If you’re planning to start or grow your online store, understanding the different shopify plans is crucial. Each plan offers different features and pricing, making it suitable for beginners, mid-sized sellers, and enterprises alike. From the shopify starter plan to Shopify Plus, each option can play a big role in your eCommerce success.
This guide covers every Shopify plan in detail, explains how to cancel shopify plan, and helps you decide what shopify plan is best for dropshipping.
Key Takeaways
- Shopify offers multiple plans suited for beginners, growing businesses, and enterprises.
- The shopify starter plan is the cheapest option, perfect for selling through social media.
- Mid-tier plans like Basic and Grow balance affordability with features.
- Advanced and Plus plans are best for scaling businesses.
- PlugBooks helps sellers manage finances and integrations across Shopify, Amazon, and eBay seamlessly.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is a powerful e-commerce platform that allows anyone to set up, manage, and grow an online store. Whether you’re selling products on social media, in-person, or through a full-fledged online shop, Shopify provides tools for payments, inventory, marketing, and reporting — all in one place.
Here’s a closer look at the different Shopify plans and what each one offers for sellers at every stage.
Shopify Starter Plan
The Shopify starter plan is for people who are new to selling things online and wish to use social media or messaging apps. You may share product links on Instagram, WhatsApp, or Messenger for only $5 a month.
Important features are:
- Products without limits
- Basic store using the Spotlight theme
- Easy reporting and analytics
- Help with POS Lite
Limitations:
- No accounts for staff
- No collections of products
- Not much customization
👉 The best way to try out new ideas without spending a lot of money. And to make sure your finances stay on track from day one, working with Shopify accountants can simplify bookkeeping and reporting.
Shopify Lite Plan
The Lite Plan doesn’t include a full store. Instead, it enables you to add “Buy Buttons” to a blog or website you already have. You also receive POS Lite, which lets you sell in person. This plan is simple, but it works great if you already have a website and only need a way to check out.
Plan for Shopify Retail
The Retail Plan is all about selling things in person. It works with hardware, has POS functions, and can sync inventory for brick-and-mortar stores. This is the appropriate choice if you own a small store and want to use a computer to run it.
The Basic Plan for Shopify
The Basic Plan gives you everything you need to run an online store. It has customisable themes, blogging, sales channel integration, SSL certificates, and up to two staff accounts. Great for small businesses that require a professional look online.
The Shopify Grow Plan
The Grow Plan, which used to be called the Shopify Plan, is great for businesses that are growing.
Features include:
- Five staff accounts
- Reports and analytics for professionals
- Fees for transactions are lower than Basic
- More discounts on shipping
- Tools for advanced international work
👉 A good solution for merchants that want to expand without raising prices to a higher level. For those scaling their stores, improving visibility is key — that’s where resources like Shopify SEO tips can help.
Comparing Shopify Plans
Here’s a quick side-by-side look at the most popular shopify plans:
| Feature / Plan | Starter Plan | Basic Plan | Grow Plan | Advanced Plan | Shopify Plus |
| Monthly Price (USD) | $5 | $39 | $105 | $399 | Custom (from $2,000) |
| Online Store | Limited (Spotlight theme only) | Full store with themes | Full store + advanced reports | Full store + custom reports | Fully customizable |
| Staff Accounts | 0 | 2 | 5 | 15 | Unlimited |
| Reports & Analytics | Basic | Standard | Professional | Advanced & custom | Enterprise-grade |
| Sales Channels | Social / messaging apps | Full (Instagram, TikTok, FB, etc.) | Full | Full | Full |
| Transaction Fees* | ~5% | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.7% + 30¢ | 2.4% + 30¢ | Negotiable |
| International Tools | Limited | Basic | Advanced | Full (with duties/taxes) | Global scale |
| Best For | Testing ideas, social media sales | Small online shops | Growing businesses | Scaling stores with large volume | Enterprises / high-volume brands |
*Transaction fees vary depending on region and Shopify Payments usage.
The Advanced Plan for Shopify
The Advanced Plan is for stores that are bigger. It comes with 15 staff accounts, bespoke reports, options for pricing things in other countries, and lower fees for transactions. This package is a good choice if your store is growing quickly and needs in-depth statistics.
Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus is the best option for businesses since it offers specialized support, full customisation, automation, and the ability to handle a lot of transactions. Great for huge companies and people that sell in bulk.
How to Cancel Shopify Plan
Canceling your plan is simple:
- Log in to Shopify admin.
- Go to Settings > Plan.
- Click Deactivate store or Cancel subscription.
- Follow confirmation steps.
👉 Before you cancel, back up data and reports to avoid losing important records.
Many sellers pause their subscription instead of fully canceling, keeping the option to restart later. Learn more here
My Experience with Shopify Plans
I built my first online store utilizing the Shopify beginner plan. It let me sell things straight on Instagram for very little money. After getting some traction, I switched to the Grow Plan,which offered me access to better reports and lower prices. That update changed the game for me when it came to growing my sales.
How PlugBooks Helps People Who Sell on Shopify
It can be hard to manage more than one store on Shopify, Amazon, or eBay. That’s why a lot of vendors use PlugBooks. It automatically syncs sales, keeps track of orders, and works with QuickBooks or Xero to make bookkeeping easier.
With features like adding a new store in PlugBooks, sellers can easily manage multiple channels in one place. PlugBooks saves time, cuts down on mistakes, and makes managing finances easy for merchants who sell on more than one channel.
FAQs
1. Can I switch Shopify plans anytime?
Yes, you can upgrade or downgrade anytime directly in your Shopify admin.
2. Is the shopify starter plan good for testing products?
Yes, it’s perfect for beginners who want to sell via social media without creating a full website.
3. Do all Shopify plans include hosting?
Yes, every plan includes secure hosting and SSL certificates.
4. How do I choose between Grow and Advanced?
Choose Grow if you’re scaling moderately, and Advanced if you need deep analytics and more staff accounts.
5. Can Shopify be used for in-person selling?
Yes, POS Lite is included in all plans, while Retail and Plus have advanced POS features.
6. What shopify plan is best for dropshipping long-term?
Most dropshippers move from Starter to Basic or Grow, and eventually to Advanced once they scale significantly.
In conclusion
The size of your business, your budget, and your goals will help you choose the best Shopify options. If you’re testing products, start with the Shopify Starter plan. As sales expand, move up to Basic or expand. When you want to sell around the world, move up to Advanced or Plus.
PlugBooks works with sellers on Shopify, Amazon, and eBay, so you can streamline your business and focus on what matters most: expanding it.