What does Shopify really cost? Subscription, transaction fees and apps

"Shopify is only a few tens of euros a month, right?" That's true for the subscription, but it's not the whole story. The real monthly cost of a Shopify shop has three layers: the plan, the transaction fees and the apps. Below we lay them out honestly — with realistic ranges instead of nice promises.

1. The subscription

Shopify works with fixed plans. In Belgium you roughly see these monthly rates (paying monthly; paying annually is usually considerably cheaper):

• Basic — around €33 per month. More than enough for most starting and small shops.
• Grow (the middle plan) — around €88 per month. Lower transaction rates and more staff accounts.
• Advanced — a few hundred euros per month. Only interesting at higher revenue or with more complex needs.

For a small business just starting out, Basic is almost always the right choice. You grow into a bigger plan later if you need to.

2. The transaction fees

This is the part people often forget. A percentage comes off every sale. There are two separate things:

• The payment provider's cost. If you use Shopify Payments (the built-in payment solution), count on a rate around 2.9% + €0.30 per online card transaction on Basic — and that percentage drops on more expensive plans. Payments at the register (in person) are usually cheaper.
• The extra Shopify fee with an external payment provider. If you choose a gateway other than Shopify Payments, Shopify charges an extra fee on top: around 2% on Basic, dropping to 0.5% on Advanced. If you use Shopify Payments, that extra fee disappears entirely.

The practical conclusion: for most Belgian shops, Shopify Payments is the cheapest route, precisely because you then don't pay that extra fee. Pay with cash or bank transfer and there are no transaction fees at all.

3. The apps

Shopify can do a lot on its own, but for specific features you reach for apps from the App Store. Some are free, others cost €5 to €50 a month or more. Think reviews, email marketing, a loyalty programme or a link to your accounting.

This is where the bill adds up fastest — and where you can save the most. Many shops install apps they barely use, or for which a free alternative or built-in feature exists. Every app you add is a monthly cost and something that has to be maintained.

A realistic total picture

For a small, tidy shop on Basic with Shopify Payments and a few essential apps, you often land between €40 and €150 per month all-in, plus the percentage on your revenue. So not a fixed amount, but a range that moves with your revenue and your choices. If you sell €5,000 a month, the transaction percentage weighs more heavily than the subscription; if you sell little, the subscription is the biggest item.

How do we keep this low at Kattenberg 118?

Kattenberg 118 is a small web studio in Borgerhout. Jonas ran shops himself for fifteen years and paid every software invoice out of his own pocket — so cost-awareness is baked in. We have no commercial stake in software partners: if a feature can be free or handled with a built-in Shopify feature, that's how we do it.

We don't put a fixed total on a web page, precisely because it depends so much on your plan, your revenue and your apps. We do give an honest estimate after a short conversation, and we guard your monthly cost as if it were our own money. Curious what you'd realistically end up paying? Get in touch — and we'll work it out together.