What are the main disadvantages of Shopify?

The main drawbacks are recurring costs that grow with apps, extra transaction fees if you do not use Shopify Payments, the need to drive all of your own traffic, and some limits on URL structure and deep customisation without a developer or the Plus plan.

Is Shopify worth it for a small business?

Usually yes, if you sell your own products and can market them. The Basic plan covers a full store, Shopify Payments avoids extra transaction fees, and free Shopify apps handle automation and search. Budget for advertising, because Shopify does not bring shoppers to your store.

How much does Shopify cost per month in 2026?

US list prices are widely reported at $39 a month for Basic, $105 for Grow and $399 for Advanced on monthly billing, with lower rates when billed yearly. Shopify Plus starts at roughly $2,300 a month. Prices vary by country, so check Shopify's pricing page.

Does Shopify charge transaction fees?

Not with Shopify Payments; you only pay card processing. If you use a third-party payment gateway, Shopify adds 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus, on top of the gateway's own charges.

Is Shopify better than Amazon?

They do different jobs. Amazon brings ready-to-buy shoppers and handles fulfillment through FBA, while Shopify gives you brand control and customer data. Many brands use Amazon for reach and Shopify for repeat customers, and connect them with Marketplace Connect or Amazon's multichannel tools.

Shopify Pros and Cons: An Honest Review for 2026

What changed: An honest review of Shopify's strengths and weaknesses for brands
When: Updated October 2026
Who it affects: Brands choosing or reviewing a direct-to-consumer store platform
What to do: Price your plan plus apps before you commit

Key takeaways

Pros: quick launch, strong checkout, free Shopify-built apps and full customer ownership.
Cons: plan plus app costs, third-party gateway fees and no built-in traffic.
Most brands do best running Shopify and Amazon together, not choosing one.

Shopify US plans at a glance

	Basic	Grow	Advanced
Monthly billing	$39	$105	$399
Billed yearly	$29/mo	$79/mo	$299/mo
Third-party gateway fee	2%	1%	0.6%
Shopify Payments fee	None extra	None extra	None extra

Shopify at a glance

Shopify is a hosted ecommerce platform: it runs the servers, security, checkout and payments, and you choose a theme and add apps. Shopify's help center lists plans from Starter through Basic, Grow, Advanced, Shopify Plus and enterprise, plus newer plans such as Agentic. Most brands start on Basic or Grow.

Pro: fast to launch and easy to run

You can open a working store in a day without a developer. Themes handle layout, the admin is clear, and hosting, SSL and updates are included. That frees a small team to focus on product and marketing instead of server maintenance.

Pro: a large app ecosystem and strong free tools

The Shopify App Store covers almost every need, and several of the most useful apps are Shopify's own and free, including Shopify Flow for automation, Search & Discovery for on-site search and filters, and Shopify Subscriptions. Our list of the best Shopify apps covers what to install first.

Free Shopify-built apps for automation, search and subscriptions
Thousands of third-party apps for email, reviews and shipping
Marketplace Connect syncs Amazon, Walmart, eBay and Target Plus
Shopify POS for in-person sales

Pro: checkout and payments

Shopify's checkout is fast, mobile friendly and supports accelerated payment options. With Shopify Payments there is no extra Shopify transaction fee on any plan; you pay only card processing. That simplicity is a real advantage over self-built stores.

Pro: you own the customer

Unlike a marketplace, your Shopify store gives you customer emails, order history and full control of branding and pricing. That data powers email and SMS marketing, loyalty and subscriptions, which raise lifetime value over time. Our Shopify vs Amazon FBA guide explains how the two models differ on customer ownership.

Con: costs add up beyond the plan price

The plan fee is only the start. In the US, Basic is widely reported at $39 a month on monthly billing ($29 billed yearly), Grow at $105 ($79) and Advanced at $399 ($299), with Plus quoted from about $2,300 a month. Prices vary by country, so check Shopify's pricing page for yours.

Paid apps, a premium theme and card processing all sit on top. If you use a third-party payment gateway instead of Shopify Payments, Shopify adds its own fee: 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow, 0.6% on Advanced and 0.2% on Plus, according to Shopify's pricing page.

Monthly plan fee
Paid apps, often several
Premium theme, one-off
Card processing on every order
Extra 0.2% to 2% if not using Shopify Payments

Con: you must bring your own traffic

A Shopify store has no built-in shoppers. Every visitor comes from your ads, search rankings, social content or email. Amazon, by contrast, brings buyers who are already searching. Budget for customer acquisition from day one; our Shopify marketing agency page explains the channels that usually work first.

	Shopify	Amazon
Built-in shoppers
Own customer data
Full brand control
Fulfillment option
Monthly platform fee

Most brands run both and sync inventory.

Con: customisation and SEO limits

Themes are easy to adjust, but deeper changes need Liquid, Shopify's template language, and a developer. Some structures are fixed: product and collection pages sit under set URL folders, and checkout customisation is limited on lower plans. Blogging and content tools are basic compared with a dedicated CMS. None of this stops good SEO, but it does need planning.

Fixed URL structure for products and collections
Advanced design changes need a developer
Checkout customisation is deeper on Plus
Too many apps can slow the store

Who should not choose Shopify?

Shopify is not the best fit for everyone. If you resell other brands' products with thin margins, a marketplace may serve you better, because you avoid the cost of attracting every visitor yourself. Very content-heavy publishers may prefer a CMS with a store plugin. And businesses with complex B2B quoting, custom pricing per account or unusual checkout flows may find they need Plus or custom development sooner than expected.

Before committing, list the five features you cannot live without, check which plan includes them and which apps they require, and price the full stack for twelve months.

Resellers relying on marketplace traffic
Content-first publishers
Complex B2B pricing without the budget for Plus
Teams with no capacity for marketing

Shopify vs selling only on Amazon

For most brands the answer is both. Amazon delivers demand and conversion at scale, while Shopify holds the brand, the customer list and higher-margin repeat orders. Shopify's Marketplace Connect app and Amazon's own multichannel tools, announced at Accelerate 2026, make running the two together easier. If you also want a second marketplace, see how to set up an eBay seller account.

Shopify fits you if

You sell your own brand
You can fund ads or content
You want customer emails
You plan subscriptions or bundles
You sell on marketplaces too

Where PPC Spider helps

PPC Spider is an Amazon and marketplace agency. Our Shopify and DTC agency team builds and grows Shopify stores next to Amazon, and SpiderOS monitors bids, budgets, search terms and stock across channels. PPC plans start at $995 a month and full-service at $1,950; see agency pricing.

Sources

Shopify: Pricing (shopify.com/pricing)
Shopify Help Center: Shopify plans (help.shopify.com/en/manual/intro-to-shopify/pricing-plans/plans-features/plans)
Shopify App Store: Marketplace Connect (apps.shopify.com/marketplace-connect)
EComposer: Shopify fees, pricing and hidden costs (ecomposer.io/blogs/shopify-knowledge/shopify-fees)

Want this done for your account?

We run these playbooks on client accounts every day. Start with a free audit.

Get a free audit