If you are considering starting an online store, Shopify is one of the most popular platforms you can choose. But how much does a Shopify online store cost? In this article, we will discuss the costs of a Shopify online store with a basic subscription and the additional costs you should take into account.
Shopify Subscriptions
Shopify offers several subscription options, but for this blog post, we’ll focus on the most commonly used plan, the Basic Shopify plan. This plan costs $29 per month , or $21 per month if you pay annually. The Basic plan gives you access to essential features like:
- Unlimited number of products
- 24/7 customer support
- A free SSL certificate
- Discount codes
- Shopify POS (Point of Sale) Lite
Transaction costs
In addition to the monthly subscription fee, there are also transaction fees to consider. For the Basic plan, Shopify charges 1.9% + €0.25 per transaction if you use Shopify Payments. If you use a third-party payment gateway, the fee is 2 % per transaction .
Themes and design
Although Shopify now offers 13 free Shopify themes , many entrepreneurs opt for a premium theme to give their webshop a unique look. Premium themes vary in price, but you can expect a one-time expense of around €140 to €360 .
Shopify and apps
The Shopify App Store offers 9,000+ apps that can enhance your store, ranging from marketing tools to customer service plugins. Some apps are free, but many of the premium apps have monthly fees that can range from $5 to $50 or more, depending on the functionality.
Domain name
A professional webshop needs its own domain name. If you don't have a domain name yet, you can buy one via Shopify for about €11 to €14 per year . We always advise you to register your domain name elsewhere, such as with Hostnet , and link it to your Shopify webshop, because you can then also easily arrange and link a Mailbox there.
Email marketing and other marketing costs
While Shopify offers good basic marketing tools, many entrepreneurs want to invest in additional marketing tools and services. For example, email marketing tools like Mailerlite, Mailchimp, or Klaviyo can come at an additional cost, usually starting at around $10-$20 per month if you have a smaller email list.
💡 TIP : A very good alternative is Shopify Mail , a service that also allows you to do email marketing very well.
Other costs
In addition to the costs mentioned above, there are some other potential expenses you should keep in mind:
- Professional Spear and Product Photos : High quality product photos are essential. Costs vary depending on the photographer. See also > The best free stock photos for your brand, webshop, blog or social media
- Copywriting : Having professional texts written for your products and pages can vary in price.
- SEO and Marketing Services : If you need help with SEO and online marketing, the cost can vary depending on the service provider.
Total cost overview
To give you a clear picture of the costs, here is a rough estimate of the monthly expenses for a Basic Shopify webshop:
- Basic subscription : €21 (if you pay annually)
- Transaction costs : variable, depending on your sales volume
- Theme (depreciation over 12 months) : €12 to €15
- Apps : €10 to €50 (depending on the required functionalities)
- Domain name : €1 per month (annual cost divided by 12)
- Email Marketing : €10 to €20 (optional)
- Marketing costs : that depends on your strategy
On average, you can expect the basic costs for a Shopify webshop to vary between €60 and €115 per month , excluding transaction costs and any additional services.
Getting started? Download the free Shopify 10-step guide
To help you get started, we offer you a free Shopify 10-step plan. This handy step-by-step plan guides you through the entire process of setting up your Shopify webshop, from the first steps to optimizing for SEO and marketing.
