Shopify 2026 Tier Pricing
Shopify & Stripe Processing Fee Estimator
Compare payment gateway processing fees, monthly subscription TCO, and effective fee percentages.
Net Profit
$24,086.00
Per sale net cashflow
Profit Margin
96.3%
Gross margin ratio
Gross Revenue$25000.00
Total Expenses$914.00
Effective Fee %3.66%
Est. Transactions500 tx
Cost & Profit Breakdown
Visual AllocationSubscription Fee$39.00
% Processing Fee$725.00
Fixed Tx Fee (30¢)$150.00
Net Retained Volume$24086.00
Calculator Inputs
Instant Recalculation$25000.00
$50.00
Ideal for new merchants. 2.9% + 30¢ rates.
Using 3rd-Party Gateway (e.g. External Stripe)?Shopify adds +2% transaction fee penalty
Net Profit
$24,086.00
Per sale net cashflow
Profit Margin
96.3%
Gross margin ratio
Gross Revenue$25000.00
Total Expenses$914.00
Effective Fee %3.66%
Est. Transactions500 tx
Cost & Profit Breakdown
Visual AllocationSubscription Fee$39.00
% Processing Fee$725.00
Fixed Tx Fee (30¢)$150.00
Net Retained Volume$24086.00
Calculator Inputs
Live Recalculation$25000.00
$50.00
Ideal for new merchants. 2.9% + 30¢ rates.
Using 3rd-Party Gateway (e.g. External Stripe)?Shopify adds +2% transaction fee penalty
Shopify & Stripe Fee Structure Breakdown and Plan Optimization Guide
Payment processing fees represent one of the single largest recurring operating expenses for e-commerce stores. Choosing between Stripe direct, Shopify Payments, or third-party payment gateways can result in thousands of dollars in annual savings or unnecessary overhead.
Understanding the Fee Mechanics
- Percentage Rate (2.4% – 2.9%): Charged on the gross transaction value. Lower rates are unlocked at higher Shopify plan tiers (Advanced vs Basic).
- Per-Transaction Fixed Fee ($0.30): Flat fee charged per successful transaction. Low AOV products feel a heavier impact from fixed fees.
- External Gateway Fee Penalty (0.6% – 2.0%): Assessed by Shopify if you use an external processor instead of Shopify Payments.
Effective Fee Formula
Total Monthly Expense = Subscription Fee + (Sales Volume × Rate %) + (Orders × $0.30) + (External Gateway Fee if applicable)
Frequently Asked Questions
Shopify Payments is powered by Stripe backend infrastructure, but is seamlessly integrated into Shopify. When using Shopify Payments, Shopify waives its 3rd-party transaction fee penalty (which ranges from 0.6% to 2.0% on external gateways like external Stripe accounts).
Because credit card processors charge a fixed fee (e.g., $0.30) per transaction in addition to a percentage rate, lower AOV products incur a significantly higher effective percentage fee. Higher AOV transactions dilute the fixed 30¢ cost across larger purchase amounts.
Merchants should upgrade when the processing fee rate discount (e.g., moving from 2.9% on Basic to 2.6% on Standard) saves more money each month than the increase in subscription cost ($66 difference). Typically, merchants generating over $22,000/month benefit from upgrading to Shopify Standard.
Yes. Both Stripe and Shopify charge an additional 1.0% to 1.5% fee for processing international credit cards or performing cross-border currency conversion.