Shopify
E-commerce platforms
E-commerce software
Merchant of record software
Grocery point of sale software
Hardware store POS software
AI Shopify store builder tools
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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€5 per month
Free Trial
Free version unavailable
Small
Medium
Large
- Arts, entertainment, and recreation
- Retail and wholesale
- Agriculture, fishing, and forestry
What is Shopify
Shopify is a cloud-based e-commerce platform used to create and operate online stores, manage product catalogs, process orders, and sell across digital channels. It targets small and mid-sized merchants as well as larger brands that want a hosted storefront with an app ecosystem and integrated payments options. The platform combines core commerce functions with themes, extensibility via apps/APIs, and optional in-person selling through Shopify POS. It also offers add-on services for shipping, marketing, and analytics that can be enabled as needed.
Broad commerce feature coverage
Shopify provides core storefront, catalog, checkout, order management, and discounting capabilities in a single hosted product. It supports multichannel selling (e.g., online storefront plus social/marketplace integrations) through native features and apps. For many merchants, this reduces the need to assemble separate tools for basic commerce operations. The platform also supports international selling features such as multiple currencies and localized storefront options (availability varies by plan and configuration).
Large app and partner ecosystem
Shopify offers an extensive marketplace of third-party apps and integrations for marketing, fulfillment, customer support, subscriptions, and B2B-related extensions. This ecosystem helps merchants add capabilities without replacing the core platform. It also provides APIs and developer tooling for custom storefronts and integrations with ERP, PIM, and other back-office systems. The breadth of integrations is a practical differentiator versus more closed or narrower website-builder-led commerce offerings.
Integrated payments and POS options
Shopify supports integrated payment processing in many regions through Shopify Payments, alongside third-party payment gateways. It also offers Shopify POS for in-person transactions, which can be relevant for retail and some grocery-adjacent use cases that want unified catalog and inventory workflows. Centralized reporting across online and POS channels can simplify reconciliation for merchants operating in both environments. Hardware, payment availability, and POS feature depth depend on country and plan.
Checkout and platform constraints
Shopify is a hosted platform, so some aspects of checkout and core commerce logic are constrained compared with fully self-hosted or heavily customizable enterprise stacks. Deeper customization often requires specific plans, use of platform-approved extension points, or custom development. Merchants with complex pricing, contract terms, or highly specialized workflows may need additional apps or custom builds. These constraints can affect implementation timelines and long-term flexibility.
Costs can scale with usage
Total cost can increase as merchants add paid apps, premium themes, higher-tier plans, or advanced capabilities. Payment processing fees and potential additional transaction fees (depending on gateway choices and plan) can materially affect unit economics. Because many advanced functions are delivered via third parties, ongoing subscription sprawl is common. Budgeting typically requires modeling both platform and ecosystem costs over time.
Not a full merchant-of-record
Shopify generally positions itself as the commerce platform and payment facilitator rather than a full merchant-of-record provider that assumes responsibility for tax remittance, chargebacks, and regulatory obligations across jurisdictions. Merchants remain responsible for many compliance and tax requirements, often using third-party services for sales tax/VAT, invoicing, and cross-border compliance. This can be a limitation for businesses seeking a single provider to act as the seller of record globally. Capabilities vary by region and by the specific services a merchant enables.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | €5 per month | Sell via social media & messaging or a simple online store. (Listed under "Alternative solutions") |
| Basic | €22 per month (billed yearly; shown as €27/month if billed monthly) | For solo entrepreneurs. 10 inventory locations, 24/7 chat support, in-person selling by phone or POS device; earn 1% back on sales; up to $5,000 in credits. Card rates starting at 2.1% + €0.30 online; 1.7% + €0.00 in person; 2% 3rd‑party payment providers. |
| Grow | €62 per month (billed yearly; shown as €79/month if billed monthly) | For small teams. 10 inventory locations, 24/7 chat support, 5 staff accounts, in-person selling by phone or POS device; earn 1% back on sales; up to $7,500 in credits. Card rates starting at 1.8% + €0.30 online; 1.5% + €0.00 in person; 1% 3rd‑party payment providers. |
| Advanced | €289 per month (billed yearly) | For global reach. 10 inventory locations, enhanced 24/7 chat support, local storefronts by market, 15 staff accounts; earn 1% back on sales; up to $10,000 in credits. Card rates starting at 1.6% + €0.30 online; 1.4% + €0.00 in person; 0.6% 3rd‑party payment providers. |
| Plus | Starting at €2,100 per month (3‑year term; billed yearly) | For complex businesses. 200 inventory locations, priority 24/7 phone support, local storefronts by market, unlimited staff accounts, fully customizable checkout, up to 200 POS Pro locations, wholesale/B2B features. Contact sales for onboarding and final pricing. |
| Retail (alternative) | €79 per month | In‑person selling tools with advanced staff, inventory, and loyalty features (listed under "Alternative solutions"). |
Notes: Prices displayed are for the EU (EUR) region as shown on Shopify's official pricing page and the site states "Prices may vary by your store location." Shopify also advertises a 25% discount for yearly subscriptions on select plans and promotional offers (e.g., "€1/month for first 3 months") may appear.
Seller details
Shopify Inc.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
2006
Public
https://www.shopify.com/
https://x.com/Shopify
https://www.linkedin.com/company/shopify/
