Starting an online store can cost very little if you are only testing an idea, or thousands of dollars if you need inventory, paid apps, packaging, marketing, and in-person selling equipment.
The mistake is looking only at the ecommerce-platform subscription.
A realistic startup budget should separate required platform costs from optional and variable business costs.
Quick answer
For a Shopify store in the U.S., Shopify currently lists:
- Basic: $39/month, or $29/month billed yearly.
- Grow: $105/month, or $79/month billed yearly.
- Advanced: $399/month, or $299/month billed yearly.
Shopify currently lists standard online-card rates starting at 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic, 2.7% + $0.30 on Grow, and 2.5% + $0.30 on Advanced.
That is only the platform/payment layer. Your real cost may also include a domain, inventory or samples, packaging, paid apps, marketing, fulfillment, photography, and POS.
Online Store Startup Cost Calculator
Use this calculator to estimate your upfront startup budget, monthly operating cost, first-year cost, and payment-processing impact. Change the assumptions to match your business instead of relying on a one-size-fits-all estimate.
1) Store platform
2) Sales assumptions
Card rates are estimates based on Shopify’s currently published starting rates for standard online cards in the U.S. Actual rates can vary by payment method, country, card type, and eligibility.
3) One-time / startup expenses
4) Ongoing optional costs
Your estimate
| Minimum platform startup | $0 |
|---|---|
| Realistic startup budget | $0 |
| Monthly operating cost before product cost/tax | $0 |
| Estimated monthly payment-processing impact | $0 |
| Estimated first-year cost | $0 |
Which costs are actually mandatory?
For a full Shopify storefront, the core recurring cost is the Shopify subscription. Shopify includes hosting and SSL with its plans, so those should not be added again as separate mandatory hosting/SSL expenses.
A custom domain is optional because a store can begin on its Shopify-provided address. A custom domain is usually worth budgeting for once you want a branded public storefront.
Shopify says its custom domains typically start at around $14 per year. Its broader 2026 domain-price guidance says many common domains cost roughly $10–$20 per year, with registration and renewal depending on the extension and registrar.
Payment processing can matter more than apps
A store doing $2,000 per month across 40 standard online-card orders would have an estimated card-processing cost on Basic of:
- 2.9% of $2,000 = $58
- 40 × $0.30 = $12
- Estimated processing impact = $70/month
At higher sales volume, payment rates can materially change the economics of a plan comparison. The calculator therefore treats payment processing separately from the subscription.
If you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify currently lists additional third-party provider fees of 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, and 0.6% on Advanced. The external provider may also charge its own fees, so the calculator intentionally does not pretend the Shopify percentage is your entire payment cost.
Optional costs that can turn a cheap store into an expensive one
Domain
Optional at launch. Budget the actual registration and renewal price rather than relying on a teaser price.
Theme
Shopify includes themes/templates, so a paid theme is not mandatory.
Apps
Apps can be free, subscription-based, usage-based, or one-time purchases. Add only the apps your store genuinely needs.
Product samples or inventory
This varies enormously. A digital-product seller could enter $0. A physical-product business may need samples or inventory before the first sale.
Packaging and fulfillment
Boxes, mailers, labels, inserts, storage, and third-party fulfillment can become significant. Keep them editable instead of presenting a fake “average.”
Marketing
Marketing is not technically required to switch a store on, but a business still needs a realistic customer-acquisition plan.
POS
Online-only sellers can enter zero. Shopify currently prices POS Pro at $89/month per location, billed yearly, for merchants that need the advanced in-person retail add-on.
Three useful startup scenarios
1. Very small / validating an idea
Use the lowest plan that actually provides what you need, a free theme, few or no paid apps, and low inventory/sample spending. If you do not yet need a full storefront, a marketplace or payment-link approach may be cheaper while you validate demand.
2. Growing online store
A branded domain, several useful apps, regular marketing, inventory, packaging, and meaningful payment-processing volume become part of the budget. At this stage, comparing plan features and payment rates matters more.
3. More established operation
Staff access, larger sales volume, more advanced reporting, international needs, third-party shipping rates, POS locations, or more complex workflows may justify higher-tier plans. The calculator should still compare the cost rather than assume the more expensive plan is automatically better.
Next step: Once you know your startup budget, use the Shopify Break-Even Calculator to estimate how many monthly orders are needed to cover your recurring store costs.
When Shopify makes sense
Shopify is a stronger fit when you want:
- A full branded online storefront
- Integrated checkout and order management
- Inventory management
- Multiple sales channels
- In-person and online selling options
- A platform that can expand as the business grows
When Shopify may be more than you need
A full ecommerce platform may be unnecessary if you are:
- Testing whether anyone will buy the product
- Selling only a few items through an established marketplace
- Primarily accepting payments through a simple payment link
- Not yet ready to maintain a dedicated storefront
The cheapest tool is not always the best tool, but paying for features you do not need is not good business either.
Bottom line
Do not ask only, “How much is Shopify?”
What will it cost to get my store live, process my expected sales, acquire customers, fulfill orders, and keep the business running for a year?
That is what this calculator is designed to show.
If a full ecommerce storefront fits your situation, you can review Shopify here:
- Basic: $39/month or $29/month billed yearly; online card rate from 2.9% + $0.30; third-party provider fee 2%.
- Grow: $105/month or $79/month billed yearly; online card rate from 2.7% + $0.30; third-party provider fee 1%.
- Advanced: $399/month or $299/month billed yearly; online card rate from 2.5% + $0.30; third-party provider fee 0.6%.
- POS Pro: $89/month per location, billed yearly.
- Custom domains are optional. Shopify says custom domains typically start at around $14/year, and its 2026 guidance says many common domains fall around $10–$20/year.
Not included automatically: taxes, product cost of goods sold, shipping postage charged per order, returns, chargebacks, duties, legal/accounting fees, business licenses, payroll, insurance, or any cost you have not entered above.