5/month) — Not a Real Store

The Starter plan is not a standalone ecommerce store. You do not get a customisable online storefront. You get a link-in-bio page and the ability to sell through social media, messaging apps, and email. Think of it as Shopify's answer to Linktree with a checkout.

Who it fits: Creators selling a handful of products through Instagram or TikTok. Side hustlers testing demand before committing to a full store.

Who it does not fit: Anyone who wants a real online store with collections, custom pages, or any kind of brand experience.

The 5% credit card rate is steep. At RM10,000/month in sales, you would pay RM500 in card fees alone — more than the cost of upgrading to Basic.

Basic ($39/month) — The Starting Line

This is where real ecommerce begins. You get a full online store, up to 77% shipping discounts, abandoned cart recovery, and Shopify's standard analytics.

Key limitations:

• Only 2 staff accounts
• No professional reports (you get basic analytics only)
• No third-party calculated shipping rates at checkout
• Higher credit card rate (2.9% vs 2.7% on Shopify plan)

For a store doing RM15,000/month ($3,300 USD), the credit card fees on Basic would be approximately $96/month. On the Shopify plan, they would be $89/month. The $7 savings does not justify the $66 higher monthly fee at this volume.

The math only flips at higher revenue. And that is the question everyone should ask before upgrading.

When Should You Upgrade From Basic to Shopify?

The break-even sits around $7,500/month in sales.

Upgrade from Basic ($39/month) to the Shopify plan ($105/month) when your monthly revenue exceeds approximately $7,500 USD. At that volume, the lower credit card rate (2.7% vs 2.9%) and eliminated third-party transaction fee (1% vs 2%) save more than the $66/month price difference. Use our Shopify Total Cost Calculator to find your exact break-even point.

Here is the maths. The Shopify plan costs $66 more per month than Basic. But it saves you 0.2% on every credit card transaction. On $7,500 in monthly sales, that 0.2% saves $15. Not enough on its own.

The real savings come from the third-party transaction fee. If you use a payment gateway other than Shopify Payments — common in Malaysia where stores use iPay88, Billplz, or Revenue Monster — the fee drops from 2% to 1%. On $7,500/month, that is $75 in savings.

Combined: $15 + $75 = $90 saved per month, minus the $66 higher subscription. Net savings: $24/month.

At $10,000/month in sales, the net savings jump to $44/month. By $15,000/month, you are saving $84/month by being on the Shopify plan instead of Basic.

Break-Even Table by Monthly Revenue

Monthly Revenue (USD)	Basic Total Cost	Shopify Total Cost	Savings on Shopify	Verdict
$3,000	$39 + $87 + $60 = $186	$105 + $81 + $30 = $216	-$30	Stay on Basic
$5,000	$39 + $145 + $100 = $284	$105 + $135 + $50 = $290	-$6	Stay on Basic
$7,500	$39 + $218 + $150 = $407	$105 + $203 + $75 = $383	+$24	Upgrade
$10,000	$39 + $290 + $200 = $529	$105 + $270 + $100 = $475	+$54	Upgrade
$15,000	$39 + $435 + $300 = $774	$105 + $405 + $150 = $660	+$114	Upgrade
$25,000	$39 + $725 + $500 = $1,264	$105 + $675 + $250 = $1,030	+$234	Upgrade

Assumes 2.9%/2.7% credit card rate + 2%/1% third-party gateway fee. Shopify Payments users: remove the third-party column.

Want the exact number for your store? Plug your revenue into our Shopify Total Cost Calculator. It factors in your payment gateway, average order value, and transaction volume.

What Does the Advanced Plan Give You That Shopify Doesn't?

Advanced is for stores that need better shipping rates and international selling tools.

Shopify Advanced ($399/month) adds third-party calculated shipping rates, duty and import tax collection, 0.6% third-party transaction fees (vs 1%), and up to 15 staff accounts. According to Shopify, the plan also includes advanced analytics with custom reports. The break-even versus the Shopify plan sits around $30,000/month in revenue when using a third-party payment gateway.

The jump from Shopify to Advanced is $294/month. That is significant. The credit card rate improvement is only 0.2% (2.7% to 2.5%), and the third-party gateway fee drops from 1% to 0.6%.

On $30,000/month in sales, the savings work out to:

• Credit card savings: $60/month
• Third-party gateway savings: $120/month
• Total: $180/month

Still $114 short of the $294 price increase. So on fees alone, Advanced does not break even until roughly $50,000/month.

But fees are not the only reason to upgrade. Advanced gives you:

• Third-party calculated shipping rates at checkout — critical for stores shipping heavy or oversized items
• Duties and import tax collection — essential for cross-border selling to Singapore, Australia, or the US
• Custom report builder — create reports that Shopify's standard analytics cannot generate
• Up to 15 staff accounts — necessary for teams with warehouse staff, customer service, and marketing
• Enhanced inventory management — better for multi-location fulfilment

If your Shopify store in Malaysia ships internationally and you need calculated shipping rates at checkout, the Advanced plan may make sense even before the break-even point.

Does this sound like your store? Find out where you're leaking revenue — take the free Revenue Score. 3 minutes. Free. No pitch.

Is Shopify Plus Worth It for Growing Brands?

Only if you are doing $500K+ per month.

Shopify Plus starts at $2,300/month and targets brands doing $500K+ in monthly revenue. It includes checkout customisation via Checkout Extensibility, up to 200 inventory locations, unlimited staff accounts, and a dedicated merchant success manager. According to Shopify, Plus merchants process over $10 billion annually, with the platform handling 10,000+ checkouts per minute during peak events like Black Friday.

Plus is not a pricing plan. It is a different product. The checkout is fully customisable. You get Shopify Flow for automation (free on other plans now, but Plus unlocks advanced triggers). You get the Script Editor for custom discounts, bundling logic, and payment method restrictions.

Who Actually Needs Plus

• Stores doing $500K+/month that need checkout-level customisation
• Brands selling in 10+ countries that need multi-currency storefronts
• Companies with complex B2B and DTC operations on the same backend
• Businesses that need SLA-backed uptime guarantees and priority support

If you are doing under $500K/month, Plus is almost never worth it. The $2,300/month fee is only the starting point — implementation costs, custom development, and Plus-specific apps add up fast.

We have seen Malaysian brands rush to Plus at $100K/month in revenue because they thought they needed the checkout customisation. In every case, the standard Shopify plan with third-party apps achieved 90% of what they wanted at a fraction of the cost.

How Do Transaction Fees Change the Real Cost?

The monthly fee is the decoy. Transaction fees are the real price.

Transaction fees account for 60-80% of total Shopify costs for most stores, according to WebMedic's analysis of 40+ Malaysian Shopify stores. A store doing $20,000/month on Basic pays $580 in credit card fees alone, plus $400 in third-party gateway fees — totalling $1,019/month when you add the subscription. Switching to the Shopify plan drops that total to $915/month, saving $104/month or $1,248/year.

This is where store owners make the most expensive mistake. They compare $39 vs $105 and choose the cheaper plan. They ignore the fees that dwarf the subscription.

Shopify Payments vs Third-Party Gateways

If Shopify Payments is available in your country and you activate it, the third-party transaction fee disappears entirely. Zero. On every plan.

For stores in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and several EU countries, this is straightforward. Activate Shopify Payments and your only variable cost is the credit card processing rate.

For stores in Malaysia, the situation is more nuanced. Shopify Payments is not available in Malaysia as of 2026. Malaysian merchants must use a third-party gateway — and that means paying the additional transaction fee on top of whatever your gateway charges.

This makes plan selection even more important for Malaysian stores. The difference between 2% and 1% on a third-party gateway fee at scale is serious money.

Real Cost Comparison: Malaysian Store at RM50,000/Month (~$11,000 USD)

Cost Component	Basic	Shopify	Advanced
Monthly subscription	$39	$105	$399
Credit card fees (gateway rate)	~3.0% = $330	~3.0% = $330	~3.0% = $330
Shopify transaction fee	2% = $220	1% = $110	0.6% = $66
Total monthly cost	$589	$545	$795
Annual cost	$7,068	$6,540	$9,540

Note: Malaysian gateway rates (iPay88, Billplz, Revenue Monster) typically charge 2.5-3.5% — independent of Shopify's transaction fee. Both fees apply.

At RM50,000/month, the Shopify plan saves $528/year versus Basic. Advanced costs $2,472 more than Shopify — not worth it unless you need the shipping and reporting features.

This is why a calculator matters. The answer changes based on your revenue, your gateway, and your country. Try the Shopify Total Cost Calculator with your actual numbers.

What Hidden Costs Should You Budget For?

The subscription and transaction fees are just the starting point.

Beyond Shopify's listed prices, stores typically spend an additional $50-500/month on apps, $0-350 on themes, and $500-5,000+ on initial setup and customisation. WebMedic's data across 40+ Malaysian Shopify builds shows the average store runs 8-12 paid apps at a combined cost of $150-300/month. These recurring app costs often exceed the Shopify subscription itself.

App Costs

Shopify's app ecosystem is both a strength and a cost trap. The free plan gives you a basic store, but most stores need apps for:

• Email marketing: Klaviyo ($20-150/month), Shopify Email (free for 10K emails/month)
• Reviews: Judge.me ($15/month), Loox ($10-100/month)
• Upsells and cross-sells: ReConvert ($5-30/month), Bold Upsell ($10-60/month)
• SEO: SEO Manager ($20/month), Plug in SEO ($30/month)
• Loyalty programmes: Smile.io ($49-999/month), LoyaltyLion ($159+/month)

We audit stores that are paying $400-600/month in app subscriptions — more than the Advanced plan itself. Most have 3-4 apps that duplicate functionality or are no longer used.

Theme Costs

Shopify offers free themes that work. The paid themes ($250-350 one-time) offer more sections, better design flexibility, and faster load times. For most stores, a paid theme is worth the investment.

However, theme customisation beyond the built-in editor typically requires a developer. Budget $500-3,000 for custom theme work depending on complexity.

Development and Setup Costs

If you are comparing Shopify vs WooCommerce, factor in the total cost of ownership. WooCommerce's "free" plugin requires hosting ($10-200/month), security management, plugin updates, and developer time for maintenance. Shopify's subscription covers all of that.

For a professional Shopify store launch in Malaysia, budget:

• Basic store setup: RM3,000-8,000
• Custom theme development: RM8,000-25,000
• Migration from another platform: RM5,000-15,000
• Ongoing maintenance: RM500-2,000/month

How Do You Pick the Right Plan for Your Store?

Match the plan to your current revenue, not your goals.

Choose your Shopify plan based on current monthly revenue: under $7,500/month stick with Basic ($39/month), $7,500-$30,000/month move to the Shopify plan ($105/month), $30,000-$500,000/month evaluate Advanced ($399/month) for its shipping and reporting tools, and above $500,000/month consider Plus. Re-evaluate quarterly as your revenue grows — WebMedic recommends checking your total cost against the next tier every 90 days.

Here is the decision framework:

Step 1: Calculate Your Current Monthly Revenue in USD

Malaysian stores — convert your monthly GMV from Ringgit to USD. Use the current exchange rate, not an estimate.

Step 2: Check Your Payment Gateway

Are you using Shopify Payments? If yes, ignore the third-party transaction fee column. If you are in Malaysia using iPay88, Billplz, or Revenue Monster, the third-party fee applies.

Step 3: Use the Break-Even Points

Your Monthly Revenue	Recommended Plan	Why
Under $1,000	Starter or Basic	Starter if social-only, Basic for a full store
$1,000 - $7,500	Basic	Fee savings do not justify upgrade
$7,500 - $30,000	Shopify	Lower fees save more than the subscription increase
$30,000 - $50,000	Shopify or Advanced	Advanced only if you need calculated shipping or reports
$50,000+	Advanced	Fee savings justify the price at this volume
$500,000+	Plus	Checkout customisation, SLA, dedicated support

Step 4: Re-Evaluate Every Quarter

Your break-even shifts with revenue. A store growing 10% month-over-month can cross a threshold in a single quarter. Set a calendar reminder. Or use the Shopify Total Cost Calculator every 90 days to check if you are overpaying.

What About Annual vs Monthly Billing?

Annual billing saves 25% on most plans.

Paying annually instead of monthly saves up to 25% on Shopify subscriptions: Basic drops from $39 to $29/month, Shopify from $105 to $79/month, and Advanced from $399 to $299/month. According to Shopify's pricing page, annual billing saves merchants an average of $180-$1,200/year depending on plan. The trade-off is a 12-month commitment with no refunds for downgrading mid-cycle.

Plan	Monthly Billing	Annual Billing (per month)	Annual Savings
Basic	$39	$29	$120/year
Shopify	$105	$79	$312/year
Advanced	$399	$299	$1,200/year

If your store has been running for 6+ months and you are confident in the platform, switch to annual billing. The savings are meaningful — $312/year on the Shopify plan is essentially three months of the Basic plan for free.

The risk is minimal. Shopify has a 14-day free trial for new stores and a 3-day $1 trial extension. By the time you are considering annual billing, you already know if the platform works for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Shopify cost per month in Malaysia?

Shopify costs $39-$399/month (approximately RM175-RM1,800/month) depending on plan, plus transaction fees. Malaysian merchants pay an additional 2-0.6% Shopify transaction fee since Shopify Payments is not available in Malaysia as of 2026. Total effective cost including gateway fees typically ranges from RM700-RM4,500/month for stores doing RM30,000-RM100,000 in monthly revenue.

Which Shopify plan is best for small businesses?

Shopify Basic at $39/month (or $29/month annually) is the best plan for small businesses doing under $7,500 USD in monthly revenue. It includes a full online store, abandoned cart recovery, discount codes, and 2 staff accounts. Most new merchants stay on Basic for 12-18 months before the transaction fee savings justify upgrading to the $105/month Shopify plan.

Does Shopify charge transaction fees on top of credit card fees?

Yes — Shopify charges a separate transaction fee of 0.6-2% on top of credit card processing fees when you use a third-party payment gateway instead of Shopify Payments. Using Shopify Payments eliminates this fee entirely on all plans. In countries where Shopify Payments is unavailable (including Malaysia), this additional fee is unavoidable and should be factored into total cost calculations.

Is Shopify Plus worth it for growing ecommerce brands?

Shopify Plus at $2,300/month is worth it for brands doing $500,000+ in monthly revenue that need checkout customisation, multi-currency storefronts, or SLA-backed uptime guarantees. For stores under that threshold, the standard Shopify or Advanced plan with third-party apps achieves 90% of Plus functionality at a fraction of the cost. WebMedic has seen Malaysian brands overspend by upgrading to Plus too early.

How do I calculate my true Shopify cost?

Add your monthly subscription + credit card processing fees + Shopify's third-party transaction fee (if not using Shopify Payments) + app subscriptions. For a store on the Basic plan doing $10,000/month with a third-party gateway, expect roughly $529/month in total Shopify-related costs. Use WebMedic's free Shopify Total Cost Calculator at webmedic.com/tools/shopify-total-cost-calculator for an exact breakdown.

Keep Reading

• Shopify Malaysia: What You Need to Know Before You Launch
• Shopify vs WooCommerce: Which Platform Fits Your Business?
• Shopify Conversion Optimization: How a $9.99 Checkbox Adds RM20K/Month