[1-Minute Overview] Shopify's Pricing Plans and Cost Structure at a Glance
Shopify's pricing is built around four main plans: Basic, Grow, Advanced, and Plus (there is also a Starter plan for lightweight selling use cases). When billed annually, monthly fees are ¥3,650 for Basic, ¥10,100 for Grow, ¥44,000 for Advanced, and from ¥368,000 for Plus. As you move up the tiers, the monthly fee increases — but credit card processing fees and transaction fees on third-party payment services decrease.
There are no setup costs. New users can start with a 3-day free trial, followed by a promotional period of 3 months at just ¥150/month (as of June 2026). Plans can be changed at any time, so you can upgrade flexibly as your business grows.
This article provides a detailed comparison of each plan's features and costs, along with break-even simulations showing which plan minimizes total cost at various monthly revenue levels. Use it as a practical guide for budgeting before you build your store.
Understanding the Basic Structure of Shopify's Pricing
To accurately understand Shopify's cost structure, the key insight is that the monthly subscription fee is only part of the picture. Your actual costs fall into three categories: the monthly subscription fee, the payment processing fee charged when customers pay by credit card, and a transaction fee charged by Shopify when you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments.
Comparing plans on total cost — all three components combined — is essential. Many store operators have stayed on the Basic plan because of its lower monthly fee, only to end up paying thousands of yen extra each month in payment processing fee differentials.
In 2024, Shopify introduced JPY billing for Japanese merchants, removing exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. In April 2025, the mid-tier plan formerly called "Shopify" was renamed "Grow." If you've been researching plans using older articles, be aware of this name change.
Monthly Fees and Key Features by Plan
Basic Plan (¥3,650/month, billed annually)
Basic is the entry-level plan for solo entrepreneurs and first-time EC operators. Billed monthly, it's ¥4,850; switch to annual billing and it drops to ¥3,650/month (¥43,800/year), saving roughly ¥14,400 per year. Staff accounts are limited to the store owner — no additional accounts can be added — making it unsuitable for stores managed by a team.
Credit card processing fees via Shopify Payments start at 3.55%, and using a third-party payment provider incurs an additional 2.0% transaction fee from Shopify. There is no limit on the number of products, and all core features — including themes, SEO settings, and basic analytics — are included. Basic is well-suited for startups and side-project stores with monthly revenue up to around ¥5 million.
Grow Plan (¥10,100/month, billed annually)
Grow is the mid-tier plan at ¥13,500/month on monthly billing, or ¥10,100/month on annual billing. Compared to Basic, the credit card processing fee drops to 3.4%, and the transaction fee on third-party payments falls to 1.0%. You can add up to 5 staff accounts, making it suitable for team-managed stores. Professional reporting features become available, improving the depth of your sales analytics.
Once your monthly revenue exceeds ¥5.77 million, switching from Basic to Grow means the reduction in processing fees outweighs the higher monthly fee — lowering your total cost (see the simulation below). Consider moving to Grow when you start managing the store with multiple staff members, or when monthly revenue consistently exceeds ¥5 million.
Advanced Plan (¥44,000/month, billed annually)
Advanced costs ¥44,000/month on annual billing (¥58,500/month on monthly billing). The credit card processing fee drops to 3.25%, and the transaction fee on third-party payments falls to 0.6%. Up to 15 staff accounts are supported, and you gain access to real-time carrier-calculated shipping rates from third-party carriers. A markets customization feature also becomes available, allowing you to tailor the store experience per region — making this plan especially valuable for businesses scaling cross-border e-commerce or targeting multiple international markets.
Custom reporting is also available, making Advanced a strong fit for mid-sized and larger EC operations that prioritize data-driven decision-making. As a practical guideline, consider moving from Grow to Advanced when monthly revenue consistently exceeds ¥25 million.
Plus Plan (from ¥368,000/month)
Plus is Shopify's enterprise plan for large-scale EC operators, D2C brands, and businesses running serious cross-border commerce. It starts at ¥368,000/month (USD contracts are also available). Credit card processing fees start at 2.9% — the lowest across all plans — and transaction fees on third-party payments are compressed to just 0.20%. Unlimited staff accounts, full checkout customization, unlimited B2B catalog access, and 24/7 enhanced support are among the features that set Plus apart qualitatively from the standard tiers.
Adopted by global brands including ZARA, Red Bull, and Allbirds, Shopify Plus becomes a serious option for businesses with monthly revenues in the tens of millions of yen that need flexibility in system customization and are ready to invest in premium support.
Zero Setup Costs and How to Make the Most of the Free Period
There are no setup costs to open a Shopify store. Unlike custom-built EC systems that require separate server contracts and development work, Shopify includes server infrastructure within the monthly subscription.
Shopify currently offers a 3-day free trial that requires no credit card. After the trial, a promotional campaign allows you to use the platform for 3 months at just ¥150/month (as of June 2026), keeping costs extremely low during the pre-revenue launch phase.
Plans can be upgraded or downgraded at any time. However, if you choose annual billing, refunds are not available if you cancel partway through — so it's advisable to switch to annual billing only once your business has stabilized. A practical approach is to move to annual billing once revenue has been consistent for 3 to 6 months.
How to Calculate Payment Fees and Break-Even Simulations
The real goal of plan selection is minimizing your monthly total cost — subscription fee plus payment processing fees combined. The simulations below assume you are using Shopify Payments.
At ¥1 million/month in revenue:
- Basic: ¥3,650 + ¥1,000,000 × 3.55% = ¥3,650 + ¥35,500 = ¥39,150
- Grow: ¥10,100 + ¥1,000,000 × 3.40% = ¥10,100 + ¥34,000 = ¥44,100
- → At this scale, Basic is more cost-effective.
At ¥5.77 million/month in revenue (break-even point):
- Basic: ¥3,650 + ¥5,770,000 × 3.55% = ¥3,650 + ¥204,835 = ¥208,485
- Grow: ¥10,100 + ¥5,770,000 × 3.40% = ¥10,100 + ¥196,180 = ¥206,280
- → Once monthly revenue exceeds ¥5.77 million, Grow becomes marginally cheaper.
Comparing ¥5 million vs. ¥10 million/month:
- ¥5M/month: Basic ¥181,150 vs. Grow ¥180,100 (virtually identical; Grow is slightly cheaper)
- ¥10M/month: Basic ¥358,650 vs. Grow ¥350,100 (Grow saves roughly ¥8,500/month)
Once monthly revenue exceeds ¥25 million, the break-even point between Grow and Advanced comes into view. The monthly fee difference between Grow and Advanced is ¥33,900 (annual billing comparison), while the processing fee difference is 0.15%. Mathematically, Advanced becomes cheaper at around ¥22.6 million/month or more. At the ¥25 million+ scale, though, Advanced's additional value — advanced reporting, multi-market support, and third-party carrier integration — makes the upgrade decision even more straightforward.
At approximately ¥97.57 million/month in revenue, Shopify Plus is said to become more cost-effective on total cost than Advanced.
Real-World Examples: How Businesses Use Shopify Plans
Cross-Border EC for Seafood Products: Kanedai (Hokkaido)
Kanedai, a Hokkaido-based seafood processing company, used Shopify's multilingual and multi-currency features to expand beyond domestic e-commerce into cross-border sales in Asian markets. By selecting the Advanced plan, they were able to set region-specific pricing and optimize their store display for each market, consolidating domestic and international order management in one place. The reduction in processing fees contributed to building a cost structure where profitability scales with cross-border revenue.
Shopify Plus for a D2C Brand: COHINA
COHINA, an apparel brand focused on petite women, migrated to Shopify Plus to deepen the integration between their live commerce operations and their own EC site. Leveraging Plus's checkout customization capabilities, they designed a UX that allows viewers from live streams to complete purchases smoothly. Unlimited staff accounts and expanded API access also enabled data integration with their internal systems. Moving to Shopify Plus at the point where monthly revenue had consistently reached a high level delivered significant benefits on both the fee reduction and system flexibility fronts.
How to Choose the Right Plan for Your Business
Here are the key factors to evaluate when selecting a plan.
The first is team structure. If the store owner is operating solo, Basic is sufficient. If multiple staff members need access to the admin panel, Grow or above is required.
The second is projected monthly revenue. Use the break-even simulations above to calculate your total cost based on current monthly revenue and your 3-to-6-month outlook. For startups, the standard approach is to begin on Basic and move to Grow once revenue stabilizes.
The third factor is whether you can use Shopify Payments. Using Shopify Payments eliminates the transaction fee entirely, which significantly changes the cost calculation. In Japan, some merchants may not pass the review depending on their banking setup or business type — verify your eligibility in advance.
The fourth factor is cross-border and global expansion plans. If you're scaling up international sales, Advanced's per-market store customization is a powerful asset. Combined with multilingual support and currency switching, it enables a purchase experience optimized for users in each target country.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1. Can I use Shopify's free trial without a credit card?
Yes, the 3-day free trial requires no credit card registration. During the trial you can build your store, add products, and customize the design — but you'll need to select a paid plan before you can sell to actual customers. After the trial, a promotional campaign offers 3 months of access at ¥150/month (as of June 2026), keeping startup costs very low.
Q2. Should I choose monthly or annual billing?
There's no need to commit to annual billing from day one. The practical approach is to start on monthly billing, then consider switching to annual once your revenue and operations have stabilized — typically after 3 to 6 months. Annual billing gives roughly a 25% discount on Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans, but since it's paid upfront, no refunds are available if you cancel early. If your business is highly seasonal or you're planning to upgrade your plan soon, staying on monthly billing a little longer is a reasonable choice.
Q3. Are fees higher if I don't use Shopify Payments?
Yes. When you use a third-party payment provider — PayPal, convenience store payments, or buy-now-pay-later services — Shopify charges an additional transaction fee on top of the provider's own fees. The rates are 2.0% on Basic, 1.0% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced, and 0.20% on Plus. Stores with a high proportion of third-party payments — for example, cross-border stores using PayPal, or domestic stores offering convenience store or deferred payment options — will feel this additional cost more significantly. Always include this fee in your total cost calculations.
In Closing: Choose Your Plan Based on Current Revenue and 3-Month Projections
The most important principle when choosing a Shopify pricing plan is not to decide based on the monthly fee alone. Comparing total cost — including payment processing and transaction fees — is what reveals the right plan for your business.
Start on Basic if monthly revenue is below ¥5.77 million, then move to Grow once it crosses that threshold. Keep the Advanced break-even point in mind as you approach ¥25 million/month. If you're scaling cross-border e-commerce or expanding into multiple markets, Advanced or above unlocks the per-market customization features you'll need. Keeping these decision criteria in mind makes budgeting before you build your store significantly more straightforward.
Shopify is a platform that requires zero upfront costs — making it an accessible entry point not just for launching a domestic EC store, but for multilingual, cross-border commerce as well. Start with the free trial and see what it can do.
A Note from Leap
Leap continuously publishes practical information on cross-border e-commerce and overseas expansion using Shopify and other EC platforms. Our EC Operations Manual covers everything from platform selection to payments, logistics, traffic acquisition, and SEO in a structured, step-by-step format.
Leap's multilingual web marketing platform goes beyond translation — we create locally localized pages from scratch for each target market, delivering store pages and traffic acquisition strategies optimized for each country. If you're serious about growing your cross-border EC revenue, explore our other blog articles as well.
Latest insights and practical know-how on international business: https://www.leap.site/en/blog/
EC Operations Manual (including cross-border EC and multilingual support): https://www.leap.site/en/ec-guide/
References
- Shopify Official Pricing Page (Japan)
- Shopify Help Center | Overview of Pricing Plans and Billing
- ecommerce-square.com | Shopify Pricing Plans Explained
- knowledge.binc.jp | In-Depth Guide to Shopify Pricing Plans
- commerce-media.info | Shopify Plans and Payment Fees
- rabo.co.jp | How to Choose a Shopify Plan by Monthly Revenue
