Shopify fee calculator: Key store fees explained

When running a Shopify store, many merchants are surprised that the plan price isn’t the only expense to account for. A store theme, custom domain, transaction fees, third-party apps, and taxes can quickly add up.

To know what you should expect, it’s best to calculate estimated fees beforehand.

Keep reading to understand how Shopify fees work and how to calculate them yourself. We’ll give you a full breakdown of the exact costs based on your plan and real examples of what different stores could pay.

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The main required Shopify fees

The main Shopify fees you should consider are the Shopify subscription costs and transaction fees. If you’re just starting out, consider opting for the cheaper plans and using Shopify Payments to ensure lower rates.

Shopify plans

Shopify has 4 main plans to offer for stores of different sizes – Basic, Grow, Advanced, and Plus. The standard plans (Basic, Grow, and Advanced) are meant for small to large stores, while Shopify Plus is made for enterprises with custom needs.

Here’s the pricing differences between the plans:

You can save the most by opting for annual Shopify plans. But if you’re not ready to commit, I’d recommend trying the Shopify free trial for 3 days, which is then $1/month for 3 months.

Transaction fees

The transaction fees on Shopify depend on whether you’re using Shopify Payments or third-party payment providers.

With Shopify Payments, the only fees you have to pay are the card rates.

Here are the standard card rates for different plans:

When using third-party payment providers, you’ll have to pay transaction fees on top of cart rates.

Here are the third-party transaction fees for different plans:

We highly recommend using Shopify Payments if possible to save on transaction fees.

Other Shopify fees most stores need

Aside from the Shopify subscription and transaction fees, you’ll need to get a custom domain, a Shopify theme, and pay taxes. While themes usually come with a one-time fee, you get a domain annually. Some stores may also want to get third-party apps, which you subscribe to monthly or annually.

Domain name

When you buy a Shopify subscription, you get a free subdomain, like storename.myshopify.com. It’s okay to use it for testing, but most businesses purchase a custom domain. It helps create a professional brand.

You can buy a domain from the Shopify domain registrar, or you can compare prices with other registrars. Just keep in mind that first-year prices are usually lower than renewal rates.

Here are some of the commonly used Top-Level Domains (TLDs), their average pricing, and renewal rate:

Store theme

To build a store on Shopify, you need to get a theme. The Shopify Theme Store offers both free and paid options. If you’re just starting out, you can try a free theme like Dawn, which will let you build a functional website.

Our tests showed that free options on Shopify, like Dawn and Ride, are some of the fastest themes we’ve tested.

The only catch is that free themes usually don’t have as many features as paid options. For example, free themes may not offer trust badges, breadcrumbs, or EU translations.

For premium features, you’ll need a paid theme. Their prices usually range between a $140 and a $400 one-time fee.

Third-party app subscriptions

Shopify apps can cost anywhere from $2/month to $99/month and more. When you’re building a professional store, you may need a third-party app from the Shopify App Store for a specific task that Shopify doesn’t offer features for.

Here are some popular Shopify app categories and their average pricing:

While many apps have free versions, they’re usually very limited and good for testing the tool out. We don’t recommend getting more than 5 apps to prevent high costs and slow site speed.

Instead, look for all-in-one apps. They offer better value for your money since they include an array of features for a specific category instead of single functionalities.

Taxes

Every Shopify store has to pay taxes depending on its country's laws. Merchants in the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, and Canada can use Shopify Tax to comply with sales tax with minimal upkeep.

Shopify Tax pricing depends on when your store was created. For websites created before May 13, 2026, it’s free until you reach a set annual sales threshold.

If your store was created after this date, it’s free until a set lifetime sales threshold is reached. You can learn more about Shopify Tax pricing in their help center.

Here are the transaction fees after the threshold is reached:

The maximum fee for one order is $0.99USD, €0.99 EUR, £0.99 GBP, or $0.99 CAD, depending on your store’s location.

Currency conversion fee

If you’re selling to different markets, you need to take into account the currency conversion rates and fees.

For example, when a customer buys a product from your store in a different currency, that currency is converted to your payout currency. Then, if you’re using Shopify Payments, you’re charged a currency conversion fee.

As for merchants who use PayPal Wallet for Shopify Payments, the conversion fee is charged to the customer to help offset merchant costs.

Here are the currency conversion fees for both payment methods:

If you’re using third-party payment gateways instead of Shopify Payments, check their documentation to find out the currency conversion fees.

Shopify fee calculation examples based on plan

To help you understand how Shopify fees work, we’ve prepared a few examples of different store sizes and their estimated monthly fees. For the purpose of counting monthly fees, let’s consider that they have already purchased a theme.

Example 1: Small store doing $3,000/month on the Basic plan

As an example, let’s take a small store that made $3,000 in sales per month, operates in the US, and uses the Basic Plan. It hasn’t hit the free threshold limit on Shopify Tax.

Here’s a breakdown of the approximate fees a store like this could expect:

Example 2: Store making $10,000/month on the Grow plan

Let’s say a medium-sized store made $10,000 of sales in a month on the Grow plan. It has been operating in Canada, has reached the tax threshold, and uses Shopify Payments.

Example 3: Store making $100,000/month on the Advanced plan

Now, let’s take a large Shopify store that made $100,000 per month in sales on the Advanced plan. It has reached the Shopify Tax threshold, uses Shopify Payments, and is operating within the EU.

How to track Shopify costs

Shopify has multiple built-in tools to help you keep track of your fees. For example, you can track your Shopify plan subscription, app charges, and other costs by going to Settings > Billing.

Then, you can also track your sales, profit, and taxes through reports. In your Shopify Admin, go to Analytics > Reports and locate the “Finance summary” report.

However, note that these tools don’t take into account areas like product cost and ad spend. So, for a full picture, you should consider running a separate sheet where you can track all expenses in one place.

Final thoughts

Shopify fees consist of the subscription, theme, custom domain, third-party app, transaction fee, and tax costs. A simple subscription of $29/month can quickly add up to hundreds of dollars monthly.

The best way to go about running a Shopify store is to plan your expenses ahead of time. One of the best tips we can give you is to use Shopify Payments instead of third-party payment providers so you don’t have to pay transaction fees.

As your store grows, don’t forget to recalculate which Shopify plan makes more sense for your sales volume. Switching to a more expensive Shopify plan can offset the higher subscription cost because of lower online card rates.

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About the author

Kristina Jaruseviciute

Kristina is a Content Lead at TinyIMG responsible for informing and educating readers on all things Shopify-related. She covers a broad range of topics around SEO, AI visibility, website performance, and conversion rates to help merchants stand out in a competitive landscape.