Shopify
Hosted commerce platform for online, in-person and social selling
Shopify report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 18, 2026
Best for stores selling online, in person and on social
Shopify is the safe big pick: store, checkout, shipping labels, email campaigns and in-person selling in one admin, with more than 13,000 apps for anything missing. Basic is $29 a month on yearly billing. What sends some people elsewhere is the 2% fee if you skip Shopify Payments, and a free trial of just 3 days.
Who Shopify is for
- Great if you sell online and at markets or pop-ups and want one stock count for both
- Handy when you plan to grow and add staff and channels without switching platforms
- Good for sellers happy to use Shopify Payments and its discounted shipping labels
Who Shopify is not for
- Pricey if you want your own payment provider, as Basic adds 2% to each of those sales
- Not for you if you want a few weeks to try it, since the free trial is 3 days
- Tight if you run a real shop counter, as POS Pro is $89 a month per location
Why Shopify gets a 2.8
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyBasic is $29 a month on yearly billing ($39 monthly), with your own domain and unlimited products. That's right at this category's middle. Shopify takes no extra cut if you use Shopify Payments, but adds 2% to each sale on Basic if you use another payment provider.
- DFree plan and trialNo free plan, and the trial is just 3 days, though it needs no card. After that it's $1 a month for 3 months, which is a cheap start rather than a free one.
- AFeaturesThe whole job and then some: themes, checkout, stock across up to 10 locations, discounted labels, email campaigns, selling at pop-ups from your phone, marketplace and social sync, even listing products in AI chats. More than 13,000 apps cover the rest.
- AEase of use4.7 from about 42,800 App Store ratings, far more than any other store here. A theme or a written prompt gets the storefront going, and Sidekick answers questions and does jobs in the admin.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone and Android, with Amazon, eBay, Walmart, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Google and YouTube, plus APIs for custom apps. There's no desktop app, which keeps it off an A.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Shopify's own pages on 18 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/shopify#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/shopify.svg" alt="Shopify: 2.8 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Shopify stands among online store builders
Shopify's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 8 of the 9 other online store builders we grade, and level with 1.
It stands best on features (A, above 9 of 9) and worst on free plan and trial (D, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $29 a month, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 3 of the 7 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 10 online store builders we grade, cut by the letter each got. Shopify’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 9, level with 7
- DFree plan and trialAbove 1 of 9, level with 1
- AFeaturesAbove 9 of 9
- AEase of useAbove 8 of 9, level with 1
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 9, level with 7
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 8 online store builders. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep Shopify, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Shopify you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 8 of the 9 other online store builders we grade. It costs $348 a year.
What you could make
- Inventory: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you.
- Discounted carrier rates and labels, which take an agreement with each carrier.
- Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Amazon, eBay and Walmart among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features A, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Shopify’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Shopify?
Shopify is a hosted platform for running an online store, with themes, checkout, inventory, shipping labels, marketing email and point-of-sale selling in one admin. Stores can also sync products to marketplaces, social channels and AI chats, and the Shopify App Store adds more features. Plans differ mainly in staff accounts, card rates and the fee charged when you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments.
Shopify is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $29 per month, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly). See every plan
Good for
- Brands that sell online and in person from one stock count
- Growing stores that want to add staff and channels without moving platforms
- Sellers who will use Shopify Payments and its shipping discounts
Worth knowing
- Using a payment provider other than Shopify Payments adds a fee of 2% per sale on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus.
- The free trial lasts 3 days; Basic, Grow and Advanced then cost $1 a month for 3 months before the regular price.
- POS Pro for physical shops costs $89 a month per location, and syncing more than 50 marketplace orders a month costs 1%, up to $99 a month.
- Plus is sold only on a 1- or 3-year term, starting at $2,300 a month on the 3-year term.
Key features
- Store builder and themes
- Build the storefront from a theme (Shopify lists more than 200) or from a written prompt, with hosting, SSL and a custom domain on every plan and no cap on products.
- Checkout and Shopify Payments
- Shopify's own checkout and payment processing are built in, with fraud analysis, local currencies and local payment methods where Shopify Payments is offered.
- Inventory, orders and shipping
- Track stock across up to 10 locations (200 on Plus), buy and print discounted shipping labels, with live third-party carrier rates included from Advanced up.
- Selling in person and on other channels
- Sell at pop-ups from the mobile app or a card reader, and sync products to marketplaces and social channels. A separate $0 Agentic plan lists products in AI chats.
- Marketing email and automations
- Email campaigns, customer segments, abandoned checkout recovery, discount codes and gift cards come with every plan; SMS campaigns are paid per send.
- Sidekick AI assistant and apps
- Sidekick answers questions and takes actions in the admin, and the Shopify App Store lists more than 13,000 apps for features the core plans lack.
Shopify pricing
- Starts at
- $29 per month, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 3-day free trial, no credit card required
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $29per month, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly) | For solo sellers: online and in-person sales, card rates from 2.9% + 30¢ online, and a 2% fee on sales taken through another payment provider. |
| Grow | $79per month, billed yearly ($105 billed monthly) | Up to 5 staff accounts, card rates from 2.7% + 30¢ online and a 1% fee on sales through other payment providers. |
| Advanced | $299per month, billed yearly ($399 billed monthly) | Up to 15 staff accounts, live third-party shipping rates, card rates from 2.5% + 30¢ and a 0.6% fee with other payment providers. |
| Plus | $2,300per month and up, billed yearly on a 3-year term | On a 1- or 3-year term: unlimited staff, a fully customizable checkout, card rates from 2.25% + 30¢ and a 0.2% fee with other providers. |
Read from shopify.com on Oct 18, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Shopify before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountPay yearly to save about 25%
Basic costs $29 a month billed yearly against $39 billed monthly, Grow $79 against $105, and Advanced $299 against $399.
Stated on shopify.com - Other savings$1 a month for the first 3 months
After the 3-day free trial, the Basic, Grow and Advanced plans cost $1 a month for the first 3 months, then the regular price.
Stated on shopify.com
How people rate the Shopify app
4.7
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
- 5 stars88%
- 4 stars5%
- 3 stars2%
- 2 stars<1%
- 1 star5%
42,752 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 18, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Works with
Shopify alternatives
- Shopify vs BigCommerce
Free trial · from $29/mo
- Shopify vs WooCommerce
Free plan
- Shopify vs Wix
Free plan · from $17/mo
- Shopify vs Squarespace
Free trial · from $19/mo
- Shopify vs Square Online
Free plan · from $49/mo
Common questions
Is Shopify free?
No, Shopify is a paid product, but you can try it first. 3-day free trial, no credit card required.
How much does Shopify cost?
Shopify lists 4 plans. Basic: $29 per month, billed yearly ($39 billed monthly). Grow: $79 per month, billed yearly ($105 billed monthly). Advanced: $299 per month, billed yearly ($399 billed monthly). Plus: $2,300 per month and up, billed yearly on a 3-year term. Prices were read from shopify.com on Oct 18, 2026.
What platforms does Shopify work on?
Shopify is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Shopify offer any discounts?
Shopify publicly lists the following: Pay yearly to save about 25%; $1 a month for the first 3 months.
How is Shopify rated?
Shopify's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 42,752 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 18, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does Shopify have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Shopify is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Shopify have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Shopify is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Shopify open source?
Shopify is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does Shopify have an API?
Yes. Shopify offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Shopify integrate with?
Shopify's listing names Amazon, eBay, Walmart, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Google and YouTube. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Shopify?
Shopify is made by Shopify.
What are the alternatives to Shopify?
The closest alternatives to Shopify in our directory are BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace and Square Online. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Shopify.
How does Shopify compare with other online store builders?
Shopify's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 8 of the 9 other online store builders we grade, and level with 1. It stands best on features (A, above 9 of 9) and worst on free plan and trial (D, above 1).
Is Shopify good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Shopify C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $29 a month, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 3 of the 7 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Could I make my own version of Shopify?
To replace Shopify you would be making checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 8 of the 9 other online store builders we grade. It costs $348 a year. What you could not make: Checkout, card payments and sales tax handled for you. Discounted carrier rates and labels, which take an agreement with each carrier. Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox. A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 18, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.