Shopify Pricing UK 2025 – Plans, Features, Costs & Comparison

Quick answer: Shopify’s core UK plans cost £19/month (Basic), £49/month (Shopify), and £259/month (Advanced), plus VAT and transaction fees. There’s also a £5/month Starter plan and an enterprise-level Shopify Plus tier starting from around £1,627/month. A £1/month for the first 3 months promo is also available at the moment.

If you're setting up a new ecommerce business in the UK, one of your first big questions is: how much does Shopify actually cost?

While it’s known for being easy to use and packed with ecommerce features, Shopify's pricing isn't always straightforward — especially when you're in the UK, and you're dealing with currency conversions, VAT, third-party fees, and other hidden costs.

This guide breaks down everything you need to know about Shopify pricing in the UK. From Starter to Shopify Plus, we’ll unpack features, fees, and how UK prices compare to US and European ones.

Shopify UK Pricing Plans at a Glance

Shopify offers a selection of pricing plans tailored to businesses of all sizes. Here's an overview of the monthly cost for UK users (including VAT):

Plan	Monthly Price (incl. VAT)	Best For
Starter	£5	Selling via social media or an existing site
Grow	£19	New businesses creating their first full store
Shopify	£49	Growing businesses with more staff or traffic
Advanced	£259	Larger operations with international sales
Shopify Plus	From ~$2,000 USD	Enterprise-level stores

These prices reflect Shopify’s updated 2025 structure, billed in USD but converted to GBP on your invoice. Shopify charges VAT on top of all plans for UK users.

Each plan builds upon the previous one, introducing new features and lower transaction fees as you scale. Shopify also allows merchants to switch plans easily, so you’re never locked into a tier that no longer fits your needs.

It's worth noting that Shopify frequently updates its plan names and structure for different regions. For example, “Grow” may be used in the US to describe the Shopify plan. For clarity, this article sticks with the UK-specific plan names and pricing.

Shopify Starter Plan – £5/month

The Starter plan is Shopify’s entry-level option designed for creators and side hustlers. This plan doesn’t give you a full online store but lets you sell via social media and messaging platforms.

Key Features:

• Sell on Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Messenger
• Generate “Buy” buttons for existing websites or blogs
• Order and product management dashboard
• Access to Shopify's app store (limited)

Pros:

• Ideal for testing products before building a full store
• Minimal cost for hobbyists and micro-businesses
• Includes analytics and payment support

Limitations:

• No standalone website
• No blogging, email marketing, or full checkout customisation
• Only basic support and reporting tools

Verdict: This plan is perfect if you're just starting to test a product idea or sell via social media. It's not designed for full-scale ecommerce but can be a helpful launchpad.

If you already have a blog or a content-heavy site and want to add basic product sales functionality without building a full store, the Starter plan keeps your costs low while giving you essential checkout tools. It’s especially useful for creators or consultants selling digital products or services.

However, this plan does come with limitations. You won’t get access to Shopify’s full theme editor or store customisation features, which are key for branding and customer experience. As a result, most serious sellers quickly move to the Basic plan.

Basic Shopify Plan – £19/month

The Basic Shopify plan is the most affordable tier offering a complete online store. It’s designed for small businesses looking to start selling online with a proper storefront.

What's Included:

• Full online store with website and blog
• Unlimited products
• 2 staff accounts
• Basic reports and customer segmentation
• Abandoned cart recovery
• Manual order creation
• Free SSL certificate

Transaction Fees (with Shopify Payments):

• Online: 2.0% + 25p
• In-person: 1.7%

Best For:

• New UK-based ecommerce businesses
• Brands selling multiple SKUs
• Entrepreneurs needing marketing tools and customer features

Additional Notes:

• Shopify POS Lite is included
• Email hosting is not included
• You’ll still need to purchase a domain

Verdict: The Basic plan offers strong value for new ecommerce ventures. Features like abandoned cart recovery and discount codes make it more comprehensive than most entry-level plans from competitors.

The Basic plan gives you access to Shopify’s extensive theme store, which lets you design and personalise your storefront. This means you can create a professional-looking website with a secure checkout experience and the scalability to grow over time.

Although transaction fees are higher on this plan than on upper tiers, the built-in ecommerce tools offer a well-rounded platform for sellers looking to establish an online presence without major upfront costs. It's a strong starting point for any serious online business.

Grow Plan – £49/month

This plan builds on Basic with extra capabilities to help manage larger teams, more sales, and operational automation.

Key Features:

• 5 staff accounts
• Better performance reports
• Ecommerce automations
• Up to 5 inventory locations
• Customer segmentation and marketing tools
• Shopify Marketplace Connect integration

Transaction Fees (Shopify Payments):

• Online: 1.7% + 25p
• In-person: 1.6%

Best For:

• Small businesses scaling fast
• Teams that need collaboration features
• Stores generating consistent monthly revenue

Pros:

• Lower transaction fees
• More room to grow than the Basic plan
• Great balance of features and cost

Verdict: The Grow plan is ideal for stores generating £10k–£50k per month and looking to reduce fees while unlocking more automation features.

The inclusion of ecommerce automation tools in this plan is a major advantage for growing stores. It allows businesses to save time on repetitive tasks such as sending abandoned cart emails, tagging customers based on behaviour, and triggering workflows based on order value.

If you’re expanding your marketing efforts, having access to standard reports and customer insights helps you make informed decisions based on real-time performance data. This plan strikes the right balance between affordability and capability for mid-level UK merchants.

Advanced Shopify Plan – £259/month

Designed for high-volume ecommerce stores, this plan provides advanced data insights, global pricing tools, and lower transaction fees.

Key Features:

• 15 staff accounts
• Advanced report builder
• Custom pricing by market
• Estimated duty & import tax calculation
• Third-party shipping rate integrations
• 8+ inventory locations

Transaction Fees (Shopify Payments):

• Online: 1.5% + 25p
• In-person: 1.5%

Ideal For:

• Businesses with international reach
• Brands with multiple team members or fulfilment locations
• Companies needing detailed reporting and analysis

Verdict: Once you're processing £100k+ in monthly sales, the Advanced plan becomes more cost-effective due to lower fees and enterprise-level features.

One of the most powerful tools in this plan is the custom report builder, which lets you dig deep into specific KPIs, product performance, customer behaviour, and marketing ROI. This is essential for brands scaling across regions or operating with complex sales cycles.

If you’re managing international orders, the ability to calculate duties and taxes automatically at checkout improves the customer experience and helps avoid costly shipping issues. Combined with reduced credit card fees, the Advanced plan can result in major cost savings over time.

Shopify Plus – Starting from ~$2,300 USD/month

For enterprise-level businesses, Shopify Plus offers dedicated support, infrastructure, and customisation. This is not listed in GBP, but typically costs around £1,627+ per month.

What You Get:

• Unlimited staff accounts
• Custom checkout experiences
• Sandbox environments
• Dedicated account manager
• Access to exclusive apps
• Multi-store support
• API integrations and custom automations

Who It’s For:

• Businesses with £500k+ monthly revenue
• Brands operating globally
• Companies needing bespoke solutions

Verdict: Shopify Plus is overkill for most small or medium-sized stores. It's built for big retail brands and international sellers requiring a fully scalable, customisable platform.

With Shopify Plus, merchants gain access to the Launch Team, a group of ecommerce engineers who assist with onboarding, custom feature development, and integrating third-party systems like ERPs and CRMs.

Another major benefit is Shopify Flow, which automates high-level tasks like fraud prevention, loyalty program triggers, inventory alerts, and more. These features are critical at scale and help eliminate operational inefficiencies.

Shopify Retail Plan (POS Pro) – £69/month

If you’re a UK business that sells both online and in person, the Shopify Retail Plan — also known as Shopify POS Pro — is a crucial upgrade worth considering. While all Shopify plans include POS Lite for free, the POS Pro plan adds deeper functionality designed specifically for physical retail operations.

The POS Pro upgrade is available for £76 per month, per retail location, and it runs on top of your existing Shopify plan (Basic, Shopify, or Advanced).

Key Features of Shopify POS Pro:

• Advanced inventory management across multiple store locations
• In-store analytics and performance reports
• Custom staff permissions and roles
• Omnichannel selling tools — offer local pickup, returns, and exchanges from anywhere
• Seamless integration with online inventory and orders
• In-store promotions and smart product recommendations

With POS Pro, your retail and online sales are fully synced, making it easy to manage products, customer data, and inventory in one unified system. This is especially useful for multi-location businesses or those planning to expand into brick-and-mortar.

The Pro plan also supports hardware integrations, such as receipt printers, barcode scanners, and cash drawers. Shopify sells this hardware directly, and it integrates seamlessly with the POS app — available for iOS and Android.

Who Is Shopify POS Pro Best For?

• Independent retail stores and boutiques
• Pop-up shops and seasonal kiosks
• Brands with a hybrid ecommerce and physical sales model
• Businesses with multiple staff needing sales roles or access levels

Things to Consider:

• You’ll pay £76/month per location, so costs scale with store count
• Shopify POS Pro is only available as an add-on to a main Shopify plan — it can’t be purchased standalone
• If you're running just one in-person event or occasional market stall, POS Lite (included for free) may be sufficient

Verdict: Shopify POS Pro brings Shopify’s ecommerce power to the shop floor. If you’re building an omnichannel brand or already have a physical storefront, this plan gives you the infrastructure to manage retail operations professionally, with real-time syncing and powerful checkout features.

Shopify Pricing UK vs US vs Europe

Understanding Shopify’s pricing differences across regions is key if you're selling internationally or comparing costs.

Plan	UK (incl. VAT)	US (excl. tax)	Europe (incl. VAT)
Starter	£5	$5	€5
Basic	£19	$39	€36
Grow	£49	$105	€105
Advanced	£259	$399	€384
Plus	~£1,627	$2,300	€1,900+

Key Takeaways:

• VAT: UK and EU pay 20–21% VAT on top of base pricing
• Currency: Shopify bills in USD; conversion rates vary monthly
• Promos: The 3-months-for-$1 promo is often only for US users

Conclusion: UK merchants often pay 10–20% more overall after factoring in VAT, FX rates, and limited access to certain Shopify services available only in the US.

Another consideration is platform support and availability of services. Shopify’s fulfilment network, for example, is heavily US-focused, meaning UK and EU users must use third-party logistics providers. This adds to operational complexity and can increase fulfilment costs.

In addition, some apps and tools roll out first in the US before expanding to the UK or EU. This means international merchants may face a delayed experience when it comes to features like Shopify Magic, Sidekick AI, or certain beta programs available only in the US initially.

---

Extra Shopify Costs to Know About

Shopify’s core plans only tell part of the story. UK users often incur additional recurring and one-off costs.

Common Extras:

• Themes: Premium themes range from £110 to £150
• Apps: Many apps charge monthly, starting from £5 up to £200+
• Domains: Starts at £7 per year via Shopify (or cheaper elsewhere)
• Email Hosting: Not included, must be purchased separately
• POS Hardware: Readers start at £49 (WisePad 3)

POS Pro:

• Software: £76/month per location
• Includes: Staff roles, in-store analytics, omnichannel support

Tip: Avoid unnecessary add-ons until you validate your sales model. Costs can creep up quickly.

While Shopify includes everything you need to start selling online, the reliance on third-party apps can make it hard to control your total spend. Features like upsells, advanced product filters, subscription billing, or reviews often require external tools — many of which carry a recurring monthly fee.

Additionally, while some apps offer free versions, premium tiers often unlock essential features for larger stores. That means most growing Shopify merchants end up spending £50–£200/month on apps alone, making it important to budget for these extras when calculating your total cost of ownership.

---

Shopify Transaction Fees (UK)

Whether you’re using Shopify Payments or not, every plan comes with transaction fees — and they vary by plan and processor.

Plan	Shopify Payments (Online)	Shopify Payments (In-person)	Third-party Gateway Fee
Starter	5% + 25p	N/A	5%
Basic	2% + 25p	1.7%	2%
Shopify	1.7% + 25p	1.6%	1%
Advanced	1.5% + 25p	1.5%	0.5%
Plus	2.15% + 25p	Custom	0.15–0.30%

Important Notes:

• Using Shopify Payments waives the third-party transaction fee
• Amex & international card rates are higher (3.1%+ on Basic)
• Most UK stores use Shopify Payments + PayPal combo for coverage

While Shopify Payments offers competitive rates, it's not always the right fit for every business. Some high-risk industries or subscription-based businesses may prefer Stripe or PayPal for added flexibility.

However, using those services comes with higher Shopify fees unless you’re on the Plus plan.

It's also important to factor in currency conversion fees if you sell internationally. Even with Shopify Payments, selling in multiple currencies can introduce FX margins of 1.5–2%, depending on your settings.

These charges add up over time and should be reviewed regularly in your payment settings.

How Shopify Compares to Other UK Options

Platform	Starting Price	Transaction Fees	Key Strengths
Shopify	£5–£259	0.5–5%	Scalable, full features
Wix	£15	~2%	Easy to use, good design
BigCommerce	£23	None	Unlimited staff, no fees
WooCommerce	Free*	Depends	Flexible, developer-friendly
Squarespace	£21	3%	Beautiful design, less ecommerce depth

Verdict: Shopify is more expensive upfront but offers more depth and scalability, making it a stronger long-term solution for serious ecommerce brands.

One of the key advantages of Shopify over these alternatives is its dedicated focus on ecommerce.

While platforms like Wix and Squarespace also support online selling, their ecommerce tools aren’t as robust, especially when it comes to advanced checkout, inventory management, and international sales.

WooCommerce can be powerful when configured correctly, but it requires more technical knowledge, ongoing plugin management, and a reliable hosting environment.

Shopify’s simplicity and all-in-one infrastructure make it a better choice for business owners who want to focus on growth instead of troubleshooting.

Which Shopify Plan Should You Choose?

If you’re unsure which plan suits your needs, here’s a simple framework to guide your decision:

Monthly Revenue	Team Size	Recommended Plan
Under £500	Solo	Starter
£500–£10,000	1–2	Basic
£10,000–£150,000	3–5	Shopify
£150,000+	5+	Advanced
£500,000+	10+	Shopify Plus

Tip: Start small. Shopify makes it easy to upgrade as your business scales.

Beyond revenue and team size, consider your growth ambitions. If you're a brand planning to launch internationally or offer complex shipping options, it may be worth starting with the Shopify or Advanced plan earlier.

These plans will give you access to features like calculated rates and market-based pricing — key tools for international expansion.

That said, most businesses start on the Basic plan and upgrade when operational needs or transaction volumes justify the extra cost. Shopify does not penalise you for switching plans, so you’re free to adapt your subscription as your business evolves.

FAQs About Shopify Pricing in the UK

Does Shopify offer a free plan?

No, Shopify doesn’t have a permanent free plan. However, it frequently runs a £1-for-the-first-month promotion, and it also offers a 3-day free trial that allows you to explore the dashboard, add products, and set up your store before committing to a paid plan.

That said, during the free trial, you won’t be able to start selling until you choose a paid plan. This gives you limited time to decide whether Shopify is the right platform for your business, but it does allow you to get familiar with its interface and feature set.

Are Shopify plans billed in GBP?

Shopify bills all UK customers in USD, even though plan prices are displayed in GBP on the front end. The exact amount you’re charged each month will depend on the current exchange rate at the time your invoice is generated.

Because of this, your monthly bill may fluctuate slightly. You’ll also see 20% VAT added at checkout if you’re based in the UK, which further increases your total costs. Businesses registered for VAT may be able to claim this back, but it's something to be aware of in advance.

Do I need to pay VAT?

Yes, VAT is automatically applied at 20% to all Shopify plans if you’re located in the UK. This is a legal requirement and applies to all services billed to a UK address, including ecommerce platforms like Shopify.

If your business is VAT-registered, you can typically reclaim this VAT on your quarterly return. However, you’ll still need to account for it in your cash flow and budgeting, especially when comparing Shopify’s headline pricing to what you'll actually pay.

Can I cancel my Shopify plan at any time?

Yes. Shopify works on a rolling monthly contract, so you can cancel at any time without penalty. You won’t be charged a cancellation fee, and you can continue using your store until the end of your billing period.

If you opt for an annual or biennial plan to save money, note that these are paid upfront and non-refundable. If you cancel early, you won’t get your money back, so be sure you're committed before choosing a long-term plan.

Final Thoughts on Shopify Pricing UK

Shopify is undoubtedly one of the most powerful ecommerce platforms available to UK sellers — but that power comes at a cost. With plan prices ranging from £5 to over £250/month, plus VAT, apps, and payment fees, Shopify isn’t the cheapest solution out there.

However, it offers exceptional scalability, flexibility, and ease of use, which makes it ideal for businesses with serious long-term growth goals. Even on the lower-tier plans, Shopify includes many features that competitors reserve for higher price points — like abandoned cart recovery, unlimited products, and multichannel selling.

For new businesses, the Basic plan at £19/month is often more than enough to launch, market, and start selling online. As you grow, the transition to higher plans becomes a logical step to save on transaction fees and unlock advanced tools.

The main takeaway is this: Shopify isn’t for everyone — but if you’re serious about ecommerce, it’s worth the investment. Be prepared for additional costs beyond the base plan and do a full breakdown of your monthly budget to avoid surprises.