Use this free Shopify fee calculator to estimate your transaction fees, selling costs, and payment processing charges. Compare Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans to find the most cost-effective option for your store.
When to upgrade: If your revenue grows to $32,400/month, switching to Grow would reduce your effective fee rate.
Third-party processors incur additional fees
Every time a customer pays with a credit card, you pay a processing fee. With Shopify Payments (Shopify's built-in processor), these range from 2.4% to 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction depending on your plan.
The higher your plan level, the lower your rate. This is meaningful at scale: on $50,000 monthly revenue, the 0.5% difference between Basic and Advanced saves $250/month.
If you use a payment processor other than Shopify Payments (like PayPal, Stripe directly, or Authorize.net), Shopify charges an additional transaction fee on top of whatever your processor charges.
This fee is 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, and 0.5% on Advanced. It's why most merchants use Shopify Payments when available—you avoid this extra layer of fees.
When customers pay with cards issued outside your country, you pay an additional 1.5% international fee. For stores selling globally, this adds up.
If 40% of your sales are international, you're effectively paying 0.6% more on average across all transactions. Use our calculator's advanced options to see the impact on your specific mix.
When you refund an order, Shopify keeps the payment processing fees from the original transaction. This is often overlooked when calculating true costs.
For a $100 order with 2.9% + $0.30 fees, you paid ~$3.20 in processing. If refunded, that's gone. With a 5% refund rate, you're losing an extra 0.16% of revenue to non-refundable fees.
| Fee Type | Basic | Grow | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online credit card | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.7% + $0.30 | 2.5% + $0.30 |
| In-person credit card | 2.7% | 2.5% | 2.4% |
| Third-party transaction fee | 2% | 1% | 0.6% |
| International cards | +1.5% | +1.5% | +1.5% |
Rates shown are for merchants using Shopify Payments. See Shopify's official pricing page for the most current rates.
Everything you need to know about Shopify transaction fees, selling costs, and how to estimate your expenses with our fee calculator.
Shopify's per-transaction fees depend on your plan and payment method. With Shopify Payments on the Basic plan, you pay 2.9% + $0.30 for online transactions. On the Grow plan, it's 2.6% + $0.30, and on Advanced, it's 2.4% + $0.30. If you use a third-party payment processor instead of Shopify Payments, you'll also pay an additional transaction fee: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, and 0.5% on Advanced.
These are often confused but they're different. The payment processing fee (like 2.9% + $0.30) is what you pay to process credit cards—this goes to the payment processor. The transaction fee (like 2% on Basic) is an additional charge Shopify applies ONLY when you use a third-party payment gateway instead of Shopify Payments. If you use Shopify Payments, you avoid this extra transaction fee entirely.
Yes, this is a hidden cost many merchants overlook. When you issue a refund, Shopify does NOT refund the payment processing fees you originally paid. So if you processed a $100 order (paying ~$3.20 in fees) and later refund it, you've lost that $3.20. For stores with higher refund rates, this can add up significantly—which is why our calculator includes a refund rate option.
Shopify Payments is Shopify's built-in payment processor (powered by Stripe). The main advantage is that you avoid the extra transaction fees (2%, 1%, or 0.5% depending on plan) that apply when using third-party processors like PayPal or Authorize.net. For most merchants, Shopify Payments saves money. However, it's not available in all countries, and some businesses prefer other processors for specific features.
Shopify's fees are competitive but vary by comparison. WooCommerce has no platform fees but you pay hosting and payment processing separately. BigCommerce has no transaction fees even with third-party processors. Etsy charges 6.5% transaction fees plus payment processing. Amazon takes 15%+ in referral fees. For most small to medium stores, Shopify's total cost is reasonable, especially when you factor in the ease of use and included features.
Yes. When you accept payments from international cards (cards issued outside your country), Shopify Payments charges an additional 1.5% on top of your regular processing rate. So if you're on the Basic plan (2.9% + $0.30), international transactions cost 4.4% + $0.30. This is important for stores that sell globally—our calculator lets you estimate this impact.
In-person fees are typically lower than online fees because card-present transactions have less fraud risk. On Basic, in-person rates are 2.7% (vs 2.9% online). On Grow plan, it's 2.5% (vs 2.6%). On Advanced, it's 2.4% for both. Note there's no fixed per-transaction fee for in-person payments, which particularly benefits low-value transactions.
The break-even point depends on your volume. Generally, when your monthly revenue exceeds $5,000–$7,000, the lower transaction fees on Grow plan start to offset the higher monthly cost ($105 vs $39). Our calculator automatically shows you this break-even point based on your specific numbers. Upgrading also gives you better shipping discounts and additional features like professional reports.
Advanced ($399/month) makes sense when you're processing significant volume—typically $50,000+ monthly revenue depending on your average order value and sales mix. At that point, the 0.2% savings per transaction adds up. You also get advanced reporting, calculated shipping rates, and up to 15 staff accounts. For high-volume stores, the savings can easily exceed the additional monthly cost.
Shopify Plus is Shopify's enterprise tier, starting around $2,000/month with negotiable payment processing rates (typically starting at 2.15% + $0.30). Because pricing is custom and varies by negotiation, we exclude it from this calculator. If you're processing over $500k-1M annually, it's worth getting a custom quote from Shopify.
For standard plans (Basic, Shopify, Advanced), the rates are fixed. However, Shopify Plus merchants can negotiate their rates based on volume. Some high-volume merchants on Advanced have reportedly negotiated better rates by threatening to switch platforms or by having their Shopify partner advocate for them, though this is uncommon.
Shopify Payments supports multiple currencies, but which ones depend on your location. US merchants can accept USD, CAD, GBP, EUR, AUD, and more. The currency conversion fee is typically 1.5% when you receive funds in a different currency than charged. For true multi-currency selling, consider enabling Shopify Markets.
Shopify doesn't take fees from shipping charges, but you do pay payment processing on the total order amount including shipping. So if someone pays $50 for products + $10 shipping, you're processing $60 and paying fees on that full amount. However, using Shopify Shipping can actually save you 77%+ on carrier rates compared to retail prices.
When a customer disputes a charge, you'll pay a $15 chargeback fee in the US (varies by region). If you win the dispute, Shopify refunds this fee. To minimize chargebacks, use clear billing descriptors, send tracking numbers promptly, have good return policies, and respond to customer inquiries quickly.
If you offer PayPal as a payment option, you pay PayPal's fees (typically 2.9% + $0.30) PLUS Shopify's third-party transaction fee (2%/1%/0.5% depending on plan). This makes PayPal more expensive than Shopify Payments. Many merchants still offer it because customers trust PayPal, but it's worth knowing the true cost.
Beyond the obvious fees, watch for: (1) Non-refunded transaction fees on refunds, (2) Currency conversion fees of 1.5%, (3) Third-party app subscriptions that add up, (4) Theme purchases ($150-350+), (5) Chargeback fees ($15), and (6) The cost of add-on features that might be included on higher plans. Always calculate total cost of ownership, not just Shopify's base fees.
For most new stores, Basic Shopify ($39/month) is the right choice. The higher transaction fees are offset by the lower monthly cost until you reach significant volume. Start with Basic, focus on growing your sales, and upgrade when this calculator shows you'll save money by doing so. Don't overpay for features you won't use yet.
Our calculator uses Shopify's officially published rates as of December 2025 and accounts for the major fee components: subscription costs, payment processing fees, third-party transaction fees, international card surcharges, and the impact of refunds. Actual fees may vary slightly based on specific negotiations, currency fluctuations, or rate changes. Always verify current rates on Shopify's official pricing page.
