SHOPIFY · MODULE 01 OF 08 | breadcrumb: Home > Learn > Shopify > Modules > 01 Choose a plan and set up
Module 01: Which Shopify plan should you choose, and how to set up
For most new stores, the Shopify plan you should choose is Basic, and the plan matters less than the settings you finish before launch. Get both right once and you avoid the fixes that cost most later.
Quick answer
Most new stores start on Basic ($39 a month billed monthly, $29 billed yearly). Move to Grow when online card sales through Shopify Payments pass about $33,000 a month or you need staff accounts. Before launch, finish payments, payout details, taxes, policies, shipping profiles and two-step authentication.
Most new stores take months to find steady sales, and some never do. Inventory, platform fees, freight and ad spend are paid by you.
Which Shopify plan should you choose for your store?
Basic, for most new stores. The table shows what changes as you move up.
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly | Online card rate | Fee with another provider | Staff accounts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $39 | $29 | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2% | Not included |
| Grow | $105 | $79 | 2.7% + 30¢ | 1% | 5 |
| Advanced | $399 | $299 | 2.5% + 30¢ | 0.6% | 15 |
| Plus | From $2,300 | 1- or 3-year terms | 2.25% + 30¢ | 0.2% | Unlimited |
Source: shopify.com/pricing, read Oct 20, 2026. Card rates are the standard online rates; the page lists higher rates for some card types, and international cards add 1%. Every plan includes Sidekick and Shopify Markets, and B2B comes with up to 3 catalogs (unlimited on Plus). Eligible stores on any plan are listed in AI chats through Agentic Storefronts (Shopify Help Center).
The break-even rule. Higher plan cost ÷ card rate saving = monthly online card sales at which the upgrade pays for itself on rates alone. Basic to Grow: $66 ÷ 0.002 = $33,000 a month. Grow to Advanced: $294 ÷ 0.002 = $147,000 a month (billed monthly prices). Use yearly prices if you pay yearly.
Worked example (illustrative · sample figures): a store expects $18,000 a month in online card sales through Shopify Payments, mostly standard cards. On Basic billed yearly ($29 a month), card fees on the percentage part are 2.9% of $18,000, or $522. On Grow billed yearly ($79 a month), they are 2.7%, or $486. Grow saves $36 a month on rates but costs $50 more, so Basic wins by $14 a month. The yearly break-even is $50 ÷ 0.002 = $25,000 a month. The 30¢ per order is the same on both plans, so it does not change the answer.
Two things can override the arithmetic. If two or more people need to work in the admin, Basic has no staff accounts, so Grow may be worth it for access alone. And if you take payments through another provider, compare the 2% fee on Basic with 1% on Grow, because that gap is five times the card rate gap.
What must be set up before launch?
- 01Security.
Two-step authentication on the owner account. Give staff and service providers their own access. Shopify prohibits service providers from asking for your password; use staff or collaborator access.
- 02Payments and payouts.
Complete every business and bank detail in Shopify Payments. Missing or incorrect details are a listed cause of payout holds (Shopify Help Center, read Oct 20, 2026).
- 03Taxes.
Set up collection for the states where you are required to collect. Shopify helps charge the tax; filing and remitting stay with you unless you use Shopify Tax automated filing (Shopify Help Center, read Oct 20, 2026).
- 04Policies.
Refund, shipping, privacy and terms. Since Oct 8, 2026 Shopify can keep automated return and refund, contact, terms of service, shipping and legal notice policies in sync with your store settings when you turn on "Use automated policy" in Settings, Policies; you stay responsible for them (changelog, Oct 8, 2026). Read every policy and make sure it matches what you will actually do.
- 05Shipping profiles.
Rates from your real packed weights (module 04).
- 06Notifications.
Order confirmation, shipping confirmation and delivery emails, with your brand and a reply-to address someone reads.
- 07Test order.
Place and refund a real order.
Which setup mistakes cause trouble later?
-
A payout bank account that does not match the business details.
Incorrect bank account details are one of the reasons Shopify lists for account holds (Shopify Help Center, read Oct 20, 2026). Check the account name and number before the first order, not after the first payout fails.
-
The owner login on a shared email.
Whoever controls that inbox controls password resets and payout notices. Use an address only the owner reads, with two-step authentication.
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Policies copied from another store.
A return window or shipping promise you cannot keep becomes the evidence against you in a dispute.
-
Notifications with no one reading replies.
Customers answer order emails. If the reply-to address goes nowhere, a simple question becomes a chargeback.
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No real test order.
A test with a real card shows you the tax, shipping cost and emails a customer actually sees.
Most launch problems trace back to a setting finished in a hurry. These are the ones we see most often.
Key takeaways
- Basic suits most new stores; upgrade on numbers, not feel.
- The fee for using another payment provider is 2% on Basic; check it before choosing a provider.
- Finish payout details, taxes and policies before the first order, not after the first problem.
Do this now
- Work out your monthly online card sales estimate and apply the break-even rule.
- Turn on two-step authentication.
- Complete Shopify Payments business and bank details.
- Register for sales tax where required.
- Read every policy, automated or written by you, and make it match your real terms.
- Place and refund one real order.
Tool for this lesson: Shopify's pricing page and the Shopify Payments settings in your admin. When you are ready for product pages, go on to Module 02. The full path is in our free Shopify guide, and if you would rather have the setup done with you, see Shopify store setup.
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Is Shopify Basic enough for a new store?
For most, yes. It includes the online store, checkout, Sidekick, Flow, Markets and up to 3 B2B catalogs. What it lacks is staff accounts, which Shopify lists as "Not included" on Basic (Shopify pricing, read Oct 20, 2026). Upgrade when the card rate break-even or staff needs say so, not because the store feels bigger.
What is the difference between Basic and Grow?
Grow costs $105 a month billed monthly against $39, lowers the online card rate from 2.9% to 2.7% and includes 5 staff accounts (Shopify pricing, read Oct 20, 2026). It also lowers the fee for using another payment provider from 2% to 1%. On rates alone, it pays for itself at about $33,000 a month in online card sales billed monthly.
Is there a free trial?
Shopify's pricing page says "Try 3 days free, then $1/month for 3 months" for most plans (read Oct 20, 2026). Use the trial to finish every setting in this lesson and place a real test order. Check the plan price you will pay after the trial before you start, and put it in your monthly budget.
Do I have to use Shopify Payments?
No, but with another provider Shopify adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus, on top of the provider's own fee (Shopify pricing, read Oct 20, 2026). Some stores need another provider for their product type or country. If you do not, add up both fees at your volume before you choose.
Can I change plans later?
Yes. You can move up or down as your store changes. Before switching, check how your current billing period is handled, especially on a yearly plan, and re-run the break-even rule with the prices you will actually pay. Changing plan does not change your products, orders or settings.
When do I need Shopify Plus?
When you need a Plus feature: full checkout customization, unlimited B2B catalogs, 200 inventory locations (10 on other plans) or unlimited staff. Plus starts at $2,300 a month on 1- or 3-year terms (Shopify pricing, read Oct 20, 2026). Very few new stores need it; choose it for a feature, not for status.
Sources11 sources
- 01shopify.comchecked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 02help.shopify.comchecked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 03help.shopify.comchecked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 04help.shopify.comchecked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 05help.shopify.comchecked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 06help.shopify.comchecked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 07help.shopify.comchecked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 08help.shopify.comchecked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 09changelog.shopify.comchecked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 10help.shopify.comchecked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 11help.shopify.comchecked Oct 20, 2026Primary
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