Shopify Break-Even Calculator: How Many Sales Do You Need?

Quick answer: Shopify is financially reasonable only when the contribution from your sales covers the fixed store costs you choose to carry. Enter your real numbers below to estimate the monthly orders and revenue needed to break even.

Shopify Break-Even Calculator

Shopify plan

Average selling price ($)

Product cost per order ($)

Shipping you pay per order ($)

Packaging/other variable cost ($)

Standard online card rate

Apps/other fixed store costs per month ($)

Expected orders per month

Rates shown are Shopify’s standard U.S. online card rates as verified August 29, 2026. Your actual rate can vary by location, payment method and eligibility.

Contribution per order

Break-even orders per month

Break-even revenue per month

Affiliate disclosure: PrimeProfit Picks may earn a commission if you start Shopify through our link, at no extra cost to you. Compensation does not determine the calculator result.

Check Shopify / Start Free

Estimate only. This calculator does not predict demand and excludes taxes, refunds, chargebacks, discounts and any costs you do not enter.

Plan the rest of your store

Break-even tells you how many sales cover recurring store costs. For inventory, domain, apps, packaging and first-year expenses, use our Online Store Startup Cost Calculator.

If you are still deciding whether the platform fits your business, read our practical Shopify review.

How the calculation works

Contribution per order equals selling price minus product cost, seller-paid shipping, packaging or other per-order costs, and estimated payment processing.

Break-even orders equals fixed monthly store costs divided by contribution per order, rounded up to the next whole order. Break-even revenue is that order count multiplied by the average selling price.

If contribution per order is zero or negative, selling more of the same order does not cover fixed costs. Review price and per-order costs first.

What this result does—and does not—tell you

This calculator answers a narrow but useful question: how many monthly orders are needed to cover the Shopify subscription and other fixed store costs you enter. It does not estimate customer demand, advertising performance or total business profit.

Use realistic numbers from your own products. Payment rates shown are starting rates for standard online card transactions and are not guaranteed for every merchant.