Shopify Pricing Guide 2025: Break-Even Math for Upgrading

If you are starting a Shopify store in 2025, or currently running one, you might be overpaying without realizing it.

Shopify's pricing page can be overwhelming. Between monthly fees, transaction costs, credit card rates, and features hidden behind specific tiers, it is difficult to determine the best ROI for your business.

In this guide, we break down every Shopify plan—from the hidden starter tier to Shopify Plus—and provide the exact math on when you should upgrade to maximize profit.

The "Secret" Tier: Shopify Starter Plan

Let’s address the tier that rarely gets attention: The Shopify Starter Plan.

• Cost: ~$5/month
• Target Audience: Social media creators and influencers.

The Catch: This does not provide a full online store. You will not have access to a customizable theme or blog functionality. Instead, you receive a "link-in-bio" style popup landing page and checkout capability. This is strictly for selling a few products via WhatsApp, email, or social links.

Why you should likely skip it: The transaction fees are significantly higher, usually around 5%. If you are serious about building a brand, you need a real storefront.

The Core Plans: Basic, Shopify, and Advanced

For 99% of merchants, the choice comes down to these three plans. Here is the technical breakdown.

1. The Basic Plan

• Cost: ~$39/month (or ~$29/month paid yearly)
• Features: Full online store, unlimited products, 2 staff accounts.
• Fees: ~2.9% + 30¢ per transaction (online).

Recommendation: Stay on this plan if you are generating less than $20,000 per month in revenue. It has everything needed to launch. While it is limited to basic analytics and two staff accounts, there are developer workarounds.

Developer Tip: To bypass the staff limit and analytics restrictions without upgrading:

1. Integrate Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for robust reporting.
2. Ask staff/agencies to create Shopify Partner Accounts and request collaboration access. These do not count toward your staff limit.

2. The Shopify Plan (Standard)

• Cost: ~$105/month
• Features: 5 staff accounts, standard reporting.
• Fees: Rates drop to ~2.6% + 30¢ per transaction.

Merchants generally upgrade here for two reasons: needing more staff accounts or hitting a sales volume where the lower transaction fees offset the higher monthly cost.

3. Advanced Shopify

• Cost: ~$399/month
• Features: 15 staff accounts, advanced report builder.
• International Features: Duties and import taxes calculated at checkout.
• Fees: Rates drop to ~2.4% + 30¢ per transaction.

If you have complex international shipping needs, the automated duties calculation is often the deciding factor for this tier.

The Break-Even Analysis: When to Upgrade

Many merchants upgrade too early simply to unlock features. You should upgrade when the math dictates it. Here are the break-even points based on standard credit card rate savings.

Scenario A: Basic ($39) → Shopify ($105)

• Price Difference: ~$66/month increase.
• Fee Savings: 0.3% reduction (2.9% → 2.6%).
• The Math: To recover that $66 monthly cost through fee savings, you need to generate roughly $22,000/month in sales.

Verdict: If you make under $22k/month, stay on Basic. Over $22k, the Shopify plan pays for itself.

Scenario B: Shopify ($105) → Advanced ($399)

• Price Difference: ~$294/month increase.
• Fee Savings: 0.2% reduction (2.6% → 2.4%).
• The Math: You need to generate roughly $145,000/month for the transaction fee savings to justify the jump.

Note: These numbers vary slightly by region, but serve as accurate general benchmarks.

Enterprise: Shopify Plus

• Cost: Starts around $2,300 - $2,500/month.
• Target: Enterprise brands doing millions in annual revenue.

Key Features:

• Unlimited staff.
• Wholesale/B2B channels.
• Checkout Extensibility: This is the critical feature for developers. If you need to customize the checkout logic or UI via extensions, you must be on Plus.

Total Cost of Ownership: Hidden Expenses

Your Shopify plan is not your total bill. To run a store properly, you must budget for the ecosystem.

1. Apps ($50 - $100/mo): Most stores utilize apps for reviews, upselling, and email marketing. As your email list grows (e.g., on Klaviyo), these costs rise.
2. Themes ($200 - $400): While free themes like Dawn are excellent, purchasing a premium theme often provides better leverage for customization and reduces custom development costs.

Realistic Budget: Even on the $39 Basic plan, budget roughly $100/month total to utilize the right tools.

Summary

Start with the Basic Plan. Ignore the other tiers until your dashboard shows consistent sales around $20,000 - $22,000 per month. Use Partner accounts to manage staff access and keep your overhead low until your revenue justifies the upgrade.