Shopify Free Plan: What You Actually Get Before Paying
Shopify has no permanent free plan for a full store. You get a 3-day free trial with no card, then $1 a month for 3 months before the $39 Basic price starts.
By Galactic News Editorial · Published 2026-11-09T13:28:36+00:00 · Updated 2026-11-09T13:28:36+00:00
Is there a Shopify free plan? The short answer is no. Shopify does not offer a permanent free plan for a full online store. What it does offer is a 3-day free trial with no card required, followed by $1 a month for the first three months on most plans.
That trial is the closest thing to a free Shopify plan. It gives you full access to build and test a store before you pay the standard price. This guide explains what you get during the trial, what the $1 months cover, and what happens when the price jumps to full rate.
All prices and terms come from Shopify's own pricing page and help pages, checked in November 2026. Prices are US list prices. Offers change, so read the terms on the sign-up page before you start.
Shopify free plan: what the trial actually gives you
Shopify's trial lasts 3 days. You do not need a credit card to start it. During those 3 days you can build your store, add products, pick a theme, and set up payments. You can explore the admin and test the checkout flow.
After the trial ends, Shopify does not jump straight to the full price. Most plans cost $1 a month for the first three months. That covers Basic, Grow, and Advanced. After the three months, the standard monthly price applies. Basic costs $39 a month, or $29 a month on yearly billing.
Apps installed during the trial are charged on your first invoice. Shopify does not extend a trial or reset the promotional pricing. If you cancel during the trial, you pay nothing. Billing runs in 30-day cycles, and a charged cycle is generally non-refundable even if you cancel mid-cycle.
Shopify also lists an Agentic plan at $0 a month. It only covers selling through AI channels, such as AI shopping assistants. You pay card rates from 2.9% plus 30 cents when you make a sale. It is not a full online store, and it does not replace the Basic plan.
What you get before paying full price
The trial gives you the full Basic plan experience. You get a full-featured online store with unlimited products. You get hosting, a free SSL certificate, and a custom domain option. You get the checkout that Shopify describes as the best-converting in the industry.
You also get the marketing tools. Basic includes unlimited contacts, customer segments, email campaigns, and abandoned checkout recovery. You can create discount codes and sell gift cards. You can sell on social media and marketplaces from the same dashboard.
Basic includes 10 inventory locations and 200+ real-time reports. It includes 24/7 live chat support. It does not include additional staff accounts. It includes only limited checkout customization. Third-party calculated shipping rates are not included on Basic.
Payment processing is ready from day one. Shopify Payments is included on Basic. Online standard card rates are 2.9% plus 30 cents. If you use a third-party payment provider instead, Shopify adds a 2% transaction fee on every sale. In-person card rates are 2.6% plus 10 cents.
Shopify free plan vs the paid plans
The trial does not limit which plan you pick. You can start on Basic, Grow, or Advanced and pay $1 a month for the first three months on any of them. The plan you choose sets your card rates and your transaction fees.
| Plan | Monthly price | Yearly price (per month) | Card rate (Shopify Payments) | Third-party fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $39 | $29 | 2.9% + 30 cents | 2% |
| Grow | $105 | $89 | 2.6% + 30 cents | 1% |
| Advanced | $399 | $359 | 2.5% + 30 cents | 0.6% |
| Plus | From $2,300 | Custom | Lower rates | 0.2% |
Grow is the middle plan. It adds more staff accounts, more inventory locations, and better reporting. It also raises the sales credit ceiling. Basic earns 1% back on all sales up to $5,000. Grow earns up to $7,500. Advanced earns up to $10,000.
Advanced is the top self-serve plan. It adds the lowest card rates, the lowest third-party fee, and the most advanced reporting. It also adds more B2B catalogs and custom checkout options. Most new stores do not need it. Upgrade only when sales volume justifies the higher fee.
Shopify Plus starts at $2,300 a month on a 3-year term. It covers high-volume stores with custom checkout, bot protection, and up to 9 expansion stores. It is priced by quote. A new store will not need it.
What the trial does not include
The trial gives you the platform. It does not give you a free store forever. After the $1 months end, the standard price applies. Basic costs $39 a month on monthly billing. Yearly billing cuts it to $29 a month, or $348 a year.
The trial does not cover app costs. Many stores install paid apps for reviews, email, or shipping. Those apps bill separately. A realistic mid-size store often pays for several apps on top of the subscription. Check the app prices before you install them.
The trial does not cover a domain name. Shopify lets you buy a domain through the platform, but the domain costs extra. The first year of a domain is not included in the trial. Factor that into your startup cost.
The trial does not cover payment processing fees. Every sale carries a card fee. On Basic with Shopify Payments, that is 2.9% plus 30 cents per online order. Those fees apply during the trial too, once you start taking orders.
How to make the most of the 3-day trial
Three days is short. Plan before you sign up. Decide what you sell, pick your products, and prepare your images and copy in advance. Then use the trial to build, not to plan.
- Sign up with no card and pick the Basic plan.
- Add your products with prices, photos, and descriptions.
- Pick a free theme and set up your homepage and product pages.
- Connect Shopify Payments so you can take orders.
- Test the checkout yourself with a test order.
- Set up shipping rates and tax settings for your region.
- Decide whether to keep the store before the $1 months start.
Do not rush to launch during the trial. Use the three days to build. Use the $1 months to launch and test real sales. That gives you about three months at almost no cost to learn whether the store works.
Set a reminder for the end of the $1 period. The jump from $1 a month to $39 a month catches many sellers off guard. Decide in advance whether the store earns enough to justify the full price.
Shopify free plan alternatives
If you need a store that stays free, Shopify is the wrong choice. Other platforms offer permanent free plans with limits. Wix has a free plan with a Wix subdomain and Wix ads. It cannot take payments until you upgrade to Core at $29 a month billed yearly.
WooCommerce is free as software, but it needs WordPress hosting. WordPress.com has a free plan, but selling needs the Commerce plan at $45 a month billed yearly. None of these is a free full store either. Every platform charges for payments, hosting, or both.
The honest comparison is cost per month. Shopify Basic at $29 a month on yearly billing is close to Wix Core at the same price. WordPress.com Commerce at $45 a month costs more. Pick the platform that fits your products, not the one with the longest trial.
Bottom line
Shopify has no permanent free plan for a full store. It offers a 3-day free trial with no card required, then $1 a month for the first three months. That is enough time to build a store and test real sales before the $39 a month Basic price starts.
The trial is generous, but it is not free forever. Budget for the full price, the card fees, and any apps you install. If the store earns more than it costs, keep it. If it does not, cancel before the $1 months end and you will have paid almost nothing to learn that.