DTC tools

Shopify Plus Break-Even

Find the monthly GMV where Shopify Plus pays for itself versus Advanced. Enter your volume and rates and see each plan true monthly cost, the fee break-even point, and what Plus saves or costs you today.

Your numbers

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Results

Enter your monthly GMV to see whether Shopify Plus pays for itself on fees.
Break-even GMV · on fees alone—Monthly GMV where Plus lower card rate offsets its higher base fee.
Advanced cost / mo
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Base + card fees at your GMV
Plus cost / mo
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Base + card fees at your GMV
Plus saving / mo
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Positive means Plus is cheaper
Plus saving / yr
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On fees, at current GMV

Plus is rarely just a fee decision. If you are weighing checkout customization, B2B, or a migration, we can pressure-test it with you.

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When does Shopify Plus pay for itself?

On fees alone, Plus pays for itself once your monthly GMV is high enough that its lower card rate saves more than its higher base fee costs. With a roughly $2,300 Plus base against a $399 Advanced base, and about a third of a percentage point of card-rate difference, that break-even sits in the mid-six-figures of monthly GMV. Below that point, Plus is a capability decision, not a savings one.

Why fees are only part of the picture

Most brands move to Plus for what it makes possible rather than what it saves: customizable checkout through Shopify Functions and checkout extensibility, B2B and wholesale, up to ten expansion stores, higher API limits, and staff and automation controls. Those capabilities, not the card rate, are usually what justify the jump. Use the fee math to know where the pure-cost line is, then weigh the features against it.

How this is calculated

Each plan monthly cost is its base fee plus its card rate times your GMV. The break-even GMV is the difference in base fees divided by the difference in card rates. Card rates vary by country, plan, and whether you use Shopify Payments, so the defaults are editable \u2014 put in your real rates for an accurate line.

FAQ

Everything you need to know.

How much does Shopify Plus cost?
Shopify Plus starts around $2,300 per month on a three-year term (about $2,500 month-to-month), versus $399 for Advanced. At very high volume Plus can shift to a revenue-share model. Card processing rates are separate and are lower on Plus, which is where the fee savings come from. Enter your own figures above for your exact comparison.
At what revenue should I upgrade to Shopify Plus?
On cost alone, when the card-rate saving beats the higher base fee, which is typically in the mid-six-figures of monthly GMV. But many brands upgrade earlier for checkout customization, B2B, or expansion stores. Run your GMV above to see the pure-fee break-even, then decide whether the capabilities justify moving sooner.
Is Shopify Plus worth it below the break-even GMV?
It can be, if you need what it offers: a customizable checkout, B2B, multiple storefronts, or higher API limits. Below the fee break-even you are paying for capability rather than saving money, which is a legitimate reason as long as the capability maps to real revenue.
What is the difference between Advanced and Plus fees?
Advanced has a lower base fee but a higher card rate; Plus has a higher base fee but a lower card rate, plus platform capabilities Advanced does not. The more you process, the more the lower Plus card rate matters, which is why Plus wins on cost only at higher volume.
Built by Liquid Lemon, a Shopify design studio and DTC growth agency for consumer brands.
Planning model. Results are estimates based on the figures you enter, not a guarantee of performance.