How Much Does it Cost to Run a Shopify Store?

how much does it cost to run a shopify website

How much does it cost to run a Shopify store? The simple answer is “it varies.” Looking at Shopify’s monthly subscription costs alone, you can expect to pay anywhere from $39 to $2,300 per month (if you’re paying on a month-to-month basis).

However, you’ll also need to account for other expenses, from development and design costs, to payment processing fees, and even the cost for premium apps and themes. In this guide, I’ll help you get to grips with exactly how much you’re going to be paying each month.

How Much Does it Cost to Start a Shopify Store?

Launching a Shopify store for the first time will incur some additional fees beyond monthly subscription costs for most business owners. You may need to pay for design help, premium themes, and other extras which you won’t have to account for on a month-to-month basis.

Here are some of the initial costs you’ll need to consider:

  • Monthly subscription costs: First, you’ll need to pay for an account with Shopify. The price here depends on your specific feature requirements. Basic Shopify costs $39 per month, Shopify costs $79 per month, Advanced Shopify costs $299 per month, and Shopify Plus starts at $2,300 per month. There is a discount for annual plans too.
  • Domain name: If you want a custom domain, prices start at around $15 per year.
  • Web design costs: Although you can use a free theme on Shopify, premium themes will cost anywhere from $180. Working with a web designer on custom development and design requirements can cost anything from $5,000 to $20,000+ depending on your needs.
  • Integrations: Some of the apps on the Shopify marketplace can be installed for free, but most will charge a monthly fee for advanced features.
  • Additional costs: When launching your store, you may also need to pay for support from team members, and invest in marketing strategies.

👉 More info about the Shopify Free Trial.

👉 How Much Does it Cost to Design and Build a Shopify Website?

How Much Does it cost to run a Shopify Store for a month?

Once you have your store set up, the month-to-month costs of running your Shopify store can still vary. Currently, for your first month of Shopify, you can access a Shopify Starter or Basic account for $1. This eliminates most of the cost of your monthly subscription.

If you’re using another plan, or you don’t have this deal, you’ll still have the monthly subscription fees to pay for your Shopify account, which incurs a cost of between $39 and $2,300 per month, as mentioned above.

On top of that, if you’re processing payments, you’ll need to pay credit card processing fees. If you’re using Shopify Payments as your gateway, you’ll pay:

  • Shopify Basic: 2.9% plus 30 cents (online), or 2.7% plus (in-store)
  • Shopify: 2.6% plus 30 cents (online), or 2.5% (in store)
  • Shopify Advanced: 2.4% plus 30 cents (online), or 2.4 (in-store)
  • Shopify Plus: 2.15% plus 30 cents (online), or variable rates (in-store)

If you use a third-party gateway, Shopify will charge a transaction fee on top of the credit card rates you pay to your payment processor.

These range from 0.15% for Shopify Plus, to 2% for Shopify Basic. After that, you’ll still have any monthly subscription costs for apps to consider, as well as fees for any extra maintenance support you might need, shipping, and potential employee costs.

How Much Does it Take to Run a Shopify Store for a Year?

For a full year, you can reduce the cost of running your Shopify store by paying for an annual plan. This gives you a discount on monthly subscription costs:

  • Shopify Basic: $29 per month: $348 for the year
  • Shopify: $79 per month: $948 for the year
  • Shopify Advanced: $299 per month: $3,588 for the year

On top of that cost, you’ll have the monthly (or annual) fees for your apps to consider, and the payment processing fees for any transactions you process.

Since there are a lot of variations to consider, including whether you’re paying for staff, expert support, assistance with warehousing and shipping, and so on, the overall cost of running your store can vary.

Shopify’s research suggests most small business owners spend around $40,000 in their first year, and 9% of that figure is dedicated to online business operations. The rest contributes to team management, operating costs, marketing, product development, shipping, and offline processes.

How Much Does the Average Shopify store make?

If you’re concerned that launching your Shopify store (and running it) seems pretty expensive, the good news is that you should still be able to make a profit with Shopify.

Studies show that the average Shopify store can generate around $67,000 in annual revenue. That’s more than enough to account for your business running costs, and give you a profit.

Of course, the amount you earn will depend on numerous factors, from your product sourcing and development costs, to your niche, target audience, and even how effective your advertising efforts are.

There are various ways to improve your profit margins, such as using dropshipping or print on demand to reduce the cost of producing products and dealing with warehousing fees. Conducting extensive research and ensuring the products you sell are profitable is crucial too.

The Cost of Running a Shopify Store

Ultimately, there are various factors that influence the average cost of running a Shopify store. If you use free themes and apps, don’t need to hire experts, and leverage Shopify Payments, you can keep your startup and monthly operating costs relatively low.

However, it’s important to remember that there’s more to calculating the cost of your store than just looking at Shopify’s monthly subscription fees.

You’ll need to account for everything from maintenance, to marketing, team salaries, and payment processing fees.

Still, Shopify can be relatively cost-effective as an ecommerce solution. It saves you the cost of paying for hosting with an open-source solution, and gives you relatively affordable processing fees (particularly on higher tier plans).

Bogdan Rancea is the founder and lead curator of ecomm.design, a showcase of the best ecommerce websites. With over 12 years in the digital commerce space he has a wealth of knowledge and a keen eye for great online retail experiences. As an ecommerce tech explorer Bogdan tests and reviews various platforms and design tools like Shopify, Figma and Canva and provides practical advice for store owners and designers. His hands on experience with these tools and his knowledge of ecommerce design trends makes him a valuable resource for businesses looking to improve their online presence. On ecomm.design Bogdan writes about online stores, ecommerce design and tips for entrepreneurs and designers.

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