Shopify Store Profit Calculator
Calculate Shopify store profit after subscription fees, payment processing at 2.9%+30 cents, transaction fees, and product cost.
Returns net margin per order.
The two-layer Shopify cost structure
Most new store owners look at the subscription price and assume that’s the cost. It isn’t. Shopify charges in two layers: a monthly plan fee, plus a percentage on every transaction. The percentage either comes via Shopify Payments (the built-in processor) or via a transaction fee on top of your third-party processor.
Plan fees and transaction percentages (2024)
| Plan | Monthly | Shopify Payments | Third-party + |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $39 | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2% extra |
| Shopify | $105 | 2.6% + $0.30 | 1% extra |
| Advanced | $399 | 2.4% + $0.30 | 0.5% extra |
| Plus | $2,300+ | 2.15% + $0.30 | 0.15% extra |
The third-party “additional” fee exists specifically to push you to Shopify Payments. Using Stripe, Authorize.net, or any other processor means you pay both their fee (typically 2.9%) AND Shopify’s transaction fee on top. There is no economic reason to use a third-party unless Shopify Payments isn’t available in your country, you need a specific payment method Shopify doesn’t support, or you sell prohibited products (CBD, certain firearms, adult content).
Net profit math
gross profit = monthly revenue − product costs total fees = plan subscription + (transaction fee if third-party) + payment processing fee net profit = gross profit − total fees
A $5,000/month Basic store with $1,500 in product costs, Shopify Payments, and 100 orders:
- Gross profit: $3,500
- Subscription: $39
- Payment fees: $5,000 × 0.029 + 100 × $0.30 = $145 + $30 = $175
- Total fees: $214
- Net: $3,286 (65.7% margin)
When to upgrade plans
Plan upgrades pay for themselves once savings from lower processing rates exceed the plan price difference:
- Basic → Shopify breakeven: about $20,000/month revenue (3,000 transactions). Below that, stay on Basic.
- Shopify → Advanced breakeven: about $300,000/month revenue. Most independents never get here.
- Plus is for $1M+ monthly stores or those who need custom checkout / B2B features.
Most retail stores should stay on Basic for the first $15,000 to $20,000/month in revenue. The Shopify plan’s marginal saving on processing only matters at volume.
The real cost most new stores miss
Shopify subscription and transaction fees are the easy numbers. The hidden ones:
- Theme ($180 to $400 one-time for premium themes; free themes are usually fine)
- Apps ($20 to $200+/month for advanced features — quickly adds up if unmanaged)
- Domain ($14 to $20/year)
- Email marketing ($30 to $300/month depending on list size if not using Shopify Email)
- Paid ads (the single biggest cost — Facebook/Google ads routinely run 30 to 60% of revenue for early-stage stores)
A store reporting “$10K/month revenue” on Shopify is often netting under $2,000 after product cost, fees, ads, and apps. Track every line item.
Shopify Capital — read carefully
Shopify offers cash advances based on store history. Convenient but expensive: effective APR often 30 to 60%. Use only when the cash makes you more than the advance costs — typically only when buying inventory for a known high-margin event (Black Friday).
Tax / shipping
Shopify Payments charges by the gross amount including tax and shipping, not just the item price. A $100 item with $20 shipping and $8 tax processes as $128, so you pay $128 × 0.029 + $0.30 = $4.01 in fees, not the $2.90 you might assume. Plug shipping and tax into your AOV when forecasting margins.