Shopify Basic Plan Review 2025: Is It Right for Your Business?
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The Shopify Basic Plan is an ideal choice for individuals and small businesses looking to build a professional online store on a budget. In this article, NextSky explores the features, costs, and benefits of the Basic Shopify plan, helping you decide if it’s the right fit for your online business journey.
What is the Shopify Basic Plan?
The Shopify basic plan is most affordable yet feature-rich option. Unlike the $5 Starter plan, which focuses on social media sales and basic checkout, the Basic plan lets you create a standalone online store with a custom domain, inventory management, and integrated sales tools. Designed for solo entrepreneurs or small teams, it offers a stable, professional platform without the advanced analytics or multiple staff accounts found in higher-tier plans.
Read more: What is Shopify? All Information About The Platform from A-Z
Breakdown of Basic Shopify plan costs and fees
Running an online store with the Basic Shopify plan involves fixed and variable costs. Below is a detailed breakdown to clarify each expense.
Subscription fees
- Monthly: $39/month
- Annual: $29/month ($348/year, saving 25%)
- Special offer: After a 3-day free trial, pay $1/month for the first 3 months before committing to the full plan, allowing low-cost platform testing.
Transaction fees
Using non-Shopify Payments gateways incurs additional fees:
- Online credit card: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
- In-person POS: 2.7% per transaction
- Third-party payment gateways: +2%
Example with PayPal in the U.S.:
- Shopify fee: 2%
- PayPal fee: 2.99% + $0.49
- Total: 4.99% + $0.49 per transaction
Additional costs
- Domain: ~$14/year for new purchases; annual renewal fees apply.
- Shopify apps: Average ~$19/month, depending on needs.
- Shopify themes: Free or premium up to $380 (one-time purchase).
- Shopify POS: POS Lite is free; POS Pro is $89 per store.
- Email hosting: Free for 10,000 emails/month; $1 per 1,000 emails beyond that.
Estimated total costs
|
Item |
Cost (USD) |
|
Monthly subscription |
$39 |
|
Transaction fees |
2.6–2.9% + fixed fee |
|
Domain |
~$14/year |
|
Theme |
Free–$380 (one-time) |
|
Apps |
Free–$99/month |
|
POS |
Free–$89 |
|
Marketing & advertising |
$50–$300/month |
|
Total estimated cost |
$90–$650+/month |
Note: Actual costs vary by country, app usage, and POS hardware needs.
Key features of the Shopify basic plan
The Basic Shopify plan provides essential tools to create an online store, manage products, orders, and customer data, enabling efficient operations from the start.
Online store
Easily build and customize your store with Shopify’s integrated editor. Access over 973 responsive themes, including 24 free ones, for mobile-friendly designs. Manage products, orders, and customer data seamlessly via a user-friendly dashboard.
Unlimited products
Sell unlimited products online and in-person, with up to 10 inventory locations for expanded reach. Organize products effectively with SEO and categorization tools:
-
- Basic details: Title, description, images, price, SKU, barcode, inventory.
- Product variants: Size, color, material, price, images, and separate stock per variant.
- Organization & SEO: Collections, tags, product types, vendors, and SEO optimization for better search visibility.
Basic reporting
Track sales, orders, visitor data, and product performance with essential reports. Live insights into customer behavior and geographic data, plus financial, inventory, marketing, and purchase behavior reports, ensure smooth operations.
Abandoned cart recovery
Turn lost sales into revenue with Shopify’s automated abandoned cart recovery feature. When a customer leaves items in their cart, Shopify automatically sends a reminder email encouraging them to complete their purchase. This simple yet powerful automation helps increase your conversion rate and profitability with minimal effort or additional cost — making every potential sale count.
SSL certificate and security
Every Shopify store includes a free SSL certificate that encrypts all customer and payment information using industry-standard security protocols. The visible “HTTPS” and padlock icon in your store’s URL build trust and reassure customers that their data is safe. Shopify’s advanced security infrastructure continually monitors for threats, ensuring your store and transactions remain protected at all times.
International selling
With Shopify Markets, you can expand your brand globally by selling in up to three international markets. The platform supports multiple currencies and languages, allowing you to tailor each shopping experience by region. Whether you’re customizing prices, local payment options, or translated content, Shopify makes global selling seamless and customer-friendly helping you reach new audiences worldwide.
Workflow automation
Shopify Flow automates repetitive operational tasks to save time and reduce human error. You can easily set up “if-then” (IFTT) rules for actions such as sending low-stock alerts, tagging specific orders, or managing customer requests. These automated workflows help you maintain consistency, efficiency, accuracy, especially valuable as your business scales and order volumes increase.
Integrated blog
Shopify’s built-in blogging tool lets you create and manage high-quality content directly within your store. By regularly publishing posts about promotions, events, product updates, and brand stories, you can boost engagement, strengthen SEO, and attract new customers. A well-maintained blog not only drives traffic but also deepens your connection with your audience, turning casual visitors into loyal buyers.
Read more: Shopify Features: The Complete Guide for Optimizing Your Store
Shopify basic plan vs. other Shopify plans
To help you decide if the Basic plan fits, here’s a comparison with other Shopify plans:
|
Feature |
Basic ($39/month) |
Shopify ($65/month) |
Advanced ($399/month) |
Plus ($2,300/month) |
|
Online store |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Unlimited products |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Blog functionality |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Abandoned cart recovery |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Staff accounts |
0 |
5 |
15 |
Unlimited |
|
Online transaction fees |
2.9% + 30¢ |
2.7% + 30¢ |
2.5% + 30¢ |
Custom |
|
Third-party gateway fees |
2% |
1% |
0.6% |
Custom |
|
Professional reporting |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Third-party shipping rates |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Custom checkout |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
Basic Shopify vs. Starter plan: The Starter plan suits quick link-based or social media sales but lacks critical features like blogs, discount codes, and advanced tools, making it unsuitable for robust online growth.
Basic Shopify vs. Shopify plan: Businesses scaling up should choose the Shopify plan ($105/month) for lower transaction fees and multiple staff accounts. It’s ideal for small teams with moderate needs.
Basic Shopify vs. Advanced/Plus plans: Larger businesses or high-transaction stores should opt for the Advanced ($399/month) or Plus ($2,300/month) plans for in-depth analytics, flexible shipping, and scalable customization.
How to set up your online store with the Basic Shopify plan
After Shopify’s 3-day free trial, start with the Basic plan. This process involves selecting the plan, adding products, customizing the theme, and configuring essential settings for a seamless shopping experience. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Step 1: Choose a store theme
- Go to Online Store > Themes in the admin panel.
- Explore popular free themes or click Visit Theme Store for premium options.
- Select a theme and click Add to include it in your theme library.
Step 2: Add products
- Select Products from the left-hand navigation.
- Click Add product and enter title, description, type, price, and images.
- Repeat for all products or services you want to sell.
Step 3: Organize products into collections
- Go to Products > Collections.
- Click Create collection, add a title, and detail each product group for easier customer browsing.
Step 4: Set up payment gateways
- Navigate to Settings > Payments.
- Choose a payment method. For PayPal or third-party providers, click Add payment method.
Step 5: Configure shipping rates
- Go to Settings > Shipping and Delivery.
- Select a shipping profile and click Manage.
- Click Add rate, enter the name and shipping cost, then click Done and Save.
- With Shopify Payments, set fixed shipping rates per market.
Step 6: Set up taxes
- Go to Settings > Taxes and Duties.
- Select the country or region in Manage Sales Tax Collection.
- Click Collect VAT, enter your VAT number if applicable, or update later.
- Confirm tax settings for the selected region.
Step 7: Test and launch your store
- Test orders by going to Settings > Payments > Edit, selecting Use test mode, and saving.
- When ready to launch, go to Online Store > Preferences, uncheck Restrict access to visitors with the password, and click Save.
Who should use the Basic Shopify plan?
The Basic Shopify plan is ideal for:
- New entrepreneurs: Launching their first online store on a limited budget.
- Small to medium businesses: Managing moderate sales and inventory volumes.
- Offline businesses going online: Traditional stores aiming to boost sales via e-commerce.
- Solo entrepreneurs and side hustlers: Self-managing their stores.
If you need a cost-effective, all-in-one solution with essential e-commerce tools, the Basic Shopify plan is an excellent choice.
