Undoubtedly, Shopify is among the most preferred platforms for running an online store. There is no dearth of stunning and successful eCommerce stores built using Shopify.
However, there is a common question which is asked by most individuals and businesses when they begin building their stores with Shopify. Which Shopify plan to choose? If you are one of them, let us help you choose the right one!
How Many Plans Are There – Shopify
Shopify team offers 3 plans to pick from i.e.:
- Basic Shopify
- Shopify
- Advanced Shopify
It is often challenging to know which one you should pick until you are aware of the pricing and features of each plan. So, let’s know it first then move further.
Basic Shopify
Basic Shopify is the cheapest plan out of 3, usually picked by beginners. It lets you sell an unlimited number of products and can handle 2 staff accounts simultaneously.
This plan doesn’t include features like a gift card, professional reports, and advanced report builder. However, It is good to see that it supports necessary features like a discount code, SSL certificate, blog section, and 24/7 support.
Cost
Let’s find out exactly how much you will have to pay per month for this plan. It costs $29 for a month and also takes 2.0% transaction fee. Here it is worth mentioning this transaction fee is quite less in comparison to competitors.
Depending on the product, one of the Shopify alternatives such as Amazon demands a minimum of 7% and a maximum of 45%.
This plan is a sweet spot for people who are planning to launch an eye-pleasing online store but don’t want to pay for expensive features.
Shopify
This plan also lets you sell an unlimited number of products and take advantage of all the features you get with Basic Shopify. In addition to that, you get access to features like professional reports, gift card, discount codes, fraud risk tool, and abandoned cart recovery.
The advanced feature which you get with this plan is shopping cart recovery that allows you to take the contact details of people who did not purchase your product so that you can attract them by sending a discount code.
Cost
According to Shopify, this is their best-selling plan that costs $79 per month + 1.0% transaction fees. Although this plan looks a pretty big jump from the basic plan yet it seems it is worth paying when we take a look at features like abandoned shopping cart recovery.
Advanced Shopify
It would not be wrong to say, Advanced Shopify is a scaled-up version of Shopify Plan. The major addition that we see in this plan is, it can handle 15 staff accounts simultaneously. Along with the features of previous plans, you get 3rd party shipping calculation feature for free. Again this plan lets you access advanced reporting and sell unlimited products.
This plan best suits the requirements of organizations that keep planning on scaling up quickly. If your store is bringing in more than $33,000 per month, this plan can be a good choice for you.
Cost
The plan costs $299 for a month along with additional transaction fees of 0.5%.
Additional Cost
Charges for Domain Names
All their plans come with a free myshopify subdomain. However, if you want to buy a custom, professional domain name, you will have to pay additional charges. The provider allows you to buy a domain name at the cost of $13 annually.
What Plan to Choose
Which plan you should choose depends on your budget, requirements, and features you are looking for your store. Therefore, it is advisable to do some calculation using your prediction of how many orders you will be expecting from your newly built store.
Newbies, who are just starting out can begin with the basic Shopify plan as you’re not going to use premium plans and expect high sales in just beginning. So why pay $79 or $299 when you can get all the required features in just $29 per month. Since this basic plan makes the good balance of features and pricing, beginners can begin their journey with it.
Basic Shopify plan is good for newbies who:
- have a limited budget but want a professional and eye-pleasing store.
- don’t need advanced reporting functionality.
- are looking to do blogging as well to attract potential buyers.
As Shopify gives you the option to upgrade and downgrade your plan anytime, there should not be any issue in starting with the basic plan.
The good thing is none of their plans charge a setup fee. Moreover, you can use their service for free during the trial period (14 Days). It is advisable to begin your journey with the trial period so that you can get familiar with their ins and outs.