eCommerce

Shopify Deep Dive: How much does Shopify cost? What additional charges does a merchant have to pay?

Osama Zahid

How much does Shopify cost? What additional charges does a merchant have to pay?

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If you’re looking at Shopify as an eCommerce platform to power your online store, you need to understand the many options available. From free templates and tools with limited features all the way up Shopify's paid plans which offer more robust service levels, you need to decide on which package exactly will suit best according to your budget.

The good news is that there are plenty of cost effective solutions to start and grow your business with Shopify. In this article, we will explore the different pricing plans in detail so that you are able to make a better informed decision. 

Shopify is Software as a Service (SaaS) which means that you do not own any software, instead you pay monthly fees for the service. Shopify offers a 14 day free trial so you can try out all of the features before you decide to commit. From there onwards, the pricing that you pay per month depends on the type of package that you have chosen. Following is an overview of the different packages and their features:

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  1. Shopify Lite - $9 per month
  2. Shopify Basic - $29 per month
  3. Shopify Main - $79 per month
  4. Shopify Advanced - $299 per month
  5. Shopify Plus - varies, but is generally around $2000 per month

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Which package should a merchant choose?

The Shopify Basic plan is ideal for the retailers that are just entering the eCommerce space. The main plan is good for stores that are generating more than PKR 100,000 per month in online sales. The Advanced and Shopify Plus plans are for high-volume stores. Keep in mind that there are various add-ons and features that you might want to use for your store which will increase your monthly fees. For example, you might need a custom domain name or extra bandwidth if your store is experiencing high traffic levels.

As the plans advance, so do their functionalities. For example, the Main plan includes gift cards, abandoned cart recovery and an increase in the amount of products you can sell. If you are looking for more features and want to be able to scale your business, then the Advanced or Shopify Plus plans are a better choice.

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To make things simpler, here is a table to help you compare the three main Shopify plans: 

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What additional charges does a merchant have to pay?

Apart from the fixed monthly fee, other charges such as credit card rates, in-person credit card rates and additional fees using payment providers other than Shopify payments cost you more in the Shopify basic plan as compared to the main and advanced plans of Shopify.

Although the fixed rates of Shopify basic are lower in comparison to the main and advanced Shopify plans, the additional rates are higher for the basic plan followed by the main plan and then the advanced plan.

The benefit of using bSecure as the full payment checkout solution is that it costs you less in comparison to the normal charges of Shopify. The additional fees that go to Shopify when a payment provider other than Shopify payments is chosen gets deducted as a percentage of the total order. In addition to the 2% that is charged on the basic Shopify plans, merchants also have to pay the credit card fees that are charged by the payment gateway service provider. 


With bSecure, merchants do not have to pay the 2% that normally goes to Shopify.

bSecure as the payment gateway solution for Shopify checkouts


Shopify’s pricing is structured in such a manner that allows it to earn on the checkout process. This is where bSecure steps in. Some of the benefits of bSecure are as follows: 

  1. The whole checkout process is handled by bSecure so merchants do not have to worry about payments and security. Customers on the other hand can get the option of pre-payments for their orders instead of solely relying on COD. 
  2. Customers can be relieved that their credit/debit card information will remain safe with bSecure - as the name implies the whole process is secure and seamless.
  3. For merchants, using bSecure removes the worry that the customer will abandon their carts upon reaching the payments page. 
  4. If a merchant wants, then their products can be pulled on the bSecure mobile application. Any order generated from the bSecure application serves as a bonus and in this way the merchant can improve their sales. 

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How to Select bSecure on the Shopify checkout to reduce costs?

Here is an overview on how to select bSecure on the Shopify checkout: 

  1. On the Shopify private application, select bSecure as the payment network on the “alternate payment networks”. 
  2. An option of “Debit/Credit Card - Powered by bSecure” will show up there. 
  3. Once you click on it, an OTP page will open redirecting to bSecure. 
  4. You will need to enter your bSecure Store ID when prompted. 
  5. You will receive your bSecure Store ID once you register yourself as a merchant on the bSecure website. 

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Here’s a step-by-step guide explaining the details of installing the Shopify payments plugin.

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Shopify’s Packages Explained in Detail:

Take a look at the details of each package and the features included in each of them:

Shopify Lite - $9 per month

- It is the cheapest available package

- It has only very minimal functionalities.

- You do not get a fully functional store.

Shopify Basic - $29 per month

- Gives you a shop with 2 staff accounts

- Lets you use Shopify's checkout process

- Comes with a free Shopify domain name

- Gives you access to Shopify's basic reporting features

- Lets you use Shopify's discounted shipping rates

- Allows the blogging functionality which is helpful to generate the inbound traffic to your store.

Shopify Main - $79 per month

- Gives you a shop with 5 staff accounts

- Gives you access to Shopify's basic reporting features

- Lets you use Shopify's discounted shipping rates

- Gives you access to Shopify's abandoned checkout recovery features

Shopify Advanced - $299 per month

- Gives you a shop with unlimited staff accounts

- Lets you use Shopify's gift card features

- Lets you use Shopify's Abandoned Cart Saver feature

Shopify Plus - varies, but is generally around $2000 per month

- A dedicated account manager

- Priority support

- Access to Shopify's advanced reporting features

- Customized design support

- Ability to use Shopify's shipping rate calculator

- Access to Shopify's gift card features

- Access to Shopify's Abandoned Cart Saver feature

- A discount on Shopify's rates for payment processing

Final Verdict:

Overall, Shopify is a great platform for small to medium businesses that are looking for an affordable, yet customizable eCommerce solution. There are plenty of features and add-ons to choose from so that you can create a unique store that fits your specific needs.

As far as the payment gateway is concerned, bSecure is a great option that can help you reduce your costs. With bSecure, you can be assured that your customers’ credit/debit card information will be safe and that they will not have to worry about completing the checkout process. bSecure is also available as a mobile app, so you can increase your sales by reaching out to even more customers. Many merchants referred to as "builders" have already taking advantage of bSecure on their Shopify platform.

If you have an eCommerce store in Pakistan or want to start one using the Shopify platform, you need to look for a payment gateway solution that is affordable and secure. bSecure checks both boxes and is definitely worth considering.

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Osama Zahid

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