How Much Does It Cost to Start a Shopify Store in 2026?

Before you spend a dollar on design or marketing, you’ll need to choose your Shopify plan.

Your choice depends on how big you want to go at launch — but the good news is, you can always upgrade later.

Here’s what you’re looking at for Shopify’s core monthly fees in Canada and the USA:

Shopify Transaction Fees

Every sale carries a processing fee on top of your plan, and a third-party gateway like PayPal or Stripe adds a surcharge unless you use Shopify Payments. For the full plan-by-plan fee breakdown, see the Shopify payment processing costs section in our website cost guide.

If you also sell in person with Shopify POS, card-present rates run a little lower than online rates across every plan.

For your first-year budget, set aside 2.5–3% of projected sales for payment processing. On $50K in revenue, that’s roughly $1,250–$1,500 gone to fees.

Shopify includes free hosting, but you’ll still need a domain name to look credible.

Expect to spend about $10–$50 USD per year, depending on the domain extension (.com, .ca, etc.)

Once you’ve picked a Shopify plan, the next decision is how polished you want your storefront to be.

Some founders keep costs light with a free theme and a weekend of tinkering. Others invest in a custom build from day one because they know design and UX will directly impact sales.

Free vs Paid Themes

If you’re starting lean, choose Shopify’s free theme, especially the Horizon collection.

They’re clean, mobile-ready, and backed by Shopify support. You can launch in a weekend without spending a cent.

Paid themes are a one-time purchase — usually $100–$700 CAD — and can save you hours of tweaking.

They tend to have more layouts, design flexibility, and built-in features, so you can reduce your app spend later.

For a deeper dive into when to go free or paid themes, check our Free vs Paid Shopify Theme Guide 2026.

Shopify Development Costs

Even the perfect theme might need a few tweaks. That’s where development comes in, and a Shopify web design agency like ours can handle anything from minor fixes to a full custom build.

Shopify Apps & Add-Ons

A Shopify store out of the box works fine — but most brands install a few extras to improve conversions, add reviews, or streamline operations.

First-year app spend typically ranges from $300 to $2,400CAD (~$225 to $1,780 USD). The range depends on:

• How many apps do you add right away
• Whether you pay monthly or annually
• Advanced features (subscriptions, AI search, etc.)

A theme sets the stage, but your content does the selling.

Strong product photos, persuasive copy, and supporting visuals make the difference between a store that looks “new” and one that feels like a brand.

Here’s what to budget in year one for content creation:

Our Advice:

• Start lean, but prioritize at least some professional visuals—especially for products you’ll feature heavily.
• Don’t treat content as a one-time setup cost. Refresh your visuals and copy regularly to stay competitive.

Most merchants have some idea of what they’ll spend on marketing — a few hundred on ads here, a quick social boost there. But the first-year budget is often underestimated, and that’s where growth slows down.

Here’s a clearer picture of what realistic marketing budgets look like depending on how you approach growth:

Our Advice

• Start with content and email if your budget is lean — both compound over time and cost less than ads.
• Test ads gradually: allocate about 70% of the budget into one proven channel (usually Meta or Google) and use the remaining 30% into experiments like influencers or TikTok.
• Track ROI from day one

👉Want to know what marketing channels you should invest in 2026? Check our Shopify Marketing Strategy 2026 guide.

If you’re selling physical products, inventory will almost always be your biggest first-year spend.

You can launch on a free theme or hold back on apps, but without stock (or a way to fulfill orders), your store can’t get off the ground.

The actual budget depends on your products and how you choose to source:

Our Advice

• If you’re still validating your idea, start with POD/Dropshipping or a small batch. You’ll learn faster without burning through capital.
• Don’t overlook shipping, customs, and import fees — these catch many new merchants off guard.
• Once you’re confident in demand, negotiate MOQs (Minimum Order Quantity) and lead times with suppliers to avoid tying up cash in stock that doesn’t move.

Does Shopify handle security? 

Yes, it does, but only the basics like SSL and PCI compliance.

However, there is more to it when you start selling online.

You’re also responsible for protecting customer data, putting proper policies in place, and defending yourself against fraud. Those pieces don’t come free.

Here’s what you should plan for in your first year:

Our Advice

• Don’t assume Shopify covers everything. They protect the platform, but your store’s legal and financial risks are still yours.
• If you’re shipping to the U.S. or EU, set aside budget for compliance tools — the fines aren’t worth the gamble.
• Fraud apps might feel optional at first, but one or two chargebacks can eat up more than the cost of prevention.

👉 Need more details on security, compliance, and risk management? We’ve broken this down further in our Shopify Website Cost Guide 2026.

If your Shopify store is only online, you can skip this part.

But if you plan to sell in a physical store, you’ll need to budget for Shopify’s POS system and the hardware that goes with it.

Our Advice

• Start with POS Lite if you’re only doing occasional in-person sales — it’s free with your Shopify plan.
• Upgrade to POS Pro once you have staff or multiple retail locations; the extra features save more than they cost.
• Budget time and money for training. Even a short onboarding session or a small launch event can smooth your retail rollout and reduce mistakes.

Think you’ve covered every line item in your startup budget? Chances are, a few slipped through.

Here’s a quick checklist of operational and hidden costs that catch new store owners off guard.

Our Advice

• Add a 5–10% buffer to your first-year budget for these “quiet” expenses.
• Pick tools that grow with you, instead of ones that trap you in steep price jumps after the free tier.
• Where possible, lock in multi-year deals for domains and software to avoid renewal spikes.
• And don’t underestimate original content — even a small investment in your own brand visuals or copy beats stock assets in building trust.
• If you need storage, start with lean options — such as in-house space, 3PLs with flexible minimums, or fulfillment partners that only charge as you sell. This prevents you from paying for square footage your products don’t yet need.