One of the first questions Ontario business owners ask when considering Shopify is, "Which plan do I need?" It's a reasonable question, and the answer is rarely just about the monthly subscription price. The right plan depends on your sales volume, how many locations you run, how you accept payments, how many staff need access, and where you want the business to be in two or three years.
This article walks through how to think about Shopify plans in a structured way. Because Shopify updates its pricing and plan features periodically, we focus on the decision-making framework rather than quoting numbers that may be out of date by the time you read this. Always confirm current Canadian-dollar pricing on Shopify's Canadian pricing page.
The components of your Shopify cost
Your total monthly cost is made up of several parts. Understanding each one prevents budget surprises.
1. The core subscription
This is the monthly (or annual) fee for your Shopify plan. Shopify's standard lineup has typically included:
- Starter, a very low-cost option for selling through social media and links, without a full online store.
- Basic, for new and small businesses launching a full online store.
- Grow (formerly called "Shopify"), for growing businesses that want lower payment rates and more staff accounts.
- Advanced, for scaling businesses that need more reporting, more staff, and lower rates still.
- Shopify Plus, the enterprise tier with custom pricing, higher limits, and advanced features.
Paying annually has historically reduced the monthly cost of the Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans by roughly a quarter, which is worth considering once you're confident Shopify is the right platform.
2. Payment processing rates
Every card transaction carries a processing fee. With Shopify Payments, the percentage generally decreases as you move to higher plans. Online and in-person rates differ, and in Canada, in-person Interac debit transactions are typically charged at a small flat fee rather than a percentage, which is a significant advantage for Canadian retailers where debit is widely used at the counter.
3. Third-party transaction fees
If you use a payment provider other than Shopify Payments, Shopify charges an additional transaction fee on top of that provider's own fees. This fee is also lower on higher plans. For most Ontario businesses, using Shopify Payments is the simplest way to avoid it.
4. Shopify POS Pro
POS Lite is included with standard plans. POS Pro is a monthly add-on charged per retail location. If you have two shops, you pay for two POS Pro subscriptions. On Shopify Plus, POS Pro has typically been included for a large number of locations.
5. Apps
Most stores use a handful of apps for reviews, loyalty, accounting sync, shipping, or subscriptions. Some are free; many charge monthly. App costs can quietly exceed your plan cost if you're not careful.
6. Themes, domains, and hardware
Free themes are available, and premium themes carry a one-time fee. Your domain name has an annual cost. POS hardware (card readers, stands, receipt printers, barcode scanners) is a one-time purchase but should be budgeted.
7. Shipping, taxes, and currency
Shipping labels, HST remittance, and foreign exchange costs on U.S. sales aren't Shopify fees, but they affect your margins and interact with your plan choice (for example, plan level can affect shipping label discounts).
A decision framework
Instead of asking "which plan is cheapest?" ask "which plan costs the least in total for how my business actually operates?" Here's how to work through it.
Step 1: Estimate your monthly sales, split by channel
Write down your expected monthly online sales and in-person sales, and roughly what share of in-person sales are debit versus credit. If you already have a POS system, pull the last 12 months of data. Seasonality matters in Ontario, so don't use a single month; December and July often look very different.
Step 2: Calculate payment costs on each plan
Using Shopify's current published rates, calculate processing fees for your volume on Basic, Grow, and Advanced. You'll often find a "break-even point" where a higher plan's lower rates save more than its higher subscription costs.
Here's a simplified illustration with made-up round numbers to show the logic (not actual Shopify rates):
| Scenario | Plan A | Plan B | |---|---|---| | Monthly subscription | $50 | $130 | | Online card rate | 2.9% | 2.7% | | Monthly online card sales | $25,000 | $25,000 | | Processing fees | $725 | $675 | | Total | $775 | $805 |
At $25,000 per month, Plan A is cheaper. At $50,000, the rate difference saves $100 per month, which starts to offset the subscription gap, and at higher volumes Plan B wins. Run this calculation with real numbers for your business.
Step 3: Count your staff accounts
Plans differ in how many staff accounts can access the Shopify admin. POS-only staff are typically handled differently from admin staff, but if your managers, bookkeeper, and marketing contractor all need admin access, you may outgrow the Basic plan's limits quickly.
Step 4: Count your locations
Shopify plans include a certain number of inventory locations. A "location" can be a store, a warehouse, a pop-up, or a third-party fulfilment centre. If you have one store and a stockroom that you want to track separately, that's two locations. Check that your plan supports the number you need now and in the near future.
Step 5: Decide between POS Lite and POS Pro for each location
A useful rule of thumb:
- POS Lite is generally fine for occasional selling, like a farmers' market booth, a craft show, or a temporary pop-up, especially if one or two trusted people handle sales.
- POS Pro usually makes sense for any permanent retail location with staff, because of role-based permissions, deeper inventory management, and retail-specific reporting.
We cover this decision in more detail in the Shopify POS setup article in this series.
Step 6: Consider your growth plans
If you plan to open a second location, start wholesale, or expand into the U.S. in the next 18 months, choose a plan that won't force a disruptive upgrade at a busy time. Upgrading is easy technically, but it's better to make the move deliberately than in the middle of the holiday rush.
Step 7: List your "must-have" features
Some features are only available on certain plans. Examples to check include:
- Advanced or custom reporting
- Calculated third-party shipping rates at checkout
- Number of international markets and currencies
- B2B and wholesale features (Shopify has been expanding native B2B beyond Plus, so check current availability on your plan)
- Checkout customization options
- Staff account limits
Typical fit by business type
These are general patterns, not rules.
A solo maker selling at markets in Hamilton with a small website. Basic plan with POS Lite is usually enough. Focus spending on product photography and marketing instead.
A single-location boutique in Stratford with two part-time staff and steady online sales. Basic or Grow, plus POS Pro for the store. The deciding factor is usually sales volume and whether the lower rates on Grow offset the higher subscription.
A two-location gift shop in Muskoka and Barrie with strong seasonal peaks. Grow is often a good fit, with POS Pro for each location. Seasonal businesses should model both peak and off-peak months.
A growing brand in the GTA with three stores, a warehouse, wholesale accounts, and U.S. customers. Advanced, or possibly Plus, depending on volume, the number of locations, and B2B needs. At this stage, it's worth getting a quote from Shopify's sales team.
Hidden costs to watch
- App creep. Review your apps every quarter. Shopify regularly adds native features that replace paid apps. Recent releases have added capabilities in areas like B2B, discounts, store credit, and marketing automation, so an app you installed two years ago might now be redundant.
- Chargebacks. Disputed payments carry fees. Clear policies and good fraud screening reduce these.
- Currency conversion. If you sell in U.S. dollars and get paid in Canadian dollars, conversion fees apply. Understand how payouts work before expanding.
- Hardware replacements. Card readers and tablets wear out. Budget for replacements every few years.
- Developer time. Custom features or theme changes may require a developer or agency.
Using annual billing wisely
Annual billing saves money but commits you for a year. A sensible approach for new merchants is to start monthly, validate that the setup works for your business over two or three months, then switch to annual billing once you're confident. Established merchants migrating from another platform with well-understood needs can often commit to annual billing from the start.
When to consider Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus is typically worth exploring when:
- Your sales volume makes the lower processing rates meaningful.
- You need many POS Pro locations.
- You need advanced checkout customization, automation, or wholesale tools beyond what lower plans provide.
- You want to run multiple storefronts (for example, separate brands or a dedicated wholesale site).
- You need dedicated support and higher API limits for custom integrations.
For many Ontario SMEs, Plus is a "later" consideration, but it's useful to know where the ceiling is.
A note on Ontario-specific budgeting
When modelling your costs, remember:
- HST applies to Shopify's fees. Your subscription and app fees will generally have HST added. If you're an HST registrant, you can typically claim input tax credits on business expenses, which offsets this cost. Confirm with your accountant.
- Wage increases. Ontario's minimum wage increases every October. Operational efficiency features that save staff time become more valuable each year.
- Seasonality. Many Ontario businesses see sharp swings between winter and summer, particularly in tourism regions. Model costs across the full year.
A simple checklist before you choose
- [ ] I've estimated 12 months of online and in-person sales.
- [ ] I've calculated payment processing costs on at least two plans.
- [ ] I know how many admin staff accounts I need.
- [ ] I know how many inventory locations I need.
- [ ] I've decided which locations need POS Pro.
- [ ] I've listed must-have features and confirmed which plans include them.
- [ ] I've budgeted for apps, themes, hardware, and domains.
- [ ] I've checked current Canadian pricing on Shopify's website.
- [ ] I've discussed HST treatment with my accountant.
Key takeaways
- Your real Shopify cost includes the subscription, payment processing, POS Pro per location, apps, hardware, and more.
- Higher plans cost more monthly but reduce processing rates, so calculate your break-even point.
- POS Lite suits occasional selling; POS Pro suits permanent staffed locations.
- Choose a plan that fits your next 12 to 18 months, not just today.
- Review your plan and apps regularly, since Shopify frequently adds native features that can replace paid tools.
Pricing and plan features change. Information in this article reflects fall 2026; verify current Canadian pricing and features directly with Shopify before purchasing.