Your Complete Guide to the 2023 Shopify Price Increase

The latest Shopify price increase has, understandably, sparked some concern among ecommerce store owners.

In today’s volatile economy, many companies are already dealing with rising costs for energy, problematic supply chains, and other significant concerns.

The last thing most companies want is to have to spend extra on their ecommerce store builders too.

Here’s everything you need to know about the latest price increase.

Why are the Shopify Subscription Plans Changing?

No company wants to have to raise prices. Most ecommerce owners know that higher prices can make it harder to connect with customers. Unfortunately, the pandemic, the economic landscape, and the rising layoffs in the technology space have made major changes in the industry necessary.

Shopify announced the pending changes to its pricing plans at the end of January 2023 in a news/blog post. According to the platform leaders, the pricing changes reflect the major changes that have occurred within the platform since the solution was first developed in 2006.

Shopify noted that its goal has always been to provide merchants with the most innovative, reliable, and powerful tools in the industry, at an affordable price point.

However, the work and resources involved in producing a phenomenal platform today have evolved. In order to ensure companies can continue to get the same value out of the platform, Shopify has been forced to change its pricing structure. The company believes the change will allow it to continue innovating and solving some of the most difficult problems in the ecommerce industry, with access to the right talent, resources, and technology.

Who do the Shopify Price Changes Affect?

The pricing changes are being rolled out across all of the Basic, Shopify, and Advanced plans offered by the company. If you’re a user of Shopify Plus, the chances are you were given a custom quote based on your specific needs, and it’s uncertain whether that quote will change going forward.

Existing merchants using the platform had until April 2023 to prepare for the price changes. Additionally, Shopify offered companies the opportunity to switch from monthly to yearly subscriptions before this date, to maintain their current price for another year.

While all new merchants will have to adhere to the new pricing structure, Shopify still offers companies the opportunity to explore the platform and its functionality for as little as $1 per month during a paid trial, so the initial costs can still be quite low.

The Shopify Pricing Update: New Prices in the USA

Unfortunately compared to last year, the plan pricing for Shopify has increased quite significantly for new customers. While price hikes are common in the software industry, as well as in other sectors across the globe, they do require some strategizing from business leaders.

One thing to keep in mind is that switching from a monthly subscription plan to a yearly or annual plan will save you 25% on your total costs. This means you’ll get the same price if you pay annually from now on, that you would have received for a monthly plan last year.

Here are the new prices you’ll need to be aware of in the United States:

Shopify Basic

The Shopify Basic plan, which offers basic reports, up to 1,000 inventory locations, and 2 staff accounts, is shifting from a price of $29 to £39 per month. This package is available for $1 per month for the first free months as part of a paid trial, similar to all other Shopify plans (except Shopify Plus).

On the basic plan, you can still access a range of benefits, including the full Shopify store building tools, and a 44.2% discount on shipping through Shopify partners.

The Basic plan includes all the same features as before, such as discount codes, hydrogen storefronts, up to 1,000 inventory locations, abandoned card recovery, gift cards, and basic reports. You’ll also access features for customer segmentation, marketing automation, unlimited contacts, shipping labels, and fraud analysis tools.

Shopify

The standard Shopify plan is also increasing in price by 25%, from $79 per month to $105 per month. However, you can still access the $75 per month plan on an annual subscription. This package includes all of the same functionality as before, which includes all of the features of Basic, as well as lower in-person and online transaction rates.

You’ll also be able to access up to 5 staff accounts on the Standard Shopify plan, standard reports, and extra features, like product pricing by market for international commerce, and ecommerce automations. The updated plan also includes up to 30 free units with Shopify fulfillment.

Shopify Advanced

The Advanced Shopify plan is increasing from a cost of $299 per month to $399 per month, with all of the same bonus features you would have expected before. This package comes with all of the features of the standard Shopify plan, as well as up to 15 staff accounts, even lower payment processing rates for credit cards, and advanced reports.

Advanced Shopify users can also benefit from up to 50 free units with the Order fulfillment network, duties and import tax calculations, and other bonus features.

Shopify Pricing Increases Worldwide

The updates to the Shopify pricing strategy are taking place worldwide, for all of the regions Shopify serves. This means if you run your online store anywhere with Shopify, you’ll need to prepare for an increase to your package costs. In general, the increased pricing reflects around a 25% hike to the overall package costs for each plan.

However, you may be able to minimize some of the extra expenses on the platform by choosing to switch from a monthly to an annual package. Here are how the pricing changes will influence entrepreneurs and small business owners around the world.

Australia

In Australia, the new pricing structure is the same as the one you’ll find in the United States, with prices listed in USD, rather than Australian dollars. This means you can expect to pay:

• $39 per month for Shopify Basic
• $105 per month for Shopify
• $399 per month for Shopify Advanced

25% discounts are still available on annual plans, and all of the packages can be accessed for $1 per month for the first 3 months.

United Kingdom

In the UK, the Shopify plans also feature the 25% discount on all annual packages, and you can pay £1 per month for the first 3 months of any plan. New prices include:

• £25 per month for Shopify Basic
• £65 per month for Shopify
• £344 per month for Advanced Shopify

Canada

In Canada, the new plans will cost:

• Basic: $51 CAD per month
• Shopify: $132 CAD per month
• Advanced: $517 CAD per month

Spain

In Spain, the new packages are priced as follows:

• Basic: €36 per month
• Shopify: €105 per month
• Advanced: €384 per month

Germany

The new prices in Germany are priced in GBP:

• £25 per month for Shopify Basic
• £65 per month for Shopify
• £344 per month for Advanced Shopify

Italy

In Italy, prices are also depicted in GBP:

• £25 per month for Basic
• £65 per month for Shopify
• £344 per month for Advanced

Portugal

Within Portugal, Shopify prices are given in euros:

• Basic: €36 per month
• Shopify: €105 per month
• Advanced: €384 per month

France

In France, prices are also given in euros:

• Basic: €36 per month
• Shopify: €105 per month
• Advanced: €384 per month

How to Choose your New Shopify Plan

If you’re already using Shopify as your ecommerce builder, and tool for selling across social media, eBay, and other channels, the pricing should update on your plan automatically. However, you can visit the pricing page on the Shopify website to learn more. You’ll also be able to visit your plan page within the Shopify admin center to select yearly billing, or make changes.

Keep in mind, most of the functionality offered for the average e-commerce company on each plan has remained the same. You can still sell trending products around the world with dropshipping, and you’ll still be able to access the Shopify SEO and Shopify stock management tools as you did before. However, Shopify is constantly rolling out new features to increase its value.

Before changing your Shopify plan based on the new price changes, it’s worth checking with your chief operating officer and other business leaders to ensure you’ll still get the functionality you need on any cheaper plans to run your store.

Additionally, keep in mind, if you’re using the Shopify app store, the prices for some subscriptions to common plugins and add-ons may have changed.

What’s Next?

This is the first time Shopify has made a significant change to its price structure in a number of years, so with a little luck, we won’t see any major increases again too soon in the future. Though the prices for Shopify are certainly a lot higher now, it’s worth noting that the company still offers exceptional value for money, if you’re looking for a combination of ease of use and flexibility.

When choosing your new plan, pay attention to both the monthly subscription costs and the transaction fees offered on both plans. Keep in mind your transaction fees will be higher if you’re not using the integrated solution, Shopify Payments.

If you think the new prices for Shopify are too high, you can always consider migrating your store to another platform, such as Squarespace, Wix, or BigCommerce.