On fees alone, Shopify Plus rarely pays for itself. For a store on Shopify Payments, Plus’s lower card rate only covers the gap between Advanced (paid yearly) and Plus (3-year term) at about $800,000 a month in online sales, which is roughly where Shopify’s reported revenue-based Plus fee starts. Move to Plus when you need what only Plus does, such as deeper checkout customization, native B2B, expansion stores or higher API limits, not to save on processing.
That conclusion surprises people, because the sales pitch usually leads with lower rates. Below are the published numbers, three worked examples with the arithmetic shown, and an honest list of reasons to move and reasons to wait.
Shopify’s published plan pricing in 2026
These are the US figures from Shopify’s pricing page. Card rates are the standard online rates for Shopify Payments. The third-party fee is what Shopify charges on top if you process payments through an outside provider instead of Shopify Payments.
| Plan | Monthly price | Online card rate (Shopify Payments) | Third-party payment fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $39 billed monthly, $29 billed yearly | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2% |
| Grow | $105 billed monthly, $79 billed yearly | 2.7% + 30¢ | 1% |
| Advanced | $399 billed monthly, $299 billed yearly | 2.5% + 30¢ | 0.6% |
| Plus | $2,300 on a 3-year term, $2,500 on a 1-year term | 2.25% + 30¢ | 0.2% |
The Plus fee Shopify does not publish
Plus has a second component that is not on the public pricing page: a variable platform fee tied to revenue for larger stores. Merchants report it at about 0.35% of sales on a 3-year term or 0.40% on a 1-year term, once monthly sales pass about $800,000, capped at $40,000 a month. Treat those as reported figures, not a price list. The fee is set in each contract, and merchants describe it differently: some contracts apply the percentage to all monthly sales in place of the fixed fee, others describe it as applying to sales above the threshold. Read yours carefully before you sign, and ask for the exact formula in writing.
Below about $800,000 a month, the reported variable fee does not apply and the Plus platform cost is just the fixed $2,300 or $2,500.
Why the rate savings rarely cover the fee
The comparison most brands should make is Advanced paid yearly ($299) against Plus on a 3-year term ($2,300), both on Shopify Payments.
- The fixed monthly difference is $2,300 − $299 = $2,001.
- The card rate difference is 2.5% − 2.25% = 0.25% of online sales.
- The 30¢ per transaction is the same on both plans, so it cancels out.
Plus breaks even on fees when 0.25% of monthly sales equals $2,001. That is $2,001 ÷ 0.0025 = $800,400 a month. Right about there, the reported variable fee begins, which pushes the break-even point further out or removes it entirely, depending on how your contract reads.
Worked examples: Advanced yearly vs. Plus 3-year
Assumptions for all three: Shopify Payments, $90 average order, online card sales only, US standard rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest dollar.
Example 1: $250,000 a month in online sales
Orders: $250,000 ÷ $90 ≈ 2,778. Per-order fees: 2,778 × $0.30 ≈ $833 on both plans.
- Advanced: $299 + (2.5% × $250,000 = $6,250) + $833 = $7,382 a month.
- Plus: $2,300 + (2.25% × $250,000 = $5,625) + $833 = $8,758 a month.
Plus costs $1,376 more per month, about $16,512 a year. The rate saving is $625 a month against a $2,001 difference in plan price.
Example 2: $500,000 a month in online sales
Orders: $500,000 ÷ $90 ≈ 5,556. Per-order fees: 5,556 × $0.30 ≈ $1,667 on both plans.
- Advanced: $299 + (2.5% × $500,000 = $12,500) + $1,667 = $14,466 a month.
- Plus: $2,300 + (2.25% × $500,000 = $11,250) + $1,667 = $15,217 a month.
Plus costs $751 more per month, about $9,012 a year. The rate saving has grown to $1,250 a month, still short of $2,001.
Example 3: $1,000,000 a month in online sales
Orders: $1,000,000 ÷ $90 ≈ 11,111. Per-order fees: 11,111 × $0.30 ≈ $3,333 on both plans.
- Advanced: $299 + (2.5% × $1,000,000 = $25,000) + $3,333 = $28,632 a month.
- Plus, before the variable fee: $2,300 + (2.25% × $1,000,000 = $22,500) + $3,333 = $28,133.
Without the variable fee, Plus would be $499 a month cheaper. But this store is above the reported $800,000 threshold, so the platform cost changes:
- If your contract applies 0.35% to sales above $800,000 on top of the fixed fee: $2,300 + (0.35% × $200,000 = $700) = $3,000. Plus total: $3,000 + $22,500 + $3,333 = $28,833, which is $201 more than Advanced.
- If your contract applies 0.35% to all monthly sales in place of the fixed fee: 0.35% × $1,000,000 = $3,500. Plus total: $3,500 + $22,500 + $3,333 = $29,333, which is $701 more than Advanced.
| Monthly online sales | Advanced (yearly) | Plus (3-year) | Plus vs. Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $7,382 | $8,758 | $1,376 more |
| $500,000 | $14,466 | $15,217 | $751 more |
| $1,000,000 | $28,632 | $28,833 to $29,333 (depends on contract) | $201 to $701 more |
On a 1-year Plus term the picture is worse: the fixed fee is $2,500 and the reported variable rate is 0.40%. And if you pay Advanced monthly at $399 instead of yearly, the gap narrows by $100 a month, which does not change the conclusion.
One case where fees do favor Plus
If you process through a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify’s extra fee drops from 0.6% on Advanced to 0.2% on Plus, a difference of 0.4% of sales. At $500,000 a month that is 0.4% × $500,000 = $2,000, almost exactly the $2,001 plan difference. Above that, the third-party fee saving alone starts to cover Plus. Your processing rate in this case comes from your provider, so run the numbers with their actual rate. The Shopify Plus calculator handles both setups.
Good reasons to move to Plus
The real case for Plus is capability. These are the reasons we see hold up:
- Checkout customization beyond branding. Every plan can brand the checkout. Plus lets you add custom content, fields and logic inside the checkout steps themselves, which matters for things like delivery date selection, gift options, compliance messages or B2B purchase order fields.
- B2B inside Shopify. Shopify’s full native B2B tooling, with company accounts, customer-specific price lists, payment terms and wholesale ordering in the same store, has been a Plus feature. If wholesale is a real channel and is currently run on spreadsheets or a separate store, this alone can justify the move.
- Expansion stores. Plus includes additional stores under the same plan for separate regions, currencies or brands, without paying for a second full plan.
- Higher API limits. Plus stores get higher API rate limits. If you run heavy integrations with an ERP, a 3PL, marketplaces or a custom app, and those integrations hit limits during busy periods, Plus removes a real operational bottleneck.
- Custom logic with Shopify Functions. Some discount, shipping and payment customizations through custom apps are reserved for Plus. If your promotions or shipping rules are complex, check whether what you need requires it.
Reasons not to move yet
- You want it for the lower rate. As the examples show, that rarely works out on Shopify Payments.
- No one will build the customizations. Checkout extensions, B2B setup and Functions all take development work. Plus without a plan to use it is an expensive Advanced.
- The 3-year term is a real commitment. The better price comes with a longer contract. If your revenue is volatile or you might change platforms, the 1-year term or staying on Advanced keeps your options open.
- Your problems are elsewhere. In our work, many stores in the $3M to $10M range have more to gain from fixing slow product pages, broken tracking and overlapping apps than from changing plans. Fix those first.
If you are unsure which side of the line you are on, our Commerce Tech Audit ($5,000 fixed, two weeks) covers plan fit along with the rest of your stack. Or send a short note and get a written answer within one business day.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Shopify Plus cost in 2026?
Shopify publishes $2,300 a month on a 3-year term or $2,500 a month on a 1-year term, with online card rates of 2.25% + 30¢ on Shopify Payments. Larger stores also pay a revenue-based fee that Shopify does not publish. Merchants report it at about 0.35% (3-year) or 0.40% (1-year) of sales once monthly sales pass about $800,000, capped at $40,000 a month, but it is set per contract.
At what revenue does Shopify Plus pay for itself?
On Shopify Payments, comparing Advanced paid yearly with Plus on a 3-year term, the lower card rate covers the higher plan price at about $800,400 a month in online sales. That is roughly where the reported variable fee begins, so on fees alone Plus may never fully pay for itself. The case has to rest on features.
Is the Shopify Plus variable fee charged on all sales?
Shopify does not publish the formula, and merchants describe it in different ways. Some report it applying to all monthly sales, others to sales above the threshold. Get the exact terms in writing in your contract.
Do I need Shopify Plus for B2B?
Shopify’s full native B2B feature set has been tied to Plus. Check Shopify’s current plan pages for what is available on your plan, and compare that with running wholesale through an app or a separate store.
Should I take the 1-year or 3-year Plus term?
The 3-year term is cheaper per month, $2,300 instead of $2,500, with a lower reported variable rate. Take it only if you are confident you will stay on Shopify and on Plus for the full term.
Scott founded Broke Hold. He works hands-on across ecommerce operations, automation, cloud infrastructure, and integrations, works as the fractional CTO for Shopify brands, and builds and runs Broke Hold's own software, including VPS Snaps and DingPack. He served in the U.S. Navy Reserve.